After listening, Gento felt a chill run through his heart.
Even though he knew how the plot would unfold and had already revealed it in advance to Leaf's higher-ups, they simply did not take it seriously.
He had said so much and laid down so much groundwork, yet in the end, he still failed to change anything.
He looked at Hiruzen, Homura, Koharu, and Danzo, taking in every one of their expressions.
There was carelessness, disdain, and indifference.
Not a single person truly took his words to heart.
Even with an open-book exam, they still couldn't get it right… what else could he possibly do?
He had tried to help Leaf avoid the tragedy of that night.
But reality told him… useless.
They simply wouldn't listen.
Watching events once again develop toward the original storyline, Gento felt utterly helpless.
No matter what, Kushina could not die.
He would have to think of another way.
Moreover, if Leaf's higher-ups remained indifferent, it would be extremely dangerous for the Uchiha clan to stay in the village.
He had to complete the relocation of the Uchiha clan before the Nine-Tails Disaster.
With that in mind, Gento immediately stood up and said:
"Since that's the case, I'll take my leave."
He turned and walked toward the door.
"Gento."
Hiruzen's voice came from behind him.
Gento stopped, but did not turn around.
"There's one more thing."
Hiruzen spoke slowly.
"My term has come to an end. The list of Hokage candidates has been submitted to the Feudal Lord. In the end, the Feudal Lord has selected Minato Namikaze as the Fourth Hokage.
"The inauguration ceremony will be held in five days. At that time, you will attend as the Uchiha clan's representative."
Gento fell silent.
As expected!
Even though he had already caused certain changes to the course of this world…
The position of Fourth Hokage had still ultimately fallen into Minato's hands.
A deep sense of helplessness enveloped his heart.
After a moment, he gave a slight nod.
"Understood."
He pushed the door open and left.
Given the current attitude of Leaf's leadership, the Nine-Tails Disaster a month later was bound to erupt.
When that time came, and Kushina faced danger, Danzo's Root would have long since disappeared without a trace.
Since neither Danzo nor the Third Hokage could be relied upon, he would have to come up with a method beforehand to save Kushina.
...
After Gento left, the people in the Hokage's office gradually dispersed as well.
Danzo walked out of the building. Instead of returning to the Root base, he brought two Root Ninja with him and headed straight for the Forest of Death.
The three stopped beside a large boulder.
Danzo formed hand seals, and the stone slowly shifted aside, revealing a pitch-black underground passage.
Without another word, he took the lead and walked in.
The passage extended downward, growing more and more eerie the deeper they went.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of chemicals.
Further inside, more experimental equipment appeared.
Test tube racks, culture dishes, and precision instruments were piled on stone platforms. Tubes connected to glass containers, within which faintly visible were curled humanoid silhouettes.
Danzo passed through all of this expressionlessly, the two Root Ninja following closely behind.
Only when they reached the innermost large laboratory did Danzo finally stop.
Orochimaru stood with his back to the entrance, in front of a lab table filled with instruments.
He wore a white robe, holding a test tube in his hand, the liquid inside emitting a faint green glow.
"Danzo, what wind has blown you here?"
Without turning his head, Orochimaru spoke with a hint of amusement in his tone.
Danzo let out a cold snort.
"The Hokage candidate has been decided. It's Minato Namikaze."
He paused, then added:
"This plays right into Hiruzen's hands."
Orochimaru's movements paused slightly.
He gently placed the test tube back onto the rack and turned around, his narrow eyes fixing on Danzo.
"The old man's intention is to use Minato as a puppet, letting the two of them control the Hidden Leaf together."
Danzo said in a gloomy tone:
"With the way he's doing things, the Hidden Leaf has no future."
Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh.
"It's not time to give up yet. My research on transplanting Hashirama's cells is about to achieve another breakthrough.
"As long as this experiment succeeds, controlling the Hidden Leaf will be as easy as turning one's hand!
"To seize power, it wouldn't hurt to prepare some forceful methods as well!"
Danzo's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam upon hearing this.
"Once the timing is right, we will stop at nothing!
"However, now is not yet the time…"
After speaking, Danzo turned and left with his two subordinates.
All the way back at the Root base, Danzo stopped at the entrance and waved his hand.
"You two, stand down."
"Yes! Danzo-sama!"
The two figures quickly withdrew.
One of the Root Ninja, after leaving the base, did not head home.
He circled through the darkness several times, confirming that no one was following him, then his figure flickered and he directly entered the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen was sitting behind his desk, smoking. Seeing him enter, there was not a trace of surprise on his face. He exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Mm… more intel?"
The ninja nodded and knelt on one knee.
"Hokage-sama, Danzo met with Orochimaru again!"
He then recounted their entire conversation word for word.
At first, Hiruzen listened calmly. But when he heard the words "Hashirama's cells," his expression instantly changed.
His pupils suddenly shrank, and the hand holding the pipe stiffened.
"Hashirama's cells… far too dangerous…"
He muttered to himself.
"We absolutely cannot let Orochimaru complete this research!"
He abruptly stood up and began pacing back and forth in the office.
After several rounds, he finally stopped and waved at the ninja.
"I understand. You may go. If there are any other important developments, report to me immediately!"
"Yes! Hokage-sama!"
The ninja responded, and with a flicker, vanished from the spot.
Hiruzen turned around and looked out the window at the gradually darkening sky, taking deep drags from his pipe as clouds of smoke rose and obscured his face.
After a long while, he let out a sigh.
"Ah… Orochimaru…"
After another stretch of silence, he finally made up his mind. Without turning back, he waved his hand behind him.
"Guards!"
Two figures instantly appeared behind him, wearing animal masks, kneeling on one knee.
"Hokage-sama!"
Without turning his head, Hiruzen spoke:
"Assemble a squad of Anbu members at once.
"Tonight… we will move to apprehend Orochimaru!"
...
Meanwhile, Gento was walking on the road back home.
The sky had already darkened, and there were few pedestrians on the street.
Suddenly, a system notification sounded in his mind:
[Ding! Host has triggered a side quest.]
[Side Quest Issued: Orochimaru's Defection!]
⟩ The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has finally decided to take action against Orochimaru tonight! You may assist Hiruzen in capturing Orochimaru, or choose to help Orochimaru escape.
⟩ Reward: S-rank Ninjutsu Flying Thunder God.
Gento was momentarily stunned, then quickly became excited.
This was the first time he had triggered a side quest.
And… Orochimaru's defection arc was about to begin this soon?
Looking at the mission details, his eyes lit up.
Flying Thunder God!
That was a space-time ninjutsu, allowing one to come and go freely.
As for whom to help?
Gento hardly hesitated before choosing to help Orochimaru.
It had nothing to do with his cooperation with Orochimaru-he simply couldn't stand the Third Hokage.
He looked up at the sky; night had already fallen.
Hiruzen's capture operation was about to begin; he had to hurry.
Without further thought, Gento immediately changed direction and dashed toward the Forest of Death.
...
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