"Crack..."
A charred, emaciated hand poked out of the earth!
Then a head and body emerged. It was Orochimaru, who had been hiding underground...
At this moment, Orochimaru looked a little like Nagato, later on, with tubes stuck all over him. Most of the moisture in his body had evaporated, his muscles were shriveled... and his cracked skin clung tightly to his bones.
He was in a truly wretched state...
Obito walked over to Orochimaru and pointed the tip of Ryujin Jakka at the center of his brow. "Submit or die!"
"Water..." Orochimaru rasped, his voice even hoarser than before...
...Obito, still riding high on his dramatic entrance, froze. Where was he supposed to get water now?!
"Give me water... I'm willing to work with you..."
Obito didn't mind that Orochimaru had deliberately avoided the word submit. He was quite pleased to have Orochimaru on his side. Orochimaru was a treasure trove of a man!
"Hang in there. I'll go get you some water," Obito said.
Half an hour later, after drinking some water.
Orochimaru, somewhat recovered, lay on the ground, questioning his life... What kind of monster was this?! Even if he'd trained from the womb, he couldn't have reached this level! He hadn't used Susanoo. Could this be the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan? Was this Fire Release?
No! This definitely wasn't the power of Fire Release! He hadn't sensed any fire-natured chakra! This had to be the power of the Sharingan! And, combining that with what Obito had told him about Kaguya, the Uchiha Clan were descendants of the Sage of Six Paths—and therefore descendants of Kaguya! Had Obito already awakened some of the power of a "god"? If he could get a sample of Obito for experimentation, perhaps he could also...
At that thought, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with an astonishing light, as if he'd found his purpose in life!
"I don't care what experiments you conduct. I just need you to provide me with some of your results. I'll have Cheping contact you tomorrow. Get some rest," Obito said.
"Is the power you used the power of a god? Or an advanced form of chakra?" Unable to hold back his curiosity, Orochimaru asked.
"I don't know either. One day, I woke up and had this power. Maybe it was a gift from above," Obito said, putting on an air before vanishing.
"Bullshit, a gift from above! One day, you'll become my test subject! And I, Orochimaru, will gain the power of this bloodline!" Orochimaru thought to himself.
"Haah... What terrifying power..." Orochimaru struggled to his feet. Some of his charred skin had already fallen away, revealing fresh skin underneath.
At the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage anxiously puffed on his pipe. Homura and Koharu, the two advisory elders, were there as well, and all three wore grave expressions.
"Homura, what do you think?" the Third Hokage asked in a low voice.
Mitokado Homura wore glasses and was rational and clever. Ever since Hiruzen had become Hokage, Homura had served in a role much like chief strategist. He was practically the brains of Konoha's leadership.
"How did the battle go?" Mitokado Homura asked gravely, smoking a cigarette.
"Orochimaru was completely unable to fight back. Uchiha Obito didn't use Susanoo; he relied solely on that ability that resembled Fire Release," the Third Hokage said gravely.
"I told you long ago! If the Uchiha Clan isn't eliminated soon, they'll turn on us sooner or later!" Utatane Koharu said loudly.
Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Danzo all shared the same views on the Uchiha Clan. The Third Hokage, however, was hesitant—and people could see the reasons for his hesitation in different ways. There was no need to elaborate further.
"What's done is done. Complaining won't help," the Third Hokage said, tapping his hand on the table.
"What about Tsunade..." Mitokado Homura began, but the Third Hokage cut him off.
"Don't even think of involving Tsunade. She's already sacrificed a great deal for the village. The Senju Clan has given all its blood for the village! We old men are scheming against one of our juniors! How could we face our teacher afterward?"
"Gather every jonin in the village, along with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..." Homura continued.
"And then what? Our top fighters will suffer countless casualties, and we'll just wait for Sunagakure and Kumogakure to break through our defenses, slaughter the village, and destroy the country? Besides, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is unstable. We could end up making things worse," the Third Hokage retorted.
"If that won't work, and this won't work, then tell us: what do you plan to do?" Koharu asked after exchanging a glance with Homura.
"I plan to make Obito a candidate for Fourth Hokage!" the Third Hokage said gravely.
"Impossible! Absolutely not!" Homura and Koharu jumped to their feet in shock. Make someone from the Uchiha a Hokage candidate? Not unless they were dead!
"Don't rush to object. Tell me, do you have any way to get rid of him? His power rivals Uchiha Madara's! If we can make that strength an asset to Konoha, how could the other great nations compete with us?"
"Most importantly, Uchiha Obito is different from the other Uchiha. He doesn't want to stage a coup, and his strength can suppress dissent within the clan."
"Hiruzen, have you forgotten what our teacher said? The Uchiha are a clan born evil! Uchiha Obito raided Root's headquarters at night. He has no regard for this village!" Koharu said furiously.
"I agree with Koharu. If an uncontrollable person becomes Hokage, he'll drag the village into an abyss! I absolutely refuse to let him become Hokage!" Homura echoed.
"I'm not retiring right away. I'm only making him a candidate for Hokage. If he makes major contributions and earns the people's support before I retire, then his becoming Hokage would be only natural."
"On the other hand, if he happens to die while carrying out a mission..."
Homura and Koharu exchanged glances, understanding what the Third Hokage had in mind. Both of them thought of the same person: Dan Katō.
Sunagakure had been getting restless lately, and there had been a number of small clashes with Konoha along the border. Kumogakure and Iwagakure were also making significant moves. The leadership could already smell war in the air. If a major war broke out, Obito would unquestionably be someone capable of deciding its outcome.
"Mm... You're the Hokage. We'll follow your arrangements," Homura said.
"Good. Then it's settled. Meeting adjourned."
Watching Homura and Koharu leave together, the Third Hokage's eyes turned cold. They had been fellow students, and the four of them, including Danzo, had spent more than forty years together. Yet on certain issues, the three of them would ally against him, the Hokage... leaving many decisions impossible to carry out. Konoha's policies were like an old man grown frail: slow and conservative...
Danzo had already defected. Two remained...
Let this outdated system be buried alongside me, as I grow old and frail! The Will of Fire lived on in the old leaves falling and turning into nourishment, while new leaves sprouted to lead Konoha toward a flourishing future!
Before you continue