The next day.
Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Orochimaru.
Lately, he'd been so busy clashing with Danzo that he seemed to have neglected this… less-than-obedient student.
While Orochimaru hadn't arrived yet, Hiruzen sat in his chair and carefully flipped through Orochimaru's regular reports.
The progress logs on the Wood Release experiments hadn't been updated for a long time.
"Orochimaru… what on earth are you thinking?"
Hiruzen put the report down, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
If Danzo hadn't reminded him, he might not even have noticed—
That Orochimaru had been hiding so much from him, even as his teacher.
Unbidden, images of Orochimaru from the past surfaced in Hiruzen's mind.
Back then, he'd been overflowing with curiosity.
He looked cold on the surface, but in truth his heart ran hot—he stayed positive, optimistic, always eager to understand the world.
But at some point…
Without even realizing it, Hiruzen's student had changed.
No longer optimistic.
No longer looking forward.
He had dug himself into a dead end, obsessing over immortality—a completely unreliable "research" direction.
But immortality…
Could it really be achieved?
Hiruzen shook his head.
Impossible.
He had already decided Orochimaru had gone down the wrong path.
As his teacher, he had to correct him.
Knock knock knock.
The crisp sound of knocking pulled Hiruzen back to reality.
"Come in."
Hiruzen opened his eyes and assumed the Hokage's dignity.
Orochimaru—wearing a white kimono—pushed the door open and walked in, his expression indifferent.
"Teacher. You called for me?"
Hiruzen drew a long breath and pointed at the report on the desk.
"I need an explanation, Orochimaru."
"An explanation for what?"
Orochimaru didn't even bother lifting his eyelids. His tone was icy—completely unconcerned.
"Orochimaru… at this point, do you still intend to deceive your teacher?"
Hiruzen wore an expression of heartbreak. He raised his hand and slapped the desk hard, scattering documents everywhere.
"Tell me—why did you hide the fact that the Wood Release test subject was already a success?"
Orochimaru fell silent for a moment.
His narrow snake-like pupils reflected the teacher he had once respected.
Ah…
Wrinkles filled his face.
His eye sockets were sunken.
Dark circles pooled beneath his eyes.
The man's vitality seemed worn away.
Not a trace remained of the former "Professor" who dominated the shinobi world.
Only age.
Weakness.
Pathetic, pitiful decline.
Oh—and he almost forgot.
This revered Hokage had long since been "bewitched" by Danzo.
Tch.
Just thinking about it made Orochimaru feel something was off.
If he had never seen that white-bone cathedral…
If he had never met that person…
Then maybe he would still believe Danzo turning into a woman was "just some ninjutsu."
But now?
That wasn't so certain anymore.
"Speak, Orochimaru!"
Perhaps whatever flickered through Orochimaru's eyes provoked him.
Hiruzen's temper flared for no reason. He rose and shouted,
"I am the Hokage. I'm asking you a question! Answer me!"
"Because I didn't think it was necessary."
Disappointment surfaced in Orochimaru's eyes—then vanished.
Facing the Hokage's interrogation, he replied calmly,
"Yes, he survived. But his Wood Release is nothing like the First Hokage's."
"A failure like that… I don't think it's worth reporting."
"Any other questions, Hokage-sama?"
That final "Hokage-sama" quietly widened the distance between them.
How could Hiruzen not hear what it meant?
His face darkened immediately, anger seeping into his voice.
"Orochimaru—whether it's identical to the First or not, he's the only surviving test subject."
"You must report the progress to me."
"Not let someone else be the one to tell me!"
"Someone else?"
Orochimaru frowned slightly, then guessed who it was and let out a cold laugh.
"So that's it… Danzo told you. No wonder. Heh."
"What are you implying, Orochimaru?"
Whether out of guilt or something else, Hiruzen unconsciously avoided Orochimaru's eyes.
"No. Nothing."
Orochimaru lifted his gaze slightly, shook his head, and said indifferently,
"If there's nothing else, I'll go back now, Hokage-sama."
Before Hiruzen could speak, Orochimaru turned and left.
At the doorway, he paused with his back still facing the furious Hokage and added lightly,
"Ah—almost forgot."
"That 'failed' Wood Release subject… I'll hand him over to you."
"After all, he's one of Konoha's 'important assets,' isn't he?"
He chuckled softly.
"Right?"
With that, he used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.
"Orochimaru…"
Stimulated again and again, Hiruzen sank back into his chair, his anger making him feel sick.
He truly couldn't understand why Orochimaru had become this way.
What had happened?
Was he wrong?
A storm of messy thoughts filled his head.
His blood pressure almost spiked.
Days of exhaustion had left him sincerely feeling powerless.
His energy wasn't what it used to be—whether in village affairs… or in dealing with Danzo.
"Looks like I really am old…"
Hiruzen leaned back weakly, pinching the bridge of his nose as he emptied his mind.
"I need to decide the next Hokage… as soon as possible."
Two figures flashed through his mind in turn.
"Namikaze Minato… Shimura Danzo…"
And then—
A third figure rose up for no reason at all, as if instinctively pulled from the depths.
Even Hiruzen felt surprised.
By all logic, that person should never have appeared in his considerations.
"No. No…"
"Anyone but him. Absolutely not!"
He shook his head hard, forcibly suppressing that "bold" thought.
"Uchiha Sogetsu… what a pity."
Even if Orochimaru became Hokage…
He could never allow the Uchiha to take power.
Once the Uchiha held political dominance, it would bring disaster to Konoha—
A belief and policy that had been upheld ever since the Second Hokage's era.
On the road, Orochimaru suddenly frowned.
Then he quickened his pace, turned into an alley, and entered a hidden passageway.
These hidden routes were rarely used, but they existed throughout Konoha—meant for evacuating civilians in emergencies and for ANBU operations.
In the empty, dark tunnel, Orochimaru stopped and spoke coldly.
"Come out. You've been following me for a long time."
Deep within those narrow snake eyes, a sharp, murderous gaze seemed to pierce the darkness itself.
After a long moment—
A black-robed figure slowly walked out.
He pulled back the hood, revealing short silver-white hair and an ordinary, middle-aged face.
"Long time no see, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru's gaze shifted slightly.
"…You. Hatake Sakumo."
So the one who had been tailing him was Hatake Sakumo—who had disappeared for a long time while carrying out a secret mission.
"Weren't you investigating something?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, looking mildly interested.
"Judging by your expression… did you find it?"
"I came back because of that."
Hatake Sakumo's face was expressionless, brow tightly knit as he said in a deep voice,
"I discovered a mysterious organization… that's secretly influencing the entire shinobi world."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and half-joked,
"The organization you're talking about… isn't us, is it?"
After all, to some extent, that mysterious 'Mr. Adam' really had been influencing history and the future from the shadows.
"No. Another one."
Hatake Sakumo's voice sank lower.
"Their name is…"
"Kara."
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