Half an hour later, Orochimaru entered the Hokage building.
The ninja inside the building instinctively moved aside, many of them pressing themselves flat against the corridor walls to avoid him. The aura radiating from Orochimaru had grown even colder and more morbid.
One medical ninja nearby thought they recognized a faint scent clinging to him—not a perfume, but the clinical smell of formaldehyde.
Orochimaru stepped into the Hokage's office. Seeing Danzo already there, he sat down on a side sofa without being asked.
"Do you need something? I'm busy."
Danzo felt a strange sense of relief seeing this; it seemed Orochimaru treated Hiruzen Sarutobi with the same dismissive coldness he showed everyone else. It wasn't personal.
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, his voice heavy. "Lately, certain elements within the village have become restless—insane, even. It has reached a level of lawlessness. Tan Shimura and Yui Sarutobi, both on the verge of becoming Jonin, were killed on the eve of their promotions."
Orochimaru paused. 'Such a thing happened?'
Both victims shared a specific commonality: they were Special Jonin slated for promotion. From his teacher's tone, this didn't sound like an assassination by a rival village. It sounded like something far more sinister: internal fratricide.
Orochimaru's mind raced through possibilities. After the last Jonin Council meeting, he had told Tsunade that she wasn't ruthless enough—that she didn't understand that power struggles were a matter of life and death, not just shouting angry words in a meeting.
A Senju Special Jonin she had nominated had died mysteriously shortly after. Orochimaru hadn't looked into it, but he knew it wasn't an accident.
Now, hearing about Tan Shimura and Yui Sarutobi, it felt like an extreme retaliation. Yet, he doubted Tsunade was behind it; she wasn't the type to strike from the shadows like this.
"Why bring me here?" Orochimaru asked. "Do you want me to investigate these deaths? I refuse. Such tasks are a waste of time, and my research has entered a critical phase."
He glanced at Danzo, who knew exactly what he meant: the Hashirama Cell research was approaching the transplantation stage. By grafting those cells, one might finally grasp the power of the "God of Shinobi."
"I am not asking you to investigate two accidents," Hiruzen Sarutobi said firmly. "There is a force lurking in the darkness of this village, a conspiracy to destroy the existing order and bring about chaos. I have decided to suppress them—starting by cutting off their hope. Orochimaru, you should start working toward becoming the Fourth Hokage. Stop obsessing solely over forbidden jutsu and raw power."
"Hm? The Fourth Hokage?"
Not only was Orochimaru surprised, but Danzo slowly stood up from the sofa, his eyes fixed on Hiruzen.
Hiruzen continued, "There are still youths in the Senju clan shouting about wanting to be Hokage. Sakumo Hatake once had similar aspirations. We must crush their momentum. It is because they think they have a chance that they resort to desperate measures. Therefore, I have decided to groom you for the position."
After the initial flicker of interest, Orochimaru immediately understood his teacher's true intent. Hiruzen didn't necessarily favor him as the successor; he wanted to use Orochimaru as a roadblock to bar the path of the others.
He didn't call out the intention, however. Instead, he said, "In the Academy, six out of every ten children claim they'll be the Hokage. When those children grow up, they realize how far they are from that seat and laugh at their younger, naive selves. Wanting to be Hokage is just a fantasy for most."
"Jiraiya shouted it, Nawaki shouted it, Dan Kato shouted it, even Sakumo Hatake shouted it back in school. What does that prove? Sensei, don't be so tense. Wanting to be Hokage isn't a crime. Personally, I have little interest in the position..."
As he spoke, Orochimaru's voice trailed off. His eyes landed on a massive scroll recently moved from the sealing vault: the Leaf's Scroll of Seals.
Even for Orochimaru, the Scroll of Seals wasn't something he could peruse at will. It contained the secret and forbidden techniques collected by the Third Hokage and all the research of the Second. Suddenly, the seat of Hokage seemed a bit more attractive. The village's accumulated forbidden knowledge was a tempting prize.
Hiruzen followed Orochimaru's gaze to the scroll but made no comment. He continued: "Among the ninja aged twenty to thirty, you are the only one with the strength to rival Sakumo Hatake. Sakumo is too powerful. Last week, we executed several Hidden Sand spies. they were here to gather intel on when Sakumo leaves the village; it seems Chiyo of the Sand is planning an ambush."
"Oh? Is that so?" Orochimaru mused. "Then why not leak the intel to Chiyo?"
He quickly caught himself. "Ah, I see. You're afraid Sakumo would just end up killing Chiyo too, handing him yet another massive victory on a silver platter?"
Conspiracies are born from an inability to win in a fair fight. Before Sakumo's White Light Chakra Sabre, any famous ninja could fall. Chiyo was an old puppet mistress; she was at a massive disadvantage against Sakumo's speed. Someone like her would only serve as a stepping stone for his growing legend.
Hiruzen noted, "The Daimyo of the Land of Wind, the Land of Rivers, and even our own Land of Fire were shocked when Sakumo killed Toge-Toge. Before facing Sakumo, Toge-Toge was a Sand ninja who gave three nations a headache, having assassinated several nobles. Thanks to that, Sakumo now has immense prestige with the Daimyo. Orochimaru, Jiraiya is unreliable, and Tsunade only cares for the Senju now. Only you can stand against Sakumo."
Orochimaru took one last look at the Scroll of Seals. "I don't care. If you need me to, I can compete for the title of Fourth Hokage."
With that, Orochimaru rose and left.
Danzo glared at Hiruzen. "Are you really going to help Orochimaru ascend to the Fourth's seat?"
"Danzo, being Hokage is not just an honor; it is a responsibility. Look at me—I'm not even fifty, yet I look sixty. You are not suited for the light, Danzo," Hiruzen said. "Have you read the records on the ANBU 'Bronze Fox'? You are like him—acting in extremes. You can never walk in the sun. You were too impulsive; why did you have to kill the Senju Special Jonin? Nearly killing Shinma was another blunder."
"Now they are retaliating. Tan Shimura and Yui Sarutobi have been taken. The problem is, we don't know if it was Tsunade, Sakumo, or the Uchiha. I have my doubts; while all three have become thorns in our side, none of them seem the type to carry this out."
Danzo thought bitterly: 'Now that something's gone wrong, you call it a blunder. All those times I succeeded, why didn't you call me 'extreme' then?'
Ignoring the lecture, Danzo asked, "Who do you think did it? Tsunade? The White Fang? Or the Uchiha?"