Something Big Happened

The current Earth Curse Mark is still somewhat different from the finished product in the original work. In that it is temporarily uncontrollable by the user, and Orochimaru still needs to make further improvements.

Seeing that the White Snake could easily control Natural Energy, and combined with his personal experience today, Shuichi seemed to have guessed Orochimaru's method of immortality.

Judging from the results of Eight Branches Technique and the Living Corpse Reincarnation, Orochimaru's approach was to abandon the human body.

Because Natural Energy entering the human body always brings some side effects and risks, but these special White Snakes in Ryūchi Cave can easily withstand them.

Moreover, there are now obvious examples of immortal beings in the Shinobi World, namely the Tailed Beasts. Perhaps Orochimaru's Eight Branches Technique and the true form of the White Phosphorus Snake also originated from this. As for the specific operation process, Shuichi is not very clear about it, and he would definitely not use this method.

After the experimental Cursed Seal was removed, Shuichi discovered that he still had a lot of energy left, which shows how much chakra he had and that he was fully capable of withstanding a more powerful Cursed Seal.

He stretched his body and then said mysteriously, "Teacher, I recently discovered something great that might be very helpful for the research of First Hokage Cells."

"Oh?"

Under Orochimaru's curious gaze, Shuichi took out the corpse of White Zetsu from the Scroll. "I found this by chance. Judging from its appearance, it looks a bit like a inferior version of the First Hokage Cells..."

He also described how he captured the White Zetsu, speculating that it could absorb the chakra of different ninjas to transform.

Orochimaru solemnly crouched down and discovered that even after death, White Zetsu's body still retained its vitality.

Shuichi had also studied this on his own for a while and felt that White Zetsu was a mutant vegetative person who was transformed by the Divine Tree through the Infinite Tsukuyomi, which eroded both the body and mind of a normal person.

He also made a special check and found that this creature had no gender and no anus. In a sense, it was a level of life higher than ordinary humans. It could directly absorb Natural Energy to sustain its life and did not need to eat normally. Theoretically, it was also an immortal being.

Although he knew that White Zetsu Cells might be able to contain the power of the First Hokage's Wood Release, he didn't have enough experimental research experience and was afraid of losing the body he had, so he decided to leave it to Orochimaru.

The two immediately returned to the laboratory. Orochimaru took out professional equipment to conduct a comprehensive examination and analysis of White Zetsu's body. After stopping, he looked very excited.

"You actually managed to get your hands on something this good. The Shinobi World is full of secrets. Judging from this, someone might have already been researching the First Hokage Cells."

"These cells are almost the perfect vessel for chakra; with them, the research progress of Wood Release will be greatly accelerated."

Shuichi spoke up, reminding them, "Danzo doesn't seem to be in a hurry, so perhaps we could...?"

"Hehe, of course I know that. The research progress at the Root only needs to meet his expectations."

For a seasoned veteran like Orochimaru, he would definitely keep enough Danzo cards up his sleeve. With the initiative in his hands, he would keep Danzo in suspense. Shuichi was quite relieved to see his teacher being so cunning.

After spending about two months in Ryūchi Cave, Orochimaru and Shuichi returned to the village.

The research results this time were quite good. Shuichi had a black triangular pattern imprinted on his left arm, which was a roughly modified version of the Earth Curse Mark.

The effect is rather mediocre. The Natural Energy in most parts of the Shinobi World is far inferior to that of Ryūchi Cave, so after activation, it only increases the power by about 20%, and it dissipates after a few jutsu are used.

However, Shuichi had his own ideas. Since Natural Energy could enhance physical activity, long-term use would definitely help improve physical fitness to some extent.

So whenever you have free time, you can activate the Cursed Seal and let your body adapt to it. Combined with the system, the enhancement effect can be doubled, which is incredibly awesome.

Because he is now starting to engage with Natural Energy, he ultimately decided to allocate points to his first skill after his birthday.

Passive Skill (Recovery and Growth): For every year the host grows, the recovery rate of Body Energy and Mental Energy increases by 3%, and all other basic attributes increase by 3% [currently increased by 39%].

Skill 1 (Body Enhancement): For every point the host adds, Body Energy (Yang Release) increases by 100% [currently increased to 400%].

Although the third skill can further enhance reaction speed and thinking speed, the Shinobi World will no longer be able to fight for a year, so it is not very meaningful to quickly increase the maximum combat power. In order to be stronger in the future, choosing the path of development is feasible.

The last boost to his Mental Energy felt like he was floating on air; this time, the enhancement to his body felt like he had eaten a sacred fruit. His chakra level surged again, and every punch and kick he delivered was incredibly powerful.

Just as Shuichi was making continuous progress, troubles began to arise within Konoha. He had only been back in the village for a short time and hadn't yet noticed anything when Ishikawa Tatsuki came knocking on his door.

"Shuichi, something really big has happened recently!"

Ishikawa Tatsuki found him at the training ground, his expression somewhat agitated. "There's been a lot of talk lately. A few days ago, the village signed peace terms with the Land of Earth, supposedly without any war reparations. Many people are quite dissatisfied with this..."

Upon Shuichi Danzo n't react with the same outburst as Danzo. Instead, he fell into deep thought. Was this Danzo's attack on the Third Hokage? Although there were still quite a few high-ranking ninjas in Konoha, the heavy casualties among the lower-ranking ninjas (cannon fodder) were an undeniable fact.

While the war reparations might seem like a trivial matter to them, it could easily provoke resentment among many ninjas.

In the later stages of the war, the village was running out of money to pay for various combat missions. Everyone knew the situation was difficult and had no choice but to obey orders.

Now that it's time for post-war compensation, if the victors haven't received their due benefits, nobody knows if their war merits will be paid out on time.

Shuichi felt the situation wasn't very optimistic, because he had worked for free for a year. Apart from the Forbidden Jutsu controlled by the Hokage, he had already learned all the other useful Ninjutsu in the village. If he didn't convert them into money, his battle merits would be useless, and those S-rank missions would just be records.

But he knew that Konoha certainly didn't have enough money to satisfy all the ninjas at once. The reparations from the Kingdoms of Wind and Water were paid in installments, and even if the higher-ups emptied their coffers, they could only extend the reward distribution period.

Based on the original story's outcome, it's estimated that the Third Hokage will soon announce his resignation, and then the election for the Fourth Hokage will begin.

There are no fixed rules for the selection of the Hokage, as there have only been three Hokage since the village was founded. Apart from the First Hokage, who received the support of all the people, the other two were basically decided by the Konoha High Command. Sarutobi Hiruzen's appointment was even directly appointed by the Second Hokage, which led to some controversy.

With the Third Hokage still alive, he can make the decision on his own, unless the entire village opposes the new Hokage candidate.

Shuichi sensed something was amiss, but he didn't dwell on it for the time being, since he couldn't make the decision himself anyway. So he said to Ishikawa Tatsuki, "Let's wait and see. There will be plenty of tasks for the village in the future, and plenty of opportunities to make money. Don't end up like those other people."

Ishikawa Tatsuki borrowed a lot of money from Shuichi to improve his combat skills, and his family's small shop was barely enough to make ends meet, making him, in a sense, a 13-year-old "millionaire in debt."

This put him under a lot of pressure, and he even considered joining in the commotion, but fortunately, Shuichi noticed and stopped him in time.

Over the next few days, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, with the Konoha High Command seemingly engaged in a tense discussion.

Not long after, the Third Hokage issued a statement saying that he had to take full responsibility for the heavy casualties suffered by Konoha Ninja in the war over the past few years, and therefore he would resign from the Hokage Position and select a new Hokage to succeed him.

After the news was released, everyone's attention seemed to be diverted, and there was a lot of discussion in the village about who would be the new Hokage.

Normally, these are matters for the Konoha High Command. The former Hokage, elders, advisors, and Jonin Commander with nomination rights would propose candidates, and then the candidates would be discussed with the Daimyo and other high-ranking officials in the Capital of the Land of Fire to determine their suitability.

However, the situation has now changed. After the Third Hokage stepped down, Elder Danzo, who had the right to nominate candidates, publicly stated that Orochimaru was the most suitable candidate for Hokage and listed his achievements one by one.

From any perspective, he seems perfectly capable of becoming Hokage.

Seeing that public opinion was about to take hold, the Third Hokage couldn't sit still any longer and immediately nominated Namikaze Minato Yellow Flash, as the candidate for the new Hokage.

The village instantly became lively, with both Konoha and ordinary villagers joining the discussion. Many even argued heatedly, each hoping that the person they knew better would become Hokage – a classic case of self-interest dictating opinion.

"Holy crap, this is really serious!"

Shuichi saw this change, he was also startled. This was the Butterfly Effect since he transmigrated... No, it could no longer be called Butterfly Effect at this point. He could be considered a Kage Level expert, and his every move would have a huge impact.

On the surface, things seem to be much the same as in the original story, but in reality, his arrival has already changed the situation.

From the moment he became Orochimaru's apprentice until now, as his strength and achievements have increased, the power of Orochimaru's faction has become at least one or two levels stronger than in the original story.

There are currently only four people who are considered the most suitable candidates for the Fourth Hokage: the Legendary Sannin, Namikaze Minato Sannin, Tsunade left the village immediately after the war, Jiraiya was actually a good choice, but he declined and recommended Namikaze Minato.

The most impactful of these was the Third Great Ninja War, which in the original story was Namikaze Minato's breakthrough battle. The final result was a victory for Konoha with heavy casualties, Chunin and Jonin killed or wounded was far greater than it is now.

"Turns out I'm the ultimate troublemaker, stirring up a complete mess." After calming down and analyzing the situation, Shuichi immediately grasped the details of the current predicament.

Simply put, his appearance directly halved Namikaze Minato's prestige.

In the early stages of the war, he infiltrated Sunagakure and attacked the Medical Unit, allowing Orochimaru to lead a major victory as commander. In the middle stages, he appeared in the Land of Grass and turned the tide. Later, he killed the Tailed Beast in the Battle of Kikyo Castle and eliminated many Ninja Blades and Kirigakure elites on the Land of Water front. These are all substantial and significant achievements.

As Orochimaru's personal disciple, he not only added a top-tier expert to this faction, but also ensured that the Jonin Chunin who survived because of his appearance would support Orochimaru's side.

"If the Third Hokage acted in accordance with the circumstances in the original story, this time he was likely Danzo by Danzo." Shuichi quickly realized where the strange feeling from a while ago came from.

The Third Hokage has recently been planning to groom Namikaze Minato as the Fourth Hokage, and he has his own strengths and weaknesses compared to Orochimaru.

First of all, I am too young and a generation younger than Orochimaru, which is a disadvantage in the Shinobi World, which is similar to the island nation atmosphere of my previous life.

Secondly, his biggest advantage is his relationship with the Jinchuriki, but this cannot be openly discussed. His image and character are also pluses, but these are more like icing on the cake.

The reason why he was able to succeed to the throne in the original work was because his performance and achievements in the Third Shinobi War surpassed everyone else. But now Shuichi has come and poached a large part of him and put it on Orochimaru's side. At this point, the two sides are evenly matched.

"Danzo is impressive. In the original story, he was always overshadowed by the Third Hokage, but this time he saw things very clearly and decisively attacked the Third Hokage's weakness." Shuichi felt that Danzo's political acumen was second to none.

Namikaze Minato's foundation is too weak. The best approach for the Third Hokage is to stall for time, cultivate his power base within the Anbu, and wait until a few years later when he can smoothly ascend the throne without too much opposition.

If Shuichi the Third Hokage, his actions after stepping down would have been to complete the official procedures as quickly as possible, first securing Minato's position Hokage, and then assisting from the sidelines, thus completing the transfer of power.

But now Danzo is acting unpredictably, starting to build momentum for Orochimaru before the high-level meeting of the Land of Fire. In the original story, Minato's powerful military achievements meant that this pivotal point for shifting the situation did not exist, but now it has become his preemptive means.

Shuichi frowned. This situation was actually very unfavorable to Konoha. This move was equivalent to directly dividing everyone into two factions and igniting deep-seated conflicts within the village.

On one side were the Third Hokage, the Ino-Shika-Cho clan, Jiraiya, Namikaze Minato, and others; on the other side were Danzo, Orochimaru, Shuichi.

Danzo considerable influence within the village; for example, the rather mysterious Aburame Clan was quite close to him.

The two sides are now competing for the position of Fourth Hokage. Regardless of the outcome, their relationship will only worsen, not improve, because one side will always be the loser.

"I'm just a small troublemaker, Danzo, this big troublemaker, has indirectly kidnapped me and brought me to this situation, damn it..." Shuichi thought to himself, speechless.

To be honest, if it were a fair competition, their side would have a better chance of winning, because Orochimaru has no weaknesses in any area, while Namikaze Minato has the disadvantage of being too young.

However, the Third Hokage was a disruptive force, acting as both a participant and a referee, essentially sealing the fate of Orochimaru's side.

"A bunch of ordinary people with limited potential. They finished the external war and immediately started fighting among themselves. It's really messed up." Shuichi complained in Madara's tone.

Having been Orochimaru and disciple for so long, they naturally had a deep bond. He even felt a bit indignant on behalf of his teacher, as he would definitely be very unhappy if such a thing happened to him.

To put it bluntly, no matter how hard a normal person tries, they can't suppress everything with strength like the First Hokage.

Everyone may have had this fantasy in their heart, but in the end, they find that everyone's limit is actually about the same. If you can't move forward, you can only struggle sideways.