Orochimaru, You Are My Most Trusted Disciple

"Orochimaru, you have always been my finest and most trusted disciple."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone was resolute.

To him, Orochimaru was an exceptional research talent. In a world so technologically backward, people like him were the most precious.

Orochimaru was momentarily speechless. He had many questions, but Hiruzen Sarutobi's words touched the softest part of his heart.

If there had been any other choice, who would want to become a rogue ninja?

"But I can no longer turn back."

Orochimaru's voice was very quiet.

He had once been a supporter of the Will of Fire and had put far too much effort into Konoha. If Minato Namikaze's brilliance had not been so dazzling, he would certainly have been the most suitable successor for Hokage.

Minato Namikaze was cheerful and sunny, nicknamed Little Sun. As long as someone was normal, there was no way they would dislike him.

As for Orochimaru, he was cold and sinister. His various experiments made people shudder, and among the Legendary Sannin, he had always had the worst reputation.

After losing the competition, his heart grew ever darker. Once he saw through the essence of this world, only one goal remained to him: immortality!

From a certain perspective, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru now pursued the same goal.

Eternal life.

The only difference was that Hiruzen Sarutobi sought an incorruptible body and an undying soul.

Orochimaru, however, had already begun to take the wrong path.

Living Corpse Reincarnation was practically a joke.

Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi could tell that Orochimaru had not yet changed bodies.

Orochimaru was somewhat lost.

For the sake of his goal, he had conducted too many experiments and harmed too many lives.

How could someone like him become Hokage? At this moment, the title of Hokage was still sacred in Orochimaru's heart.

"Help me sweep aside every obstacle. Together, we will make Konoha the strongest force in the Shinobi World once more."

"Actually, I have always been dissatisfied with the current world order. Perhaps we can choose to make a move against the daimyo and seize this country completely!"

If Hiruzen Sarutobi had not set up a soundproof barrier beforehand, the conversation between him and Orochimaru would not merely have caused turmoil in Konoha. The entire Shinobi World would have been shaken!

"Alright, I'm willing!"

Since Hiruzen Sarutobi had gone this far, Orochimaru could naturally tell that his teacher was not joking.

Hiruzen's words made his heart race. His teacher actually wanted to make a move against the daimyo?

His teacher really had grown old, but he somehow seemed trustworthy again.

"Go back and wait for my news."

"Alright..."

Orochimaru nodded, then left the Hokage's office. No matter what happened, he truly needed to return as soon as possible. Whether he defected or truly became an elder of Konoha, he needed to sort out and wrap up the experiments he was conducting.

Destroying the evidence would be easy enough.

With Orochimaru's help, along with the current ninjas of Konoha Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi was fairly confident about taking down Danzo and the remaining two advisors.

At most, the Kage of this Shinobi World were comparable to ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. The strongest among them merely had a rudimentary understanding, able to borrow the power of bloodlines or chakra to pry loose the faintest trace of the power of laws.

Yet their souls were incomparably weak, while their bodies were nothing but gilded exteriors concealing decay within.

The spiritual energy in this world was so abundant that Hiruzen Sarutobi felt he could even set his sights on Core Formation and Nascent Soul.

After dealing with Orochimaru, the only obstacles left would be the members of the Elders' Council.

Power was built bit by bit, while the ruling class relied on interpersonal ties to establish itself little by little.

In the current Konoha, Hokage advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, along with Root's leader Danzo Shimura, had all once been Hiruzen Sarutobi's teammates.

Back then, they had also been members of the Second Hokage's elite guard unit.

It could be said that they were Konoha's direct lineage, cultivated by the Second Hokage.

At the same time, they targeted the Uchiha Clan and diluted the Senju Clan's influence over Konoha.

They sought to ensure that Konoha would no longer be controlled solely by any one ninja clan.

The vision was beautiful, but reality was cruel.

Some of the Second Hokage's disciples came from ninja clans, while others were commoners. Yet after the Second Hokage died, they were corrupted by power far too quickly.

They completely abandoned their predecessors' ideals, began to cling stubbornly to old ways, and guarded Konoha's tiny patch of land while exhausting themselves in internal conflict.

Even the current Third Hokage could bear the title of "Strongest Hokage." How ridiculous was that?

Before the Senju brothers, how could Hiruzen Sarutobi's abilities possibly be mentioned in the same breath as theirs, much less have him called the strongest Hokage?

"Heh heh."

After thinking it over, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help but laugh.

It was truly laughable.

This so-called Shinobi World was far too shallow, whether in thought, culture, or cultivation systems.

Or perhaps the emergence of chakra had led humanity in this world down a crooked path.

Although chakra cultivation also depended on talent, its requirements were not particularly high. What it emphasized was rapid progress.

The fact that children who had trained for only a few years could go onto the battlefield and possess combat strength far beyond ordinary people was enough to prove that cultivating ninja was not so difficult.

Yet to ordinary people, ninja remained mysterious and powerful. Even so, ninja still had to accept missions to earn payment.

At the same time, Konoha was merely an appendage of the Land of Fire. Even as Hokage, he had to be utterly respectful when meeting Konoha's daimyo.

The cart before the horse!

Since they possessed power beyond ordinary people, they should have separated themselves from the mundane world. Yet these ninja were willing to become mere accessories to power.

Shaking his head, Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped thinking about these matters.

When poor, one cultivates oneself; when successful, one aids the world.

Orochimaru's side had already been resolved. As for the elders, the one who required the most concern was likely Danzo.

Cultivation required vast resources. He could not give up the position of Hokage, and Konoha needed to become stronger as well.

Danzo had not yet obtained Shisui's eye. At most, he had cooperated with Orochimaru to transplant a Sharingan so that he could use Izanagi.

But honestly, Danzo was not strong. Otherwise, he would not have been like Orochimaru, desperately trying every possible means to obtain the Uchiha Clan's power.

He spoke of how the Uchiha Clan would threaten Konoha, but inwardly, he only hated that his surname was Shimura rather than Uchiha.

Danzo still needed to be dealt with. Konoha could not be allowed to suffer too much turmoil.

His identity as Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, meant that he was destined not to simply preserve himself and leave Konoha directly. The memories within this body might become inner demons in the future.

Cultivation emphasized wealth, companions, methods, and a place to practice. Once he dispersed all the chakra within him, he would be no different from an ordinary person for a while.

He had only two choices: remain in Konoha or leave. But if he left Konoha, where could he even go?

This Shinobi World was far from peaceful. Apart from ninja, there was also the Summoning Beast Clan.

These spirit beasts cultivated natural energy. Though it was not orthodox, beasts were born of heaven and earth on the path of cultivation; even without techniques, they could absorb the essence of the sun and moon.

Would the appearance of a cultivator like him draw their attention?