Orochimaru: Hokage? Not Even a Dog Would Take the Job!

Back at the camp, Qian Ye found an empty corner and sat down.

He used his Ninja Tool Pouch as a cushion, trying not to touch the wound on his backside.

He eagerly took out the little black booklet.

Using the dim firelight in the camp, Qian Ye opened the first page.

It was covered in Orochimaru's extremely messy handwriting.

Qian Ye carefully read its contents.

The farther he read, the faster his heart beat.

Orochimaru truly deserved to be called the greatest scientist in the ninja world.

The chakra control techniques recorded in this notebook were exquisitely refined.

Orochimaru had detailed how to refine chakra to a level indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Then use that refined chakra to wrap around damaged muscle fibers.

This method could not only accelerate wound healing.

It could also make muscles tougher during the healing process.

Qian Ye sucked in a sharp breath.

This was practically a supplementary technique tailor-made for Garp's training plan.

Garp's training plan brutally destroyed the muscles.

Orochimaru's notes meticulously repaired them.

Destroy, then rebuild.

As long as he combined the two.

Qian Ye could forge this frail body into a humanoid weapon in the shortest possible time.

He no longer needed to worry that Garp's training would cripple him.

Orochimaru's Chakra Stimulation Method perfectly resolved that concern.

Qian Ye rubbed his hands excitedly.

His only weakness now was the insufficient amount of chakra within his body.

Chakra was the combination of spiritual energy and physical energy.

He had to consume a huge amount of highly nutritious food to extract more physical energy.

Although Hidden Leaf's Military Ration Pills could stave off hunger.

Those dry little pills simply could not provide the immense nutrition needed for muscle growth.

He needed meat.

He needed exceptionally high-quality meat.

A thought instantly flashed through Qian Ye's mind.

He immediately summoned the interface of the Cross-Border Brothers Mutual Aid Group in his mind.

He wanted to ask Zhao Hai for some specialties from the pirate world.

After Qian Ye left, the command tower returned to dead silence.

Orochimaru stood before the enormous tactical map.

He stared at the red markers representing Sunagakure on the map, his gaze slightly unfocused.

Qian Ye's remarks about Life-and-Spirit Dual Cultivation still echoed in his mind.

After living for so many years, it was the first time Orochimaru had heard such an unconventional theory from a twelve-year-old Genin.

Though the theory was crude, it pointed directly at the core of immortality.

The body was the vessel, while the spirit was the core.

Neither could exist without the other.

An exceedingly satisfied smile curled across Orochimaru's lips.

He had truly chosen the right disciple.

Just then, the air in the shadows at the corner of the command tower suddenly twisted in a bizarre fashion.

A ninja wearing an animal mask appeared out of thin air.

He wore a gray vest, and there was no Hidden Leaf insignia on his arms.

He was a ninja from Root.

Hidden Leaf's darkest underground force, entirely loyal to Danzo Shimura.

The Root ninja dropped to one knee, his posture exceedingly humble.

"Orochimaru-sama."

The Root ninja's voice held no fluctuation.

It was the distinctive tone of a death warrior trained by Root.

Orochimaru did not even turn his head.

He continued staring at the tactical map on the wall.

"What did Danzo send you here for?"

Orochimaru's tone was exceedingly cold.

The Root ninja took a sealed scroll from his robes.

He raised the scroll above his head with both hands.

"Lord Danzo has a secret letter that I was ordered to place directly into your hands."

Orochimaru turned around and slowly walked over to the Root ninja.

He did not take the scroll.

He merely stared coldly at the other man with his golden slit pupils.

The Root ninja felt as though he were being watched by a venomous snake.

Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

Orochimaru extended a pale finger and lightly tapped the seal on the scroll's surface.

The sealing formula instantly came undone.

The scroll unfurled on its own and floated in midair.

Orochimaru's gaze swiftly swept over its contents.

There were not many words in the letter, but every word was damning.

In the letter, Danzo had laid out his next plan for Sakumo Hatake in detail.

Sakumo Hatake had abandoned a mission to save his comrades, causing Hidden Leaf to suffer grievous losses.

The matter had already spread throughout the village like wildfire.

White Fang's reputation had plummeted.

Every day, villagers cursed outside the Hatake residence.

But Danzo thought that was not enough.

White Fang's psychological defenses had not yet completely collapsed.

Danzo needed Orochimaru to add fuel to the flames at the Kikyo Pass front.

Danzo demanded that Orochimaru send a battle loss report back to the village in his capacity as frontline commander.

The report had to emphasize that the mission White Fang had abandoned had caused a severe shortage of Explosive Tags and medical supplies at the front.

The deaths of the several hundred Hidden Leaf ninja at Kikyo Pass had to be blamed entirely on White Fang.

Once that report reached the village.

White Fang would become the eternal sinner of all Hidden Leaf.

The families of those who had died would tear White Fang apart alive.

At the end of the letter, Danzo offered an exceptionally generous bargain.

As long as Orochimaru was willing to cooperate.

Danzo and all of Root would fully support Orochimaru's bid to become the Fourth Hokage.

Sakumo Hatake was the strongest contender for the position of Fourth Hokage.

Once White Fang was eliminated, Orochimaru taking the position would be a certainty.

After reading the letter, Orochimaru's lips twisted into an exceedingly mocking smile.

"That old bastard Danzo truly has politics down to an art."

Orochimaru's voice echoed through the command tower.

The Root ninja lowered his head even further, not daring to say a word.

Orochimaru turned his head and looked out at the pitch-black night sky.

If it had been in the past, he might have been interested in this deal.

He had indeed once desired the position of Hokage.

It had been the position held by his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Sitting in that position would grant him control over all of Hidden Leaf's resources.

He would be able to conduct all manner of ninjutsu research without restraint.

But now, Orochimaru's mindset had changed in an extremely subtle way.

Qian Ye's remarks about life and death had just opened an entirely new path of thought for him.

Immortality.

Life-and-Spirit Dual Cultivation.

Those were the true ultimate goals worth pursuing.

Compared to that, what was the position of Hokage worth?

Even if he became Hokage, he would still be nothing more than a pile of dirt after a hundred years.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was called the strongest Hokage of all generations.

Yet now he was so old that he could not even control his chakra steadily.

And he was being ordered about from behind the scenes by a sewer rat like Danzo.

Orochimaru found it exceedingly boring.

He did not want to waste his precious time on such tedious political struggles.

He had more important things to do.

He wanted to study the theory Qian Ye had proposed.

He wanted to refine his concept of using chakra to stimulate cells.

He wanted to continue down this road toward godhood.

Orochimaru casually waved his hand.

The secret letter floating in midair instantly burst into flames.

The ghostly blue fire took less than two seconds to burn the scroll into ashes.

The ashes fell onto the wooden floor of the command tower.

At the sight of this, the Root ninja's heart suddenly clenched.

He raised his head, his eyes behind the mask filled with shock.

"Orochimaru-sama, this is..."

Orochimaru looked down at him from above.

"Go back and tell Danzo."

"Wait for now. I have no interest in this matter for the time being."