However, Orochimaru only entertained the thought. He wouldn't actually defect.
After all, the one calling the shots in Konoha now was Jie Uchiha. Sure, Jie seemed easygoing and didn't sweat the small stuff, but treason? ...Orochimaru couldn't guarantee the young Hokage would be so lenient.
If Jie actually got serious, Orochimaru highly doubted he could escape the Uchiha's grasp—even with all his life-saving jutsu maxed out.
The Jonin meeting concluded smoothly, but over the next few days, a massive uproar swept through Konoha's major clans.
The threshold of Orochimaru's laboratory was practically trampled flat. A constant stream of old subordinates and friends came visiting.
They were all vying for a coveted seat on the newly formed Think Tank.
After all, this council held a fraction of the Hokage's true authority. They would still answer to Jie, yes, but it was undeniably a position of immense power.
For a time, Orochimaru was utterly miserable. He felt an inexplicable surge of envy toward Jiraiya.
'Did that idiot know Jie was going to pull something like this? Is that why he made himself scarce?' If he could do it all over again, Orochimaru swore he would have fled to the Ryuchi Cave.
Regardless of Orochimaru's internal gripes, the new arrangement made things a hundred times easier for Jie.
With the new system running—Orochimaru drafting proposals, and Tsunade and Shikaku reviewing them—Jie was no longer chained to the Hokage's desk.
He only had to drop by at a set time every day to check for documents that actually required his signature.
If there were any, he signed them. If not, he leisurely strolled out.
The contrast between his current freedom and his previous exhausting schedule was like night and day.
'Now this is the life a Hokage should live!' Jie thought with immense satisfaction.
Just a few days into the system's implementation, the village shinobi noticed a distinct change.
The processing time for official affairs had drastically plummeted. Konoha's administrative efficiency had skyrocketed.
No matter the situation or mission request, shinobi received the best possible response in the shortest amount of time. Overnight, the village's development sped forward by leaps and bounds.
While the villagers basked in the benefits of Jie's new policies, two highly anticipated delegations finally arrived in Konoha... Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
After a lengthy delay, the Cloud had finally elected Yugito Nii as their Fifth Raikage.
In Jie's memory, Darui was originally supposed to take up the mantle. However, Darui had suffered because of his youth—his personal strength just fell far short of Yugito's. Thus, in the strength-respecting culture of the Cloud, he ultimately lost the bid.
Although the current Yugito was essentially just a puppet for the Two-Tails, she remained the most powerful entity in Kumogakure. At least, while Killer B was still recovering.
Following his defeat, Darui had quietly disappeared from his village. His whereabouts were completely unknown.
But none of that concerned Jie. It made zero difference to him who sat in the Raikage's seat. If they displeased him, he could always just replace them again.
Mabui led the Cloud delegation, holding full authority to make decisions on behalf of Yugito. The Stone delegation, meanwhile, was led by Kitsuchi. Thankfully, the burly man didn't bring along any brainless troublemakers this time.
Seeing as they were two walking money bags, Jie found himself in a rare mood to personally receive both envoys.
This was the first time Kitsuchi and Mabui had laid eyes on Konoha's much-discussed Fifth Hokage. Looking at Jie's youthful—almost boyish—face, a complex wave of shock washed over them both.
This was Konoha's ten-year-old Hokage.
Under his command, the village had consecutively defeated two major powers while sustaining minimal losses.
Mabui's gaze was especially conflicted.
This was the very same boy who had erased Yugito Nii's consciousness, turning her into a complete vessel for the Two-Tails. He was the one who had severed Killer B's arm, leaving him with grave internal injuries he still hadn't recovered from. Even the Fourth Raikage had fallen by his hand.
It was no exaggeration to say that all the chaos currently plaguing Kumogakure originated from this seemingly innocent boy sitting right in front of them.
'Why couldn't such a peerless genius have been born in the Cloud?' Mabui sighed internally.
Konoha's abundant blessings were truly enviable. Their geniuses sprouted like weeds—cut one crop down, and another immediately grew in its place. It was an endless, terrifying cycle.
But Jie didn't waste any time. The village had already drafted compensation proposals for both delegations. After all, what was the point of establishing his brand-new system if not to slack off? Why should the Hokage personally handle matters his subordinates could easily resolve?
Thus, Jie cheerfully dumped the two delegations onto Tsunade and Orochimaru.
In the original timeline, Tsunade had stepped up to become the Fifth Hokage anyway. Under her leadership, the village had stabilized and prospered. She was more than capable of handling this.
As for Orochimaru, the man had single-handedly built his own hidden village from scratch after defecting. His leadership skills were easily on par with Tsunade's. More importantly, Orochimaru was ruthless. He could squeeze every last drop of profit from these rival villages.
There wasn't much left to discuss with Iwagakure. Back when the ceasefire was announced, Orochimaru had already laid out his terms, and Onoki had agreed.
The promised resources actually slightly exceeded expectations. Therefore, Tsunade was assigned to handle the Stone delegation; she just needed to finalize the paperwork.
The tough bone that was Kumogakure, however, was left for Orochimaru to chew on personally.
They met in the same conference room as before.
But this time, the atmosphere inside had subtly shifted.
"Lord Orochimaru, this is the compensation the Cloud can offer," Mabui said earnestly. She pulled a document from her file and offered it respectfully with both hands.
"The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning has slashed our military budget. We truly have no spare resources left. This is the absolute maximum our village can manage."
Orochimaru merely glanced at the proposed figures and sneered.
"This is the 'sincerity' the Cloud has to offer?" His voice was ice. "Perhaps it would be best if Konoha's army simply wiped out your village completely."
He finally looked up, his reptilian eyes devoid of any warmth. "We can collect the payment directly from the Lightning Daimyo instead. I imagine he wouldn't refuse the protection of a far more powerful hidden village."
Mabui knew this was just a pressure tactic to squeeze them dry, but her heart still clenched in panic.
It was the harsh truth. With the Fourth Raikage dead and Killer B crippled, Kumogakure's fighting force was decimated. Right now, the Fifth Raikage, Yugito Nii, was their only Kage-level powerhouse operating at peak condition.
Konoha was a terrifying contrast.
Setting aside their unfathomable young Hokage, the Sannin were three Kage-level titans in their prime. Then there was the Uchiha clan head, Fugaku. Not only did he boast Kage-level strength, but his Sharingan was the absolute bane of Tailed Beasts.
Looking strictly at top-tier combatants, the Cloud stood zero chance.
If Konoha was willing to pay the price, destroying the Cloud wasn't an empty threat. The problem was that the Cloud genuinely had nothing left to give! If they did, they wouldn't have tried to extort war reparations from Konoha in the first place.
Mabui gritted her teeth. Even if they had to tighten their belts for the next few years, she had to ensure her village survived.
"Then... Lord Orochimaru, what kind of compensation do you believe the Cloud should provide?"
Mabui closed her eyes, handing the initiative directly to the Sannin.
She made a silent resolution. As long as his demands weren't astronomically absurd, she would accept them. No matter the cost, the village had to endure.
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