Want to become Hokage?

If I hadn't been so badly injured, that blow just now would have finished you, Ye Feng thought furiously.

I can't stay here. I'd better leave first. Right now, Orochimaru is the only one who can help me, Ye Feng thought.

Ye Feng put away the natural spirit stone, sealed the Root Special Jōnin's corpse in a sealing scroll, and headed for Orochimaru's home.

Not long after Ye Feng left, several Anbu members arrived at the scene.

"This site was caused by a large number of explosive tags detonating. There's also a lot of blood up ahead, so someone probably died, but we found no trace of a body at the scene. Judging by the signs of combat, at least two Jonin-level ninja were fighting here. The outcome is uncertain," the Anbu member examining the scene reported to another Anbu squad captain.

"With such a commotion, someone should have seen the people fighting. You, question the people nearby. The rest of you, gather intelligence and clean up the scene," the Anbu squad captain ordered, pointing at one of the Anbu members.

Konoha's Anbu intelligence department truly was exceptional. In just two hours, they had identified the people involved and what might have happened, compiled everything into a report, and delivered it to the Anbu leadership.

But a fight involving at least two Jonin, with a death as well, was no longer something the Anbu could decide on. After organizing the documents, the Anbu squad captain delivered them to the Third Hokage.

Meanwhile, the Root Jonin was dragging his badly injured body back to Root's base one step at a time, coughing up blood as he went. Eventually, the ninja on guard duty at Root discovered him and carried him on a stretcher to Shimura Danzō. While ordering someone to treat the Root Jonin, Shimura Danzō questioned him.

"Gray Fox, what happened? Who in Konoha could have injured you like this?" Shimura Danzō asked in puzzlement as he looked at the severely injured Gray Fox.

Gray Fox was this Root Jonin's codename within Root. The dead Root Special Jōnin's codename was Poison Wolf.

"Uchiha Yefeng has been hiding his strength all along, and he has awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. He's at least as strong as a Special Jōnin, and his physical strength is tremendous. Poison Wolf and I found an opportunity to attack Uchiha Yefeng, but Poison Wolf let his guard down for a moment and was killed instantly. His spiritual power is also unusually strong. Even after my Mind Body Switch Technique hit him, he could still resist. In the end, a strange energy eroded my spiritual power, injuring me, and I took a punch from Uchiha Yefeng. If he hadn't been wounded by the explosive tags, I might not have made it back," Gray Fox slowly recounted what had happened.

By then, Ye Feng had also reached Orochimaru's home. Along the way, pedestrians who saw him covered in blood looked frightened and kept their distance. In these troubled times, it was better to avoid unnecessary involvement than bring trouble down on themselves.

Ye Feng turned the mechanism for Orochimaru's underground passage. Orochimaru, who was still down below, sensed it and wondered who could be coming. Very few people knew about this underground laboratory.

Orochimaru stopped his experiment and stared at the entrance, wanting to see who had come. The next moment, however, his pupils contracted, for the person he saw was Uchiha Yefeng, covered in blood.

Dragging his blood-drenched body along, Ye Feng found himself a chair and sat down, utterly unconcerned about the blood covering him. His injuries had already healed considerably. Only now did he realize that his body's recovery speed was also incredibly powerful. In just the time it had taken him to walk to Orochimaru's home, most of his wounds had scabbed over, and some of the skin damaged by the explosions had peeled away, revealing tender, reddish new flesh beneath.

"Yefeng-kun, what happened? How did you get so badly injured?" As he spoke, Orochimaru moved to treat Ye Feng's injuries.

Ye Feng waved a hand, stopping Orochimaru from approaching and signaling that he was all right.

"Lord Orochimaru's name doesn't seem to carry much weight in Konoha. As Orochimaru's student, I was actually followed and attacked today. If I hadn't been lucky enough to survive, I might never have seen you again, Lord Orochimaru," Ye Feng replied in a slightly mocking tone.

"Who exactly was it? Who would dare commit such violence in Konoha?" Orochimaru's interest was piqued. Committing violence in Konoha was a serious crime. The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi cared deeply about saving face and would not tolerate such a thing.

"Who else in Konoha could follow and attack someone so openly?"

Orochimaru also realized who it was. Only that man could disregard the Third Hokage's dignity and do as he pleased: Shimura Danzō.

"Yefeng-kun, I'll handle this."

Ye Feng had not come to reproach Orochimaru. He only wanted Orochimaru to step in and deal with it. He did not expect Shimura Danzō to abandon the idea of assassinating him, but at least he could make him act less openly. Otherwise, with endless assassination attempts, how was Ye Feng supposed to live his life?

"Here's the assassin's body. You deal with it." With that, Ye Feng tossed Orochimaru the scroll containing Poison Wolf's sealed body.

Orochimaru opened the scroll and took out the corpse. There were no other injuries on its body; only its neck had been shattered by a kick, rupturing a major artery. With his wealth of experience, Orochimaru could tell at a glance that a single blow had killed the opponent instantly. He removed the corpse's mask, and his pupils contracted again. He recognized the corpse as Poison Wolf. The man had possessed the strength of a Special Jōnin, yet he, too, had been killed instantly with one blow.

Orochimaru turned to look at Ye Feng, who was recovering from his injuries, a sharp gleam in his eyes. There was no telling what he was thinking.

Ye Feng sensed Orochimaru's blatant, undisguised gaze and opened his eyes. He was not afraid that Orochimaru would attack him. Given Orochimaru's character and his obsession with research, Ye Feng had plenty of ways to make him abandon the idea.

Ye Feng had a fairly good impression of Orochimaru, and his research skills were outstanding. Ye Feng certainly would not let him slip away.

As the saying went, a person with desires was easier to control. If everyone were like monks, free of desires and wants, nothing one said would help.

"Lord Orochimaru, have you ever thought about becoming Hokage?" Ye Feng abruptly asked Orochimaru.