Orochimaru's Defection: Bitter Fruit Rewards

Inside the Hokage's office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, while Fugaku stood directly before him.

Neither of them spoke.

Knock, knock.

As the sound of knocking echoed, Fugaku opened his eyes.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up and said, "Come in."

A moment later, the door swung open, and Jiraiya entered, accompanied by Hayato and Shisui.

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen realized that Jiraiya had failed to bring Orochimaru back, and a complex mix of emotions stirred within him.

"Old man, Orochimaru is gone," Jiraiya said.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then turned his gaze toward Hayato and Shisui. "Shisui, Hayato, report the details of your encounter with Orochimaru."

Hayato glanced at Shisui, who took a deep breath before handing the scroll in his hand to the Third Hokage.

"Lord Third, we rushed to the location of the experimental base. Once we arrived there..."

Shisui reported the events in detail, while Hayato maintained a calm expression.

Standing to the side, Fugaku observed Shisui and Hayato out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that neither of them had suffered any injuries, he finally felt a weight lift from his heart.

This mission was, in a sense, a way to appease the Third's suspicions. Although he had made this choice, he still hoped that Shisui and Hayato would return safely.

As Shisui continued his account, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Since both of them had returned alive, he could roughly guess that Orochimaru had likely become interested in the Sharingan and had been acting with a playful, mocking attitude.

Otherwise, an Uchiha with the potential of a Jonin and another who was merely a Chunin would not have been enough to contend with Orochimaru.

This was only natural.

Seeing the expression on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face, Hayato remained calm, assuming that the Hokage had likely believed them.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya had sat down on a nearby sofa from the start, his entire demeanor steeped in a heavy, dejected atmosphere.

Perhaps it would not be long before this man left Konoha as well.

With the Sannin disbanded, other great nations would likely begin to make their moves.

"Very well, I understand the sequence of events. Thank you for your hard work on this mission, Shisui, Hayato."

After listening to Shisui's account, Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent for a long while before nodding.

"Lord Third, the body of this person..."

Shisui hesitated, then pointed to the scroll; he still felt a sense of regret regarding that individual.

At this, Sarutobi Hiruzen offered a faint smile.

The Shisui before him was an Uchiha clansman he held in high regard, primarily because Shisui was a descendant of Uchiha Kagami.

He naturally viewed Shisui through a lens of favor.

"Rest assured, I will make the proper arrangements."

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Shisui his word, and upon hearing this, Shisui finally let out a sigh of relief.

"In that case, Lord Third, we shall take our leave."

Only then did Fugaku speak up. He had come along specifically to ensure that Shisui and Hayato would not run into any trouble on their way back.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded; he understood Fugaku's intentions and did not pay them much mind.

After all, Danzo had truly been known to pull such stunts.

Hayato followed Sarutobi Hiruzen's dismissal, and the three of them exited the Hokage building.

Sarutobi Hiruzen then looked at Jiraiya, waiting a long moment before asking, "What is it?"

Jiraiya snapped back to reality and said casually, "Nothing, just thinking about a few things."

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke, stood up, and sat down opposite Jiraiya. "Do you need medical treatment?"

Although he could see that Jiraiya had not sustained any major injuries, he asked regardless.

"No need. I just couldn't stop Orochimaru; it wasn't a true life-or-death battle." Jiraiya waved his hand, then looked at the scroll on Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk.

"Those two Uchiha are good kids, and they weren't lying. To recover that man's body, Shisui even ended up with blisters on his hands from the heat."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. He knew his student well enough to understand his thoughts.

There was no need for him to ask anything further.

However, Jiraiya immediately added, "By the way, just as we were about to reach the village, some Root ninja ran up claiming they wanted to take them away, saying it was under your orders."

"Old man, there are some things I feel I need to be blunt about: Danzo's reach is getting too long."

Jiraiya fell silent after saying this, and Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, nodding only after a long pause. "I understand."

Seeing this, Jiraiya said no more; this was all he could do.

"So, what are your plans now?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, looking at Jiraiya.

"Me? I'm planning to head out to gather material," Jiraiya said, acting as if it were of no consequence. As a disciple of the Third, he certainly possessed the authority to do so.

Or rather, he had completed enough missions to earn that privilege.

Besides, he did not need to rely on missions to provide for his livelihood.

"Have you never considered staying to help me?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, his face etched with exhaustion. He was truly tired and had been hoping to pass the position on to Jiraiya.

"Sorry, old man. You know me—I can't stand this kind of work, nor am I cut out for it," Jiraiya said, waving a hand dismissively.

If he had wanted the position, he could have become the Fourth Hokage long before Namikaze Minato.

That would have been the standard succession process for the Hokage lineage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. Even though he had anticipated this, he could not help but feel a sense of disappointment.

"I'm heading out."

With that, Jiraiya stood up and walked out of the Hokage's office. Orochimaru had already left, and he had no intention of staying in the village for long.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the empty office and sighed once more.

Fugaku walked with his hands tucked into his sleeves, leading Hayato and Shisui toward the Uchiha compound.

The three of them did not speak a word along the way, though they all vaguely sensed gazes cast upon them from the shadows.

Shisui's expression was grave, but seeing that neither Hayato nor Fugaku made a move, he could only suppress his urge to act.

In a corner, a Root ninja who had just crossed paths with Jiraiya watched Fugaku and the others walk away, his figure vanishing into thin air the next moment.

It was not until they entered the compound that the gazes from behind finally vanished.

Only then did Fugaku speak: "You two head back and rest. Come to the training grounds tonight."

Having said that, Fugaku departed alone.

Shisui looked toward Hayato, opening his mouth, but he did not know what to say for the moment.

"Don't ask too much for now. Just be careful, and we'll talk later."

Hayato said softly. Hearing this, Shisui could only nod, bid Hayato farewell, and leave on his own.

Seeing that Shisui had departed, Hayato finally headed in the direction of his home.

He finally had some time to check the Bitter Fruit rewards from Orochimaru's defection. Although they didn't compare to Shisui's, they weren't too bad either.