Raijin's Sword

In Orochimaru's basement, he was holding a hammer and banging away.

He was planning to clear out the rubble and see if there were any intact instruments. Even if they were damaged, he would check whether they could be repaired. If not, he would strip them for parts and piece together whatever he could.

At worst, he could simply buy whichever parts he needed next time. After all, every piece of experimental equipment here was extremely valuable. Doing this could save him at least several million ryo.

Shikun Mitarashi walked over.

"Lord Orochimaru, after the Anbu ninja left, Root ninja came to search the place. I stopped them outside and refused them entry."

The explosion when Orochimaru destroyed the Particle Accelerator had been quite loud. It contained an extremely high-energy reaction, and combined with the power of the Cosmic Cube, it had practically caused a small earthquake in the surrounding area.

Fortunately, when Orochimaru bought this house, he had considered not only living here but also concealing certain secret experiments. He had chosen a relatively remote location, so the damage had not been too severe.

That was also why Hiruzen Sarutobi had let the matter pass so easily. In truth, even if it had happened closer to the village center, Hiruzen Sarutobi would not have made too much of an issue over it, given the value of the Rasengan.

"Root? Danzo's people? His talent is mediocre, his mind is narrow, and he is not particularly clever, but he likes to play dirty schemes. Don't let him get hold of any leverage."

Shikun Mitarashi understood the leverage Orochimaru meant. He had vaguely noticed Orochimaru's earlier embezzlement, but he had wisely kept it from everyone. He had even secretly erased several inconspicuous traces for Orochimaru.

After that, Orochimaru had revealed some less important secrets to Shikun Mitarashi and made him his assistant.

Shikun Mitarashi nodded to show that he understood.

"Oh, right. There's something you need to know."

Orochimaru put down the dismantled instrument in his hand and looked at Shikun Mitarashi with golden eyes.

"My greatest rival for the position of Hokage isn't Sakumo, nor is it either of the other two Three Ninja. It's Danzo."

Shikun Mitarashi was somewhat puzzled.

"Tsunade has already said she will do everything she can to help me rise to the top. Jiraiya is a wanderer; the position of Hokage would only be a restraint to him. As for Sakumo... he isn't from the Hokage faction. Between him and me, every member of the upper ranks would choose me.

"If I take the position, they can at least preserve some of their power and status through their ties to Teacher Sarutobi. Meanwhile, Sakumo lacks a sufficiently powerful force behind him, one powerful enough to contend with the Hokage faction."

Orochimaru continued his analysis. "The Hyuga may appear powerful, but they are rotten within and bound by outdated conventions. They will only remain neutral, because no matter who becomes Hokage, they will need the Hyuga's strength in war.

"The Uchiha may appear prosperous, with talented members emerging one after another, and are called Konohagakure's greatest clan. But they are actually suppressed by the upper ranks, who are disciples of the Second Hokage. They are outwardly harmonious with the village but inwardly estranged from it. If Sakumo reaches an agreement with them, Teacher Sarutobi and the others will likely retaliate with all their strength."

"But Danzo is different. In terms of connections, as a fellow disciple of the Third Hokage and the other elders, his relationship with Teacher Sarutobi is no worse than mine.

"In terms of merit, helping Teacher Sarutobi secure the position of Hokage over so many years is his greatest contribution.

"In terms of power, the Root in his hands has been established for many years. That is what we need to worry about."

"But Lord Orochimaru, the Third Hokage would never allow Elder Danzo to become Hokage."

The Hokage was Konohagakure's light, while Danzo had chosen to become Hiruzen Sarutobi's shadow, becoming Konohagakure's darkness. The Third Hokage would never allow the Hokage to become Konohagakure's darkness.

"But he will do everything he can to suppress, ostracize, and even force the deaths of anyone who might become the Fourth Hokage. Then the position of Fourth Hokage will be his alone."

Shikun Mitarashi found it hard to believe that Danzo, an elder, would do such a thing.

"Counting this time, he has already made two moves against me. Both were turned back. The next time he finds an opportunity, Sakumo will probably be the unlucky one. Just wait and see..."

Shikun Mitarashi somewhat understood Orochimaru's intentions.

Just as Orochimaru had said before, whether in terms of connections or power, Danzo was one of Konohagakure's foremost figures. Confronting him head-on might not yield any benefit and could even intensify Konohagakure's internal strife.

But allowing Danzo to make a move against Sakumo would not only strike at Sakumo, a rival, but also weaken Danzo's wings. After all, the White Fang's reputation had been carved out blade by blade. He was not someone to be underestimated.

Orochimaru could not be certain whether the White Fang would still be driven to suicide this time, since this world had already changed to a certain extent because of him.

Although the White Fang was his rival, Orochimaru felt more admiration than anything else for a man like him.

If he had the chance, he would try to save him.

The matter with Danzo had distracted him so much that Orochimaru had nearly forgotten the important matter. He took out two bundles of scrolls and tossed them to Shikun Mitarashi.

"Lord Orochimaru, these are...?"

"The smaller one contains the Flying Thunder God Technique. The larger one contains my analysis of space-time and a detailed explanation of the Flying Thunder God Technique's formula. It should be of considerable help in learning Flying Thunder God."

Shikun Mitarashi was startled by Orochimaru's words. Orochimaru had truly treated him generously. He was not qualified to learn such an S-rank Forbidden Jutsu.

But since Orochimaru had given it to him, it would be far too regrettable if he did not learn it.

Orochimaru saw his hesitation and licked the corner of his mouth with his tongue.

"You don't need to worry. Learn it in advance. I'll earn you a major merit and give you the opportunity to view the Scroll of Seals."

Orochimaru had already received word that Kakuzu had successfully obtained Raijin's Sword.

However, he demanded more money.

In order to obtain Raijin's Sword, he had fought Hanzō.

For Shikun Mitarashi, the merit of recovering Raijin's Sword was just right.

Raijin's Sword had been stolen by a rogue ninja, and its whereabouts had been unknown. Now that it had been recovered, killing a ninja who had only been a Chunin when he defected would be no problem for someone of Shikun Mitarashi's strength. He only needed to find an opportunity soon to borrow a mission leaving the village for the Land of Rain.

Raijin's Sword was forged entirely from Chakra Metal and was extraordinarily valuable.

If not for the Second Hokage being the Senju Clan's second-in-command, while the first-in-command loved gambling but always lost, causing Tobirama Senju to take over financial management, they probably could not have made such an expensive weapon entirely from Chakra Metal.

Hatake Sakumo was different. His White Fang had been passed down through his ancestors.

Not only was Raijin's Sword extremely valuable, but as the Second Hokage's personal sword, it held immense symbolic meaning for Konohagakure. Among the most symbolic legacies after the First Hokage's Wood Release and the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God, it was the most tangible symbol.

The Third Hokage would definitely grant Shikun Mitarashi a major merit. After all, the Third Hokage was the Second Hokage's disciple, and even his life had been saved by the Second Hokage.

Shikun Mitarashi left with the scrolls copied by Orochimaru.

Orochimaru hoped that he would learn the Flying Thunder God Technique before leaving Konohagakure. That would greatly improve his ability to preserve his life.

As for why Orochimaru was so certain that Shikun Mitarashi could learn Flying Thunder God, it was because after being altered by the Cosmic Cube's energy, he could already sense that if he wished it, he could teleport through space.

At present, he only lacked a coordinate, and the Flying Thunder God formula was precisely the coordinate he needed.

Shikun Mitarashi's alteration had not been complete, but after being struck and altered by the Cosmic Cube's spatial energy, his talent for space-time techniques would be elevated to a very high level.

With Orochimaru's notes as well, if he still could not learn it, Orochimaru would not have accepted him in the first place.

Several months later.

Orochimaru took out a Kunai and prepared to inscribe a Flying Thunder God formula.

He had basically completed his modification of the formula. His Flying Thunder God formula took the form of an Ouroboros.

But in truth, he had only just begun. He still could not, like the future Minato Namikaze, complete the formula the instant he touched an object.

For now, Orochimaru would inscribe the formula beforehand on specially made paper with excellent Chakra conductivity, then attach the paper to a Kunai for use.

This paper was the material used to make Explosive Tags, but it cost far less than an Explosive Tag. The difficult part of making Explosive Tags was not the material, but finding someone capable of drawing them.

Drawing a single one often took half a shichen, and one could not draw too many in a day. They could only be accumulated slowly.

This was a matter of proficiency and Sealing Jutsu skill. Proficiency could be improved through practice, but instantly completing a formula required extremely high attainments in Sealing Jutsu.

Using Flying Thunder God was not so simple either. Although he was one of the Shinobi World's strongest, and his dynamic vision could be considered excellent, he could not compare to someone like Minato, who had been born for this.

If he wanted to improve in that area within a short time, the Sharingan was actually an excellent choice. But it would place a great burden on the Chakra of someone without an Uchiha constitution. Besides, plotting to obtain the Kekkei Genkai of a fellow village ninja was a serious crime.