Bab 275: Chapter 275: Orochimaru's Strange Behavior
If Sakumo Hatake continued to gain merit and grow his reputation, with the Daimyo's support, he could very well become a candidate for the Fourth Hokage.
But Danzo wanted to become Hokage, which is why he opposed Sakumo.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, on the other hand, wasn't eager to retire just yet, nor was he willing to give up his power, which led him to temporarily side with Danzo.
After all, his intentions were good. If Sakumo held any grudges, he'd direct them at Danzo and not Sarutobi Hiruzen.
It was Danzo who opposed you, not me, Hiruzen thought to himself.
"Orochimaru, can I trust you with this?" Hiruzen asked.
"I'll take care of it," Orochimaru responded, not rejecting the cooperation with Danzo.
At this time, it seemed that Orochimaru still harbored some desire for the Hokage position.
Since Danzo had chosen him, Orochimaru simply stepped up.
With Orochimaru's agreement, the Third Hokage continued, "I'll have Jiraiya and Tsunade assist—"
"I'll stay in the village. Let Jiraiya go," Tsunade interrupted, standing up before the Third Hokage could finish.
She refused to leave the village.
Initially, Tsunade hadn't planned on refusing, but the moment Hiruzen began to speak, Takuya pinched her waist under the table.
Only then did she stand up in protest.
You brat, just wait. You have no idea what's coming. Doesn't anyone teach you not to pinch a woman's waist? And you did it with so much force!
Tsunade glared at Takuya, who responded with an innocent look.
"Alright then, Jiraiya it is," Hiruzen said, "And you'll need to select suitable members for the Jonin team. I'll have Shikaku Nara assist you."
Shikaku's father, Nara Shikashige, had already grown old and pushed his son into the limelight.
As a gesture of appreciation for his loyal subordinate, the Third Hokage wanted to give Shikaku Nara an opportunity to gain experience and recognition.
"Fine," Orochimaru replied, glancing at Shikaku standing quietly nearby. He didn't reject the suggestion.
He did indeed need someone to help handle some of the more tedious matters.
"Since the sea is the Mist ninjas' primary battlefield, I want the village to assemble a small, but highly capable, elite unit to be stationed along the border," Hiruzen continued.
"This unit will be composed of selected members from the different clans. I ask for everyone's cooperation."
The village needed to be well-prepared for a potential war before it actually began, and stationing people along the border to guard against sudden attacks was a part of that preparation.
This unit needed to be made up of elite forces and would be led by Orochimaru to the front lines.
Upon hearing the Hokage's request, representatives from each clan agreed to provide their full support.
After leaving the Hokage's office, Nawaki curiously asked, "Takuya, Minato, do you think we'll be sent to the front lines?"
"Who knows? That depends on what Lord Hokage and Orochimaru decide," Minato replied uncertainly.
Even though Jiraiya and Orochimaru were their mentors, there was no way to know until they were actually selected.
"Maybe," Takuya said.
He had no idea whether their squad would be chosen and sent to the front lines. However, during the meeting today, he noticed something—Orochimaru seemed to be striving for something.
This was unlike Orochimaru's usual demeanor.
Orochimaru had some desire for the position of Hokage, but he never actively fought for it.
In the original story, even when he found out that the Third Hokage had chosen Minato, he didn't say a word. He simply continued down his darker path.
But now, Orochimaru was trying to attain something—something he didn't care for in the original story. It was strange.
Could it be that Orochimaru decided to give it his all and fight for the position of the Fourth Hokage?
The thought amused Takuya.
Well, people change, after all. Perhaps Orochimaru had seen things differently now.
Although, to Orochimaru, becoming Hokage was probably still less interesting than his research.
"What do you mean, 'maybe'?" Nawaki asked, looking at Takuya walking ahead of him. "Minato, what do you think Takuya is trying to say?"
Is it what I think it is?
Minato also found Takuya's use of "maybe" a bit telling.
"I think he means that we may not be chosen," Minato replied.
"Why?" Nawaki was confused. "Our team is strong, especially Takuya. He's adept at Lightning Release—he'd definitely be able to suppress the enemy in battle. Why wouldn't they choose us?"
"Is it because of the Hokage?" Nawaki wondered aloud, naturally assuming that it was the Third Hokage opposing Takuya again.
After all, Hiruzen had a track record, and it wasn't a good one.
Should I explain? Minato hesitated. He wasn't as naïve as Nawaki.
From Takuya's seemingly ambiguous statement, he deduced a lot. The real issue wasn't with the Third Hokage—it was with Orochimaru.
"I think what Takuya meant was that Orochimaru may not choose us," Minato said.
"?????" Nawaki was even more bewildered.
Our teacher wouldn't choose us?
Now Nawaki was thoroughly confused.
He could understand if the Third Hokage didn't want to choose their squad, but Orochimaru? There was no animosity between him and Takuya. They had no bad blood.
"Why don't you go and ask him?" Minato said with a mischievous grin, trying to provoke Nawaki into confronting Orochimaru.
Nawaki stared at him. Do you think I'm stupid?
Is that something you can just ask?
Ignoring the two of them, Takuya walked off on his own to the hotpot restaurant's second floor. He poured himself some tea and waited.
After a while, the door to the private room opened, and Tsunade walked in, sitting in the chair across from Takuya.
"You were worried that if I went to the front lines, some people would start acting out in the village?" Tsunade asked.
She had initially planned to assist Orochimaru, but after Takuya's hint, she chose not to go.
Instead, she pushed Jiraiya to take on the role.
"Not just that someone might act out—I'm certain some will," Takuya replied.
What had started as a mere suspicion had turned into a certainty.
If Tsunade left, certain individuals would undoubtedly cause trouble.
Turning to look out the window, Tsunade frowned. Those old geezers.
She said, "I'll keep a close watch. They won't have a chance to take anything that doesn't belong to them. I'll personally inspect everything that leaves the logistics division."
Previously, Tsunade hadn't cared much.
But now that she held the position of Head of the Logistics Division, anyone who tried to get around her would find themselves out of luck. She wouldn't give them the opportunity.
"What about those two boys?" she asked, looking around, sensing for chakra. She couldn't find Nawaki or Minato anywhere. Turning back, she gave Takuya a questioning glance.
Takuya shrugged. "They're still discussing whether our squad will be chosen to go to the front lines."
"Oh," Tsunade said, amused.
Having been around Takuya long enough, she was one of the few who understood him well. Just from his tone, she could guess what he was thinking. She teased him:
"You think Orochimaru won't choose you?"
"Unless the situation becomes very intense, I doubt it," Takuya replied casually.
There was no need to hide it—after all, he wasn't badmouthing Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru made me think about a lot of things today," Takuya added.
"What about him seemed off?" Tsunade asked. She hadn't noticed anything. To her, Orochimaru seemed like the same old Orochimaru.
It's just that the aura around him—the one she disliked—was growing heavier.
If anything was off, only Orochimaru would know for sure. Perhaps Danzo knew something too.
Just as Takuya suspected, Orochimaru chose several members from the various clans, including some elite civilian ninjas.
But Takuya's team wasn't among those selected.
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Next Bonus: 1800 Power Stones ╰ (´꒳`) ╯
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 340+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. ಥ‿ಥ
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