Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sound of applause startled Kakuzu. Someone had gotten this close without him sensing them?
Kakuzu leaped to the side, the Grudge Fear threads of his Lightning Style mask already sweeping behind him with a blast of False Darkness. But there was only the roar of lightning, not the sound of an enemy being struck.
Kakuzu turned his head.
Behind him stood a man in a black robe, half of his face a mass of wrinkles, clapping with a deadpan expression.
"Kakuzu. How interesting to find you here."
Obito hadn't expected this. He had just recovered and was about to gather some intelligence when, upon exiting his Kamui dimension, he witnessed Kakuzu in the middle of harvesting a heart.
Kakuzu still didn't understand why his jutsu had failed. But when he saw the man's face and his single eye, a powerful dojutsu flared within it. Kakuzu's eyes rolled back into his head as a bounty poster flashed through his mind.
Three hundred million...
Then he collapsed to the ground.
...
The Third Hokage had just arrived at Orochimaru's territory.
Karin immediately sensed his presence with her Mind's Eye of the Kagura and reported it to Orochimaru. At that moment, Orochimaru had just completed Kakashi's surgery. Upon hearing the news, he showed no particular interest in meeting with the Hokage. Instead, he turned to Kakashi with instructions.
"This cloned eye has just been created. It's still very fragile."
"It will need some time to adapt, about half a month to a month."
"During this period, do not overuse your eye."
Kakashi could finally see with both eyes again. Unlike the transplanted Sharingan of the past, this was his own eye, and it felt perfectly natural. He no longer needed to cover it every day, nor did he have to worry about his chakra reserves being drained. After Orochimaru's previous guidance, combined with the goodwill from the eye cloning, Kakashi now felt a greater sense of closeness to him.
The matter of the Reanimation Jutsu was still on Kakashi's mind, but having just heard from Karin that the Third Hokage was about to arrive, he decided he would have to visit Lord Orochimaru another day.
With his new eye wrapped in gauze, Kakashi stepped out of the room, coming face-to-face with the Hokage who was just entering.
"Lord Hokage."
Kakashi froze for a moment before offering a greeting, an inscrutable emotion flickering in his visible eye.
"Is Orochimaru inside?"
The Third Hokage had no time to spare for Kakashi. After receiving an affirmative answer, he strode into the inner chamber. Kakashi glanced back once before departing.
Orochimaru was tidying up his instruments. For him, replacing Kakashi's eye was a minor procedure. He was more interested in observing the state of the cloned eyeball after its reintroduction to a body. Kakashi's operation had been delayed primarily because Orochimaru was being meticulous in collecting data.
In another laboratory, Fugaku's cloned eye was currently being cultivated, while Itachi's Sharingan was in the process of fusing into an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. The data from Kakashi's case was deemed sufficient, so Orochimaru had gone ahead with the replacement.
"Orochimaru."
The Third Hokage entered, having left his ANBU guards behind.
"What are you doing here, old man?" Orochimaru asked without looking up.
Seeing Orochimaru's composure, the Third Hokage let out a slow breath.
"The Uchiha have made their move."
At these words, Orochimaru finally raised his head. "What did Kawasaki do?"
The Third Hokage recounted the Uchiha clan's strategy of distributing wealth.
"The Uchiha have also successfully won over the Hyuga clan."
"And all sorts of rumors have started to circulate throughout the village."
The rumors spread by the Hyuga were particularly subtle, merely designed to start conversations among the villagers and guide them toward stating certain facts. Facts like how the Third Hokage had held power for too long and refused to let go. Or how he had allowed Danzo's evil to fester, causing Konoha immense losses. And how, even after Danzo was captured, he was held in solitary confinement only to conveniently escape.
Everyone knew the Hokage had the ANBU at his command. Speaking recklessly could lead to arrest. But the people were only discussing facts. You couldn't arrest the entire village for telling the truth.
Orochimaru chuckled. "You're in trouble, old man. This is an overt scheme from the Uchiha."
Kawasaki had only told Orochimaru that he was preparing to mend relations with the major ninja clans. He hadn't specified the methods, and Orochimaru hadn't paid it much mind at the time. Only now, hearing the Third Hokage's report, did Orochimaru realize how direct Kawasaki's approach was.
First, he allied with the Hyuga to spread factual but damaging truths about the Third Hokage. Then, he used money to directly win over the other clans. And there was little the Third Hokage could do to counter it.
Seeing Orochimaru's attitude, the Third Hokage's mind raced. He tried a different angle. "Are you just going to let the Uchiha win over the people like this? Their intentions are clearly malicious."
The Uchiha's actions were all part of an overt scheme, one the Third Hokage saw through instantly. But the power of such a scheme lay in the inability to counter it with subtlety. It had to be met head-on. And it was clear the Third Hokage wanted to place his bet on Orochimaru.
But Orochimaru simply shook his head. "Fugaku and Itachi still depend on me to clone their eyes. They are the ones who need me."
The Third Hokage sighed in frustration at Orochimaru's apparent lack of interest.
After having put the Uchiha in their place, Orochimaru's animosity toward them had lessened considerably. After all, the Uchiha had suffered a silent loss, and in their future profit-sharing, Orochimaru could continue to take advantage of them. Now, Orochimaru had ample funding and his own territory. He spent his days in the laboratory conducting experiments, unconcerned with anything else.
Since Orochimaru's return, the Third Hokage had been observing him for a long time. The results of his observations were mixed. On the bright side, Orochimaru's strategic mind was a match for Kawasaki's. The downside was that Orochimaru had absolutely no interest in power. His obsession with his experiments was even greater than before. In the past, he would at least undertake missions, which attracted a group of people who willingly followed him. Orochimaru had once had a group of loyal followers.
Now, he had no interest in missions whatsoever. He was surrounded by only a handful of people—a personal bodyguard and a few young assistants.
Because of this, the Third Hokage had never, until this day, asked Orochimaru if he was interested in becoming Hokage.
Today, however, a realization struck him.
Even if Orochimaru had no intention of taking the Hokage's seat, he could still be pushed to the forefront, with the true power remaining in his own hands. Just as he had done when he installed the Fourth Hokage.
"Orochimaru, I am considering passing the position of Hokage to you," the Third Hokage said in a grave tone.
Orochimaru was stunned. "Old man, have you lost your mind?"
But the Third Hokage's expression was deadly serious, with no hint of a joke.
Orochimaru's brow slowly furrowed, and he let out a soft scoff. "Didn't you think Minato was more suitable than me back then? Why the sudden change of heart about me becoming Hokage?" he said with clear dissatisfaction.
The Third Hokage sighed inwardly. Orochimaru clearly still held a grudge over being passed over. Orochimaru was a man of immense pride. He could refuse the position, but you could not refuse to offer it. Perhaps he hadn't desperately wanted to be Hokage back then, but the Third Hokage's actions had deeply displeased him.
Though old, the Third Hokage was shrewd and would not let his pride get in the way at a moment like this. He spoke directly. "I was wrong back then. Only now do I understand that you are the most suitable candidate for Hokage."
Seeing Orochimaru's expression soften slightly, the Third Hokage pressed his advantage. "Think about it. If you become Hokage, you'll gain access to all sorts of secret jutsu scrolls, and it will be much easier to acquire precious experimental materials."
At that, a flicker of genuine interest appeared in Orochimaru's eyes.