"Damn it!"
Darui slammed his fist on the table, visibly agitated.
Mabui and Samui, among others, remained silent, understanding Darui's frustration.
The negotiations with the Hidden Leaf Village had been extremely difficult.
Nara Shikaku firmly held onto the four conditions, refusing to budge an inch.
After a month of talks, he finally brought up the captured Yugito Nii, Killer Bee, and the Fourth Raikage as leverage.
Though he didn't explicitly say it, everyone understood the implied threat.
"Are we really left with no choice but to accept the Hidden Leaf's terms?"
Tō asked after a long moment of contemplation.
"We must save Yugito, Killer Bee-sama, and the Lord Raikage," Mabui said slowly.
"Without them, our Hidden Cloud Village will be at the mercy of others."
Her implication was clear: refusing the terms would only lead to worse outcomes.
"But..." Darui hesitated.
He wanted to say that accepting all of the Hidden Leaf's conditions would be no different from being at their mercy.
"Don't forget, the Hidden Cloud has more enemies than just the Hidden Leaf," Mabui sighed.
The Hidden Cloud had always been aggressive in its actions—stealing people, secret techniques, and committing all sorts of misdeeds, earning the enmity of many villages.
Now, it was time to pay the price.
If they didn't accept the Hidden Leaf's terms, other villages would surely take advantage.
The only reason they hadn't acted yet was their fear of the Hidden Leaf.
They were waiting to see the outcome of these negotiations.
If the talks fell through, the Hidden Cloud would be carved up by multiple villages.
"Accepting these terms will make it difficult for the Hidden Cloud to develop for a long time," Samui said with a heavy expression.
"As long as we're alive, there's hope," Mabui said, her brow furrowed. "We have no better options right now."
"Perhaps Hanekawa can help us," Samui suddenly spoke up.
"Hanekawa? How could he possibly help us?" Darui snorted. "He's the one who captured Lord Raikage and the others!"
"You mean his identity as a spy?" Samui's eyes lit up. "If we can find the contact, Tsuchibashi, it might be useful."
"Hanekawa wouldn't leave such a glaring flaw for us to exploit," Mabui shook her head. "Tsuchibashi has likely already been dealt with. Finding him won't help."
"I was referring to the deal Hanekawa made with us before," Samui calmly analyzed. "He kept his identity as a Hidden Cloud spy for a reason. I'll go talk to him again."
"You?" Mabui frowned.
"My relationship with him isn't bad. We haven't fallen out," Samui paused. "This is our last resort. It's worth a try."
"..."
Mabui opened her mouth but eventually nodded.
They were out of options. Hanekawa was their only hope.
Samui subconsciously clenched her black skirt.
She was thinking of the punishment Hanekawa had inflicted on her that day, which was why she wanted to see him.
Samui was smart. She knew his attitude toward her was different.
Whether it was out of ulterior motives or something else, she was willing to pay the price to save the Hidden Cloud.
...
In the Forest of the Hidden Leaf.
Hanekawa stood in a clearing, forming hand seals.
Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!
His chakra was nearly depleted in an instant.
A faint sense of weakness washed over him.
Hanekawa wasn't surprised.
The Wood Release: Wood Human Technique was comparable to the Uchiha clan's Susanoo in both power and size.
The chakra consumption was immense, something most ninja couldn't handle.
In the original story, many ninja had transplanted Hashirama's cells, but none could use the Wood Human Technique.
The only one who could was Yamato.
He could only use it after being possessed by White Zetsu.
Under normal circumstances, aside from Hashirama himself, no one could use it.
Hanekawa stared intently at the ground.
Massive roots burst forth, shaking the earth as a colossal wooden golem slowly rose.
But unfortunately, it only made it halfway before collapsing due to insufficient chakra.
"It's really not easy to learn," Hanekawa muttered, sitting down to recover his chakra.
Time quickly passed, and it was now afternoon.
Hanekawa exhaled.
Though he hadn't mastered the Wood Human Technique, he had made progress.
Standing up, he thought for a moment before using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In the next second, he appeared at Orochimaru's doorstep.
Yakushi Kabuto had now settled into life at the Hidden Leaf Orphanage and had a good relationship with Yakushi Nonō.
Just yesterday, Hanekawa had run into them at the Hidden Leaf Hospital.
Yakushi Nonō told him she planned to send Kabuto to the ninja academy, as he was already seven years old.
Hanekawa didn't say much, but he decided to talk to Orochimaru, or rather, propose a collaboration.
"Hanekawa-senpai?!"
The door opened, and Mitarashi Anko looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Anko, long time no see," Hanekawa greeted.
As soon as he arrived at the door, he had already sensed the nearby snakes.
It was only natural that Anko had noticed him.
"How's life with Orochimaru?" Hanekawa asked as he stepped forward.
"It's great!" Anko said with a proud smile. "I can eat whatever I want, have plenty of pocket money, and learn all sorts of ninjutsu."
Hanekawa thought to himself, was this a case of a fool's luck?
Compared to future characters like Uchiha Sasuke, Anko's treatment was worlds apart.
"Is Orochimaru around? I need to talk to him," Hanekawa said as he entered the courtyard, immediately surrounded by snakes.
"Hanekawa-senpai is a guest. All of you, back off!" Anko shouted, hands on her hips.
The snakes understood her and quickly disappeared.
"I'll take you to sensei!" Anko said, bouncing into the living room.
Hanekawa couldn't help but smile.
Seeing someone so carefree under Orochimaru's care was truly a miracle.
If future members of Orochimaru's team knew about this, they'd be shocked.
"Huh? Sensei, why are you here?" Anko was surprised to see Orochimaru already in the living room.
She had planned to go to the underground lab but hadn't expected Orochimaru to be in the living room.
"The Hokage's advisor has come to visit. Naturally, I couldn't keep him waiting," Orochimaru said indifferently.
He looked up at Hanekawa, licking his lips.
If he weren't outmatched, he would have loved to study Hanekawa's body and Wood Release right then and there.
"Anko, you can leave now," Orochimaru said casually.
"Alright," Anko glanced at Hanekawa, then at Orochimaru, before reluctantly turning to leave.
She was curious about what they would discuss but didn't dare disobey Orochimaru's orders.
"I never thought I'd see a second Hokage advisor," Orochimaru mused, thinking of Shimura Danzō.
Now that Hanekawa had become the Hokage's advisor, Orochimaru found himself missing Danzō.
At least they hadn't been enemies.
Danzō had occasionally helped him with experiments.
But Hanekawa was different.
As Tsunade's student and a powerful ninja in his own right, he had no need to collaborate with Orochimaru.
"I'm here to discuss a collaboration," Hanekawa said bluntly.
"Collaboration?" Orochimaru was taken aback.
He had just been thinking there was no chance of them working together, only to be proven wrong.
"What could we possibly collaborate on?" Orochimaru asked, curious.
"Without power, how are your experiments going?" Hanekawa countered.
"Do you know what I'm researching?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, exuding a chilling aura.
"No," Hanekawa said casually. "I just know research requires a lot of resources—money and materials, for example."
"Are you saying you'll provide me with money and materials?" Orochimaru chuckled. "That's interesting. And what's the price?"
As Hanekawa had said, Orochimaru was indeed short on funds and materials.
Without power, he was left to fend for himself, unable to even take on missions to earn money due to his house arrest.
"Share your research findings," Hanekawa replied.
"Do you think that's possible?" Orochimaru's expression darkened.
His research, if made public, would instantly brand him a rogue ninja.
Especially research like the Immortality Technique—there was no way he'd share that.
"Orochimaru, you misunderstand," Hanekawa shook his head. "I only want research that benefits the Hidden Leaf."
He had no interest in the Immortality Technique. He had no desire to swap bodies.
"Benefits the Hidden Leaf?" Orochimaru sneered. "That sounds familiar."
He remembered Danzō often saying everything was for the Hidden Leaf, but it was all lies.
"For example, your expertise in human body techniques could be used in the Hidden Leaf Hospital to save more ninja," Hanekawa said, knowing what Orochimaru was thinking, but he was sincere.
The reason was simple.
Orochimaru's research held little value for him.
With his own system, Hanekawa could become the strongest ninja in the world through steady progress. There was no need for shortcuts.
Orochimaru was momentarily stunned.
Was this high-minded talk genuine?
But then he remembered Hanekawa was Tsunade's student and found it somewhat believable.
This was exactly the kind of thing Tsunade would do.
"I'll decide what research to share," Orochimaru said after some thought.
"Fine," Hanekawa added, "but it must match the value of the money and materials I provide."
"Agreed," Orochimaru nodded slightly.
In his current situation, there was no need for tricks.
As long as he didn't defect, he wouldn't easily antagonize an ally like Hanekawa.
"One more thing," Hanekawa said directly. "I want you to take on another student."
"I'm not in the mood to take on students," Orochimaru refused.
"His name is Yakushi Kabuto, a war orphan adopted by Yakushi Nonō. He has exceptional talent as a medical ninja and a researcher," Hanekawa continued.
"How do you know he has research talent?" Orochimaru's eyes flickered.
Truth be told, he had long wanted an experimental assistant but hadn't found the right candidate.
However, he was wary of a student recommended by Hanekawa.
"He's very interested in research and experiments," Hanekawa paused. "And he's only seven."
Seven?
Orochimaru fell into thought.
The younger the student, the more malleable they were.
Even if Hanekawa had ulterior motives, Orochimaru was confident he could make Kabuto loyal to him.
"A ninja team usually has four members. I can send you another student, one you'll be satisfied with," Hanekawa added, struck by a sudden idea.
"Who?" Orochimaru asked with interest.
A student he'd be satisfied with? Did such a student exist in the Hidden Leaf?
"Uchiha Itachi," Hanekawa said slowly.
"Uchiha Fugaku's son? The Uchiha clan's genius?" Orochimaru's eyes lit up.
He had always been interested in the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And Uchiha Itachi, like Uchiha Shisui, undoubtedly had the potential to awaken it.
Hanekawa's idea stemmed from thinking about Uchiha Shin.
Orochimaru had experimented on Shin and somehow created a Mangekyō Sharingan.
Now, due to Hanekawa's butterfly effect, Itachi might not awaken his Mangekyō as he had in the original story. It was better to hand him over to Orochimaru.
Of course, the most important factor was strength.
Hanekawa had the power to control them.
Whether it was Orochimaru or Itachi, they wouldn't be able to cause trouble under his watch.
Especially since Hanekawa's strength was growing rapidly.
If Orochimaru was smart, he'd stay in the Hidden Leaf and focus on his experiments.
If not, Hanekawa would have to resort to more forceful measures.
"Yes, him," Hanekawa nodded.
As for whether Uchiha Fugaku would agree, he would.
Despite Orochimaru's past schemes, he was still one of the Legendary Sannin.
Having him as a teacher would benefit the Uchiha clan and further their path to the Hokage position.
"I accept," Orochimaru said, licking his lips with excitement.
"Do you know what this is?" Hanekawa took out a Flying Thunder God kunai.
"You've mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
He suddenly remembered the snakes' earlier report—Hanekawa had appeared out of nowhere at his doorstep.
That matched the Flying Thunder God's characteristics.
"Yes," Hanekawa smiled. "I'll place Flying Thunder God seals on both Kabuto and Itachi."
This was a clear threat.
Orochimaru stared at him, helpless.
With the Flying Thunder God seals, he wouldn't dare harm Kabuto or Itachi.
And it didn't stop there.
Attempting to move against Hanekawa was now out of the question.
Even defecting from the village would be a challenge.
How had this guy learned such an overpowered technique?
Damn it!
For the first time, Orochimaru felt truly cornered.
"Then, let's cooperate happily," Hanekawa tossed the kunai to Orochimaru. "This Flying Thunder God kunai is a gift."
"..."
Orochimaru's lips twitched.
Was he being this blatant?
"Kabuto and Itachi will come by tomorrow," Hanekawa said with a light laugh before disappearing.
"So it really is the Flying Thunder God," Orochimaru frowned.
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