---Ryouma POV---
When I finished reading the not-so-thick medical record, I was a bit surprised. The public believed that Hashirama had died young due to the immense toll of fighting Madara, and honestly, I'd thought the same thing myself.
But the truth was different. While it did indeed take a life-or-death struggle for Hashirama to kill Madara, who possessed the power of the Nine-Tails, it wasn't to the point where they would both inevitably perish even if Hashirama won. What killed Hashirama was his own guilt-ridden heart.
After all, the first time Hashirama likely ever showed a murderous look was when Tobirama was about to kill Madara. I could easily imagine how deeply it hurt Hashirama to kill Madara with his own hands.
This was the price he paid for being the reincarnation of Asura. Otherwise, he might have awakened a Mangekyō Sharingan on the spot.
Thinking of this, I glanced at Hiruzen.
As the Hokage, he couldn't possibly die by suicide, that would be far too humiliating for Konoha. But if my guess was right, and Hiruzen's friendship with Danzō had truly reached that level, then even if he was forced to abandon his suicide attempt, he probably wouldn't feel peace in his heart for the rest of his life.
Mental torment was the most painful suffering.
After repeated persuasion from everyone and strong opposition from Minato, Hiruzen had no choice but to abandon the idea of dying to atone.
"I'm sorry."
After bowing deeply once more to the attending jōnin, Hiruzen dragged his hunched, aging body and left the meeting room early.
According to his own words, he would no longer be involved in any of Konoha's affairs, nor would he ever step outside the Sarutobi clan again.
I watched silently along with everyone else as the elderly man who had once taken over during Konoha's most turbulent times walked away. However, I suddenly noticed a contradiction.
Hadn't he just said he would personally deal with Orochimaru? Why did he leave, then? Had his heart softened?
But if his heart had softened, that was actually a good thing. In the current situation, it would make it even easier for me to get Orochimaru out, saving me the trouble of convincing that stubborn old man.
With that in mind, I raised my hand and said, "Since the Hokage has verified that Orochimaru voluntarily turned himself in and even provided leads, I think we can lighten his punishment. Maybe just two weeks of confinement should be enough."
Before Minato could speak, Hiashi immediately chimed in to support me.
"Ryouma makes a good point. While Orochimaru made some mistakes under Danzō's pressure, he is still one of the Sannin and has contributed greatly to ending the war. We shouldn't deny him the chance to redeem himself."
Tsunade slammed the table without hesitation. "Has anyone considered that maybe Orochimaru was actually acting undercover next to Danzō all along, just waiting for a chance to expose him?"
Upon hearing this, I hurriedly whispered to her, "That's too much, too much."
It was fine to show support for Orochimaru, but don't treat everyone else like fools.
Seeing our little exchange, Minato gave a helpless smile, then made the final decision. "Orochimaru's contributions to Konoha are undeniable, but his mistakes are also serious. So I've decided: he will be confined for three months, and unless he gets special approval, he is forbidden to leave the village for life. If anyone has objections, we can discuss further."
But what was there left to discuss? Everyone present quickly gave unanimous approval.
After all, going with one's heart was only human nature.
---
The two most important matters had been settled. Unlike Hiruzen, Minato didn't have the bad habit of using every meeting to vote on every little issue, so the meeting ended quickly. Everyone streamed out of the Hokage Building in an orderly fashion.
I, however, was specifically called out to stay behind and accompany Minato back to the Hokage's office to work overtime.
"Is there something you need from me specifically?" I stood in front of the desk, arms crossed, a hint of curiosity in my gaze.
Minato gave a gentle smile, walked around the desk and sat down slowly. Then, he pulled out a confidential Hokage decree scroll from the drawer, unrolled it on the desk, and began writing.
"Didn't you say earlier you were going to visit Orochimaru? Perfect timing, please deliver this punishment notice to him for me."
His tone was light, almost casual.
I clicked my tongue a few times. "You really know how to make use of people, Hokage-sama."
Minato laughed heartily. "Haha, once you become the Fifth Hokage, you can order me around too."
Although he said it jokingly, there was deep trust in his eyes.
I shrugged and replied helplessly, "That's still a long way off."
Minato didn't continue the topic. He quickly rolled up the scroll and handed it to me.
"I'm counting on you."
"Sure. Later."
I took the scroll, waved casually at Minato, and disappeared in a flash using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
---
Walking along the streets of the 9th district, I turned a few familiar corners and arrived at Orochimaru's residence.
As soon as I appeared at the entrance, two ANBU ninjas stationed nearby in secret immediately revealed themselves.
"We're sorry, Ryouma-sama. By order of the Hokage, no one is currently allowed to meet with Orochimaru-sama."
I was about to pull out the permit Minato had given me when my eyes inadvertently landed on the ANBU ninja who had just spoken, and I paused slightly.
Although he wore a mask, his build and voice felt oddly familiar to me.
"You…" I frowned, searching my memory. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
The ANBU was stunned for a moment, then responded with excitement in his voice: "Really? You still remember me? I'm Chitake, you saved my life back on the Suna battlefield."
My eyes lit up. "Ah, yes! Now I remember! So it was you." I smiled in satisfaction. "Impressive. You actually passed the ANBU selection."
Chihito laughed, full of gratitude. "Haha, it's all thanks to you saving me back then that I'm here today."
I patted his shoulder approvingly. "It was your own hard work that got you here."
Chihito nodded solemnly, eyes gleaming with determination. "I'll keep working hard."
I smiled slightly, feeling a warm sense of satisfaction. Then, quite naturally, I stepped forward, intending to enter Orochimaru's home.
"Um… Ryouma-sama…"
Chihito hesitated awkwardly, instinctively reaching out to stop me.
Seeing the conflicted look on his face, I suddenly remembered, I hadn't shown the permit yet.
Whoops.
I'd just made myself look like one of those overbearing, power-abusing types.
Hm... Was I always like that, or was that pirate affecting me somehow?
"Heh, just testing your alertness. Here, this is the permit theHokage gave me."
Chihito didn't suspect anything and, thinking he had passed the "test," carefully examined the permit before handing it back to me.
"Understood. Please take care."
---
Orochimaru's house was a typical single-family home in Konoha. It wasn't very large, around just over 200 square meters, and only had two floors.
Moreover, it was located in the 9th district, where the land wasn't particularly expensive. One could say it didn't match his status as one of the Sannin at all.
When I had come to his home before, I'd curiously asked about this. And his answer had been very much in line with his personality: all his mission earnings went into buying experimental materials.
While he could ask Danzō for funding through vague promises, money was something that never seemed to be enough.
Especially since Orochimaru always worked on multiple projects simultaneously, and because he didn't care much for material comforts, he simply continued living in this small house.
Opening the front door, I changed into slippers at the shoe cabinet by the entrance, then stepped into the living room and shouted, "Orochimaru! I'm here to see you, and I've got good news!"
After waiting a few seconds, there was no response.
I understood, it seemed he was once again in the basement, doing his research. Even though he was under house arrest, he still seemed to be in good spirits.
♪The light rising above the tower,
Thoughts boil and run high,
Dragon path to be protected,
Pierce with shining blade look at the sky♪
Humming a Rōran folk song that I hadn't paid royalties to Sāra for, I walked into a storage room on the first floor and pressed a hidden switch on the wall.
Click click click…
A high-tech metal panel, completely out of place in the shinobi world's aesthetic, slid open, revealing a staircase leading underground.
--- Third POV---
In the basement, Orochimaru was holding two test tubes in his hands, gently shaking them as he observed the reactions inside. Suddenly, he sensed a familiar chakra entering his awareness.
Putting down the test tubes, he looked toward Kura, who was lying on the experiment table, and gave him a smile that wasn't exactly reassuring.
"Hehe… Kura, your benefactor has arrived."
Kura looked confused and was about to ask something, but Orochimaru raised a hand to stop him. Turning around, his gaze landed on Ryouma, who had just walked into the lab.
"So it's you, and not Hiruzen. That means I don't have to flee the village and go rogue, yet." Orochimaru spoke calmly.
"In the past few weeks, the Third Hokage has probably been so provoked by the experiments you and Danzō have done that he nearly executed you himself, and then planned to take his own life in apology."
"He wouldn't do that, neither kill me with his own hands, nor commit seppuku," Orochimaru said indifferently, as if he had seen through everything.
"You really do see things clearly," Ryouma nodded slightly.
"Well, I have lived a bit longer, after all." Orochimaru gave a faint smile, a deep glint flashing in his eyes.
Ryouma tossed a classified Hokage document to Orochimaru. "Here. Your punishment decision."
While Orochimaru was reading through the document, Ryouma approached the experiment table at the center of the basement.
Only then did Kura understand what Orochimaru had meant by "benefactor."
Although Ryouma had merely used him as a test subject to demonstrate Yomi no Tsurugi, the fact remained that he had objectively saved Kura, who would've otherwise died from various inhumane experiments. So calling him a "benefactor" wasn't an exaggeration.
At the moment, Kura was tightly bound to the lab table, the restraints so tight that he could barely move. Yet when he saw Ryouma, he still tried his best to force out a smile.
"Ryouma-sama, long time no see."
"Oh? You still remember me," Ryouma's eyes swept over Kura's bound body. "Are you satisfied with your current body?"
Even immortals had their own set of troubles. If Kura felt that living like this was meaningless, Ryouma wouldn't mind offering a "free after-sales service" to help him find peace permanently.
"Satisfied. Of course I'm satisfied," Kura nodded quickly, his tone full of sincere gratitude.
Even though he was currently being treated by Orochimaru in a rather "BDSM-style" manner, this was only because a deactivation procedure was being performed on the White Zetsu cells in his body today. The restraints were just to prevent any involuntary physical reactions during the process.
Under normal circumstances, he was actually treated quite well by Orochimaru, he even received a decent salary. You could say he was the top-tier model prisoner of war.
On the other side of the basement, Orochimaru casually skimmed through the punishment notice, the corners of his mouth curving slightly in indifference. He then tossed the scroll into a drawer without a care.
"You must've sensed it already, the White Zetsu cells inside Kura."
"Mm, but their activity seems really low… almost down to a fraction of what they originally were," Ryouma nodded slightly, a trace of doubt in his tone.
"Exactly. That's what I'm currently researching," Orochimaru explained, a gleam of excitement flickering in his eyes.
"I've been using specially formulated poisons to periodically deactivate the White Zetsu cells implanted in the human body. This method not only increases the cells' stability but also allows the host body to gradually adapt to them."
He continued, "Over time, the host will no longer need the aid of poison. At that point, the experiment will be considered a success. I call this method Adaptation Therapy."
"And it's all thanks to you," Orochimaru added, with a subtle hint of appreciation in his voice.
"Me?" Ryouma looked a bit surprised.
"That's right," Orochimaru smiled faintly. "If it weren't for your help in bringing me such convenient test subjects, I wouldn't have been able to find the ideal poison formulations so quickly."
With a test subject like Kura, who could be reused indefinitely, Orochimaru's research progress had skyrocketed.
No matter how potent or toxic a substance was, it could be freely injected into Kura.
Plus, the extremely inert nature of the cells in his body prevented the toxins from dispersing too quickly, giving Orochimaru plenty of time to observe their effects on tissue after injection.
If a particular compound didn't work, he could immediately switch to another area and inject a different formulation. In a single day, he could test dozens of variations, an absurdly efficient process.
Faced with Orochimaru's intense gaze, Ryouma felt a little uncomfortable. He turned his head slightly and pretended to examine the experiment calendar hanging on the wall.
"Speaking of which… if we count the days, the date we scheduled for the surgery is coming up soon," Ryouma said slowly, his gaze still fixed on the calendar. "Are you confident about the White Zetsu cell transplant operation for Obito?"