Still Dreaming of Becoming Hokage

Orochimaru's eye twitched.

In the past, he wouldn't have cared much about such words, as he was one of the legendary Sannin who shook the ninja world.

But things were different now, especially since these words came from a boy of only thirteen or fourteen. Moreover, that boy had just defeated him using the genjutsu of the Sharingan.

Under these circumstances, Orochimaru naturally felt displeased.

In truth, the two had only been testing each other; the battle had not been intense, and they had only employed standard ninja methods.

Given Orochimaru's capabilities, there was much he had yet to display. If he were to truly exert his full strength, he was confident he could take down the boy before him.

But a loss was a loss; there was nothing to be said about that.

At the same time, Orochimaru grew wary of the Sharingan. The defeat had occurred in a mere instant, and it was specifically the genjutsu Genkawa Uchiha had unleashed with his Sharingan in that moment that had sealed the outcome.

As a veteran powerhouse, Orochimaru had experienced countless battles and was naturally familiar with genjutsu, having killed many ninjas who specialized in it.

Yet, he had suffered a setback at the hands of Genkawa Uchiha.

Even though he had been affected by the genjutsu for only a split second, he had still lost an arm; the consequences were nothing short of severe.

"Hehehe, in that case, I should thank you, Genkawa-kun," Orochimaru said in a raspy voice.

Genkawa Uchiha merely smiled. "You're too kind. It was only what I had to do."

Orochimaru: ...

He took a deep breath and lowered the hand clutching his severed arm, which had already stopped bleeding. "It seems coming to find you, Genkawa-kun, was a mistake."

"So, Orochimaru-sama, what exactly did you come to find me for?" Genkawa Uchiha asked, knowing the answer perfectly well.

Orochimaru stared at Genkawa Uchiha, his gaze burning with a strange intensity.

"Does Genkawa-kun not wish to unravel the secrets of the Sage Body?"

As he spoke, he licked his lips once more.

He looked like a starving man who had finally caught sight of a feast.

Genkawa Uchiha thought for a moment and shook his head. "What secrets could there possibly be to my own body?"

As for the secrets of the Sage Body, he doubted anyone knew them better than he did.

He remained completely unmoved by Orochimaru's enticements.

Orochimaru did not respond directly; instead, he performed a single-handed seal and pressed his palm to the ground.

White smoke puffed out, and a scroll as thick as a human thigh appeared on the ground.

"Genkawa-kun, these are some of the ninjutsu I have mastered. They cover all five chakra nature transformations: Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning. Consider it compensation for just now."

As he spoke, Orochimaru tossed the scroll with one hand, sending it flying toward Genkawa Uchiha.

Genkawa Uchiha narrowed his eyes, but instead of retreating, he reached out and caught it firmly.

He said nothing, nor did he ask why; he simply watched Orochimaru.

The latter chuckled. "I can tell that you have no loyalty to Konoha, nor to the Uchiha clan. Like me, you are someone curious about the secrets of ninjutsu and even chakra itself. Even if you don't show it now, there will come a day."

With that, he looked Genkawa Uchiha straight in the eye.

"You and I are the same kind of person."

Having said his piece, he picked up his severed arm and slowly retreated, his smile never wavering until he finally dissolved into the shadows of the dense forest.

"Genkawa-kun, I will wait for you. I will wait for you to reach out to me. That day will come."

Genkawa Uchiha did not stop him, watching quietly instead.

Just as Orochimaru was about to vanish entirely, he suddenly spoke up: "Wait, what about the scabbard?"

Genkawa Uchiha saw Orochimaru's fading silhouette pause for a moment before disappearing completely.

"Tsk, you gave me the ninjutsu, but you couldn't spare a scabbard? How stingy."

A whistling sound cut through the air from the spot where Orochimaru had vanished.

Genkawa Uchiha raised his hand and snatched a pitch-black scabbard out of the air.

"Heh, that's more like it."

He sheathed his blade.

Genkawa Uchiha tucked the scabbard into his belt and hooked the scroll with his foot, catching it steadily as it flew up.

He unfurled it and felt a surge of joy.

Just as Orochimaru had claimed, the scroll contained a vast array of ninjutsu, ranging from C-rank at the lowest to A-rank at the highest.

As for why Orochimaru had come here, what his intentions were, or what he was planning—

Genkawa Uchiha cast all of that to the back of his mind.

It didn't matter.

Nothing was more important than learning and mastering new ninjutsu.

"What a good guy. Giving me a blade and then ninjutsu—he's almost making me feel embarrassed."

Though I thought so, if I truly encounter Orochimaru again in the future, I will still have to act.

As long as the other party doesn't give up their intentions towards me for a single day, I will fight.

North of Konoha Village, further north than the Hokage Rock, deep within the dense forest, underground.

Orochimaru pushed open a heavy door, and the smell of rust mixed with damp mold assaulted his senses.

This underground space was vast and dark, with only oil lamps hanging at intervals on the walls, their dim yellow light casting his shadow long.

On both sides of the corridor were closed wooden doors, with iron plates nailed to them, their numbers already blurred.

Orochimaru's footsteps were light and steady, the soles of his shoes making a monotonous sound on the ground.

Judging by his demeanor, he seemed quite familiar with this place. After turning the third corner, the passage suddenly narrowed, and the rock overhead became a neat ceiling.

Walking a bit further, the scene opened up before him.

In the spacious area, there was only a stone table and a high-backed stone chair. A person sat upon it, their entire form obscured by shadow, revealing only the greater part of their face.

It was Shimura Danzō.

He still looked disheveled, covered in wounds and bandages everywhere, especially his head, which was wrapped from forehead to jaw. His exposed single eye was bloodshot.

Orochimaru stopped before the table, staring directly at Shimura Danzō in the shadows.

Shimura Danzō's gaze fell upon the position of his severed arm, and his expression instantly darkened.

"Failed?"

His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against wood.

Orochimaru licked his lips, saying nothing.

The light from the oil lamp flickered on their faces, reflecting Shimura Danzō's taut jawline.

The only sound in the air was the dripping of water, drip, drip, unnervingly.

"Trash!"

Finally, Shimura Danzō couldn't contain his anger and cursed.

Orochimaru, upon hearing this, did not get angry. Instead, he chuckled.

"Root has been disbanded, and its personnel have been merged into Anbu. If we're talking about trash, Lord Danzō, you seem to be more trash than I am."

Shimura Danzō's face twitched, and he stared intently at Orochimaru.

"So, where is your arm?"

Orochimaru let out a light laugh. "Ah, my arm? That brat cut it off."

As he spoke, he even kindly explained.

"That brat isn't as simple as he appears on the surface. If you're careless, you'll suffer greatly."

After speaking, he seemed to recall something and licked his lips again.

"I forgot, Lord Danzō has already tried. Hehehe."

He had expected Shimura Danzō to get angry, but surprisingly, he endured such mockery.

"Orochimaru, did you come here just to laugh at me?"

Orochimaru's smile faded. "Of course not. I came to complete a transaction with you, Lord Danzō."

Shimura Danzō seemed to hear something amusing and coldly stared at him. "I sent you a message, but you didn't come to me immediately. Instead, you went to that brat. What, have you finally realized that only I in all of Konoha can support you?"

Orochimaru did not respond directly but asked, "Can you still afford the price of the transaction now?"

Shimura Danzō snorted coldly and stood up. "I am the leader of Root. Even though Root is temporarily restricted by Hiruzen Sarutobi, my hand still holds power."

"Hehehe, that's good then."

Orochimaru simply smiled lightly.

Shimura Danzō stepped out of the shadows, his single eye filled with hatred. "Orochimaru, I need you to help me complete the transplantation of the First Hokage's cells."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru finally looked directly at Shimura Danzō and asked, "Are you sure you want to proceed at this time?"

He then added, "The transplantation of the First Hokage's cells is not perfect and will have significant side effects."

Shimura Danzō said gravely, "I can't worry about that much anymore."

Orochimaru seemed to recall something. "So, you haven't given up on your dream of becoming Hokage?"