But what about the results?
The Itachi incident cost Konoha the uncontrollable Uchiha clan.
The White Fang incident cost Konoha the White Fang, an uncontrollable candidate for Fourth Hokage.
The Wood Style replication incident led to the near-total annihilation of the Senju clan's able-bodied members, leaving them with no successors.
He pretended not to know, allowing Danzo to continue his Wood Style research.
He was just waiting for Danzo to achieve results so he could swoop in and reap the rewards.
Perhaps there were some oversights in his plans.
Maybe the White Fang incident was only meant to suppress him, but Sakumo ended up taking his own life.
The matter with the Senju clan led Tsunade to discover something was amiss, causing her to leave Konoha.
Danzo kidnapped a large number of infants and pinned the blame on Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, disdaining to explain himself, simply defected.
Danzo concealed the fact that there were survivors of his experiments.
But these were all minor issues, and they have since been resolved.
Politically, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the greatest beneficiary.
When it came to Konoha's ultimate weapon, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Hiruzen Sarutobi invested more effort than anywhere else.
He suppressed the truth that Naruto was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
Yet he deliberately leaked information to the ignorant villagers that Naruto was the container of the demon fox.
He ensured Naruto was isolated and despised from a young age, left hungry, cold, and utterly alone.
Then, in those moments of vulnerability, he would offer some trivial kindness, making Naruto weep with gratitude.
As the last scion of the Uzumaki clan and the son of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto received none of the inheritance his parents left behind.
Ordinary villagers might not have known who Naruto was, but what about Minato's former subordinates and friends?
Were they all dead?
Of course not. Hiruzen Sarutobi had forbidden every single one of them from contacting Naruto.
He needed to be the sole guiding light in Naruto's life.
He needed to brainwash Naruto with the Will of Fire, ensuring the boy grew into the exact tool he desired.
In the end, he both succeeded and failed.
He succeeded in that Naruto became a savior.
During a time when Konoha's new generation had yet to mature, Naruto became the village's greatest pillar of support, eventually even saving the entire ninja world.
He failed in that Orochimaru, no longer willing to watch him wallow in his wretched corruption, chose to kill him.
And no matter how many clansmen Hiruzen left behind, they could never compare to Naruto, the savior of the world.
Konoha did indeed continue, but not in the way Hiruzen Sarutobi had wanted.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was a classic clan supremacist, dedicating all his efforts to advancing the Sarutobi clan.
When Asuma Sarutobi was young, Hiruzen provided him with a wealth of resources for his training.
But Asuma chose to be a rebellious youth.
It was not until after the Third Hokage's death that Asuma truly began to mature.
Unfortunately, Asuma also met an untimely end not long after.
Konohamaru was still young and lacked guidance.
Not a single member of the Sarutobi clan ever stepped up to lead as Hiruzen had.
Otherwise, the fact that the Sarutobi clan had so many ninjas would never have been exposed during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
After Kawasaki whisked Orochimaru away, no one launched the Konoha Crush.
The Third Hokage's reputation among the common people was still considerable.
If he were to retire peacefully under these circumstances, he could have continued to hold onto some power, just as he had during the Fourth Hokage's tenure.
His old teammates were still the village elders, wielding significant authority.
Rather than letting the Third Hokage and these elders scheme from the shadows, it was better to tear off the Third's mask and get rid of all the corrupt elders who were in league with him.
This would force him to relinquish all power to Orochimaru.
Based on Kawasaki's understanding of Orochimaru, this approach would, at most, only strip these elders of their "face."
If it were left to Orochimaru, it likely wouldn't be something as simple as losing "face."
Although Orochimaru's expression had been grim when he left, he was completely composed upon returning to his laboratory. After all, this was what he and Kawasaki had planned.
He had not been back for long when Anko followed Karin into the room.
"Lord Orochimaru, I've brought Senior Anko," Karin said cheerfully.
Orochimaru turned and looked Anko up and down, taking in her overweight form.
Anko's eyes darted away, unable to meet his gaze.
She felt so fat, so unattractive.
"I see. Karin, you may leave. If the Third Hokage arrives, come and inform me."
"Understood, Lord Orochimaru!"
Karin skipped away happily.
Karin's Kagura Mind's Eye was incredibly useful to Orochimaru. With her on watch, there was no need for other guards.
"Anko, it seems you've made up your mind."
Orochimaru seemed unbothered by Anko's weight gain.
Seeing that Orochimaru did not look at her with disgust, Anko breathed a sigh of relief. "Master, I was too naive before."
Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction. "I happen to be in need of an assistant. You can help me from now on."
Anko's face lit up. "Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru walked toward an adjacent laboratory and beckoned to her. "First, I'll give you a physical examination."
"Let's see if the absence of the Cursed Seal is what's causing your weight gain."
Anko was confused for a second, then her expression turned to one of shock.
She hurried after him. "Master, did I gain weight because the Cursed Seal is gone?"
"Naturally," Orochimaru stated as if it were obvious. "The Cursed Seal requires energy to sustain itself. Otherwise, why do you think you could drink heavily, overeat, and consume so many sweets every day without gaining weight?"
Anko was so focused on the reason for her transformation that she completely missed how Orochimaru knew so much about her daily habits.
After she had gained weight, the anxiety over her figure and appearance had nearly crushed her.
She was desperate to return to her former self.
"Master, is there a way? I don't want to go on like this," Anko said, her face a mask of misery.
Orochimaru offered a faint smile. "Patience. Let's run a checkup first."
After a thorough examination, Orochimaru understood the situation perfectly.
Back when a fragment of his soul resided within Anko's Cursed Seal, it needed to draw nutrients from her body. The reason eating sweets alleviated the pain of the Cursed Seal was because the seal was actively absorbing her energy, and sweets provided a rich source.
Therefore, Anko's love for sweets and her habit of overeating were both driven by his soul fragment consuming her energy.
With a normal person's diet, she would have certainly gained weight.
Now that Orochimaru had withdrawn his soul fragment, that constant energy drain was gone. Naturally, Anko had put on weight.
"It is indeed because of the Cursed Seal," Orochimaru told Anko after the examination.
"The amount of energy you expend now is far less than before. If you continue to eat and drink as you have been, you will only get bigger."
Anko looked at him with a glimmer of hope. "So, Master, is there a solution?"
"This is a normal physiological response," Orochimaru said nonchalantly. "Just eat less and exercise more."
Anko looked both distressed and embarrassed. "Master, I'm already used to this lifestyle. It's too difficult for me to give up sweets."
A slight smirk formed on Orochimaru's lips.
"In that case, how about I reapply the Cursed Seal for you?"