Covetous Eyes Outside the Village

"However, there are still significant flaws..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen thought to himself.

"For instance, their combat style is extremely monotonous."

"They lack the flexibility to adapt..."

After all, they were merely rigid, mindless puppets without the intelligence to improvise.

"What makes them even easier to target is..."

"Genjutsu..."

The virtual personalities Sarutobi Hiruzen had crafted were, in the end, artificial, and their mental fortitude was far weaker than that of an ordinary person.

If targeted with specific Genjutsu attacks, Fujin and Raijin would be quite susceptible to falling for them.

"However, it is not without a solution."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had naturally considered this aspect long ago and had a corresponding solution in mind.

"Fujin! Raijin!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly shouted, causing the two who were locked in combat to freeze for a moment before immediately understanding his command.

"Gate of Opening! Open!"

"Gate of Healing! Open!"

"Gate of Life! Open!"

"Gate of Pain! Open!"

Fujin and Raijin possessed great synergy; almost simultaneously, they clenched their fists, and the Chakra within their bodies manifested as if it were physical, surfacing on their skin.

Like flames, it distorted the surrounding air. The aura radiating from Fujin and Raijin became even more violent and terrifying, and the veins on their bodies bulged like great dragons, looking exceptionally ferocious.

"Come here."

Sarutobi Hiruzen commanded.

Their original physical strength was already like artillery fire plowing through the earth; if they were to fight while using the Eight Inner Gates, they would likely cause collateral damage within Konoha.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the two, their hair standing on end from the surging Chakra flames like Saiyans, and nodded with satisfaction.

This was the only technique, aside from Taijutsu, that Sarutobi Hiruzen had instilled into their memories.

"With the enhancement of the Eight Inner Gates, unless it is a Genjutsu on the level of Tsukuyomi..."

"Ordinary Genjutsu will simply be unable to break through the turbulent Chakra within Fujin and Raijin."

"Is there any drain in this state?"

Fujin and Raijin answered one after the other.

"My lord..."

"We get hungry faster than usual."

"But it's manageable..."

"We can maintain it indefinitely..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but smile upon hearing this.

Relying on the powerful vitality of the Perfect Being, they could normalize the Eight Inner Gates; their current physical stamina was likely something even the Raikage, who had practiced body activation for many years, could not match.

How could they lose this war?

Monotonous combat methods?

Are you referring to rampaging across the battlefield like a Gundam?

Of course, keeping the Eight Inner Gates open indefinitely wasn't realistic, but the exaggerated vitality of these perfect weapons was enough to exhaust the vast majority of ninjas.

"Moreover, the consumption issue can be solved by carrying a large supply of Military Ration Pills..."

"With the digestive capacity of these two gluttons, they can naturally eat as much as they are given."

"This is what it truly means to be a perfect weapon!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen recalled another question and asked the two.

"Can you open any more gates now?"

Fujin and Raijin replied.

"At most, one more gate..."

"If we continue, we won't be able to open them..."

"It feels like something is missing..."

"We are completely unable to open any more gates."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, feeling a bit disappointed, though it was within his expectations.

Although the Eight Inner Gates is a form of taijutsu, it also belongs to the discipline of mind, body, and technique.

If the Gate of Death were so easy to open, it wouldn't have been shelved by Konoha for so many years.

Training a squad of suicide soldiers capable of opening the Gate of Death would be enough to dominate the Ninja World.

However, Fujin and Raijin possess incomplete intellects, and their willpower and mental fortitude are far inferior to a hardworking genius like Might Guy.

I fear that opening the gates beyond the sixth requires a more complete consciousness and mental strength.

Still, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not dwell on it too much.

As far as Fujin and Raijin's current performance goes, it is already enough to run rampant in a large-scale war.

On the battlefield, they are essentially two walking, humanoid Tailed Beasts, perhaps even possessing greater destructive power.

If the Rock Ninja had surrounded these two perfect weapons back then, they wouldn't have needed three days and three nights; they could have slaughtered ten thousand ninja in a single day.

"Well then, everything is ready."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned stern.

"All that's missing is a resounding victory."

Somewhere in the Ninja World, In a dark, gloomy cave, a pair of cold, slit pupils shone startlingly bright in the darkness, radiating a terrifying chill.

"Danzo... is dead?!"

Orochimaru muttered, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief.

As a student of the Third, he had witnessed the collaboration between the Third Hokage and Danzo for so many years; although there were occasional frictions, they were truly like Wolong and Fengchu.

While the official report claimed that Danzo had attempted to assassinate the Third Hokage and was killed on the spot, Orochimaru believed the former, as that was indeed something Danzo would do.

But the latter did not seem like the style of his teacher at all.

"Furthermore,"

"Teacher Sarutobi is still plotting to mobilize the army."

"Going to war with the Cloud Ninja?"

"Because of the Cloud Ninja's provocations at the border?"

Having operated in Konoha for so many years, Orochimaru's infiltration of the village was something even other major ninja villages could not compare to.

The intelligence he received was even more timely than that of the Cloud Ninja, yet the more Orochimaru read, the stranger his expression became.

Because these actions, starting from the moment of Danzo's death, were not things the Third Hokage he knew would ever do.

Orochimaru looked puzzled.

The current Orochimaru was beginning to suspect whether his teacher Sarutobi had been replaced; how could his personality have changed so drastically?

"Could it be that the major upheavals in Konoha have been too frequent?"

"With Teacher Sarutobi's friends and family passing away one after another,"

"Has it finally pushed him over the edge?!"

Orochimaru pondered left and right, but could only arrive at the same conclusion as the high-ranking officials within Konoha.

When Orochimaru looked at the final piece of intelligence, It stated that the Third Hokage had recruited a secretary who dressed sexily every day, and had delegated the Hokage's duties to the Council of Elders.

"..."

"Perhaps it really did push Teacher Sarutobi too far..."

"At his age, to be living so recklessly."

Orochimaru shook his head.

Regardless of how the Third Hokage changed, the fact that he had become a rogue ninja of Konoha could not be altered.

He was no longer one of the Sannin of Konoha, and the village's affairs were no longer his concern.

"However..."

A greedy glint flashed in Orochimaru's slit pupils.

"War."

"It is the perfect time to accumulate materials..."

Although with Orochimaru's strength, he would certainly not lack materials after breaking free from the constraints of a ninja village, the experimental value of ninja subjects and ordinary people could not be mentioned in the same breath.

In his daily life as a rogue ninja, Orochimaru naturally could not hunt ninja from other villages too blatantly.

Moreover, Orochimaru knew that Jiraiya, like a persistent leech, was still watching him; if he made any major moves, he would be entangled by him.

Orochimaru did not want to face that fool who had nothing but the Will of Fire in his heart.

Even though he, too, had once been just like that.

"But the me of now has been completely reborn!"

Orochimaru's bright yellow eyes flashed with a sharp glint, almost illuminating the entire cavern.

"That jutsu... I've already made some headway on it."

"I will definitely be able to achieve immortality!"

Orochimaru let out a cold, sinister laugh, his smile brimming with ambition.

"But before that..."

"I need to accumulate some materials first."

A note to all my readers: the previous title was a bit casual and not very eye-catching, which put me at a disadvantage for promotions, so I've changed the book title!

Taking everyone's suggestions into account, I've changed it to:

Transmigrating to the Third Hokage: I Become Hokage at the Start and You Regret It

Thank you for your support, please keep following the story!