Chapter 13: Gradually Learning Konoha Anecdotes
It has been three years since Orochimaru defected from Konoha, and as for why Hiruzen Sarutobisuddenly thought of Orochimaru, it must be that his indecisive nature was acting up again.
The once decisive Hiruzen Sarutobi, with his advancing age and declining strength, had seen his methods grow increasingly soft, and in handling many matters, he tended to use political means to maintain balance, which had thus caused a series of chain reactions in Konoha.
As for the human experiments Orochimaruconducted in the past, it would be a lie to say that Hiruzen Sarutobi knew nothing about them; to put it bluntly, Hiruzen Sarutobi was playing dumb while knowing the truth, merely wanting to save Orochimaru one last time.
Of course, this was not just to bring back Orochimaru, who had already gone astray, but also because Konoha had an urgent need for the results of Orochimaru's research.
After all, Konoha was currently in a period where the old generation was passing and the new one had yet to take over, and the lack of top-tier combat power could easily cause them to get bogged down in a full-scale war; Konoha was truly lacking in figures who could provide a decisive blow.
And Orochimaru's forbidden techniques, as well as his research into the cells of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, were undoubtedly ways to temporarily solve this predicament for Konoha.
Although somewhat inhumane, and with factors of being exploited by Danzo Shimura involved, generally speaking, the benefits outweighed the disadvantages, and Hiruzen Sarutobi could still manage to turn a blind eye.
But things were different now; the Land of Lightning (Kumogakure) had sent a peace delegation, and although Konoha would have to pay a certain price, there was no longer a need to resort to crooked paths.
Because once Konoha reached a reconciliation with the Land of Lightning (Kumogakure), it would usher in a relatively peaceful external environment, so it was time for internal reorganization to begin.
"I hope you can stop in time..." Hiruzen Sarutobisighed, "Such an obvious signal has already appeared, and I believe that with your wisdom, you should be able to understand what this represents behind the scenes."
The old chain-smoker Hiruzen Sarutobi was back at it again, thick smoke almost filling the entire Hokage Office, "I do not wish for us to lose even our last shred of friendship in the end! Danzo!"
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi said this, he had already prepared for the worst in his heart, which was also the situation he least wanted to see.
Soon, Nara Shikaku arrived at the Hokage Office, and after taking the document handed over by Hiruzen Sarutobi, he organized his thoughts and began to express his ideas.
And this discussion lasted until the early hours of the next day.
During the time Hiruzen Sarutobi was handling government affairs, Naruto, apart from eating dinner, spent almost all his time training, specifically training the most basic method of throwing a Shuriken.
"Butler Grandpa, tell me more about your throwing techniques!" After finishing the throw of the last Shuriken, Naruto intended to rest, but before resting, he asked the Old Butler about his throwing techniques again.
The Old Butler looked up at the moon hanging high in the night sky and, with some heartache, rubbed Naruto's arm for him, "I have already told you all the main points of the technique; the rest can only be figured out by yourself."
"But I feel..."
"You feel that I am holding back on the techniques I taught you, right?" The Old Butler had long since seen through Naruto's thoughts, "It is not that I am intentionally holding back, but rather, this kind of Shuriken or Kunai throwing technique is something I only learned the basics of from someone else."
Speaking of this, the Old Butler's face carried a sense of wistfulness, "He was a Genius, or rather, their Family was basically all Geniuses, but their personalities and styles..."
"Forget it, forget it; saying too much is useless, it is all in the past!" Clearly, the Old Butler did not want to mention his past, but this did not hinder Naruto's curiosity.
In Naruto's view, if such a practical, tricky, and flashy throwing technique could only be considered a foreign import, then there was no need to mention how stunning the complete throwing technique must be.
Moreover, the "Genius" and "the whole Family are Geniuses" that the Old Butler spoke of, and the Family represented by this, made Naruto very curious.
"Butler Grandpa, which Family are you talking about? Is it a Family in our Konoha?"
"You mean this? The full name of the throwing method I taught you is 'Uchiha Style Throwing', and its true masters come from the Uchiha Clan, a major clan in our Konoha that is worthy of the name!"
"The Uchiha Clan..." It was the first time Narutohad heard of the Uchiha Clan, and this aroused his curiosity; he decided that he would definitely meet this Clan that even the Old Butler couldn't help but praise in the future.
"It is getting late, Naruto, go get some rest early. I feel that the Family Head should be coming back any moment now, and I have to go prepare a late-night snack for the Family Head!"
Seeing the Old Butler say this, how could Narutoeasily let him go? "It is still early before Hokage Grandpa comes back!" Naruto intended to take this opportunity to learn more about Konoha's anecdotes, "Butler Grandpa, tell me a story to lull me to sleep!"
"This..." The Old Butler looked up at the night sky, estimating the time to be around nine o'clock in the evening, and there was indeed still some time before Hiruzen Sarutobi returned, "You little rascal, what story do you want to hear?"
"Butler Grandpa, tell me about our Konoha Village; tell me whatever you want!"
"Hmph! Are you trying to ask about the origins or intelligence of the Uchiha Clan?" The Old Butlerwas an old fox and hit the nail on the head.
Naruto had intended this all along, and at this moment, he went with the flow and agreed, looking at the Old Butler with some anticipation.
"Fine, Grandpa will tell you about this Uchiha Clan, and incidentally, I will also tell you about the Hyuga Clan, which is mentioned in the same breath as this Clan." The Old Butler opened the floodgates, and under Naruto's guidance, he talked endlessly about the past events of the two clans.
The more Naruto listened, the more shocked he became, secretly sighing at the advantage of Bloodline in the Ninja World, which completely wiped out the psychological advantage Naruto had from being 15 years ahead of his peers.
"Sure enough, never underestimate the people of the world; I must work even harder!" Naruto did not belittle himself, but secretly cheered himself on in his heart, "And I have a very good start with Hyuga Hinata of the Hyuga Clan; I think this is something that can be utilized."
While listening to the Old Butler's narration, Naruto was perfecting the plan to approach the Hyuga Clan in his mind, and he also added how to get closer to the Uchiha Clan to his execution list.
Naruto was not the kind of person who would fawn over the powerful, and the education he received in the Life Experience Game did not allow him to become such a person.
The reason he wanted to contact and even befriend the two clans was that Naruto cared about their heritage, or more precisely, their knowledge!
Great families and clans had a deeper understanding of the world they relied on for survival than ordinary people, and they also knew more secrets that ordinary people could not access.
As an orphan, if Naruto wanted to understand his own life experience more clearly and figure out the reason why he possessed recovery abilities that surpassed ordinary people, he had to start from this aspect; after all, who would go out of their way to teach someone unrelated?