The Unrecognized Disciple

After walking out of the gate, Danzo could not suppress his rage. He had fought for Hiruzen Sarutobi for so long and sacrificed so much for the village! By what right was he not allowed to be Hokage?!

Wasn't it with their help that Hiruzen Sarutobi's position as Hokage had been secured in the first place?

Yes, he admitted he might not be as capable in a fight as Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he wasn't that far behind!

How could this be!

Danzo grew angrier the more he thought about it, but he did not show it on the surface. Instead, he hurried back to his Root base located underground.

However, he did not return directly to his office to check the latest intelligence, as there was no longer any point.

The Monkey had strictly forbidden him from interfering with these peace talks, and under such circumstances, he had no way to meddle with the negotiations.

Therefore, he went to another place.

The Root's experimental base.

He stormed into the laboratory without the slightest intention of knocking. Yet, the effeminate man conducting experiments inside showed no surprise. He continued his work quietly, carefully dripping liquid from a dropper into a test tube, shaking it as he asked.

"Did the teacher not agree?"

Orochimaru asked. He was not opposed to peace talks with Kirigakure Village on generous terms, nor did he object to giving them a share of missions, as Konoha Village could not handle all the tasks in the short term after losing so many ninja.

But to not demand a single cent in compensation—even if it were just a pittance—to at least show a tough stance, to signal that "I may not need it, but you cannot avoid paying for your wrongdoing," would have been enough.

What kind of attitude was this, almost begging the other side to grant them peace?

That was why he had been ready to head to the front lines at any moment, using his power in coordination with Minato to exert pressure, ensuring the Land of Water would not dare speak of defecting to Kirigakure or the Stone Village.

With Li Ke, Minato Namikaze, and himself, there was no way Kirigakure Village could have any room to resist.

But just by looking at Danzo, he knew that Danzo's idea of making Kirigakure Village pay compensation had been rejected by the teacher, and his own request to join the front lines had likely been denied as well.

"That's right, that guy Hiruzen is getting softer by the day! Just because a few people died, he's giving up such a golden opportunity!"

Danzo slammed his cane down hard; he was truly feeling a profound sense of dissatisfaction.

Orochimaru was silent for a moment.

"Is he afraid of death?"

He looked at the test tube in his hand. It was a solution for cultivating cells, a new formula for growing Wood Release cells.

Yet, before he could even cultivate a new Wood Release ninja, a new one had already appeared in Konoha Village.

But at the thought of his teacher fearing death, he smiled.

His teacher was not afraid of death; he had become Hokage precisely because he did not fear it. He certainly wasn't afraid of dying, but he was afraid of those around him dying.

Under his leadership, Konoha Village had become increasingly docile, because all its fangs had been handed over to the person standing before him.

"Perhaps."

He sighed and then looked at Danzo.

"The number of test subjects is running low, Danzo. If you want a Wood Release ninja, you had best send me more subjects."

Danzo shook his head in silence.

"Impossible. The subjects that meet your requirements are limited. With the treaty about to be signed, my Root no longer has the capacity to raid villages in other countries, so..."

Danzo did not finish his sentence, but Orochimaru already understood what he meant.

He was silent for a moment before asking.

"Who is responsible for negotiating the peace terms with Kirigakure? Is it Jiraiya?"

He asked as if he didn't care, and Danzo revealed a malicious grin.

"It is Minato Namikaze."

Orochimaru fell silent again for a while, then nodded.

"I understand. I will help find some test subjects; for the time being, there are enough."

He neither agreed nor denied, but he already knew that the person his teacher had chosen was truly not him.

Danzo just sneered and then left.

He was merely reminding Orochimaru that he and Hiruzen were ultimately not on the same path, hoping to ensure Orochimaru would continue to help him with the Wood Release experiments.

After Danzo left, Orochimaru clenched his fist, and the test tube shattered upon impact. He didn't care in the slightest; he only cared about one thing.

Why...

Why did it have to be Jiraiya's disciple?

Looking at the glass opposite him, seeing his own somewhat uncomposed reflection, Orochimaru couldn't help but ask.

"Teacher... what are you afraid of?"

He did not understand; his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, should have been the one who understood his heart and intentions best!

After a moment of silence, Orochimaru walked out of his laboratory. His heart was too restless to be calm, so he decided to go and see the state of the village.

However, walking on the main street, all he could see was pain and sorrow.

He walked along the street, seeing nothing but death, death, and more death.

In any family of ninjas, there are essentially always the dead; even in the few that have not lost anyone, one can still hear the weeping of those left crippled.

The further he walked, the more silent he became, and the more restless he felt.

Death is the thing that inspires the most fear, and it is also the thing that brings the most sorrow, for once one is dead, there is nothing left.

Before he knew it, he had arrived before the Konoha Memorial Stone. Looking at the dense rows of ninja tombstones behind it, he fell into an even deeper silence.

Gazing at the myriad names etched upon the Memorial Stone—the names of subordinates, of those who had once called him classmate, lord, senior, or teacher—he could not help but tilt his head back.

Just then, a light rain began to fall, and he heard the sound of stifled sobbing.

Because the voice was familiar, Orochimaru knew who it was without even looking.

It was Tsunade.

Tsunade was currently slumped against a tombstone, covering her face as she wept bitterly. Yet, at this moment, no one could call her weak, for in this graveyard, countless others were weeping just the same.

"Teacher... your decision will only make the next war even more tragic..."

Caressing a certain name on the Memorial Stone and looking at the name of his first disciple, Nawaki, Orochimaru found himself at a loss as to how he could face Tsunade.

She had entrusted her younger brother to him with such high expectations, yet he had let her brother die on the battlefield—and he had died right before his very eyes!

He...

Clenching his fists, Orochimaru did not know what to do. He felt as if he were even beginning to forget what Nawaki looked like, and he could no longer even recall the sound of the boy calling out to him—

"Teacher!"

The call startled Orochimaru, his eyes widening in shock as he spun around, only to see Anko Mitarashi standing there, trying to hold an umbrella over him.

Anko Mitarashi.

"Teacher?"

Startled by his reaction, Anko stared at Orochimaru in bewilderment, unable to understand what had just happened.