Ling Tian paused, then scoffed. "Danzo's goal is to become Hokage, but has it ever occurred to him that everything he's done has been with the Third's tacit approval?"
"..."
Orochimaru disagreed on that point.
His thinking remained unchanged. In his mind, the Third might have been old, but he was certainly not the sort of man Ling Tian described.
Ling Tian seemed to see what he was thinking, too. He said indifferently, "I've told my older brother many times that, in the Leaf Village, he must never show too much strength or earn too much merit. He wouldn't believe me."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at that, his voice turning cold. "Idle Fish Lord, what exactly do you mean by that?"
His reaction was understandable. The implications of those words left him little choice but to read further into them.
"Ever since the Third took office, the villagers have known him only as the Strongest Hokage in history. But what has he accomplished? When the Second Hokage died, he was only a jonin. Has he ever set foot on a battlefield since becoming Hokage? Where did this title of Strongest Hokage come from?"
Disdain crossed Ling Tian's face. "Snake Lord, shouldn't I be wary of someone shameless enough to belittle his predecessors just to elevate himself? Tell me, what does a man like that have that makes him worth risking our lives for?"
"Are you telling me there's more to you than meets the eye, and that you've been guarding against the village for a long time? Is that what you mean?"
Orochimaru stared unblinkingly at him, as though he would launch a devastating attack the moment a certain suspicion was confirmed.
Hatake Xianyu was too dangerous.
With White Fang still away, this was the best time to take him down.
If White Fang returned and his younger brother's rhetoric drove him to do something against the Leaf Village, it would be a disaster.
"Snake Lord, there's no need for that. If I wanted to harm the Leaf Village, I'd have done it long ago. If we wanted to defect, we wouldn't have waited until now. Or do you think someone with Konoha's White Fang's standing couldn't make a living in another village?"
Ling Tian gave a self-mocking smile. "As expected, even Orochimaru, who prides himself on seeing the Shinobi World's true nature, still clings to hope despite knowing the Leaf Village is rotten. This village is beyond saving. I shouldn't have asked you here today."
With that, he stood up.
The disappointment on his face made Orochimaru relax, but he still said nothing.
Only when he realized Ling Tian was not bluffing and truly intended to leave did he stop him. "Did you invite me here today just to tell me all this?"
Ling Tian stopped in his tracks. "I've already told you what I wanted, but you refused. That leaves us with nothing more to discuss. If you want to tell your teacher about this conversation, I won't blame you. The Shinobi World is vast. I refuse to believe there's nowhere in it for the three of us from the Hatake Clan."
As he spoke, he turned back with a smile. "But let me remind you: if we want to leave, no one in the Leaf Village as it stands can stop us. And if anyone dares use Kakashi to threaten us, then for the rest of our lives, the Hatake Clan's guiding principle will be to destroy the Leaf Village."
His smile was radiant, yet the effeminate Orochimaru felt a chill run through him.
If things truly were as Ling Tian said, he had no doubt about the destruction White Fang could inflict on the Leaf Village. As for Ling Tian, he remained skeptical.
Even if Ling Tian could refine chakra, contrary to what he had always shown, how powerful could he be at fifteen?
After all, the Hatake Clan had no kekkei genkai or special bloodline inheritance. Yet Ling Tian's wealth and influence within the Leaf Village were somewhat terrifying.
Most importantly, Ling Tian was only fifteen, still young, while White Fang was twenty-nine and still had room to grow. With the talent White Fang had displayed, no one knew how far he might go. At the very least, Orochimaru fell short of him by comparison.
Then there was Kakashi, who had shown extraordinary talent as soon as he enrolled in the Ninja Academy.
In that instant, countless thoughts passed through his mind.
Forcing himself to remain calm, he said, "Then, Xianyu, how do you think we should change this rotten village?
"Haven't you already refused?" Ling Tian turned back.
"I never said I wouldn't agree. The Hokage! Who wouldn't want to become Hokage?"
Orochimaru picked up a piece of grilled meat and brought it to his mouth.
"Is that so?"
Ling Tian returned to his seat and said evenly, "The higher-ups have already moved against my older brother. I hope you'll help him. After this is over, we'll help you take the Hokage's seat."
Orochimaru's heart sank. "Is it really that serious?"
It was only one failed mission. Surely it wasn't that serious!
"Whether it's that serious or not, let's wait and see. I can promise you that, besides my older brother, another Shinobi no weaker than him will support you. I'll lobby the major clans on your behalf. Add your subordinates, your standing as one of the Konoha Sannin, and your status as the Hokage's student-if you still can't become Hokage, that will only prove how useless you are."
For what had already happened, Ling Tian could only use words to stir the thoughts Orochimaru had buried deep in his heart and refused to consider. As for what was about to happen, letting Orochimaru see it for himself would be far more effective than anything he could say.
"I'm very curious. Who is this Shinobi you say is no weaker than Big Brother White Fang? There shouldn't be anyone like that in the village. Is he a Shinobi from another village?"
Orochimaru was probing him. From the moment he had gone to the Hokage Building that morning, he had not relaxed once.
White Fang played only a small part in why Ling Tian and Orochimaru were so close. The greater reason was that Ling Tian was the only person in the entire Leaf Village who understood him.
They shared the same ideals and the same views on this chaotic Shinobi World.
The only difference was that Orochimaru disdained disguising himself, while Ling Tian hypocritically cloaked himself in the reputation of the Hatake Clan's great philanthropist.
"There's no need to probe."
Ling Tian chuckled. "Like you, he was born and raised in the Leaf Village. Like my older brother, he loves this village. None of you have any right to question their devotion to it."
He would make the grand claims first, then try to talk Dai into it later. Whether he succeeded or not, getting the Third out of office would undoubtedly be good for the Leaf Village.
Ling Tian continued, "Orochimaru, my father died on the battlefield while my mother was pregnant with me. He was serving under the Second Hokage at the time. My mother died after giving birth to me, too. I'm not telling you this because I want your sympathy. I just want you to know...
"I'm alive because my older brother, Hatake Sakumo, raised me, acting as both father and mother. If anyone tries to harm him, I won't let them get away with it-not even the Leaf Village my father fought for and my older brother has always served loyally. Our Hatake Clan owes no one anything."
Orochimaru was slightly moved. He could understand Ling Tian's feelings a little now.
But his position remained the same: he did not believe his teacher would do such a thing.
He wanted to say something else, but the moment he opened his mouth, he hurriedly shut it again and frowned toward the distance.
A moment later, Ling Tian followed his gaze.
"Back already?"
Those two words made Orochimaru's frown deepen. Even with his strength, he had sensed the arrival only a moment earlier.
Sure enough, Ling Tian's supposed uselessness as a Shinobi was nothing more than a disguise.
Before you continue