A Man in Konoha: Starting by Slapping White Fang

What a miserable bastard~

Though the serious crimes he would commit in the future would be enough to get him shot eight hundred times over.

The mess he had caused now all stemmed from Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders.

Yet he was the one left to clean up after them.

It was truly unlucky—almost pitiful, even.

After reluctantly accepting reality and barely calming down, Orochimaru spoke again:

"Can't you point out a way forward for me, Genetsu?"

Genetsu's gaze shifted slightly. "Oh? This is only a fake defection. Those two won't actually hunt you down. You still need my help?"

"You underestimate me too much, Genetsu."

Orochimaru returned to his usual manner and licked his lips.

"Your tolerance for the current Elder Council is nearly at its limit too, isn't it? Don't tell me you've never once thought of getting rid of them~"

"...Are you interested in the Konoha Crush Plan?"

After a brief silence, Genetsu spoke quietly.

Orochimaru had defected.

He had defected nearly ten years earlier than in the original story.

At present, only a very small number of people knew about it.

Over the past few years, Orochimaru's presence had simply been far too faint.

So much so that no one had noticed when he vanished from the village.

Even Tsunade, his fellow student under the same master, had never imagined that Orochimaru's previous visit to Genetsu had been the last time the two would meet.

A full month passed.

The Uchiha Clan received good news—

Mikoto Uchiha, wife of clan head Fugaku Uchiha, was pregnant.

Genetsu had learned of it from Nawaki.

The great filial son, Itachi Uchiha...

Genetsu thought to himself.

To be honest, he neither wanted nor cared to comment on that man.

The complexity of human nature was displayed in full on Itachi Uchiha.

But at the very least, Genetsu hoped that if he had a son in the future, the boy would not turn out like Itachi Uchiha.

Otherwise, he would have shot him onto the wall.

By comparison, Uchiha Sasuke, the ultimate practitioner of posing, was somewhat more normal.

Just as Fugaku Uchiha was overjoyed at the prospect of gaining a son.

He suddenly remembered that genius of his clan whom he had placed in Orochimaru's care.

He had hoped to train Shisui Uchiha into an assistant who could support his son.

"I was just about to notify you about this, Fugaku."

Facing Fugaku Uchiha, who had come to ask about Shisui Uchiha's situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a heavy plume of smoke and said with a deep frown:

"Shisui... unfortunately passed away. Orochimaru did it. By the time our investigators arrived, he had already defected!"

By a stream outside Konoha.

Over a campfire, a giant roasted wild boar the size of a hippopotamus was skewered on a wooden fork.

Genetsu tossed another branch into the fire, maliciously wondering whether Fugaku Uchiha was at home so furious that he was picking at his feet.

Suddenly, a shadow slowly emerged from the woods behind him.

It was Orochimaru, now labeled a [Rogue Ninja] by Konoha!

"Sarutobi-sensei's political methods are even more formidable than I imagined. He completely shifted the Uchiha Clan's hatred onto me."

Even Orochimaru could not keep a trace of anger from entering his voice as he said this.

"How did it go?"

Tearing off a pork leg, Genetsu spoke with his back to Orochimaru.

"Did Akatsuki take you in?"

"I never thought the three brats Jiraiya took in back then would become somewhat capable now."

"Unfortunately, it did not go as you wished, Genetsu. They refused. After all, I am a rogue ninja now, and I once proposed killing them."

"But I truly never expected one of those brats to possess the same eyes as the Sage of Six Paths..."

When Orochimaru, now branded a Konoha rogue ninja, had left, Genetsu had recommended that he join Akatsuki.

But judging from Orochimaru's account, it had not worked.

Still, that was hardly surprising.

Yahiko was still Akatsuki Organization's leader, and Nagato had yet to fall into darkness.

It was indeed unlikely that they would take in Orochimaru, a rogue ninja who had once wanted to kill them.

"That really is a shame. But since that's the case, could I trouble you to keep an eye on Akatsuki?"

Genetsu tossed the last bone to the Ninja Hounds beside him, who had long been drooling with hunger, then turned to Orochimaru.

"They will become beings capable of changing this world's course in the future."

"Hehe~ Even if you hadn't said so, the fact that the red-haired brat possesses the Rinnegan has already completely piqued my interest."

Orochimaru licked his tongue.

Suddenly, Orochimaru changed the subject and asked again:

"By the way, Genetsu, when do you intend to carry out that Konoha Crush Plan? I'm getting rather impatient~"

Even Genetsu, a transmigrator, had never figured out exactly why Orochimaru attacked Konoha in the original story.

One reason was indeed to obtain Sasuke.

But when Kakashi sealed Sasuke's Curse Mark of Heaven, Orochimaru could easily have stepped in and taken Sasuke away, yet he did not.

And afterward, aside from killing Hiruzen Sarutobi at the cost of both his hands, he did nothing that truly shook Konoha's foundations.

It was impossible to figure out what he had really wanted.

But now, he genuinely wanted to destroy Konoha.

Though he was as cold as a snake, he was ultimately still a human, not a snake.

After being set up by someone, failing to take revenge was not Orochimaru's style.

"I'm more anxious than you are, but this can't be rushed. You've dealt with the Elder Council plenty of times, so you should understand better than I do, right?"

Genetsu asked in return.

"Hehe~ If you get a chance to send Sarutobi-sensei some gifts, remember to let me know~"

After sneering twice, Orochimaru slowly backed away and vanished completely into the forest once more.

In just one day, a piece of news spread through every street and alley of Konoha.

Whether they were ordinary villagers or shinobi, everyone walking the streets wore expressions of panic or disbelief.

When Minato Namikaze returned to the village with Kakashi, Obito, and Asuma after completing a C-rank Mission, they quickly heard discussions like, "Lord Orochimaru defected?", "The Uchiha Clan's genius is dead!", and "Then who will become the Fourth Hokage?"

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?"

Even Obito was badly frightened, and he said in disbelief:

"We only left the village for one day. What happened?"

Kakashi's face was filled with disbelief. "Mr. Orochimaru... de-defected?"

Asuma frowned as he searched for Yūhi Kurenai... Hopeless.

Minato Namikaze's expression was more solemn than ever. After immediately dismissing them, he rushed toward the Administrative Building.

Ten days passed.

As usual, after finishing a day of training, Genetsu was covered in dust and sweat.

He dragged a wild boar along the forest path.

"Uncle!"

A short kid with the same white hair as Genetsu suddenly called out.

"Hm?"

Genetsu turned to look.

The next moment, Minato Namikaze came running out of the woods in a disheveled state with Fifty-Fifty and Runtu.

"Where's the other one?"

Genetsu asked.

"Asuma... had an accident."

Minato Namikaze said with a face full of guilt.

"You lost to Orochimaru?"

Even Genetsu found it somewhat unbelievable.

This time, Minato Namikaze had led his team on an S-rank Mission.

As Konoha's representatives, they were to formally sign an alliance agreement with Sunagakure.

Though it was an S-rank Mission, all they really had to do was deliver the agreement, have the Kazekage sign it, then bring it back.

In the end, it was just an errand.

But a ninja mission's rank was not determined solely by its difficulty. It was also tied to the significance behind it.

A mission concerning the alliance between two nations was certainly enough to be classified as S-rank.

Of course, Hiruzen Sarutobi definitely had selfish motives for doing this.

He wanted to add a shining accomplishment to his son's ninja record.

At only ten years old, he had already participated in an S-rank Mission.

See? How impressive!

When Minato Namikaze, Kakashi, and Obito heard Orochimaru's name from Genetsu.

Their expressions all changed drastically.

They had indeed been attacked by Orochimaru while returning to Konoha from the Land of Wind.

But how did Genetsu know that?

"There's no need to be so surprised. Before he left, he told me that he would settle this score with our Lord Hokage someday. Thinking it over, he was the only possible culprit."