Assassinating the Hokage

"Orochimaru, how about we make a deal?" Danzo said in a low voice.

"A deal? Let's hear it." Orochimaru continued working without looking back, speaking in his distinctive hoarse voice.

"You and I join forces to kill the Third Hokage, and I'll support you in becoming the Fourth Hokage!"

Orochimaru's hands paused for a moment. He set down the test tube and turned to look at Danzo nearby, the mockery in his eyes growing even more pronounced.

"Sorry, I have no interest in becoming Hokage. I'm even less interested in this deal. You can leave." Orochimaru folded his arms and leaned against the lab table.

"Once it's done, I'll become Hokage and give you my full support with your experiments. For example, human experiments using First Hokage cells..." Danzo continued.

Danzo had known all along that Orochimaru had no interest in becoming Hokage. He was entirely focused on his immortality experiments and cared only about living forever! Orochimaru was practically the ideal ally: powerful, with interests that didn't conflict with Danzo's, and besides, who didn't want immortality?

Meanwhile, Orochimaru's opinion of Danzo sank even further. Stay at the top too long, and the lack of oxygen would eventually affect your intelligence!

This old bastard was trying to scheme against me, Orochimaru? He ought to take a look at what I do for a living. Did he really think his IQ could match mine...

"Fine, I accept. Once it's done, give me your full support for my human experiments. There'll be no limits on funding or test subjects." Orochimaru licked his lips.

"It's a deal. Wait for my message." Danzo kept his face stern, but his voice gave away his excitement. It was as if the Hokage Position were already within his grasp.

Orochimaru glanced at his watch, then angrily poured the solution from the test tube he'd been using into the drain. He picked up a fresh tube and started the experiment again.

"Idiot..."

One week later.

Obito had spent the whole week reveling in the feeling of being a master. Especially when he walked through the Uchiha Clan's territory—everyone greeted him as Lord Obito. It made him as proud as a young lion patrolling its territory...

He couldn't help walking with his head high, chest out, stomach in, and buttocks thrust out, striding with exaggerated swagger... It was quite comical.

That night of bloodshed, Obito's protection and comfort had made Shizune feel intensely dependent on him, even though they were the same age. Now, whenever she looked at Obito, her eyes sparkled with admiration. Rin had also heard about Obito's exploits, and while she was proud and happy for her friend, she trained even harder.

Tsunade was the only one who refused to give him a kind look. She was furious that he'd gone alone to storm Root's headquarters! Why hadn't he brought her along? But with Obito's silver tongue and his shameless act of playing cute and innocent, he successfully managed to appease the big sister, who was thirty years old but had the heart of a thirteen-year-old girl.

Obito had also gotten plenty of real work done that week. As a copyist who had read countless books, he'd transcribed five short novels in one go. He'd given up on those novels that ran to several million characters. He'd always read books online, so he'd never really grasped what that kind of word count meant. Just imagine how thick a million-character novel would be in the real world—any interested readers could look it up.

Once he published a few more bestsellers, he could consider starting his own publishing house. That would let him ensure the quality of the printing and sign other authors as well. He could build up the novel business first and lay a solid foundation for his future media empire.

The Little Prince was one of Obito's favorite books. Children could enjoy it as a fairy tale, while adults could appreciate its deeper meaning. One famous line had spread across many countries on Earth: "If you tame me, my life will be filled with sunshine. I'll recognize your footsteps, because they're different from everyone else's..." It was incredibly romantic and... sad.

After Obito finished telling The Little Prince, little Shizune was still eager for more. Her admiration for him rose another notch. "Obito-kun isn't just strong... he's so cultured, too!"

It seemed that big sister Tsunade had understood the deeper meaning of the story. She sat silently, lost in thought.

Actually, she was just trying to figure out which of them was the Little Prince and which was the fox... And she didn't much like the word "tame"... Big sister Tsunade was just that innocent...

One evening.

The Hokage summoned Konoha's jonin and senior scholar-ninjas to assess Obito Uchiha's strength.

The results were dispiriting. Even after searching through all the records, they couldn't find any ninjutsu resembling that towering pillar of fire. It was definitely a forbidden technique far beyond S-rank! Its power was astonishing, too!

And the Susanoo Obito Uchiha had shown them was the Perfect Susanoo, something only Madara possessed. The First's archives contained clear records of the Perfect Susanoo.

They were completely outmatched... This was no longer the era of the First. Konoha no longer had the ability to deal with another figure like Madara. Fortunately, Obito had shown no intention of betraying the village. He spent every day hanging around with Tsunade...

Konoha's future could only depend on Tsunade... As the First's granddaughter, it seemed to have a touch of fate repeating itself...

After finishing a day's work, the Third Hokage prepared to go home and check on his good-for-nothing idiot son, Sarutobi Asuma.

He wondered if an enemy from a past life had been reincarnated as his son. The two had an extremely tense relationship: the son couldn't stand his father, and the father couldn't stand his son...

As the leader of a village, the Hokage was escorted by Anbu guards whenever he went out. Two guards walked ahead and two behind, protecting the Third Hokage as he made his way down the silent streets late at night.

A dark, windy night—the perfect time for murder.

Without a sound, the two Anbu behind the Third Hokage drew their Kunai and sprang forward like arrows loosed from a bow, stabbing toward his back!

At the same time, the two Anbu in front turned and thrust at the Hokage's chest. All four Kunai plunged viciously into the Third Hokage's body!

Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!

A pair of hands suddenly shot up from beneath the Third Hokage and seized his ankles. With a hard yank, they dragged the Third Hokage underground, leaving only his head above the surface.

The description made it sound like a lot, but the whole attack took only about a second!

The five men had coordinated carefully, aiming to kill with a single strike!

"Poof!" What stuck out of the ground wasn't the Third Hokage's head, but a piece of wood!

Ninja Art: Substitution Technique!

The person who emerged from underground joined the other four. Wearing an assortment of masks, the five quickly formed a tight circle back-to-back and scanned their surroundings. It was clear they were a highly disciplined assassination squad!

One of them was Danzo! He'd expected the first strike to fail. The Third Hokage was only in his forties, not long past the peak of his ninja career, and as Konoha's Hokage, he was still extremely powerful. The Third Hokage was also known as the Professor of Shinobi and had mastered a great many Five-Element techniques!

But Danzo had complete confidence in this assassination. The men he'd brought were all top Root operatives—four jonin! And he himself was nearly as strong as the Third Hokage. On top of that, Orochimaru was lying in wait. The Third Hokage was doomed!