I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ten Years to Reach the Moon Chapter 48

"You decide."

Uchiha Gin did not refuse; it was merely polishing the basics and not a secret, so he let Sasuke choose for himself.

Sasuke's small face scrunched up in conflict.

"Then, I'll trouble you."

He finally decided to give it a try; he wanted to see how large the gap was between his own strength and that of other ninjas.

Moreover, sparring with Uchiha Gin had left him completely demoralized, so he wanted to find someone else to regain his confidence.

Naruto came over as well, watching from the sidelines.

"No need to be polite, just attack me with everything you've got. I won't get hurt, so don't worry!"

Jiraiya still had plenty of confidence when it came to children.

He spoke to Sasuke with an encouraging tone.

Sasuke glanced at Uchiha Gin, and after receiving a nod of affirmation, he hesitated no longer, rushing directly toward Jiraiya to launch a taijutsu attack.

Naruto watched from the side with great focus, his eyes never leaving them.

"Aside from a lack of raw power, his other aspects have already reached the level of a Genin."

"The Uchiha Clan has produced another genius!"

Jiraiya, however, revealed a look of surprise; Sasuke's excellence exceeded his expectations.

His taijutsu was very solid, and he possessed a highly precise skill with Shuriken. His feints and even his use of the Body Flicker Technique were perfectly timed—he didn't act like a child at all.

When Sasuke's final Fire Style technique proved ineffective, he entered the same dejected state as yesterday. There was a hint of unwillingness on his face; he hadn't expected that he wouldn't even be able to touch the hem of the clothes of the "juggler" he had misjudged yesterday.

Uchiha Gin called a halt to the fight, telling the panting Sasuke to go and rest.

Naruto began to catch fish with practiced ease, clearly hoping that everyone could eat fish together at noon.

"This kid is truly a genius."

Jiraiya stood beside Uchiha Gin and offered direct praise.

"Mm."

Uchiha Gin nodded, accepting the compliment without a hint of modesty.

Jiraiya felt he had met his match—someone as thick-skinned as himself.

"It seems it will be quite difficult for Naruto to catch up to him."

Jiraiya continued.

He felt it wasn't just difficult; it was extremely hard. He could tell just by watching Naruto refine chakra; because of the Nine-Tails' influence, he couldn't refine it smoothly at all. The very first step was already on hard mode.

"Naruto should first eat his fill and get enough nutrition before we talk about the issue of catching up."

"For the child of a hero, that should be the bare minimum."

Uchiha Gin's words instantly made Jiraiya clench his fists, and the atmosphere between them turned cold.

"What exactly do you and Orochimaru want?"

Jiraiya stopped pretending and asked directly.

"Those with ability rise, those without fall. At the very least, ensuring the hero's child can fill his stomach—that's about it."

Uchiha Gin's answer struck directly at Jiraiya's core.

If the people now couldn't even ensure the child of the village's hero was fed, what was the point of them?

Jiraiya couldn't understand it either; why couldn't Naruto even be guaranteed a full meal? It wasn't a matter of money! It was a matter of ideology, a problem with the Will of Fire itself!

"Perhaps cooperation could make things better?"

Jiraiya asked, testing the waters.

He wanted to confirm if there was still any room for reconciliation between the two sides.

"There is no ship for them in the new era; those rotten old fools should be eliminated!"

Uchiha Gin refused without mercy.

Those old geezers wanted to board his ship?

He'd scatter their ashes to the wind!

"I understand."

After saying this, Jiraiya fell silent.

He had originally thought this would be a collusion of interests, but now it seemed like a fundamental difference in ideology and perspective. If such a thing appeared, it meant a coup d'état was highly likely.

Things were getting complicated. Did he really have to become the Hokage?

After resting for a while, Sasuke got up and went to catch fish with Naruto. The two adults stood to the side in silence, simply watching the two children diligently working in the stream. For a moment, it looked quite harmonious.

"Are you certain this letter was sent back by Danzo?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat there, the letter still in his hand, unable to collect his thoughts for a long time.

He turned to the Anbu operative who had delivered the message and questioned him.

"That is correct. The Root operative was indeed Shimura Danzō himself!"

The Anbu knelt on the ground, offering his reply.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had actually been eighty percent certain already; after all, many of the decryption methods used back then had fallen out of favor, and only he remained familiar with the secret code they had used when he and Shimura Danzō had worked together.

"Uchiha Madara is willing to join forces with Konoha to deal with the Uchiha Clan. The price is the recognition of Amegakure's neutrality—no attacks are to be launched against Amegakure for ten years—and Uchiha Gin's Mangekyō Sharingan must be handed over to Uchiha Madara!"

This was the gist of what Sarutobi Hiruzen had deciphered from the letter sent back by Shimura Danzō.

Uchiha Madara dealing with the Uchiha Clan?

If it hadn't been a letter from Shimura Danzō, he truly would not have believed it, as Shimura Danzō never joked when it came to matters involving the Uchiha!

The next day, Jiraiya and Naruto tried to intercept Sasuke and Uchiha Gin again, but Uchiha Gin simply took Sasuke and moved to a different location; he had no intention of continuing to build rapport with this old man and the boy.

Rather than pinning his hopes on others, it was better to improve his own strength.

Naruto, however, felt very dejected, though he also began to train in earnest, believing that if he became stronger, he would surely earn the recognition of others.

Jiraiya also began to grow busy. Like Uchiha Gin, he spent his mornings using a Shadow Clone to train Naruto, while his real body was kept occupied by Sarutobi Hiruzen. Sarutobi Hiruzen intended to have Jiraiya replace Shimura Danzō as the new Hokage Assistant.

After all, Jiraiya and Orochimaru were no longer young. Both had experienced two Great Ninja Wars and had made significant contributions to Konoha. It could be said that after Sarutobi Hiruzen, the five individuals with the most prominent reputations in the village were the Sannin, Hatake Sakumo, and Minato Namikaze. Aside from Hatake Sakumo, the other four were all part of the Hokage's faction.

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not inform Jiraiya about the team-up invitation sent by Shimura Danzō, merely having him handle miscellaneous tasks and meet with some of Konoha's higher-ups so that everyone would understand his intentions.

"This child's talent is truly remarkable."

Meanwhile, in Orochimaru's base, Orochimaru watched as Yakushi Kabuto completed the basic experiments he had assigned, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

He had taken an interest in the boy the moment he discovered Yakushi Kabuto, but he hadn't expected the boy's potential to be even higher than he had imagined. Still, Orochimaru felt he was still inferior to Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Itachi was three years younger than Yakushi Kabuto.

"In an environment like Konoha, many scientific geniuses are buried, and the system for cultivating ninjas is far too backward. Since the Second Hokage established the Ninja Academy, there has been almost no progress. These are things we must strive to change."

Uchiha Gin remarked with a sigh.

Orochimaru agreed wholeheartedly. There was no shortage of geniuses among the commoners; what they lacked were opportunities. He and Jiraiya were proof of that.

However, they were only able to become disciples of Sarutobi Hiruzen because they had demonstrated sufficiently genius-level abilities; not just anyone could become a disciple of the Hokage.

Back then, when Minato Namikaze chose Obito, an unremarkable child from the Uchiha Clan, it was because the Hokage's faction wanted to reshape a pro-Hokage faction within the Uchiha. Kagami Uchiha had been one such member, and Shisui could be considered half of one.

The higher-ups had so many schemes, yet they never once considered a plan to identify and properly cultivate geniuses among the commoners. Everything was done for the sake of maintaining power and personal interest.

"Tell me, does Jiraiya's arrival put you under pressure?"

Uchiha Gin teased.

"If we are talking about raw strength, I feel no pressure. But when it comes to competing for the position of Hokage, he is indeed an opponent who makes me feel the pressure."

"You and I are both people who think calmly, but someone like Jiraiya is prone to overheating his brain. It is very easy for him to make decisions without calm judgment—for instance, doing things for the sake of his comrades or for Konoha. Such people seem to be more respected in Konoha and are considered to possess the Will of Fire."

Orochimaru answered seriously.

He truly was under pressure regarding the competition with Jiraiya for the Hokage seat.

This kind of blind confidence and brainless decision-making was something he could not comprehend.

"Don't let yourself be dragged down to the level of such people. They are just indulging in self-satisfaction; it is a form of gambling. Someone like Jiraiya is great as a friend, but if we are talking about a leader, there is no doubt that the person who can make the most optimal judgment is the right choice."

"Take the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara, who founded Konoha, for example. But the one who truly made Konoha better was the Second Hokage, who acted with more composure. The Second Hokage is the target you should be emulating."

Seeing that Orochimaru looked somewhat lost, Uchiha Gin immediately interrupted and explained the situation to him.

People like Jiraiya and Naruto possessed the protagonist's halo; they were gamblers.

Although the Second Hokage was the most ruthless toward the Uchiha, Konoha was in its best state under his rule. There were not so many internal conflicts in the village, thanks to the Ninja Academy that gave commoners a chance, and the Anbu that protected the village from external threats.

"Heh, it seems I was the one who was confused."

"Gin, you are truly more suited to be Hokage than I am."

The confusion in Orochimaru's eyes vanished, and he couldn't help but praise Uchiha Gin as he looked at him.

He was calmer than himself, had more ideas, recognized the value of technology, and was willing to give commoners a chance—things the Konoha higher-ups refused to do.

"You know me. A Hokage position wouldn't be able to contain me; it would only waste my time. Surpassing the God of Shinobi is what I want to do."

Uchiha Gin shrugged. He truly had no interest in being a village chief.

Orochimaru had already said this twice. He nodded, saying no more, and prepared to continue refining his ideas.

At the same time, Uchiha Gin had given him a new goal today: there were descendants of the Uzumaki Clan in Kusagakure, characterized by their red hair—a mother and daughter. He had already arranged for his subordinates outside of Konoha to handle the matter.

It wasn't just Shimura Danzō; Orochimaru had long since established research labs outside of Konoha and had prepared retreat routes. He even had Eight-Tails chakra stored abroad. The previous Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had been killed by his schemes; Orochimaru was no saint.

"Sage of Six Paths, that is your goal, isn't it?"

Orochimaru asked directly.

The First Hokage and Uchiha Madara were both reincarnations of the Sage of Six Paths' sons. Since Uchiha Gin knew so much, it was impossible that he only aimed to become someone like Uchiha Madara. His goal must be something even greater, so he concluded it was the Sage of Six Paths who had created Ninjū.

"Yes, that is my goal."

Uchiha Gin did not voice the word "one."

However, Orochimaru sensed that Uchiha Gin was not telling the whole truth, which caught him by surprise. He could feel that Uchiha Gin was indeed deeply invested in power, but was the power of the Sage of Six Paths not enough to satisfy him?

"The name has been put out there now, and just as we anticipated, the Third Hokage has brought Jiraiya back to compete with you. The next step is to show everyone our value."

"The Scientific Ninja Tool project will soon be truly profitable, and the Blue Pill you developed will also bring in a sum of money. It won't be long before we can begin the next phase of the plan."

Uchiha Gin said.

Selecting suitable research talent was the true objective of Uchiha Gin and Orochimaru; becoming Hokage was merely incidental, simply because doing things without the authority of that position was too troublesome.

"I have long been impatient."

Orochimaru revealed a sinister smile.

Uchiha Gin felt that the only flaw in Orochimaru becoming Hokage was this smile—it wasn't sunny enough, it was too insidious, and at a glance, he didn't look like a good person.

Half a month passed, and the Ninja Cat had delivered all the gemstones Uchiha Gin had purchased.

It happened to be the weekend, so he gave Sasuke a break and simultaneously requested two days off from Fugaku. No Shadow Clone would be sent in his stead; Uchiha Gin was about to begin crafting his own Mystic Code.

Although he usually slacked off, this time it was a formal notification to let Fugaku know he had matters to attend to. Fugaku even asked if he needed any help, to which Uchiha Gin simply told him to find a way to make more money.

"Defense barrier, silence barrier, trap barrier—all activated."

"This house is my workshop; here, my mental focus and mana recovery will both be increased."

"Materials prepared."

Inside his Alchemy Room, Uchiha Gin spread the blueprints across the wall while neatly arranging the materials around a three-meter-long table.

He wanted to succeed on the first attempt and did not want to fail; he had spent almost all the money he had just acquired and even borrowed a bit in advance from Fugaku, which was just barely enough.

Uchiha Gin activated his Sharingan, took out three gemstones stored with mana from his side, and confirmed his own state.