Inside the Hokage's office, Konoha's "F4" were all gathered.
The anxious, hair-trigger atmosphere from when the Cloud tried to invade Konoha—and got crushed—was gone now. But there wasn't any victory celebration either. If anything, the room felt heavy… muted.
"Quite the feat Orochimaru's pulled off, Sarutobi," Shimura Danzō said, sitting there as steady as an old stone Buddha. His voice was calm, but his expression carried something hard to read. "You've already decided the Fourth Hokage candidate, haven't you?"
Hiruzen's fingers tightened slightly around his pipe. His eyelids drooped.
"Orochimaru's temperament… isn't suited for Hokage," the Third said slowly. "I need to think it over."
Danzō gave a thin, cold laugh.
"But with the merits he's stacked up now, do any of the other candidates even have a chance to compete with him?" he asked blandly. "If you won't appoint him, then who are you planning to choose?"
He leaned forward just a touch.
"Hiruzen… do you even have a choice?!"
Hiruzen's face stayed controlled, but the veins stood out on the hand gripping his pipe—betraying what he really felt.
As for Koharu and Homura… neither of them had the weight to "advise" Orochimaru in any meaningful sense. The only reason they sat in those adviser seats at all was because of their relationship with Hiruzen. Otherwise, they'd have been nothing more than ordinary jōnin.
Danzō, for all his rot, had always been good at aiming a knife at the darkest part of human nature. And because Hiruzen and Danzō had been tied together for so long, Danzō knew exactly where Hiruzen's soft underbelly was.
"Has nothing to do with me"?
So that means I'll never be Hokage in this lifetime?!
Hiruzen… what exactly am I to you? A rag you use and throw away when you're done?!
While the two old classmates stabbed at each other with words, the other two members of Konoha's "F4" exchanged a glance—then one of them spoke up.
"Enough," Koharu said, trying to sound reasonable. "Hiruzen, Danzō is thinking about Konoha's future too. If we don't do something, Orochimaru becomes the only viable choice for Fourth Hokage."
Koharu's eyes brightened with something like expectation as she looked toward Danzō. Danzō's face remained flat, but he gave a slight nod.
Neither Koharu nor Homura wanted Orochimaru as Hokage. With Orochimaru's personality, once he sat in that chair… there would be no need for "advisers" at all.
Uchiha Feiyu's strength didn't even need to be discussed. Just the fact that he'd severely injured the Fourth Raikage—and cut down the Third Raikage—was enough to make Konoha's upper levels feel a chill in their bones.
And that single line—do you even have a choice—was like poison in Hiruzen's ear. A man who'd sat at the top for his entire life couldn't stand being forced, cornered… or reminded he might lose control.
Power tasted too sweet. Neither Koharu nor Homura wanted to let go. Which meant they were firmly against Orochimaru becoming Hokage.
Hiruzen's voice turned thoughtful—dangerously so.
"What if… we let Orochimaru 'research' the Uchiha's Sharingan?" he said. "If he's doing human experiments, we can catch him for it. And we can drive a wedge between him and his disciple."
Orochimaru was exactly that kind of young man—strong-willed, certain of his own path, and fundamentally incompatible with Hiruzen's so-called Will of Fire.
It was the kind of difference that made Hiruzen uneasy… and made him reluctant to hand over the Hokage's hat.
A powerful shinobi who was also an Uchiha—and Orochimaru's disciple—was another reason Konoha's leadership couldn't stomach Orochimaru as Fourth.
The moment those words left Hiruzen's mouth, Danzō's smile froze for a heartbeat.
Inside, he howled.
Yet the older Orochimaru grew—brilliant, arrogant, and unwilling to bow— the more Hiruzen guarded against him.
Hiruzen had been Hokage for thirty years. He had never been in a position where he "had no choice."
He tapped ash from his pipe and stared at Danzō, voice cold.
"If you have something to say, then say it," he snapped. "I don't believe you came here just to talk like this. Whoever becomes Fourth Hokage… seems like it has nothing to do with you."
Stubborn old men always instinctively rejected young people who were forceful—and who didn't agree with them.
Advisers? Advise my ass. I only need you to obey. I don't need you running your mouth.
In temperament, Orochimaru really did resemble the Second Hokage in more ways than one. And everyone knew: among Konoha's Hokage, only Tobirama had been the type to make absolute decisions without needing "brain trust" support.
Hiruzen frowned. Compared to Danzō's black heart and his two useless "wine-sack" classmates, Hiruzen was still the smoother one—still the one who, at least on the surface, cared more about Konoha as a whole.
Danzō gave a small snort.
"Some time ago—back when he was still at the front—Orochimaru suddenly took interest in the Uchiha's Sharingan…" he said.
"Probably because of that disciple of his. I've heard the brat already has the three-tomoe Sharingan now, and his strength is terrifying."
Hiruzen's expression changed.
"No," he said flatly. "It's wartime. Konoha needs stability. If you do this, you'll force Orochimaru and Uchiha Feiyu into rebellion."
"Then we wait until after the war," Danzō replied without missing a beat. "Konoha already has the upper hand. At most, one or two more years and this great war ends."
"And I'm not going to force them into open rebellion," he continued. "At most, I ruin Orochimaru's reputation… and split the master and disciple apart. If the two of them stand opposed, they become easier to control."
Hiruzen's face eased slightly. He nodded—slowly.
Danzō lowered his head a fraction. A cold glint flashed through his eyes.
He didn't want to stab Orochimaru in the back only because he feared Orochimaru taking the Hokage seat.
More than anything…
…it was to control that Uchiha brat.
Uchiha Feiyu's strength had been a shock even to Danzō. He hadn't expected an Uchiha who was only fifteen to be this monstrous—without even awakening the Mangekyō.
And in theory, Feiyu had entered Root alongside Orochimaru. That alone tempted Danzō with the idea that Feiyu could be "owned."
Even if Feiyu was slippery, selfish, and hard to leash—someone who would bite back brutally if pushed too far…
Danzō still believed that if he could seize control of Feiyu, his plan to become Hokage was already half complete.
"He's only fifteen or sixteen," Danzō thought. "In a few years, who's to say he won't become the next Uchiha Madara?"
"If I can control a 'god of shinobi'… a 'Shinobi Asura'-class monster… then becoming Hokage is nothing. Even making Konoha unify the entire world would be effortless."
Both Danzō and the Third had their own thoughts.
But for now, neither planned to move against Orochimaru openly.
So when Uchiha Feiyu returned to Konoha, he found nothing had changed. Even the tense wartime mood had faded a great deal thanks to the recent victory.
Feiyu himself wasn't interested in stirring trouble either. He still hadn't fully digested everything he'd gained. So he went right back to shutting himself away and training.
Magnet Release and Storm Release.
A genjutsu that controlled all five senses.
Fusing the Lightning Release Chakra Mode of two Raikage with White Fang Kenjutsu.
Studying that cultivation technique—the Hehuan Codex.
Digging deeper into his atavistic bloodline potential.
Proliferating and absorbing Hashirama Cells…
Feiyu wished he could split a single day into two. In the short term, he had no time—or patience—to "make waves."
What surprised him, though, was that Danzō's attitude toward him had changed.
It used to be purely business.
Now there was unmistakable courting—subtle attempts to pull him closer.
Sometimes the old bastard would show up and "talk heart-to-heart." And some Root techniques that had once been strictly sealed were now opened to him: as long as he completed enough missions, he could obtain them.
At the same time, Feiyu noticed something else.
The missions Root assigned him gradually shifted from "half external, half internal" to "at least seventy percent internal."
Meaning: targeting Konoha's own people.
Especially when Root went after so-called "Konoha traitors"—they didn't gather evidence first. If they merely suspected someone, they could strike immediately.
The wrongful cases, the frame-ups, the abuse of authority… there were far too many.
"Is Danzō trying to recruit me as his own?" Feiyu thought, expression strange. "Did he knock his head somewhere?"
That was his only evaluation.
Candy coating? Eat it.
The shell? Fire it back.
Playing along with a snake like Danzō didn't require anyone to teach him. He'd been around long enough.
In Feiyu's relentless training, nearly another year passed in a blink.
Konoha's forces on the Stone front had already rotated through two full cycles. And during that time, even though Kirigakure hadn't formally declared war, Mist shinobi frequently harassed the coastline—forcing Konoha to split off manpower to suppress them.
At this stage of the war, Konoha's top-tier strength remained intact…
…but the rank-and-file shinobi had suffered horrific losses.
The Academy had even begun encouraging early graduation. And after half a year of "tempering," those newly minted genin were tossed straight onto the battlefield as cannon fodder.
To be honest, every time Feiyu saw those children scrambling to graduate early—eager to go die—he couldn't help feeling something was wrong with their heads.
Konoha's "Will of Fire" brainwashing was crude and hollow. In a modern world, even an uneducated countryside old couple wouldn't fall for it.
And yet that empty slogan had fooled countless shinobi.
Feiyu could only suspect the intelligence level of this world… or that the culture itself left people spiritually starved—making them cling to "ideals" and swing to extremes far more easily.
…
At a training ground three kilometers outside Konoha, Feiyu sat cross-legged atop a large boulder.
Brilliant white light flared around him.
A layer of armor made of condensed lightning wrapped his body—crackling, humming, alive.
He slowly opened his eyes. Three tomoe rotated smoothly.
And under the control of that Sharingan, the lightning on his skin reshaped—interlocking, layering, forming something sharper.
Something heavier.
A Susanoo-like armored shell—born from lightning instead of pure chakra.
He exhaled a long breath.
Combining Lightning Release Chakra Mode with Susanoo…
…had been the core of his training for almost a year.
And he'd finally done it.
The Third Raikage's "strongest shield" and "strongest spear" fused into Susanoo's structure, raising the power even further. Meanwhile, the Fourth Raikage's speed perfectly patched Susanoo's original weakness—its lack of flexibility.
At first, Feiyu's Stage-One skeletal Susanoo hadn't actually increased his strength much.
But once it was fully integrated with Lightning Chakra Mode…
His growth became a true leap forward.
He lifted his hand slightly.
A faint, laser-like current—formed from lightning—flowed across his fingers. With two additional kekkei genkai converted and stabilized inside his body, his physical limits had climbed again.
And that was precisely why, in only a year, he could absorb everything he'd learned from countless souls… and turn it into real combat power.
With Madara aged and fading, and Nagato not yet fully matured…
Feiyu finally had the confidence to say it plainly in his heart:
I am the strongest in the shinobi world.
He stood up, smiling faintly, and turned his head toward the edge of the training field.
Several ANBU were stationed there.
With Feiyu's current power—despite having no formal authority, no subordinates, no political faction—his sheer strength alone was enough that Konoha's upper levels couldn't sleep easy.
So naturally, hidden surveillance became "necessary."
And because of Feiyu's origins, the people assigned to watch him usually had strong resistance to genjutsu.
Unfortunately for them…
In the face of a fully mastered Five-Senses Control, those so-called elites—Root or ANBU—were nothing but sleepwalking puppets.
Even if Feiyu trained right in front of them, they couldn't detect anything abnormal.
So from the viewpoint of Konoha's leadership…
Feiyu had been obedient this whole time. He was improving, sure—but only "a bit stronger than before."
They had no idea he'd advanced to the point of being nearly untouchable.
And they certainly didn't know about Susanoo, multiple kekkei genkai, Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and the rest.
On top of that, Feiyu's study of the Hehuan Codex had brought genuine gains.
He'd paid a massive sacrifice to obtain it—no matter how "crooked" it was, it couldn't possibly be useless.
"This Hehuan Codex should be from some cultivation world," Feiyu thought. "If the environment wasn't so different… I'd already have developed Sage Mode by now. Maybe I'd even be like those animal sages—fully transforming into a 'sage' existence."
Still, he wasn't anxious.
Through studying the Hehuan Codex, he could already sense natural energy.
He could even use it—slightly.
He was only stuck at one step:
Absorbing and digesting it safely.
As long as he had time…
…he would eventually break through that wall.
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