Orochimaru's Plans

Becoming younger was certainly a good thing, but losing his chakra? That had to be a joke, right?

"Alright. Now that Konoha has Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, it makes no difference whether I have chakra or not. Besides, it won't affect my strength. On the contrary, I'll become even stronger."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not care, but his two sons cared deeply.

After all, in their hearts, their father truly was the "strongest" Hokage.

For shinobi, chakra was the capital that allowed them to survive in this chaotic age.

"You two, stop talking nonsense. Once Konoha grows stronger and stronger, what use will there be for these old bones of mine?"

He called himself old bones, yet he looked like a middle-aged man, seeming even more energetic than Shinnosuke.

Asuma and Shinnosuke looked at their father, not knowing what to say. In the end, they decided to let him do as he pleased.

Shinnosuke and his wife had withdrawn from the ANBU, and the two were planning to have a child.

Moreover, after Orochimaru began handling ANBU affairs and had Shinnosuke hand his position over to Kakashi, Shinnosuke realized that without Hiruzen Sarutobi's influence, he was not nearly as comfortable in the ANBU.

Connections were also a part of strength, but in the end, one still had to rely on oneself. Although Kakashi was far younger than him, Shinnosuke knew that he would most likely be unable to defeat Kakashi.

As for Asuma, after returning, he did not know what he should do either. He would most likely become a jonin team leader.

This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not plan to stay home for long. He intended to move out of the Sarutobi Clan compound and find somewhere quiet on Konoha's outskirts near the Forest of Death.

Cultivation did not necessarily require one to stay away from the mortal world, but finding a quiet place was still essential.

Hiruzen Sarutobi now needed to quickly reach Foundation Establishment.

Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment both laid one's foundation, but his vitality and blood were depleted, and this body was already old. The longer he remained in the Qi Refinement Stage, the more it would hold him back.

The Forest of Death was rich in spiritual energy. There were wild beasts with spiritual energy within them, as well as rare medicinal herbs. However, if he wanted to find spiritual medicine, he would probably have to visit the territories of summoning beasts or the Three Great Sacred Lands.

Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to visit the Monkey Demon Clan's territory once he reached the Qi Refining Peak.

No matter what, the Sarutobi Clan and the Monkey Demon Clan had cooperated for a long time. Though they were not as close as the Inuzuka Clan, their relationship was still closer than that of his three disciples with the three sacred lands.

Not many people knew of Hiruzen Sarutobi's transformation. Shisui and Itachi would not say much, and they were still young after all. The conflict between the village and the clan had not yet reached an irreconcilable point.

Even when Hiruzen Sarutobi walked through the village, no one recognized him as the Third Hokage.

Everyone's attention was on Orochimaru, Konoha's new high-ranking official, as well as Jiraiya and Tsunade, who might return.

Basically, everyone believed that Tsunade would definitely return, and that Konoha would advance under the leadership of the Legendary Sannin.

Most people believed the Legendary Sannin would bring different changes to Konoha, but even more believed that Orochimaru's style of conduct might resemble Danzo's.

The newly established Science Research Division was particularly worrying.

If either Jiraiya or Tsunade became Hokage, the civilians and shinobi clans might feel more at ease.

This also made things easier for Hiruzen Sarutobi. He had members of his clan build him a wooden cabin, then began his cultivation.

Shinnosuke and Asuma discussed it and felt that this was actually quite good, though they could not help feeling somewhat disappointed.

To be honest, the two of them had been very dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi's previous actions, and they knew he had once wanted to groom them as the next generation of Hokage.

But once Hiruzen Sarutobi truly gave up all his authority, they regretted it to some extent.

Still, things were fine now. The Sarutobi Clan was far from as powerful as the other shinobi clans. They had no secret techniques worth mentioning, and even fewer people could form contracts with monkey demons.

That was also related to the Monkey Demon Clan's relatively low reproductive ability.

Perhaps being ordinary was not so bad. Seeing their father become much younger and brimming with vigor, both of them felt greatly relieved.

Jiraiya traveled quickly. This time, with a clear objective, he did not stop around to gather inspiration and headed straight for Tanzaku Street.

Tanzaku Street was located in the southwest of the Land of Fire. It was neither particularly close to nor especially far from Konoha.

It took Jiraiya five days to reach the place.

As the largest pleasure district in the Land of Fire, it was filled with casinos, taverns, and similar establishments.

However, there were few shinobi here. Most of the people were merchants and nobles.

Once Jiraiya arrived, he naturally felt completely at home. Whether he found Tsunade no longer seemed so important. The most important thing was to relax properly for a day first...

Naturally, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know that Jiraiya had failed to find Tsunade and had instead begun relaxing.

He had many matters to deal with, but most of them would have to wait until Jiraiya and Tsunade returned.

He invited Shikaku Nara, one of the Ino–Shika–Cho, to serve as the Hokage's secretary and assistant. Together with Orochimaru, Shikaku helped him handle Konoha's administrative affairs.

Shikaku Nara thought it over for a night before choosing to accept.

He had also sorted through the recent events in Konoha. From the high-level meeting a few days ago, where the Third Hokage removed the advisors, it was clear that the Third Hokage had completely relinquished power.

Although Orochimaru had not left a particularly good impression on everyone, during the Shinobi World War, everyone understood that Orochimaru was absolutely a reliable companion.

There had once been many bad rumors, but after these recent meetings, it was clear that Orochimaru's temperament and tone were no longer as gloomy as before.

The current Orochimaru possessed a unique personal charm. Perhaps he might even become a better leader than Hiruzen Sarutobi.

With Shikaku Nara's help, Orochimaru devoted all his thoughts these past few days to research.

He did not want to spend too much time dealing with Konoha's administrative affairs. Perhaps only Hiruzen Sarutobi had once been so obsessed with them.

Becoming one of Konoha's high-ranking officials did not mean stopping his research. On the contrary, he intended to bring his research into the open.

Of course, not all research would be made public. A large portion of it could not see the light of day.

However, many simpler research projects could involve the people of the village.

As a researcher, Orochimaru knew very well how important technological development was. The Shinobi World's technological foundation was not poor, but the existence of shinobi and all kinds of giant beasts had greatly hindered technological progress.

When a world possessed supernatural abilities, people's thinking generally became more conservative.

Today, Orochimaru had another matter to attend to: visiting Danzo in the hospital.

"Lord Orochimaru!"

"Lord Advisor!"

After becoming an advisor, Orochimaru had gained even more admirers.

Whatever thoughts they might harbor inside, they were certainly exceptionally respectful toward Orochimaru on the surface.

After arriving at the hospital, Orochimaru found the patients and nurses quite excited to see him.

To these young nurses, Lord Orochimaru was young and powerful, practically the finest catch imaginable.

Orochimaru had not expected to encounter so many admirers, and quite a few young nurses cast flirtatious glances his way.