At Konoha Hospital, angry roars rang out from a private room.
"Orochimaru, what the hell are you up to?"
The Third Hokage's face was furious. "Do you have any idea how much chaos your appearance caused in the village?"
It would've been bad enough if you'd injured yourself during training, but so many people saw you pass out in public. Are you trying to make the villagers even more uneasy?
"You're so cold, Old Man."
"Orochimaru" propped himself up against the pillow. His pale, gaunt face looked sickly.
His lips curled into a faint smile. "Your adorable student is seriously injured, you know."
At the shameless attempt to act cute, the Third Hokage felt as if someone had doused him with cold water. His anger abruptly stalled.
"Orochimaru, you..."
"Come on, Old Man. It's not like I hurt myself on purpose. As for the villagers..."
"Orochimaru" rubbed his chin and spoke unhurriedly. "Just tell them I was injured fighting an enemy who was attacking the village."
"I'm injured, but I didn't die. That's good news, isn't it?"
"See? It's easy to come up with an explanation."
It was indeed a good idea, and in the circumstances, an excellent way to handle things.
But that only made the Third Hokage more suspicious.
The Third Hokage let his anger fade and asked, "Orochimaru, tell me the truth. Did you really run into the enemy who controlled the Nine-Tails?"
In his eyes, Orochimaru was politically clueless and wouldn't go out of his way to think about the village. If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, why would he suggest such a plan?
Normally, the Third Hokage should have been the one to propose something like this and have Orochimaru play along.
"Of course not. This happened because something went wrong during my training." "Orochimaru" insisted.
"Let's forget it this time, Orochimaru. Be careful from now on."
After all this, the Third Hokage had calmed down. He gave Orochimaru a complicated look, then turned and left.
With the village reeling from a sudden crisis, the Third Hokage didn't have time to argue with Orochimaru for long.
Not long after the Third Hokage left, Danzo walked in. The soundproofing barrier that had just been taken down was raised again.
The First of the Pot Kage was looking rather displeased. He woke Orochimaru, who had just fallen asleep, and said coldly, "Orochimaru, I need an explanation."
"What explanation?"
"Orochimaru" blinked sleepily. Seeing Danzo's hand just withdrawn from beside the bed, he teased, "Danzo, with that move, I thought you were trying to kill me."
Danzo glared at Orochimaru viciously. If killing him wouldn't cause any trouble, Danzo would've done it without hesitation.
But Danzo doubted he could pull it off. Orochimaru had too many ways to stay alive. He was simply too difficult to kill.
Danzo even suspected that Orochimaru's injuries might be fake.
—Orochimaru's performance last night had left a deep impression on him.
Danzo didn't intend to waste time. He asked the same question as the Third Hokage: "Did the enemy from last night cause your injuries?"
"No." "Orochimaru" flatly denied it. "They're the result of failing to master a ninjutsu."
Danzo was seething. "Then why did Hiruzen say that? What deal did you two make?"
This unknown enemy, fabricated out of thin air, had ruined many of his plans and, indirectly, boosted Orochimaru's standing.
The Fourth Hokage had been defeated and killed by the enemy, while Orochimaru had come away unscathed. The implications were obvious.
"That... I don't know."
"Orochimaru" adjusted his pillow to get more comfortable and answered casually, "Maybe the Old Man was afraid of losing face."
"Orochimaru!"
Danzo suddenly raised his voice. "Don't forget our deal."
"That's exactly what I should be telling you."
"Orochimaru" gave a soft snort. "It won't be easy to get a hundred million ryō together, but send me the people and the information as soon as possible."
"You... just wait!"
Danzo spat out the words through clenched teeth, then slammed the door on his way out.
The Genie stopped controlling Orochimaru's body and let him fall asleep.
The moon rose to its zenith, and before long, it was the middle of the night.
Orochimaru woke from a long sleep and found that most of his injuries had healed.
He glanced at the Genie, who was drifting through the air in a cloudlike form, and said, "I don't understand."
"Don't understand what? Why we had to put on this act?"
The Genie gathered itself into a human shape and smiled. "Didn't we agree to divide the work? You don't need to worry about this kind of thing."
Orochimaru ran his tongue over his lips. "But I'm curious. It seems you're doing more than just forcing Danzo to honor his end of the deal."
"That's right. This is only one part of it."
The Genie nodded and was about to continue when a medical attendant knocked on the door and asked, "Lord Orochimaru, the Uchiha Clan head would like to see you."
Orochimaru frowned and was about to refuse, but then he heard the Genie's voice in his ear: "Let him in."
Soon, Fugaku Uchiha entered the room. His expression was solemn, his face dark, and he seemed weighed down by worry.
The Genie entered Orochimaru's body and said, "It's very late. What brings the Uchiha Clan head here to see me?"
"Lord Orochimaru, I heard you encountered the enemy who controlled the Nine-Tails and attacked the village."
Fugaku Uchiha asked bluntly, his expression grave, "Can you tell me who he was, what methods he used, and what he looked like?"
"Orochimaru" curled his lips into a knowing smile. "Clan Head Fugaku, you seem rather anxious, coming to see me so late at night."
"I didn't expect the Uchiha Clan to care so much about the village's safety."
Fugaku Uchiha's gaze sharpened. "Lord Orochimaru, what are you saying? The Uchiha are part of Konoha, so of course we care about the village. We won't hesitate to capture anyone who attacks it."
"Ha, Clan Head Fugaku, you're not being honest."
"Orochimaru" smiled. "Didn't you come because the Uchiha are the prime suspects when it comes to controlling the Nine-Tails?"
Fugaku Uchiha's face darkened. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to say it to his face.
He was indeed worried. Whether it was the Military Police Force being ordered to stay away from the battle and maintain order that night, or the rumors spreading through the village today, both had left him uneasy.
"But unfortunately, my injuries were caused by failing to master a ninjutsu. The so-called mysterious enemy is just a story the Third Hokage made up to bolster morale."
"Orochimaru" looked regretful. "If you came here hoping to clear the Uchiha of suspicion, Clan Head Fugaku, you've come to the wrong person."
"What?"
Fugaku Uchiha's eyes widened, his expression turning grim. "Is that true?"
Orochimaru answered flatly, "No."
The blunt denial caught Fugaku off guard. He stared at Orochimaru. "What are you saying?"
"The failed ninjutsu was just an excuse I gave the Third Hokage and the others. I really did meet the mastermind, and I was badly injured after fighting him."
"Orochimaru" narrowed his eyes. "And the mastermind had a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Guess what would happen to the village if I told the Third Hokage the truth?"
Before you continue