Putting him in the commander-in-chief's seat, only to make him a silent figurehead who listened without saying a word? That would have been worse than killing him.
Unless... he had another purpose.
Considering Orochimaru's spine-chilling research interests, and the battlefield now littered with fresh materials...
"Well, damn..." Uchiha Makoto understood at once, inwardly marveling at the expert at work. Oh, teacher, don't tell me you're planning to use your position as commander-in-chief to openly... collect experimental materials? That old geezer Mitokado Homura charges ahead, draws fire, and directs the fighting, while you quietly rake in the profits from the rear, selecting and marking the specimens you fancy?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed!
That move was pure Orochimaru!
"Tsk, we really are master and student. This way of thinking... great minds think alike!" Uchiha Makoto nearly laughed aloud.
Wasn't he also figuring out how to scavenge on the battlefield?
Collecting Sharingan, collecting kekkei genkai samples... he hadn't expected his teacher to move faster, exploiting his authority to turn it into official procurement!
That instantly put him on his guard.
Orochimaru had become his greatest competitor and a potential obstacle to collecting materials!
If they both set their sights on the same rare specimen, things would get really interesting.
By then, Mitokado Homura had finished laying out the overall strategy and turned to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru, do you find these arrangements satisfactory? The specific deployment roster and team assignments still require your final approval."
Only then did Orochimaru slowly open his eyes. His gaze swept over everyone in the command tent, lingering on Uchiha Makoto for an almost imperceptible instant.
"Acceptable," Orochimaru said, his voice hoarse and flat. "Proceed with Adviser Homura's plan. As for personnel assignments..."
He began calling names and assigning missions.
Since Minato Namikaze