Orochimaru's Interrogation, and His Softened Heart Again

After returning to Konoha after several months away.

Masaichi stood at the village gate and took deep breaths. Sure enough, even the air in Konoha smelled sweeter.

Although the newspapers had not made a big deal out of his existence.

Masaichi's personal record was quite extensive. Every one of his accomplishments had been entered into his file, all thanks to Orochimaru using his authority to record them.

During the Battle of Kikyo Mountain, his résumé had been thoroughly filled out.

Konoha, X year, X month, X day, X hour: Masaichi and his unit recaptured XX position...

Konoha, X year, X month, X day, X hour: Masaichi and his unit seized XX position...

Konoha, X year, X month, X day, X hour: Masaichi and his unit held XX position...

Kikyo Mountain had been lost and retaken time and again, resulting in his glorious file!!

"Kiba, Yujin, go to the gym and get Master Dai to set you up with memberships. Train for a few days first."

"Okay, Teacher." What was their teacher doing? They had only just graduated from the Ninja Academy, and the little money they earned had come from hard work!

"Remember to shrug your shoulders."

"Yes!!"

As expected of their teacher. He really cared about them.

"Teacher!"

"Impossible."

Now, Masaichi and Orochimaru only needed to exchange a look and say one sentence to understand what the other meant.

It was nothing more than Masaichi urging Orochimaru to fight for it.

Orochimaru stubbornly believed that Hiruzen Sarutobi could not possibly be that biased.

The two were in Masaichi's dormitory. Orochimaru had come to visit personally, mainly because he was tired and wanted to do research. He wanted Masaichi to cover for him for a few days, so he had come.

He had thought that, after not seeing each other for so long, Masaichi would have something to say to him.

Orochimaru felt a little weary. That was his Teacher Sarutobi, after all. Forget it. Masaichi was not him and would never understand the weight carried by the words Teacher Sarutobi, nor could he ever understand what Teacher Sarutobi meant to him.

But the good news was that, after several months, none of Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions could withstand scrutiny. Look closely, and the clues became obvious. Surely all of it together would be enough to convince Teacher?

"He had Jiraiya support Minato!"

"Jiraiya is Minato's teacher, Masaichi. This point does not seem to hold up."

"..."

"..."

"He gave Minato military command! He made Minato represent Konoha in accepting the Sand Village's surrender!!"

"He is only one step away from having Minato move into the Hokage Office Building and replace you, Teacher!"

"Teacher! Don't you think the Third Hokage is training you as an elite enforcer?"

"What does elite enforcer mean?"

"A top-tier thug."

"Teacher, where are you going?!"

"Teacher! You had Jiraiya support Minato, you gave Minato military command, and Minato was the one sent to the Sand Village's surrender ceremony!"

"Teacher! Are you trying to bring Minato into the Hokage Office Building?"

For the first time, Orochimaru addressed Hiruzen Sarutobi in an interrogating tone.

His heart had gone cold.

Looking back over the years, how much had he done for his teacher?

Teacher: Orochimaru, you handle this.

Teacher: Orochimaru, Jiraiya is useless. As expected, I can only rely on you. I'll leave this matter to you.

Teacher: Orochimaru, Tsunade proposed a medical-ninja system and then ran off to fall in love. She... sigh, the First Hokage and I spoiled her too much. I'll leave you to finish the remaining work.

Masaichi had been right. In the end, he was just an enforcer.

From the moment Masaichi stepped through Konoha's gates, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew Orochimaru would come to question him.

He looked at Orochimaru, who was accusing him of favoritism like a wronged child throwing a tantrum.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did feel a faint trace of guilt in his heart.

But...

Of all people, you had to run into Minato, Orochimaru.

The choice his teacher considered better than you.

"Jiraiya is Minato's teacher, Orochimaru. This point does not seem to hold up," Hiruzen Sarutobi explained after taking a puff of smoke.

Orochimaru felt like he had heard that sentence somewhere before.

"I gave Minato military command for your sake as well." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked like a kindly old man at that moment.

Orochimaru silently watched Hiruzen Sarutobi, as though waiting to see how he would make this up.

"Once you become Hokage, you cannot keep going to the battlefield yourself. Jiraiya is far too unreliable, so Konoha's front lines need someone who can hold things together and share the burden for you."

"You could give military command to Masaichi. He is my student, so I can trust him and use him more smoothly."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was afraid Orochimaru would not mention Masaichi. It was best that he had.

He suddenly slumped wearily into his chair. "Masaichi killed a number of local nobles in the Land of Lightning. We ninja were fighting one another, yet nobles were implicated. You know what public opinion is like. Those people from the Land of Fire have been pressuring me nonstop."

"Masaichi's matter cannot be overly publicized. It would not be good for him."

Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who seemed to grow older with every passing year.

Orochimaru's heart softened. "Is that really so?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was extremely patient. "Of course."

"In Teacher's heart, am I more important than Minato too?" Orochimaru did not know how he had managed to ask such a mushy question, but he desperately needed Hiruzen Sarutobi's answer.

"Of course. In my heart, you are more important than Minato. We have been teacher and student for over thirty years," Hiruzen Sarutobi said sentimentally.

I'm sorry, Orochimaru. This is the last time.

The position of Hokage truly cannot be given to you.

You are not suited for it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that he favored Orochimaru more. It was simply that Minato was better suited to be Hokage. He was thinking of Konoha.

"Is that so?" Orochimaru showed no expression, but judging by the 0.5-degree rise in his body temperature, he was happy.

Seeing that Orochimaru was about to ask more questions, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly smiled. "Thirty years passed in the blink of an eye. I never expected you to already be middle-aged. Actually, I want to see you get married and have children."

"When are you going to find a girlfriend?"

"Heh, we can talk about that later, Teacher Sarutobi."

A marriage ultimatum from an elder—fine, even Orochimaru could not handle that move.

"Should I have Jiraiya introduce someone to you?"

"Have him introduce me to a courtesan?"

Orochimaru left in a rather good mood.

To him, becoming Hokage was not important.

What mattered was the bond between teacher and student that he shared with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Since Nawaki's death, he had treated everyone as tools. Only people with value deserved his concern.

Hiruzen Sarutobi alone was different. Orochimaru protected him from the bottom of his heart.