The Third Hokage had truly misunderstood Orochimaru. If not for his reminder, Orochimaru wouldn't have thought of it either.
Who could have expected that performing too well in the war against Kumogakure would cause problems too?
Before this, while plotting to obtain the Impure World Reincarnation, Orochimaru and the Genie had also considered another approach.
It was worth mentioning that the Genie had suggested repeating the same trick: just as they had threatened Danzo, they could use the Hokage succession contest to force the Third Hokage to hand over the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.
But Orochimaru had firmly refused.
Unlike with Danzo, Orochimaru couldn't bring himself to do something like that in front of the Third Hokage and Jiraiya. He had even rejected the Genie's offer to take over and do it for him.
The Genie had no choice but to abandon the idea of forcing his way in. They had a plan now, and plenty of other options. They didn't need this one.
But neither of them had expected that before they could put anything into motion, the matter would resolve itself.
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly, delight and smugness flashing in them.
Compared to having to lay another plan, this overwhelming advantage was far more foolproof. As the Genie had said, the Old Man could only choose the lesser of two evils.
Under Orochimaru's gaze, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also deep in thought.
Using a forbidden jutsu to offset Orochimaru's achievements was a decent idea. But did that forbidden jutsu have to be the Impure World Reincarnation?
As Hokage, he knew every forbidden jutsu in the Scroll of Seals by heart.
But forbidden jutsu were not all the same.
One kind endangered the user's life when performed, like the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. Another kind