Orochimaru's brow rose almost imperceptibly. "That wretched place where it rains all year? You want him to take on Hanzo of the Salamander? That's not a good idea. Even Hatake Sakumo in his prime, against the Demigod, his chances..."
"He doesn't need to take on that 'Demigod,'" Senju Chen interrupted, his gaze turning unfathomably deep. "Just keep an eye on him. The Land of Rain lies at the center of several great nations. It's a place every army must fight over. Although the Second War only ended recently, I don't think peace will last very long."
He paused, then said with deliberate emphasis, "The Land of Rain's stance could very well determine the course of the next war."
"Hatake Sakumo is the best choice. His heart is dead to Konoha, but he's still an excellent ninja, and Kakashi is still in the village. For the sake of peace for the next generation, he'll handle this well."
"Of course, I can continue supplying you with my blood, but you'll need to share all your research data with me."
Orochimaru fell silent.
Only after a long while did his hoarse laughter echo through the basement.
"Heh... hehehehe... Senju Chen, you really do... surprise me every time."
"If you want to become Hokage in the future, I can pass the position on to you."
He looked at Senju Chen, his eyes filled with appreciation. "All right. I'll pass this on to 'Fang' for you. As a gesture of good faith in our partnership, I can also give you access to some of my research data."
"Here's to a successful partnership."
With that, Senju Chen turned and disappeared into the dark passage without a backward glance.
Watching the direction he had left in, Orochimaru extended his tongue and licked the scroll containing the sealed blood. A complex gleam shone in his golden eyes, intertwining greed, excitement, and a trace of deep wariness.
Inside his bedroom at the Senju residence.
Senju Chen sat cross-legged on his bed, recalling his meeting with Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was still relatively young at this point and had yet to reach the stage where he toyed with lives at will. Becoming Hokage was actually still one of his goals.
The fact that he had told Chen he would pass the Hokage Position on to him in the future proved that Orochimaru already considered it his for the taking.
Of course, that wasn't to say Orochimaru was indulging in wild fantasies.
At present, Chen's sister Tsunade had developed a fear of blood because of Nawaki's and her boyfriend's deaths. She was also disappointed in Konoha and had no interest in the Hokage Position.
Jiraiya traveled everywhere, and his personality made him seem rather unreliable. Konoha's White Fang had "committed suicide," while Orochimaru himself was the Third Hokage's personal disciple. Coupled with his working relationship with Danzo, in his mind, there truly was no one in the younger generation better suited to succeed as Hokage.
Provided, of course, that Minato Namikaze hadn't burst onto the scene during the Third Shinobi World War...
Senju Chen even wondered whether it was seeing Minato Namikaze, younger and stronger than himself, become Hokage that had left their dear Orochimaru with such an enormous sense of disparity, driving him to pursue those powerful Kekkei Genkai and forbidden techniques before going down the road to darkness.
For now, though, let's leave our dear Orochimaru to his dreams of becoming Hokage. That benefits me too. With my Senju surname alone, Orochimaru definitely won't act against me right now. Instead, he'll do everything he can to win me over.
Only after their dear Orochimaru abandoned his Hokage dreams and defected from Konoha would he truly become unrestrained.
By then, Chen himself might even become one of his "targets."
Of course, when that time truly came, Senju Chen believed he would have long since grown strong enough to communicate with him as an "equal."
Then Senju Chen sank his consciousness into the depths of his mind.
A pale blue virtual panel, visible only to him, slowly appeared.
[God-Level Stealing System] Currently stolen abilities [1. Hidden bloodline of the First's Wood Release] [2. Advanced Chakra Refinement Technique] [3. Uzumaki Clan bloodline (initial awakening)] [4. (Empty)] [5. (Empty)]
He had already become proficient in the basic Wood Release skills: Cutting Technique, Wood Locking Wall, Wood Human Clone, and Wood Dragon Technique. He had also tried Deep Forest Emergence, Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, and Wood Human Technique, but everything he created was miniature-fun to look at, but completely lacking in combat power.
He could also use the Four Symbols Seal and the Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains proficiently. The main issue was that his own chakra reserves were low, preventing these skills from displaying their full power.
Hatake Sakumo's "death" marked the first person's fate he had changed since coming to this world, and it had now reached a perfect conclusion.
Not only had he gained the powerful combat ability "Hatake Style Kenjutsu," but more importantly, he now possessed a piece that stood outside the board yet could change the course of the game at any moment-Hatake Sakumo, code-named "Fang."
He had sent him to monitor Hanzo of the Salamander for two reasons: first, to confirm when the "Demigod" died; second, to plant his own eyes and ears during the early days of the Akatsuki's formation. This was the most deeply concealed move he had laid for the decades ahead.
Next, he began taking stock of his current network of relationships.
His sister Tsunade and his current Senju surname were his strongest backing. As long as he was in Konoha, he was unquestionably its "young master," and no one would dare act against him openly. His sister's unreasonable iron fists, backed by Monstrous Strength, were the bane of every scheme and conspiracy.
Jiraiya was an elder with a heart full of justice who would devote his entire life to Konoha. As long as Chen did nothing to harm Konoha, he would be a close elder to him.
Orochimaru was a dangerous partner. Through him, Chen could obtain the most advanced biotechnology and intelligence, but he also had to guard against the possibility of Orochimaru turning on him in the future.
Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were the future Fourth Hokage and his wife. I'm Kushina's final disciple now, so wouldn't that make me something like our protagonist Naruto's older brother in the future?
Finally, there were Kakashi and Might Guy.
They, too, would become his best companions and most capable allies of his generation within Konoha.
The grandson of the First and Second Hokage, a nephew to the Fourth, the Fifth's younger brother, the Sixth's best buddy, and the Seventh's older brother...
Tallying it up like this, even Senju Chen was shocked. Damn, with connections like these, I'm the best-connected insider in Naruto!
The corners of Senju Chen's mouth unconsciously curled into an exaggerated grin. A person's future could be seen by the age of five. With what he had now, surely he could just lie flat in the Naruto world and live without ever worrying about food or clothing.
Then he shook his head, suppressing that stray thought. It wasn't time to think about retirement yet.
Senju Chen slowly opened his eyes and looked at the bright moon outside the window.
Those two empty skill slots seemed to be urging him on in silence.
There were still far too many powers in this world waiting for him to steal. The Sharingan, the Rinnegan, all kinds of Kekkei Genkai, powerful secret techniques...
"It's not enough... nowhere near enough..."
He murmured softly. Deep within those clear eyes lay unfathomable calm and desire.