I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ascending to the Moon in Ten Years Chapter 45

The progress at the Ninja Tool Development Department is rapid, not because of new development, but because they are substituting inferior, cheaper materials. Predecessors had already researched these items and concluded that chakra metal was the most effective, which is why it has always been used to manufacture special ninja tools.

However, there are materials with lower efficacy and lower value that have now become perfect substitutes.

Many experimental prototypes have already been produced. The Chakra Blade is currently undergoing testing, and once the final version—which most closely meets the requirements of Uchiha Gin—is confirmed, it will be ready for mass production.

Recently, however, there has been an influx of spies from other villages eyeing the flight-capable Chakra Armor. The Uchiha Clan has simply ignored them, leaving the burden entirely on the Anbu. Sarutobi Hiruzen has suspected several times that this Ninja Tool Development Department is merely a ruse to drain the Anbu's manpower, especially since the blue pills have become a source of wealth that now rivals the trade volume of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.

Yet, this place has indeed produced valuable results.

Uchiha Gin does not care, because while the ability to fly poses a threat to a nation or a ninja village, it poses no pressure at all to the Uchiha Clan. After all, the Uchiha Clan is not permitted to leave their compound, so they would never encounter flying enemies anyway.

Furthermore, the Uchiha Clan can produce these items themselves, so they have no fear. The only ones panicking are Konoha. This does indeed put pressure on Konoha to see if they will crack, while simultaneously allowing the Uchiha to monitor Konoha's movements. If the Anbu guarding the Ninja Tool Development Department remain, it proves that Konoha is unlikely to take action; but if the Anbu are withdrawn, it means something major has occurred, and the Uchiha Clan must be on guard.

"Long time no see!"

Jiraiya entered through the village gate, looking at the familiar village with a sense of nostalgia.

However, he soon noticed some changes, guessing that the new buildings were the result of the destruction caused on the night of the Nine-Tails Incident.

"Minato."

Jiraiya looked up at the face of his disciple carved into the Hokage Rock, his expression turning sorrowful.

"Lord Jiraiya, the Third Hokage is already waiting for you at the Hokage Building."

An Anbu agent nearby whispered a reminder.

Jiraiya nodded, not lingering, and headed straight for the Hokage Building.

He soon met his teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Seeing Jiraiya, Sarutobi Hiruzen also showed a look of relief. After all, of his three disciples, one had run away and another harbored thoughts of usurpation, leaving only this one—who, much like himself, enjoyed watching beauties bathe.

"Third Hokage, you want me to come back and compete with Orochimaru for the position of Hokage? What is the meaning of this?"

Jiraiya asked as soon as he arrived.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had not provided Jiraiya with sufficient information, only that short message marked as urgent, demanding that Jiraiya return immediately.

"Read through this intelligence first, and then I will explain it to you in detail."

Sarutobi Hiruzen handed over a thick stack of documents.

Seeing this, Jiraiya hesitated for a moment before taking them and beginning to flip through the pages.

"Did all of these things happen within the last few months?"

Jiraiya looked surprised after finishing the report.

"Yes, and they are all related to the Uchiha."

"They may be using Orochimaru to seize the power of the Hokage."

"Because of the Nine-Tails Incident and the Three Great Ninja Wars, Konoha's strength has declined significantly, and we no longer have the power to suppress the Uchiha Clan. At the same time, two young men with the Mangekyō Sharingan have appeared in their clan. Although one has defected, 'Uchiha Madara' is still lurking in the shadows, and the village is in urgent need of core strength."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said, looking exhausted.

Jiraiya curled his lip. Even while traveling outside the village, he had heard rumors of the village's targeting of the Uchiha, and he was well aware of the situation regarding the Senju.

But Uchiha Madara?

"Has it been confirmed that it is Uchiha Madara?"

Jiraiya asked skeptically.

After all, according to intelligence, that man should have been slain by the First Hokage.

"It has not been fully confirmed, but according to intelligence, the individual may be hiding within an organization called the Akatsuki. After Danzo left the village, he went to investigate this organization, but contact has been lost recently."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened.

Jiraiya also recalled the intelligence regarding Amegakure. He did not expect that Hanzo of the Salamander, whom he, Tsunade, and Orochimaru had struggled against together, might already be dead. It made him feel a bit melancholy—was he getting too old?

"Let's get this straight: I am not suited to be Hokage."

Jiraiya realized that it would not be easy for him to escape this situation.

He spoke his mind; he truly had no interest in being Hokage, a fact he had already made clear when Sarutobi Hiruzen asked him years ago.

"The village has no suitable candidates left now. Orochimaru... he is truly not fit to be Hokage."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said earnestly.

Among the younger generation belonging to the Hokage's lineage, there were truly very few left.

Minato's only remaining disciple was Kakashi; Orochimaru's disciples were all dead; Tsunade had left with her own disciple; and Jiraiya's disciples had also perished.

He could hardly choose Kakashi; he did not believe Kakashi was capable of bearing that responsibility yet.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had never expected that while all three of his disciples were still alive, their students were nearly all dead.

"I will go talk to him and see what his true thoughts are."

Jiraiya's expression was grave.

He believed that Orochimaru might have been misled, or that a rift had formed between him and the Third Hokage, and he wanted to resolve it.

Tsunade had been unable to stay behind, and he did not want anything else to go wrong with Orochimaru.

"If that is what you wish to do, then go and try."

Sarutobi Hiruzen believed it would be futile.

He had reached out to Orochimaru before, but Sarutobi Hiruzen had discovered that Orochimaru no longer looked at him with the respect of the past, but rather with a sense of indifference.

Whenever he tried to persuade Orochimaru not to associate with the Uchiha Clan, he would be countered with accusations of exploiting the Uchiha, and he realized that soft tactics would not work.

If Jiraiya could succeed, that would be for the best; if not, it would at least allow Jiraiya to see Orochimaru's true intentions clearly, so he would no longer hesitate.

Jiraiya nodded, then turned and left to find Orochimaru.

Watching Jiraiya's retreating back, Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brows. He truly wanted to find a successor for Konoha, and although he knew Jiraiya was not the most suitable candidate, under no circumstances could the position of Hokage fall to the Uchiha Clan.

After leaving the Hokage Building, Jiraiya prepared to head to the Root Base to find Orochimaru. However, while passing the bathhouse on his way, his feet uncontrollably drew him toward it, and only after a thorough observation did he leave, feeling satisfied.

"Hey, brat, get lost! You aren't welcome here!"

But as Jiraiya crossed the commercial district, intending to head toward the Anbu base, he suddenly heard a commotion.

This made him frown, and as he looked over, he saw a child only a few years old lying on the ground, covered in dirt, looking as if he had been shoved.

Naruto Uzumaki scrambled up from the ground, biting his lower lip to keep from crying, and then, under the hostile glares of the surrounding crowd, he endured his tears and walked away.

Jiraiya froze at the sight.

A thought surfaced in his mind, but he hoped he had guessed wrong.

After much hesitation, he lacked the courage to chase after the boy. He continued toward the Anbu base, but he no longer felt the joy he had experienced after watching the women's bathhouse; instead, he felt heavy.

Soon, he learned the location of the Root Base from the Anbu base, and about half an hour later, Jiraiya successfully met Orochimaru inside the Root Base.

"Long time no see."

Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya and greeted him in a hoarse voice.

He was wearing a white lab coat, clearly in the middle of an experiment.

"You're still doing experiments?"

Jiraiya frowned.

After the Second Great Ninja War ended, under the arrangements of Sarutobi Hiruzen, Konoha had conducted a Wood Release Reproduction Project.

Danzo's obsession with First Hokage Cells had begun at that time.

"Indeed. The secrets of the human body are truly endless."

Orochimaru nodded, a look of obsession appearing on his face.

He had already obtained the genes of Fugaku after he had fused with the First Hokage Cells. Through his research, he discovered that the defects in the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan seemed to have been perfectly filled. The genetic flaws he had spent so much effort to identify were all gone. Furthermore, by using his own cells for fusion and weakening Fugaku's cells several times over, he had actually achieved a chance of successful fusion, though it would collapse shortly after. Even so, this made Orochimaru extremely delighted.

As long as he identified the cause, Orochimaru believed he had a chance to reproduce the First Hokage's Wood Release and the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, editing a body with his own perfect genes!

"Looking at you like this, you don't seem like someone with designs on the Hokage position at all!"

Jiraiya was somewhat puzzled.

Orochimaru was clearly more obsessed with research and seemed to have no interest in power.

As a close friend, he could see at a glance that Orochimaru cared more about scientific research than power at this moment.

"Only by becoming Hokage can one better contribute to the villagers."

Orochimaru answered with a sinister smile.

It gave Jiraiya goosebumps.

Chapter 62 Orochimaru: It is not that I want to become Hokage, it is that Konoha needs me to become Hokage! [Two-in-one]

"Are you really going to join forces with the Uchiha Clan just to obtain the position of Hokage?"

Jiraiya asked straight to the point, his expression very serious.

He wanted a definitive answer.

"It is not that I need to become Hokage, but that this village needs me to become the new Hokage."

Orochimaru shook his head and spoke.

"?"

Jiraiya looked confused, as if to say, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

"Do you know how little the village has changed since the Second Hokage?"

"The current system is already a burden to Konoha. You have felt it yourself—how difficult it was for you, born a commoner, to reach this point. And that was only possible because we were disciples of the Third Hokage. For those other commoners, climbing the ladder is even harder; there is almost no hope."

"Meanwhile, those great clans are stagnating, and the ninjas they produce are far less powerful than those of the past. Konoha's strength is in rapid decline."

Orochimaru countered by asking Jiraiya.

"This!"

"The teacher is also working hard. He took us commoners as disciples and chose Minato, who was also born a commoner, to be Hokage. Isn't that enough?"

Jiraiya could not answer, but he believed that everything Sarutobi Hiruzen did was an effort toward that end.

Furthermore, he even secretly sabotaged the village's greatest family, the Senju, or perhaps "sabotage" isn't the right word—he simply exploited that family's... desire to protect the village.

"So, among the Jonin rank, how many are ninjas of civilian origin?"

"And how many civilians are even able to attend the Konoha meetings?"

"We succeeded only because we belong to the Hokage faction, and no one dared to obstruct us. But others are not so fortunate; they have to give their all just to obtain a single ninjutsu. Yet, those ninjas from clans don't even utilize their own advantages to keep growing stronger. Was the sacrifice of the last Great Ninja War not enough to make you understand?"

"Konoha is in decline!"

Orochimaru said to Jiraiya in a heavy tone.

"You!"

Jiraiya truly hadn't expected that Orochimaru had actually made such preparations.

However, he had to acknowledge the truth in those words.

"But, why the Uchiha?"

Jiraiya felt that if it weren't for the Uchiha, the Third Hokage shouldn't have obstructed Orochimaru.

Although he also didn't understand why the suppression of the Uchiha was so severe.

"The Uchiha will help me shoulder the pressure from other clans, they are willing to lift restrictions on civilians, and they won't obstruct this matter."

Orochimaru's answer left Jiraiya silent.

This point was indeed crucial, and the Uchiha Clan possessed the strength to back it up. If one were to choose the strongest clan in the current Konoha, it was undoubtedly still the Uchiha, as the only clan capable of rivaling them, the Senju, had already faded away.

"Furthermore, the young man in this clan who has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan is very receptive to science; this is also an important point."

"Jiraiya, you must have returned this time to compete with me for the position of Hokage, so let me see just how far you can go."

Orochimaru was also very direct, issuing a challenge for a duel to Jiraiya.

Returning at this time could only be because he had come back after hearing his declaration to strive for the title of Hokage.