Orochimaru's lips curled slightly into the faintest hint of a smile, though he said nothing. After a brief silence, Shiyu Uchiha clasped his hands in a traditional bow, then turned to leave.
As he turned away, a sudden instinct struck Shiyu Uchiha—he strongly suspected that Orochimaru had used this incident to test his teacher's stance, choosing instead to go with the flow and wait for developments.
Yet what Orochimaru hadn't anticipated was that Danzo Shimura quickly resorted to underhanded tactics, secretly spreading rumors about Orochimaru's human experiments in an attempt to tarnish his reputation. Even more disheartening for Orochimaru was the fact that his own mentor, Hiruzen Sarutobi, did not defend him but instead started watching him with suspicion. This betrayal deeply wounded Orochimaru.
At this point, Orochimaru felt only disappointment toward his teacher, not yet harboring any ulterior motives. Toward Danzo Shimura, however, he hesitated no longer—he wanted revenge, a way to vent his anger, so Orochimaru immediately launched a counterattack.
After a fierce struggle, Orochimaru skillfully manipulated public opinion, transforming the original rumors—once targeting only himself—into a new narrative implicating both himself and Danzo Shimura in the same experiments. At the same time, Shiyu Uchiha also seized the chance to further undermine Danzo, skillfully steering events without revealing his true hand.
In doing so, Shiyu Uchiha not only dragged Danzo Shimura into the scandal but also placed him in a highly disadvantageous position. His clever manipulation effectively shifted Danzo's focus away from the Uchiha clan, averting what could've been a serious threat.
Although Danzo had lost the initiative and temporarily fallen behind, he still enjoyed the silent approval of Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with covert support from Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. Therefore, although the Third Great Ninja War had ended, tensions beneath the surface in Konoha were growing stronger than ever.
A dramatic power struggle—between Orochimaru and Danzo, filled with open confrontations and secret battles—raged like two entangled giant serpents locked in fierce combat. However, the outcome of this intense conflict was unexpected, dashing both men's dreams of ever becoming Hokage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, a seasoned politician, may have lost some of his edge in external warfare with age, but his skills in internal politics had sharpened rapidly. Naturally, he would not miss such a golden opportunity.
At the moment when Orochimaru and Danzo Shimura had beaten each other to a standstill, he leapt forward, playing the role of the benevolent elder concerned only for Konoha's future. In one decisive move, Hiruzen Sarutobi swiftly removed Danzo Shimura from all his official posts, cutting off all of Danzo's political influence in Konoha and ending his chances of ever becoming Hokage for good.
Immediately after that, Hiruzen ordered the complete lockdown and sealing of Orochimaru's meticulously constructed laboratory, halting his research dead in its tracks. Naturally, such a maneuver by Hiruzen didn't go unnoticed by Orochimaru. Thus, Hiruzen himself extinguished the final spark of passion within Orochimaru's heart, marking the beginning of his transformation into a cold, ruthless figure determined to chase immortality by any means necessary.
At the same time, Hiruzen, under the guise of "securing a brighter future for Konoha," began promoting promising young shinobi. Minato Namikaze, who had recently married Kushina and was enjoying their blissful honeymoon, suddenly found himself thrust into the center of a brewing storm.
There were two main reasons for this. First, Minato himself was truly exceptional—immensely powerful, charismatic, and well-liked. Second, his background was clean and unblemished, making him easier to control.
When Minato discovered he had been elevated to the status of Hokage candidate, his heart was instantly stirred with immense surprise. Although he personally believed his chances of selection were slim, he had been preoccupied with marriage and spending time with his new wife, leaving him largely unaware of the political unrest brewing beneath Konoha's surface.
At the time, Minato still believed Orochimaru was destined to become the Fourth Hokage. Yet simply being allowed to participate in such a fierce competition was already enough to bring him great excitement, as it represented recognition of his past efforts.
Moreover, most importantly, for Minato at this moment, achieving his childhood dream of becoming Hokage was indeed significant. But at present, what held even greater importance in his heart was none other than Kushina, his new bride—the one who had walked with him down the aisle of marriage.
So even though Minato made no real effort himself, Sarutobi Hiruzen took the initiative for his own purposes. Over the coming weeks, drawing on decades of political maneuvering experience, the Third Hokage secretly employed a series of skillful political strategies while quietly conducting behind-the-scenes manipulations.
Furthermore, the venerable Third Hokage cleverly helped Minato establish a favorable relationship with the Daimyo. After careful planning and maneuvering, he ultimately succeeded in pushing Minato onto the prestigious seat of the Hokage.
This result caught everyone off guard—including Minato himself. Just the day before, the couple had assumed Minato's participation was merely going through the motions.
To comfort her husband, who might feel disappointed after failing to be selected, Kushina specially returned home early and decided to cook a lavish meal herself, hoping to ease the sadness Minato might feel after being rejected. After all, becoming Hokage was the dream they had both cherished together!
Had she known earlier that Minato actually stood a chance of being selected as Hokage, Kushina would certainly have accompanied him without hesitation to attend the ceremony. It should be noted that Kushina, a powerful Jonin and Jinchuriki, was fully entitled to attend the Jonin Council meetings.
To be honest, even Minato Namikaze himself felt that everything had happened too suddenly. Yet it was exactly this brilliant move by Hiruzen Sarutobi that plunged Orochimaru—who was already growing resentful—into total despair and hastened his descent into darkness.
From then on, Orochimaru's actions became increasingly radical. He threw himself headfirst into forbidden experiments, desperate to find a way to break free from the cycle of life, old age, illness, and death—no matter the cost. When he even started turning on his own people in the absence of test subjects, things had truly gone too far.
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