Assassinating the Fire Shadow

"Orochimaru, how about we strike a deal?" Danzo said in a deep voice.

"A deal? Let's hear it." Orochimaru continued his work without turning his head, his voice raspy and distinct.

"You and I join forces to kill the Third Hokage, and I will support you to become the Fourth Hokage!"

Orochimaru's hands paused for a brief moment. He set down the test tube, turned to look at Danzo standing not far away, and the mockery in his eyes grew more apparent.

"Sorry, I have no interest in being Hokage. And even less interest in this deal. You may leave." Orochimaru crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the lab table.

"Once it's done and I am Hokage, I will fully support your experiments, such as the human experimentation with First Hokage cells..." Danzo continued.

Danzo had long known that Orochimaru had no interest in the Hokage position; he was obsessed with his immortality research and cared only for that! He was the ideal ally—powerful, with no conflict of interest, and after all, who wouldn't want immortality?

Orochimaru, meanwhile, downgraded his assessment of Danzo in his mind. Being at the top for too long and suffering from oxygen deprivation to the brain clearly affected one's intelligence!

This old thing is actually trying to scheme against me, Orochimaru. He doesn't even know who he's dealing with. Does he really think his intellect is a match for mine?

"Fine, I agree. Once it's done, you will fully support my human experiments with unlimited funding and test subjects," Orochimaru said, licking his lips.

"It's a deal. Wait for my word." Although Danzo kept a straight face, his tone betrayed his excitement. It was as if the seat of the Hokage was already within his grasp.

Orochimaru checked his watch, then irritably poured the solution from the test tube into the drain. He picked up a new tube and resumed his work.

"Idiot..."

A week later.

Obito had fully indulged in the thrill of being a powerhouse this week. Especially when walking through the Uchiha clan grounds, everyone who saw him had to call out "Lord Obito," making him as proud as a young lion patrolling its territory.

He couldn't help but walk with his head held high, chest out, stomach tucked, and hips lifted, strutting with a heavy, rhythmic gait... It was quite comical.

On that bloody night, Obito's protection and comfort had fostered a strong sense of dependency in Shizune toward her peer. Now, she looked at Obito with stars in her eyes. Rin had also heard of Obito's deeds; while she was happy and proud for her friend, she also began to train even more diligently.

The only one who didn't give him a good look was Tsunade. She was furious about him barging into the Root headquarters alone! Why didn't he call her along? However, with Obito's silver tongue and his shameless act of being cute and innocent, he successfully coaxed the big sister who had the heart of a thirteen-year-old despite being thirty.

Obito hadn't slacked off on real work this week either. As a "copycat" who had read ten thousand books, he transcribed five short stories in one go. He had given up on those million-word novels; he used to read online and had no concept of word count. If any interested friends want to know how thick a million-word novel is in reality, go look it up.

By publishing a few more bestsellers, he could consider establishing his own publishing house. This would not only ensure print quality but also allow him to sign other authors. He would start with novels to lay a solid foundation for a future media empire.

Among them, The Little Prince was a book Obito loved dearly. Children could read it as a fairy tale, while adults could grasp its deeper meaning. One classic line from it had spread across many nations on Earth: "If you tame me, then my life will be filled with sunshine. I will know the sound of your footsteps, and it will be different from all others..." It was very romantic and... sad.

After finishing the story of The Little Prince, little Shizune was still left wanting more, her admiration for Obito growing even further. "Obito-kun is not only powerful... but also so cultured!"

Big sister Tsunade seemed to have understood the deeper meaning of this fairy tale; she was lost in thought and remained silent.

In truth, she was just struggling with who was the Little Prince and who was the fox... and she didn't really like the word "tame"... Big sister Tsunade was just that simple.

One evening.

The Third Hokage summoned the Konoha jonin and senior academic ninjas, solely to evaluate the strength of Uchiha Obito.

The result was disheartening. They had scoured the archives but found no record of that heaven-piercing pillar of fire; it was definitely a forbidden jutsu far exceeding S-rank! Its power was terrifyingly immense!

And the Susanoo that Uchiha Obito displayed was the Complete Body Susanoo, something only Madara possessed. The records from the First Hokage contained clear documentation of the Complete Body Susanoo state.

It was completely beyond their control... The era of the First Hokage was long gone; Konoha no longer had the ability to deal with a second figure like Madara. Fortunately, Obito had shown no signs of wanting to betray the village and spent every day hanging around with Tsunade...

The future of Konoha could only rely on Tsunade... As the granddaughter of the First, it felt somewhat like a cycle of reincarnation...

After finishing a day's work, he prepared to go home and check on that disappointing, useless son—Sarutobi Asuma.

He didn't know if they were enemies in a past life, but the relationship between father and son was extremely tense. The son couldn't stand the father, and the father couldn't stand the son...

As the head of the village, the Hokage traveled with Anbu guards protecting him front and back. There were four Anbu guards in total, two in front and two behind the Third, walking through the silent streets in the dead of night.

The night was dark and the wind was high; it was the perfect time for murder.

Suddenly, the two Anbu behind the Third silently drew their kunai and leaped forward like arrows released from a bow, stabbing toward the Third's back!

The two Anbu in front of the Third simultaneously turned and stabbed toward the Hokage's chest. Four kunai plunged fiercely into the body of the Third Hokage!

Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!

A pair of hands suddenly reached out from beneath the Third, grabbing his ankles firmly. With a sharp tug, they dragged the Third Hokage into the earth, leaving only his head exposed.

Though the description is long, the entire action took only a single second!

The five of them had coordinated meticulously, aiming for a one-hit kill!

"Poof!" What was exposed in the dirt was not the Third's head, but a piece of wood!

Ninja Art: Substitution Technique!

The person who had emerged from the ground, along with the other four, quickly stood back-to-back, wearing various masks. Looking around, it was clear this was a highly skilled assassination squad!

One of them was none other than Danzo! It was within Danzo's expectations that they hadn't secured a one-hit kill. The Third was only in his forties, having just passed his peak as a ninja. As the Hokage of Konoha, his strength was still formidable. The Third even held the title of Professor of Shinobi and was proficient in many Five-Element ninjutsu!

However, he was very confident in this assassination! Everyone he brought were top-tier experts from Root, four jonin! Plus, he himself was not much weaker than the Third, and there was Orochimaru lying in ambush. The Third was doomed!