The Hokage Was Frail, So You Must Strive?

"Where did this come from?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned the severed Eight-Tails Gyuki tentacle over in his hand. "Quite capable, aren't you? You even brought back a little Kumogakure specialty. It doesn't look much different from an octopus leg..."

Orochimaru felt reassured.

His teacher hadn't immediately asked why he hadn't reported it...

That settled half the matter.

"When the Eight-Tails was under Kurama Genshin's genjutsu, I used the Kusanagi Sword to cut some off from a distance..." Orochimaru added softly, "This isn't all of it. There's another piece."

He used his hands to roughly indicate its length.

"You brat..." Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a chuckle. "If you'd kept it hidden, probably no one would have known."

Orochimaru smiled as well. "It's a Tailed Beast, after all. How could I not tell you, Teacher?"

"I just wasn't sure what your attitude would be. This thing is dangerous, after all. I thought I'd keep a little for experimental data and get a taste of it, but overall, I'd still follow your decision."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat surprised.

As expected of his finest student... he had already become adept at the conversational tactic of advancing by retreating!

It truly was pleasant to hear!

But so-called routines and techniques could not create something from nothing. At most, they made words sound better and reduced friction and internal conflict.

The core was that neither side's bottom line conflicted, and their interests could align.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew well that for a ninja like Orochimaru, making him obey rules one hundred percent was fundamentally impossible.

This self-awareness was sometimes precisely the source of their ability to create value.

So long as he did not touch the bottom line, he should be given some freedom.

"That's just your preconceived impression..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he took out his pipe. "To some extent, the history of war in the Shinobi World can also be seen as the history of ninjutsu's evolution. I've never held any aversion toward research."

"It's simply that research and development often come with bloodshed. What I worried about in the past was that the results had yet to take shape, while the price had already become more than the village could bear."

"But now, I've come around. We just need to find ways to shift the cost elsewhere. The village can provide you with assistance."

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke.

"But don't do things like half-tricking, half-coaxing members of the Iburi and Tsuchigumo Clan away, then using their physical traits to research First Hokage Cells again."

"They may not be Konoha ninja, but they have lived within the Land of Fire for a long time. Once the finances are more abundant, draft a set of regulations with me and tie up the loose ends."

Orochimaru's eyes lit up. "I understand, Teacher!"

How could he not understand what shifting the cost and the village providing assistance meant?

And Hiruzen Sarutobi's bottom line was also clear: without permission, he was not allowed to lay hands on members of the village or even the Land of Fire.

That was not excessive.

"We are both Konoha ninja. I grew up under the protection of Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama.

"And you, too, were raised bit by bit by me, holding Konoha's ninjutsu texts and relying on the village's resources..."

"Once you've grown up and become strong, you should always think of giving back to the village. As long as you have that intention, what does researching Tailed Beasts amount to?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke to Orochimaru with a wistful yet earnest expression.

"Teacher, with those words from you, if anything similar happens again, I'll definitely report it to you at once..." Orochimaru grinned.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head in apparent helplessness and laughed as he scolded, "You brat!"

"Take this list and have a look."

Orochimaru accepted it, his brow lifting.

It was clearly a list of Konoha Committee Members, with several names highlighted in red.

The first was his own, followed by Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the heads of Ino-Shika-Cho.

Next came the clan heads of the Inuzuka Clan, Aburame, and Kurama Clan, as well as Hatake Sakumo and Yuhi Shinku.

"These eleven people overlap across the lists Koharu, Hono, and Danzo each drafted. I approve of them as well," Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

Orochimaru nodded. What interested him more were two pairs of names.

They were Hizashi Hyuga and Hyuga Tenzo, as well as Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Isshin.

He gave the rest a quick glance. They were all ninja who did not belong to ninja clans, such as Shirakumo Kosan.

There was even a name he didn't recognize—Maruboshi Kosuke. "This... he's probably not a Jonin, is he?"

Orochimaru's brow rose slightly as he realized two slots remained vacant.

"Do you have any candidates? I'd like to hear your opinion." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled.

Orochimaru's heart stirred.

Oh? What was Teacher trying to do here?

He was merely a Jonin, and one of the Konoha Committee Members at that. How could he possibly participate in such major personnel decisions?

This wasn't appropriate, was it?

Yet his body honestly broke into a smile, as if a voice were telling him, This is Crown Prince treatment!

"Hmm... I have a friend who is also a Jonin. His name is Hiruko." After pondering for a moment, Orochimaru spoke slowly.

"His combat ability isn't particularly outstanding among Jonin, but he has quite profound insights into ninjutsu, and his understanding of research surpasses that of ordinary ninja by quite a bit."

Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled him and realized that the ninja had not left much of an impression in his memory.

He was relatively average in every respect.

But after some thought, that was normal. After all, not every research talent was like Orochimaru, possessing the status of the Hokage's disciple as well as ample resources.

Even gold would not shine if buried in a pile of sand, much less a research talent cultivated over the long term.

"All right. Have him come see me tomorrow." Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his brush and wrote Hiruko's name on the paper.

Orochimaru found that deeply satisfying.

Regardless of whether Hiruko was eventually selected, being personally written onto the list of candidates was already a form of recognition.

"Leave this piece of the Eight-Tails to me..."

"As for the rest of the Eight-Tails tissue, be mindful of safety during your research. If you have any ideas, come discuss them with me. I'm also very interested in the peculiar traits Tailed Beasts display."

Tailed Beasts were something Hiruzen Sarutobi could not yet understand.

Sometimes, they existed as pure Chakra; at other times, they were living organisms, and they also seemed like collections of resentment.

Some texts recorded that Tailed Beasts would be reborn several years after their deaths. They seemed like creations of heaven and earth, possessing rules of existence distinct from all living things.

There had to be some great secret hidden within them.

"I understand, Teacher. I also need your wisdom very much..." Orochimaru replied with a smile.

"When you saw Isshin, Fugaku, Hizashi, and Tenzo's names, you were puzzled over why I included them on the list, weren't you?"

"My core reason for placing Hizashi in the Anbu wasn't to suppress the Main Branch, but to make the Hyuga useful to the village..."

"Giving the Main Branch a seat preserves their dignity and prevents us from driving them to extremes. It also confines the framework of the conflict to the Branch Family and Main Branch, so the front line of the contradiction won't be between the village and the Hyuga."

"Uchiha Isshin and Fugaku are a different situation..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained his reasoning to Orochimaru. "Uchiha Isshin is actually somewhat like me in the past, or Hono and Koharu. At heart, he's an extreme conservative."

"Making him a Committee Member won't change his mindset. It's meant to create a numerical balance between the Uchiha and the Hyuga."

"According to Sakumo's report, Uchiha Fugaku has been quite enthusiastic from the very beginning about letting his clansmen join the Patrol Force. That's where he differs from Isshin. He's someone we can win over."

"Establishing a bridge for communication in advance will benefit the relationship between the village and the Uchiha."

"You probably already have a vague sense of these matters in your mind. As your teacher, I'm helping you sort them out. It will help with your work in the future."

Hiruzen Sarutobi patted his disciple's shoulder and sighed. "I'm not young anymore! The future will depend on all of you..."

The Hokage was declining, so you must strive?

"Teacher, don't say that..." Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly as he tried to calm himself and offered an auspicious wish. "You can still lead Konoha for another hundred years!"

"More jokes, isn't it? Only a Sage could keep at it for a hundred years without tiring, I'm afraid." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand.

Yet in his heart, Lord Hokage was thinking that he might not actually lack the possibility of living a long life...

If that happened, he wondered whether Orochimaru would shout, How could there be a Crown Prince of fifty years?

The thought was rather amusing.

But that possibility ultimately had to be turned into the practical matters before him, allowing the village and his talent to flourish together.

So he only occasionally entertained such thoughts, lest they distract him.

"How is your research into Lord Second's notes going?" As though changing the subject, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked casually.

"I found many interesting points and am close to completing a Forbidden Technique."

"Once I finish it completely, I'll give you a surprise. Though it may be more of a fright..." Orochimaru made a teasing joke.

In the past, Orochimaru had hesitated. A Soul Transfer Technique capable of achieving the effect of Soul Transfer was still rather shocking, and it was best not to let his teacher know.

But after reading the techniques and concepts Senju Tobirama had researched, Orochimaru had come to terms with it.

He was actually rather restrained. If anyone was truly unrestrained, it had to be this Senju of Love.

Teacher was the Second's disciple, so his capacity for acceptance should be quite strong!

"All right, then I'll look forward to your technique..."

"There are no wrong techniques, only wrong uses." Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to see through Orochimaru's thoughts. "Don't carry any burden. At worst, we'll put it in the Scroll of Sealing."

Orochimaru listened with great comfort.

After Orochimaru took his leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi considered his next move.

After Kushina and Tsunade visited Mito Uzumaki, it would be his turn to pay her a visit.

The winds the Administrative Department had been blowing toward the Land of Fire had already begun to stir. The Daimyo had shown intense interest in the "miracle medicine" and had repeatedly asked for Hiruzen Sarutobi to come meet him.

It was time to establish this steady stream of cash flow...

"Let's go take another look at Teacher's Secret Archive." Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze flashed.

If Orochimaru's thinking was close to his own, then it was time to prepare his teacher's new identity and new body!