"Pata pata~" Inside the Hokage Office, the Third Hokage kept smoking, filling the entire office with smoke.
Minato Namikaze, on the other hand, continuously flipped through the documents delivered by the Anbu, wanting to confirm a few things.
After a long while, the Third Hokage suddenly said, "Minato, who do you think sent us the intelligence we received?"
"To be able to deliver intelligence silently right under our noses, it must only be Senior Danzo and the two Advisors, right?"
The Third Hokage fell silent upon hearing this. He knew the answer to this question without Minato having to say it; he just couldn't accept it immediately.
The friend he had always trusted would actually frame his own disciple—it was something no ordinary person could accept.
"Sandaime, how do you plan to handle Senior Orochimaru?" Minato Namikaze asked, changing the subject.
"Minato, you are the Hokage now. You should be the one making the decision on this matter."
Minato Namikaze was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Sandaime, Senior Orochimaru is your disciple after all, so your opinion is also very important."
"Logically speaking, researching first hokages cells and conducting human experiments using children are things the Village absolutely cannot tolerate. However, Orochimaru's research into first hokages cells was approved by Tsunade, the granddaughter of Shodai(1st)-sama.
As for the human experiments... Orochimaru did not cause too many casualties, only two children were harmed. I think we should try our best to minimize the impact of this incident and avoid escalating the matter."
Minato Namikaze was stunned. The Third Hokage immediately defined the nature of Orochimaru's research on first hokages cells, directly pinning the blame on Tsunade.
Tsunade is a direct descendant of Shodai(1st)-sama. Her request for Orochimaru to research first hokages cells transforms the matter from violating the Village's taboo into the Shodai's family affair.
Since it is a family affair, outsiders naturally cannot say much.
Moreover, given the relationship between Tsunade and Orochimaru, Tsunade would be willing to cover for Orochimaru.
In this way, the matter of Orochimaru researching first hokages cells would be considered resolved.
Next is the matter of human experimentation. Although human experimentation is a taboo in the Village, let alone experimenting on children, Orochimaru's experiment this time only resulted in two child casualties.
Imposing severe punishment on a Kage-level expert merely for two children is unthinkable.
The Third Hokage casually proposed a solution. Minato Namikaze felt somewhat ashamed after hearing it; in terms of political wisdom, he was far inferior to the Third Hokage.
If handled according to the Third Hokage's idea, Orochimaru could indeed be saved, but his status in the Village would definitely be affected, and he would likely need to go outside and lie low for a while.
After settling on the statement, Hiruzen Sarutobi left the Hokage Office.
Minato Namikaze watched Hiruzen Sarutobi leave and muttered to himself, "A disciple being forced away so vaguely—surely the teacher will make some moves, right?"
"Hokage-sama, do you want me to follow the Sandaime?" Kakashi, who was hidden in the shadows, appeared and asked.
"No need. We shouldn't interfere with what happens next. Our mission is to minimize the impact of Senior Orochimaru's human experiments.
Kakashi, do you know? After becoming Hokage, there are some things you have to compromise on. If it were the old me, no matter how many casualties Senior Orochimaru caused with his human experiments, I wouldn't let him off this easily."
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