Speaking of which, Ye Chen was startled when the fifth question appeared in the system.
For a question like this, even a transmigrator like him, who had watched the entire naruto series and read countless fanfictions in his previous life, didn't know what the correct answer was.
Although based on his own judgment, he leaned towards answer D.
But it was just a guess; he wouldn't dare choose it if he were the one picking.
He didn't expect that Nara Shikaku's analysis would actually sound quite plausible.
Could it be said that he truly lived up to being Konoha's intellectual pillar?
Speaking of the fifth question issued by the system, it was truly complicated.
But the reason for the complexity wasn't the question itself, but Orochimaru.
In naruto, Orochimaru was originally a very special and eccentric character.
Even among readers who finished the entire naruto manga, many saw the finale and still couldn't say for sure whether Orochimaru was a good person or a bad person.
Therefore, in subsequent fanfiction creations, Orochimaru's positioning was always elusive.
In settings where he was a good person, he basically served as a teacher or Jonin leader for a Commoner Ninja protagonist.
Then the protagonist would fleece him for resources while he served as a tool for scientific research.
There were many such books, but in the overall proportion of fanfiction, they were still relatively few.
There were also settings where he was a villain; in these fanfics, the protagonist basically stood on Konoha's side.
And most of them were relatively early fanfictions.
Among them, many high-quality works appeared that were written very well.
Unfortunately, they were slapped in the face by Masashi Kishimoto with Plot-driven deaths.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, when Orochimaru stood back on Konoha's side, these fanfictions were declared swept into the dustbin of history.
The last category tended to set Orochimaru as a pure scientific researcher, with no distinction between good and evil, occupying a grey area.
His use was mostly to provide convenience to the protagonist.
For example, letting the protagonist use information and data from their previous life to trade with him, advancing the plot and such.
There are still quite a few of these now.
Ultimately, the character of Orochimaru himself carries a bizarre color.
Whether it's his way of thinking, which differs from the natives of the entire Ninja World.
Or his Ninjutsu abilities, which are full of disgusting sliminess.
Or his behavior of liking to kidnap young boys with tragic backgrounds.
"But I still can't like this guy; long tongues and stuff are just too gross."
Ye Chen secretly complained in his heart, gathered his thoughts, and prepared to wait for everyone's answer.
As Nara Shikaku finished his analysis, everyone present was also a bit stunned.
"Although I don't understand, I am greatly shocked.jpg."
"Shikaku, your analysis is too strange; is Orochimaru's mind really that complex?"
"On one hand, he wants to take revenge on the Previous Hokage, and on the other hand, he wants to prove himself to the Previous Hokage."
"I find it a bit hard to understand."
Minato Namikaze frowned, expressing his inability to understand.
"Yeah, who would kill their own teacher just to prove themselves."
Kakashi Hatake couldn't help but interject.
He hadn't spoken for many chapters.
Since joining the Anbu, Kakashi Hatake's personality seemed to have become even colder.
He had completely blended into the Anbu atmosphere.
Except for showing emotional fluctuations in front of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
In front of others, he was completely like a professional Anbu tool.
This transformation made Minato Namikaze somewhat regret sending him into the Anbu.
After all, when Kakashi Hatake first followed him onto the battlefield, he had this lack of emotion.
Later, he gradually got better.
But it seemed he was now turning back to his old ways, which gave Minato Namikaze a headache.
"You two are still very young and don't understand the complexity of human nature."
"I, however, understand it a bit better; Orochimaru is just that kind of person."
Homura Mitokado spoke.
In his impression, Orochimaru was such a neurotic-looking fellow.
Homura Mitokado felt that doing something that seemed like schizophrenia was completely in line with Orochimaru's personality.
"Hmph! That guy Orochimaru was like that back then, not caring about human life at all."
"In his eyes, Hiruzen's life is not as important as proving himself; that's a very normal thing."
Utatane Koharu snorted coldly and also gave her judgment.
"Elder Koharu! Orochimaru isn't as contemptible as you say, is he?"
Jiraiya retorted.
"Whether he's that kind of person, you know better than I do!"
Utatane Koharu shot back.
Jiraiya fell silent.
Yes, Orochimaru had shown this tendency long ago.
Disregarding life, using the lives of his fellow villagers as tools.
When he served as a frontline commander, such things happened many times.
Jiraiya was often pained by Orochimaru's behavior and would argue with him.
But in the end, it always came to nothing, unable to change Orochimaru's style of doing things.
"What Orochimaru wants to prove is probably what he has always insisted on."
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally looked up and said a word.
The Old Monkey puffed on his pipe, his voice a bit low:
"From a very early time, Orochimaru showed a way of thinking different from his peers."
"At that time, I felt this kind of thinking was very dangerous and stopped him many times."
"On the surface, he took my advice to heart, and such things never happened again."
"But in reality, it never stopped."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind once again pictured that day when he broke into Orochimaru's laboratory.
The indifferent expression on Orochimaru's face.
"You're here, Sarutobi-sensei."
An attitude like greeting a guest who came to the door stung Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart.
"Until that day, I discovered his base."
"Only then did I know that all these years, Orochimaru had never given up on that area of research."
"It was my negligence."
Everyone present had more or less heard of this matter, knowing that Orochimaru defected from the Village because he conducted unethical human experiments, using fellow villagers as experimental subjects, and was struck by Hiruzen Sarutobi, eventually fleeing.
But they didn't expect that Orochimaru had such ideas from a very early stage.
"So, what exactly is it that Orochimaru wants to prove to you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi kept mentioning "that thing" and "a way of thinking different from ordinary people."
He just wouldn't say specifically what it was, leaving Jiraiya stunned and unable to help but ask.
He was originally waiting for someone else to ask, but seeing everyone else look like they understood, he realized he was the only one who didn't.
"It is crossing the boundary between life and death."
"It is the obsession with eternal life."
Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a cloud of smoke and said with a complex expression.
Crossing life and death?
Eternal life?
The Hokage Office became silent because of these two terms.
After a while, Jiraiya's voice rang out again:
"So, what exactly does it mean?"
Full collection Avilable at low subscription patreon (Obito_uchiha)