Mist Shadow Battlefield

"Karot, if I were to become Hokage, would you support me?"

Tonight, Orochimaru finally brought up this topic.

"The Hokage supports you, so you don't need my support! Lord Orochimaru."

Karot deflected the question.

"Teacher? His desire for power is too strong. He's afraid I'll compete with him for power, so he's pushing Minato to compete with me."

Orochimaru's assessment of Hiruzen Sarutobi was spot on. Hiruzen Sarutobi was an old man who cherished power above all else. After Minato took office, he held onto power tightly, indirectly leading to the death of Minato's Nine-Tails Night.

"Regarding the Hokage, I think Lord Orochimaru, you are more suitable than Senior Minato."

Karot stated his opinion. Minato's foundation was still too shallow. Without grasping power, it would be very difficult to implement his policies. Although Minato inherited Jiraiya's political resources, he was ultimately not Jiraiya himself. Orochimaru, as one of the Sannin, had more advantages than Minato in terms of connections, resources, and status. If it weren't for Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo's schemes, which exposed Orochimaru's Human Experimentation, Orochimaru would have been a shoo-in for Hokage.

"Oh, then what price do I need to pay for you to stand by my side, Karot?"

He wasn't afraid of the other party making an offer, but of being outright rejected. Negotiation meant cooperation. The strength Karot had displayed was worth Orochimaru spending a lot of money to win him over.

"Gravity Chamber. As long as you make it, I will completely stand by your side."

Karot directly stated his bottom line. He didn't need anything else, and he also wanted to see if the trajectory of the ninja world would change if Orochimaru became Hokage. Another reason was that among the Sannin, Orochimaru was the one Karot admired the most. He had grown from a commoner to a powerful ninja who shook the ninja world. The hardships he endured were beyond ordinary people. He diligently studied knowledge, practiced ninjutsu, and mastered various forbidden techniques. His insatiable thirst for knowledge allowed Orochimaru to achieve his goals. As for Jiraiya, in his pursuit of peace, he searched the ninja world day and night for the Child of Destiny to bring peace to the ninja world, abandoning his lover and disciples. He didn't even take in the young Naruto. Did he not know the darkness of Konoha? Did he not know Naruto's suffering? In his eyes, all of that paled in comparison to the Child of Destiny. Why entrust your ideals to someone else? Couldn't you achieve peace in the ninja world yourself? Karot looked down on Tsunade even more. Her lover and brother were killed, yet she didn't seek revenge, instead choosing to cower and evade, calling it Hemophobia. In the end, she was just scared.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Karot."

Orochimaru extended his right hand in invitation.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Lord Orochimaru."

Karot shook Orochimaru's right hand.

Their alliance was formed that night. Whether it would bring any impact to the ninja world remained unknown.

The war continued, but the Cloud Ninja battlefield was unusually quiet, with no small-scale conflicts occurring. The ultimate reason was that Karot was guarding the Cloud Ninja border.

Half a year passed in this peaceful manner. On this day, Karot was exceptionally excited. Through Orochimaru's tireless experiments, the Gravity Chamber was completed. Karot's request to return to the village for recuperation was approved.

Karot returned to the village, greeted the Hokage, had dinner with his father, and then headed straight to Orochimaru's laboratory. Nothing could stop Karot's path to becoming stronger.

"How is it? Not bad, right, Karot?"

Orochimaru's Shadow Clone explained the usage instructions of the Gravity Chamber to Karot.

"Not bad, not bad."

Karot nodded while itching to try it out. He handed his savings book directly to Orochimaru, informing him of his daily caloric intake. Karot was a decent person and didn't ask Orochimaru to cover his food expenses. He then immediately began his gravity training.

Another half a year passed in this peaceful manner. During this time, Karot never left Orochimaru's laboratory. When he was bored and resting, Karot would also help Orochimaru with his experiments. Even his father, Hatake Sakumo, never looked for him. In short, Karot had a very comfortable half-year. He felt that his strength had reached the pinnacle of this world, with no room for further improvement.

The peaceful days were broken by an order.

"Karot, the Anbu just brought your teacher's order. It commands you to go to the front lines."

"Oh, back to the Cloud Ninja front lines again?"

Karot asked, wiping sweat from his body with a towel.

"No, the Cloud Ninja front is quiet. Sending you there would be a waste of your combat power. The village wouldn't issue such a foolish order."

"Oh, then where?"

Karot became interested. He had been staying in the laboratory for too long and was getting a bit restless. It would be nice to go out and relax. Yes, relax. Others go to the battlefield with trepidation, but our Lord Karot is just going for a stroll. This is the confidence that comes with immense power.

"Mist Village."

Orochimaru said, speaking sparingly.

"The Mist Village is making trouble again? The Uchiha and Hyuga can't stop them? Are they that useless?"

You're so amazing, so noble. My Sharingan will be suppressed there. You speak so easily. If any Uchiha clansmen were here, they would surely curse Karot.

"The Uchiha on the Mist Village front have suffered heavy losses and have been requesting reinforcements. It's been delayed this long, and you're free, so we're sending you."

Karot understood immediately, emphasizing the word "delayed."

"So that's how it is!"

As expected, they won't miss any opportunity to weaken the Uchiha.

Karot thought to himself.

"When do I depart?"

"Now."

"My position?"

"Supreme Commander."

"The appointment letter."

Orochimaru spat the appointment letter out of his mouth and tossed it to Karot. Karot pinched it between two fingers and flicked off the saliva.

"Have I ever told you that's very unhygienic?"

Karot asked, puzzled.

"They wouldn't dare. You're the first."

The reason was strong. Karot gave Orochimaru a thumbs-up.

The Land of Fire and the Land of Water were separated by a sea. Karot took three days to reach the coast, stopping and starting along the way. Why was he so slow? Anyway, he had already been delayed by Konoha's elders for so long, so a few extra days for Karot wouldn't make a difference. Wasn't it good to taste delicious food along the way?

Now, Karot faced the sea, wanting to recite a poem. The words that came to his lips turned into:

"Ah, the sea, you are so big."

He stealthily looked around. No one was there.

"That was close. My image was almost ruined."

Karot took out a signal flare and fired it into the sky. A few minutes later, three figures appeared before Karot.

"Excuse me, are you Jonin Kakashi?"

The ninja at the head of the group asked. He wasn't old, but he was able to lead the team, which showed he wasn't simple.

"Mm."

Karot responded.

"We've finally found you, Jonin Kakashi. Please follow us."

Led by the leading ninja, Karot arrived at Konoha's camp.