"Ogata attacked you?"
Orochimaru looked with some surprise at the subordinate before him, who was coughing up blood. He was quite taken aback.
Kaguya Ogata didn't seem like the impulsive sort, though he often acted that way. He was, after all, a bona fide elite jonin!
An impulsive, thoughtless person couldn't become an elite jonin. Orochimaru knew that well. His companion known as Mad Ghost, Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, often put on that same sort of act, only to use the deception to kill countless enemies.
The so-called ninja ranks were merely the lowest common standard the ninja villages had adopted to make managing their shinobi easier. But the elite jonin tier was an enormous gulf. Only those who excelled in strength, intelligence, and luck could cross it.
Of course, this system of ranks was just one of the things that came with the founding of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. In the chaotic era before that, when clans fought one another constantly, there had been no ninja ranks—only entire clans and powerful individuals.
That was also why shinobi who were theoretically of the same rank often had wildly different levels of strength. The ranking system had been created for ease of management, and it was crude. From the start, whoever devised it hadn't intended to have anything to do with precision.
The elite jonin tier was especially bad. Though it was theoretically the highest rank, it had the greatest disparity in strength. A shinobi who had only recently entered that tier might not even be able to withstand a single move from a "senior"!
But that was beside the point. There were only a hundred or so elite jonin across the entire Shinobi World. What Orochimaru cared about was why Ogata, an elite jonin, had reacted so intensely—a reaction that shouldn't have come from someone of his rank...
"It seems he's more protective of Kagetsu Qi than I thought. From now on, you don't need to keep watch over him. Otherwise, next time you really will be killed."
Orochimaru rubbed his chin, wearing a somewhat peculiar expression.
"Strange. Why is he so anxious? He should know we won't harm that child. Could it be..."
He suddenly stood up.
"Lord Orochimaru?"
The middle-aged man, grievously wounded by Ogata, stared at Orochimaru's stern expression in bewilderment.
"Has something happened recently?"
"Get some rest. You're in no position to know about this."
Orochimaru waved a hand, then vanished from the middle-aged man's sight with the Body Flicker Technique, leaving only his voice drifting through the air.
"Forget that you ever kept watch over Kagetsu Qi. It'll be better for you."
"Lord Orochimaru's been acting strange lately..."
Staring at the empty space before him, the man clearly hadn't understood what his superior meant.
But that didn't matter. What mattered was Orochimaru's own thoughts. Before long, he had arrived at the Third Hokage's office.
"Orochimaru, it's rare for you to come to my office of your own accord."
Though he was standing on the balcony, the Third Hokage knew at once who had appeared in the room. He didn't even turn around.
He wasn't yet the frail old man he would become ten or twenty years later. His spirit and strength were still in their prime, making him one of the top experts in Konoha Village—even in the whole Shinobi World.
Of course, given the crude ranking system used in the Shinobi World, he still counted as an "elite jonin." It was ridiculous. There were hardly any elite jonin who could stand against him.
"Has something happened?"
He touched his pipe.
"Kaguya Ogata has been acting strangely lately. What's stranger is that I have to analyze his reaction to work out whether the village is planning something."
Orochimaru's expression didn't change. His voice was flat, as though he were talking about someone else.
"Does that mean that if someone in the village wants to target me one day, I'll be left waiting for trouble to find me without knowing a thing?"
"Orochimaru..."
The Third Hokage turned around.
"You're overthinking it. No one is going to target you. I'm the Third Hokage, and you and Jiraiya are still two of the Sannin."
"I have no interest in titles."
Orochimaru shook his head.
"Only the weak care about such things. I only want to know what's about to happen."
"Since you put it that way, all right..."
The Third Hokage nodded and added more tobacco to his pipe.
"Someone wants to use Kagetsu Qi to make trouble, and our enemies are involved."
"That's ridiculous."
Orochimaru sneered.
"But it's effective, especially against bloodline clans."
The Third Hokage smiled calmly.
"That's what a ninja village is. Whether we want to admit it or not, we can't deny it."
"No wonder I didn't know anything. This must be the work of those people again. They've gone too far."
Orochimaru shrugged.
"They probably angered Ogata, and my subordinate ended up paying the price. But staying silent about it isn't my style."
His gaze turned cold...
"Be patient, Orochimaru..."
The Third Hokage sighed.
"One generation at a time. Just because our generation can't get along doesn't mean the next one will be the same."
He turned back toward the village below and looked down over it from above.
"Especially that clan. If they can just endure this generation, the village will accept them again."
"That's impossible. Never mind whether they can endure it—the next generation will inherit the wishes of their elders. You're just trying to reassure yourself."
Orochimaru clearly disagreed with the Third Hokage. He turned and headed for the door.
"But since you've put it that way, I'll let it go this once. Next time, I'll kill someone. My subordinates aren't there for others to use as they please."
"Orochimaru..."
The Third Hokage suddenly called out, stopping him.
"What are you worried about now? Teacher Sarutobi, I don't believe I've ever gone back on my word."
"It's not that. It's that child."
The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I've seen the report on his performance during the last mission. He seems to have potential."
"That doesn't mean anything. Konoha has never lacked talented people, and one good performance can't determine the future."
Orochimaru chuckled.
"In my eyes, he isn't qualified to be Minato's junior apprentice yet."
"Perhaps. But this age is crucial in determining his future. Send a few capable people to protect him. I'm afraid Kaguya Ogata might not be able to handle everything when the time comes."
The Third Hokage finally lowered his pipe from his lips.
"The village has a duty to protect those who come to join Konoha of their own accord. Besides, that child is your apprentice in name, after all. It wouldn't be right for you not to step in."