An Unexpected Delight

Seeing Orochimaru sitting there in a daze, Kabuto Yakushi knew that he could not let go of his pride.

"Cough..." Kabuto Yakushi coughed lightly.

"Orochimaru-sama, I think you could consider..."

"Hmm...?" Orochimaru turned to look at Kabuto Yakushi. "Consider?"

His tone was calm, with no hint of anger.

Yet a thin layer of cold sweat had formed on Kabuto Yakushi's back. He spoke cautiously.

"What could be more satisfying than making those who once looked down on you beg you just to stay alive?"

"When you left Konoha, Danzo did plenty to fan the flames behind the scenes. Now, he can only come begging to you."

Orochimaru's expression shifted slightly. "Go on."

"Although the Third Hokage still has resources at his disposal, he has already fallen completely behind the Uchiha Clan in both military strength and political ability."

"It is only a matter of time before the Uchiha overthrow him."

"Given the Uchiha's nature, it is hard to say whether the Third Hokage will even have a way to survive."

"If you return, Orochimaru-sama, you can enjoy Konoha's endless resources and also see whether the Mangekyo Sharingan is worth researching."

"If the Third Hokage does not satisfy you, you can simply sit back and watch the tigers fight."

"The initiative will be entirely in your hands, Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru was clearly tempted. He was an exceptionally intelligent and rational man.

Throughout the shinobi world, everyone else relied on talent, while he alone relied on science.

One could easily imagine how sharp his mind was.

It was simply that he had never considered things from this angle before. Coupled with his pride, he naturally could not see past it for a time.

After hearing Kabuto Yakushi's words, Orochimaru naturally began weighing the feasibility of it.

His eyes flickered. After only a little over ten seconds of thought, he had already made his decision.

"Go calculate what supplies we have been lacking the most recently."

Kabuto Yakushi froze upon hearing that, then asked carefully, "Orochimaru-sama, are you planning to...?"

Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and gave himself a face wash.

"The old man thinks he can get me to return without showing even a little sincerity?"

Konoha's special care ward.

The Third Hokage pushed open the door with a dark expression. The sheer force made it slam open with a bang.

Danzo's expression stiffened for a moment, while Yamanaka Fu, standing by his hospital bed, was so frightened that he barely dared to breathe.

The Third Hokage strode up to Danzo and glared at him. "What happened to Naruto was your doing, wasn't it?"

Danzo's eye flickered. "Hiruzen, what are you talking about? I do not understand."

The Third Hokage narrowed his eyes. "You understand. You wanted to use the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to provoke the Uchiha, didn't you?"

Danzo closed his one eye. "I do not know what you are talking about. If you want to accuse me of something, then bring out the evidence."

The Third Hokage pointed toward a corner. "The surveillance here has been running the whole time, but I do not need to check it!"

Anger simmered beneath his voice. "I know it could only have been you!"

Danzo suddenly opened his eye wide. He first struggled to turn his neck and glanced toward the corner.

There was actually a hidden camera there!?

He turned back and glared at the Third Hokage, gritting his teeth.

"So what if it was me? Are you going to stand by and watch the Uchiha lay their hands on the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!?"

The Third Hokage drew a deep breath. "Idiot! Why did you do something like this without informing me?"

"This time, Naruto was beaten badly enough for the Nine-Tails' chakra to leak out. Did you know that!?"

"The Nine-Tails' chakra leaked out?"

Danzo looked toward Yamanaka Fu. Yamanaka Fu looked somewhat awkward; clearly, he had not expected this either.

Moreover, he had not yet had the chance to tell Danzo.

"Uchiha Zhengye became the hero who suppressed the Nine-Tails' rampage, while my ANBU became the culprits who nearly caused the Nine-Tails to go berserk again!"

"Because of that, not only did I give the position of Hokage advisor to Nara Shikaku, but from now on, I also have to let the Police Force monitor Naruto together with us!"

The Third Hokage cursed furiously. What angered him was not that Danzo had plotted against the Uchiha, but that he had once again failed to inform him, leading to the unexpected incident of the Nine-Tails nearly going berserk.

Before Danzo was admitted to the hospital, he had been the Hokage advisor. Although he had been dismissed upon entering the hospital, he had held that position for many years.

Hearing that his position had been handed over just like that, Danzo's anger surged as well.

"How was I supposed to know the Nine-Tails' chakra inside Naruto would leak out? He had been beaten for so many years, and nothing ever happened!"

"And you actually gave away the position of Hokage advisor for that reason."

"It has only been a few days, and the Uchiha are already about to climb over your head!"

"Bastard!" the Third Hokage roared.

"Was it not because of that rotten move of yours that the Uchiha's influence in the village increased once again!?"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen!"

Danzo was becoming somewhat hysterical as well. A week ago, as Konoha's darkness, he had status, power, and money.

In just a few short days, he had been reduced to a human stump, unable even to use the toilet by himself. For someone as proud as him, the pain was unimaginable.

"Did I not become like this for Konoha's sake!?"

"Why should the position of Hokage advisor, which I worked so hard for over so many years, be given to someone else just like that? I refuse to accept it!"

Bang! The Third Hokage slammed his palm against the headboard, producing a tremendous crash.

"Enough, Danzo!"

"I am the Hokage!"

"It is not your place to tell me how to handle things!"

The Third Hokage rose and walked toward the exit. With his back to Danzo, his calm voice drifted back.

"In seven days, the village will put you on trial. Do not worry. I will do my best to preserve your life."

Danzo glared at the Third Hokage's retreating back, his tone icy. "You will regret this, Hiruzen!"

The Third Hokage had already reached the door and gave a cold snort.

Then he slammed the door shut with a bang.

Konoha Village.

The Uchiha compound.

Zhengye slept until the afternoon of the next day before waking up.

"Ah... that felt so good."

Zhengye twisted his neck, and a series of cracking sounds came from his body.

Soon, he noticed something was wrong.

He tried looking at the clock in his house and discovered that the second hand was no longer blurry.

His eyes? Had they recovered somewhat?

Zhengye checked the items on his body. Most of them were ordinary items.

The only useful one was the Healing Talisman.

Slow Regeneration (1%/day)

Zhengye held the talisman and examined it closely. After a long while, he shook his head.

He was perfectly healthy right now, so he could not tell whether the talisman was effective. However, its durability was at 98/100.

Was that normal wear and tear, or had it healed him?

Lost in thought, Zhengye headed toward the washroom.

The outer area of the compound had not yet been connected to gas, so he could only wash with cold water. Fortunately, it was summer.

Zhengye did not mind. After splashing water on his face, he headed toward the Police Force headquarters.

He desperately wanted to find out whether this slow regeneration could heal the Mangekyo's side effects.

--

Police Force office.

Uchiha Fugaku sat at his desk, handling the Police Force's official business. There was much work involving the reassignment of various teams that needed to be dealt with.

Some patrol routes also needed adjustment.

Though they were all minor matters, someone still had to handle them.

As an excuse to the outside world, he claimed that he wanted to train and improve his strength. But Fugaku knew that with these eyes of his, a decline in strength was inevitable.

I really want to fight on the front lines.

Having earned tremendous achievements during the Third Shinobi World War, Fugaku naturally longed for battle, but circumstances would not allow it.