I Also Want to Live a Little Longer

Sen Chisato returned to the underground laboratory and subconsciously sensed his surroundings, his expression turning one of surprise.

Following the trail of the sensation he had just picked up, he arrived in front of a room.

He pushed the door open and entered.

Orochimaru was sitting at a desk, holding a file in his hand with a rather unpleasant look on his face.

"Lord Orochimaru."

Sen Chisato walked over and asked curiously, "You seem very unhappy?"

Orochimaru let out a cold snort, tossed the file onto the table, and said with dissatisfaction, "The old man is urging me to go to the battlefield again."

He had been in a fairly good mood today after saving Sen Chisato's life. But now, all that good humor had been ruined by the Third Hokage's order.

Sen Chisato picked up the order file on the table to read it, then scanned the other documents, looking thoughtful.

Not long after, he looked up and said, "Lord Orochimaru, the current situation seems very unfavorable for the village."

The Third Shinobi World War had begun last year, in Year 47 of Konoha, sparked by the unexplained disappearance of the Kazekage from the Land of Wind.

The Hidden Sand Village had mobilized a large number of ninjas to search for a long time, but they could never find a trace of the Third Kazekage. Furthermore, having been soundly defeated in the previous two Shinobi World Wars, the daimyo of the Land of Wind had begun to lose trust in the Hidden Sand Village, continuously slashing their military budget.

Now that the Third Kazekage had vanished as well, the entire Hidden Sand Village was in a state of panic, beset by troubles both internal and external.

After the Second Shinobi World War, the various villages had spent several years recuperating, and their strength had largely recovered. With this incident occurring in the Hidden Sand Village, they decided to declare war on Konoha under the pretext that "the Third Kazekage was harmed by Konoha" in order to divert internal conflict and redistribute interests.

Following that, the entire shinobi world began to descend into chaos.

The Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning and the Hidden Stone Village of the Land of Earth both began massing troops on the borders of the Land of Fire, eventually invading the country directly.

It was already a three-front war, and now intelligence indicated that the Hidden Mist Village also seemed to be stirring.

Konoha was struggling to hold on.

The old man in the Hokage Building was starting to get anxious; otherwise, he wouldn't have resorted to issuing a formal order to urge Orochimaru.

Glancing at Orochimaru's expression, Sen Chisato knew that Orochimaru didn't care about these matters at all.

This won't do, Lord Orochimaru.

At this rate, when will you ever become Hokage?

Do you have no ambition left!

You wouldn't want to lose the position of Hokage, be left without experimental support, and end up being driven out of the village in disgrace, would you?

"If the 'White Fang of the Leaf' were still here, he could hold off the Hidden Sand Village all by himself. And if Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya hadn't left the village, the war wouldn't be this difficult," Sen Chisato sighed, shaking his head. "It's a pity."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru couldn't help but reveal a mocking smile.

"These were all the old man's own choices."

As a disciple of the Third Hokage and one of the Legendary Sannin who shook the shinobi world, Orochimaru naturally knew about certain things within Konoha's upper echelons.

Regarding some of the filthiest deeds, the Third Hokage appeared to have clean hands, but he was the Hokage—without his authorization and tacit approval, how could those things have succeeded?

However, it didn't matter; these things held no significance for him.

Konoha was already beginning to rot, and he no longer held much expectation for the position of Hokage anyway.

Therefore, he ruffled Sen Chisato's hair and instructed, "Don't speak of these things in front of others. It has nothing to do with us anyway; the old man and the others will solve it themselves. Pay it no mind."

Orochimaru stood up, preparing to leave.

He had been working for half a month straight, and even as a top-tier ninja, he was exhausted.

He needed to rest.

But before he had taken two steps, Sen Chisato's youthful voice rang out, "Lord Orochimaru, I think you should go to the battlefield!"

Orochimaru turned around, asking with a half-smile, "Chisato, do you have a different perspective?"

He was a proud man, but he was by no means arrogant, and he was not one to turn a deaf ear to the opinions of others.

Moreover, he considered Sen Chisato a clever child and would not look down on him because of his age.

"Lord Orochimaru, the experimental materials have run out," Sen Chisato said, looking at Orochimaru with sincere eyes. "Right now, you can only wait for Shimura Danzo to send more, but if he keeps delaying, won't that greatly hinder your experiments?"

Orochimaru's eyes flickered; he raised his chin, signaling him to continue.

Encouraged by Orochimaru, Sen Chisato looked full of enthusiasm. "That Shimura Danzo has no good intentions toward you, Lord Orochimaru. He might even be waiting to finish using you before making a move against you!"

"In the village, there are too many constraints on you, Lord Orochimaru, but if you were on the battlefield, he would never dare to act rashly against you!"

Orochimaru nodded.

He was, of course, aware of the threat Shimura Danzo posed, but he simply hadn't cared.

He also understood Sen Chisato's line of thinking.

If Shimura Danzo made a move against him in the village, it would be troublesome, but on the battlefield, no matter how much Shimura Danzo disliked him, he wouldn't dare to strike!

Otherwise, if he were to defect or even join another village... that would be a double blow to Konoha, both physically and psychologically!

Furthermore, the battlefield was the place where experimental subjects were most abundant.

Orochimaru extended his tongue and licked his lips. He had to admit, he was tempted.

Sen Chisato saw his opening and seized it, saying, "Furthermore, if Lord Orochimaru continues to distinguish himself in this war, it will be highly advantageous for your election as Hokage!"

"Heh." Orochimaru remained noncommittal.

This prospect held too little appeal for him. If that were all, it would not be enough to persuade him.

Sen Chisato was well aware of this and continued, "If Lord Orochimaru successfully becomes Hokage, you wouldn't need to be so secretive about your experiments anymore. At the very least, you could mobilize the village's funds and wouldn't have to pay any mind to Shimura Danzo."

"Shimura Danzo has always coveted the position of Hokage, but that is precisely what Lord Orochimaru does not care about. If you reach a cooperation with him through this matter, you could simply dump much of the Hokage's workload onto him, leaving you free to focus entirely on your research."

"Given his obsession with the Hokage's seat, he would never refuse such an arrangement. In this way, Lord Orochimaru would not only be rid of his interference, but you could conversely use this matter to control him!"

Orochimaru was completely swayed.

If things truly went as Sen Chisato described and the plan could be fully realized, the gains for him would be immense.

However...

Orochimaru looked at Sen Chisato and said meaningfully, "A beautiful vision, but what if, after I am elected Hokage, Shimura Danzo's ambition grows too great and he tries to threaten me with the Wood Release experiments?"

Sen Chisato smiled faintly. "Lord Orochimaru, by then... you will be the Hokage!"

Orochimaru smiled as well.

That was true; if it ever reached that point, he would be the Hokage!

Orochimaru nodded and suddenly asked, "Chisato, what is it that you are doing all this for?"

He was no fool; he could certainly hear how Sen Chisato was guiding his thoughts.

"Naturally, for Lord Orochimaru's sake!"

Sen Chisato pledged his loyalty without hesitation. He paused, then reached up to cover his shoulder, bowing his head as he laughed, "Of course, I also wish to live a little longer."