Great Toad Sage

Absorbing natural energy into his body felt like a withered tree welcoming spring. Hiruzen Sarutobi could feel his aging body's thirst for natural energy.

However, cultivation could not be rushed. Absorbing some natural energy now was also preparation for the plans ahead.

At present, the greatest obstacle to completely taking control of Konoha was Shimura Danzō.

This darkness of the Shinobi World was truly rather mediocre in strength, barely brushing the edge of Kage Level.

However, Danzo should have already begun conducting human experiments by now. He had accepted the First Hokage's cells and started implanting Sharingan into his body.

The Uchiha Clan had not yet rebelled, much less been exterminated. Shisui's eyes had not yet fallen into Danzo's hands.

That filial son, Itachi Uchiha, was still young and posed no threat.

The number of Sharingan implanted in Danzo's body was surely limited, enough for him to use Izanagi only a few times.

Danzo and his Root could bully ordinary shinobi well enough, but when faced with true powerhouses, they would have to take a detour.

This was also the endpoint for most civilian shinobi, so Danzo believed that the only way to become stronger was by borrowing the Uchiha Clan's power.

Danzo hated and feared the Uchiha Clan most of all. He regarded them as a ticking time bomb, a force that could destroy Konoha at any moment.

In essence, though, Danzo was more jealous—jealous of the power of the Uchiha Bloodline.

If he could not have it, he would destroy it, while also claiming the Uchiha Clan's power for himself.

To the current Hiruzen Sarutobi, such actions were simply far too cowardly.

The Uchiha Clan was Konoha's sharp blade, and perhaps calling them the Clan of Love was even more fitting.

Although Uchiha born from love turned to hatred could produce extraordinarily powerful strength, the Uchiha Clan was actually quite pure. It was enough to cultivate their recognition of and sense of belonging to the village.

After dealing with Danzo and the other obstacles within the village, taking a child from the Uchiha Clan as a disciple would be a fine choice.

Looking at Konoha's history, one could see that the Hokage line had always been passed down in succession. The First and Second Hokage were brothers, the Third was the Second's disciple, and the Fourth was the Third's disciple's disciple. Konoha as a whole had been passed down through direct lineage or master-disciple relationships.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi took an Uchiha as his disciple, it would give the Uchiha Clan hope of becoming Hokage. Would they still fear an Uchiha rebellion then?

The Uchiha Clan was not actually so terrifying. The Second Hokage had been so wary of them because the Senju and Uchiha Clans were hereditary enemies.

Being friends with an Uchiha was definitely far better than being enemies. After all, one wrong sentence might cause an Uchiha to suddenly awaken explosive power and instantly kill you with an ocular technique.

Yet because of historical baggage and personal prejudice, the Second Hokage's bias against the Uchiha Clan had been far too severe. Especially after Kagami Uchiha, the mediator, died, under Danzo's influence, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha had become far too hostile toward the Uchiha Clan.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru left the Hokage Building in a daze and headed toward his laboratory.

Should he leave, or should he stay? Could he truly believe his teacher's words?

Deep down, Orochimaru already completely trusted Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, but the naked reality forced him to doubt.

What exactly had happened for Hiruzen Sarutobi to change so drastically?

He had actually resolved to deal with Danzo and even make him Hokage advisor and a Konoha elder.

Perhaps the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and Biwako Sarutobi had dealt too great a blow to his teacher.

Just as he returned to the laboratory, a shinobi appeared beside him.

"Orochimaru, Lord Danzo requests your presence."

At this time, the Third Hokage suddenly wanting to see Orochimaru left Danzo somewhat puzzled.

Human experiments certainly required materials. Recently, not only had villagers gone missing, but even Chunin and Special Jonin had disappeared. Naturally, this was Danzo's handiwork.

Orochimaru had taken all the blame, because Danzo knew that if the Third Hokage wished to step down, Orochimaru would be one of the best candidates. Even the slightest possibility had to be strangled in its cradle.

He only needed to employ a small trick to leave Orochimaru with no place in Konoha. After all, Orochimaru himself was not clean. None of the experiments he had conducted could ever be exposed to the light.

Hearing that Danzo wanted to see him, Orochimaru revealed an amused smile.

Danzo, you would never have imagined that this time, Teacher had not clung to power or hesitated again, would you?

"I'll go when I have time."

The masked Root shinobi was just about to fly into a rage when he looked up and saw Orochimaru's sinister golden vertical pupils staring fixedly at him. The words at his lips immediately caught in his throat.

After shooting Orochimaru a vicious glare, he left with the Body Flicker Technique.

Orochimaru paid no attention to him. Things had reached this point, and there was no turning back. He only needed to trust his teacher.

Moreover, while Orochimaru's combat ability might not rank among the best of Kage Level powerhouses, his ability to preserve his life was absolutely first-rate.

He only needed to quickly dispose of the irrefutable evidence from those human experiments—for example, the experiments related to the First Hokage's cells. The corpses of the dead collected for Impure World Reincarnation also needed to be returned to their original places...

At Root headquarters, Danzo did not become angry after hearing that Orochimaru had refused to come.

Konoha was at its weakest now. The war with Kumogakure was nearing its end, and if something happened to Orochimaru at this time, Kumogakure might not let the matter rest so easily.

Hiruzen was already old, while he had implanted the First Hokage's cells. His physical condition was now far better than Hiruzen's.

Even if he had to outlast him, he would outlast Hiruzen to death and then ascend to the position of Hokage!

At that time, he would no longer be a Root that could only hide beneath the trees. He would be the Hokage, upright and honorable. He would surely lead Konoha to its peak!

Danzo dreamed such dreams almost every day. For the sake of becoming Hokage, he could sacrifice everything—and make everyone else sacrifice everything...

Within the temple in the deepest part of Mount Myoboku, the Great Toad Sage awoke from his sleep in alarm.

Fate had been broken. The future of the Shinobi World could no longer be foreseen!

As a monster who had lived for thousands of years, Gamamaru had once fought alongside the Sage of Six Paths. Hamura Ōtsutsuki's resurrection had also been possible because he had offered up Toad Country's supreme treasure, the Sage Talisman.

It could be said that without Gamamaru, the Shinobi World would still be under Kaguya Otsutsuki's rule.

His proudest ability was foreseeing the future in his dreams.

Yet just now, everything had been shrouded in mist. The Shinobi World's future could no longer be predicted, and the future of the Toad Clan had become uncertain as well.

Gamamaru was at a loss.

No matter how chaotic the Shinobi World became, their Summoning Beast Clan had always sat firmly on the shore, watching with amusement as those foolish humans fought and killed each other.

But now, this world's future had become uncertain. He could even sense that some kind of change was taking place in this world.

This made him, who had once held everything in his grasp, begin to panic.

"Quick, bring Jiraiya here!"