Chapter 146: The Return of the White Fang
The next day.
Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Orochimaru.
During this time, busy with various matters, he seemed to have neglected this increasingly restless disciple.
Taking advantage of the brief moment before Orochimaru arrived, Hiruzen sat down and carefully reviewed Orochimaru's regular reports. The progress on the Wood Release experiments hadn't been updated in quite some time.
"Orochimaru, what are you thinking?"
Hiruzen put down the report, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.
If he hadn't been paying attention, he wouldn't have even realized that Orochimaru had been secretly hiding so much from his teacher!
The image of Orochimaru from the past unconsciously surfaced in his mind.
Full of thirst for knowledge—though seemingly cold on the surface, he actually possessed a passionate heart and maintained a positive, optimistic outlook.
But since when... even he hadn't noticed that his disciple had changed.
No longer so positive and optimistic, Orochimaru was now fixated on singular pursuits, focusing all his attention on the completely unreliable research of immortality.
But could immortality really be achieved?
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. It was absolutely impossible. He was convinced Orochimaru had gone astray.
As his teacher, he had to correct him!
A crisp knock on the door pulled Hiruzen back to reality.
"Come in."
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his eyes, adopting the imposing demeanor befitting the Hokage.
Orochimaru, dressed in his characteristic pale outfit, pushed open the door and said indifferently, "Sensei, you wanted to see me?"
Looking at Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and pointed to the report on the table. "I need an explanation, Orochimaru."
"What explanation?"
Orochimaru didn't even bother to lift his gaze, his tone icy and completely indifferent.
"Orochimaru, even now, do you still intend to lie to your teacher?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression showed deep disappointment as he slammed his hand on the desk, scattering documents everywhere. "Tell me—why did you conceal the fact that the Wood Release experiment was successful?"
Orochimaru fell silent for a moment, his narrow, serpentine eyes reflecting the image of his once-respected teacher.
Ah, his face was covered in wrinkles, his eyes deeply sunken with dark circles surrounding them. His entire presence seemed to have lost much of its former vigor. All that remained was age, weakness, and a pathetic quality.
Oh, he'd almost forgotten that this highly respected Hokage had long since been... distracted by various matters.
Thinking about recent events made Orochimaru vaguely feel something was amiss.
If he had never encountered certain things, never met 'that person,' he might have accepted everything at face value. But now... that was no longer necessarily the case.
"Speak! Orochimaru!"
Seemingly provoked by the various emotions flashing in his student's eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi inexplicably felt a surge of anger. He stood up and roared, "I am the Hokage! I'm asking you a question! Answer me!"
"Because I don't think it's necessary."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Orochimaru's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. Facing the Hokage's interrogation, he said calmly, "Although the subject survived, his Wood Release and the First Hokage's Wood Release are completely different things. I don't think there's any need to report such a failure. Any other questions, Hokage-sama?"
The last phrase—"Hokage-sama"—subtly widened the distance between the two even further.
Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately understood the meaning behind Orochimaru's words. His face darkened instantly, his voice unconsciously filled with anger. "Orochimaru, regardless of whether he's like the First Hokage, he's the only surviving test subject. You need to report the progress to me instead of having me hear it from someone else!"
"Someone else?"
Orochimaru frowned slightly, then guessed the source and sneered. "I see—it was Danzo who told you? No wonder. Heh."
"What do you mean by that, Orochimaru?"
Whether out of guilt or some other motive, Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously avoided Orochimaru's gaze.
"No, it's nothing."
Orochimaru slightly raised his eyelids, shook his head, and said indifferently, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now, Hokage-sama."
Without waiting for Hiruzen Sarutobi's response, he turned and left.
As he reached the door, Orochimaru suddenly stopped, his back to the furious Hiruzen Sarutobi, and said calmly, "I almost forgot—that failed Wood Release experiment subject is yours now. After all, he's an 'important asset of Konoha,' isn't he?"
Without waiting to see Hiruzen Sarutobi's ugly expression, he used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.
"Orochimaru!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, provoked by this, slumped in his chair, utterly furious.
He couldn't understand why Orochimaru had become like this.
What had happened?
Had he really been wrong?
A series of chaotic thoughts occupied his mind, and his stress levels seemed to spike.
The relentless demands of recent days had left him feeling utterly drained, his energy waning in all aspects of his duties.
"It seems I really am getting old..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi slumped back in his chair, slowly clearing his mind as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I must decide on the next Hokage as soon as possible."
Two figures flashed through his mind in turn.
"Minato Namikaze, Danzo Shimura..."
Finally, another figure inexplicably—almost instinctively—surged from the depths of his mind.
Hiruzen was somewhat surprised. Logically, that person should never appear as a candidate, yet he'd inexplicably thought of him.
"No, no—only him... absolutely not!"
He shook his head, forcibly suppressing the 'dangerous' thought. "Uchiha Kazuki... what a pity."
Even if circumstances change, the Uchiha clan must never be allowed to seize the position of Hokage!
Allowing the Uchiha clan to hold political power would bring disaster to Konoha—a principle and policy upheld since the Second Hokage's time.
Orochimaru, walking along the road, suddenly frowned.
He quickened his pace, turning into an alley and entering a hidden passage.
These kinds of secret passages were generally unused but existed throughout Konoha, designed for evacuating civilians and ANBU operations during emergencies.
In the deserted, dark passage, Orochimaru stopped, his voice icy. "Come out. You've been following me for quite some time."
Deep within his narrow, serpentine eyes, a sharp, murderous gaze seemed to pierce the darkness itself.
After a moment, a figure draped in a dark cloak slowly emerged.
Removing the hood from his cloak revealed short, silver-white hair and a stern middle-aged face. "Long time no see, Orochimaru."
Looking at the man, Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly. "It's you... Hatake Sakumo."
It turned out that the person secretly following him was none other than Hatake Sakumo, who had disappeared on a long-term covert mission.
"Weren't you investigating something?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a slightly interested expression crossing his face. "Judging from your expression, you've found what you were looking for, haven't you?"
"I've returned precisely because of this matter."
Hatake Sakumo's expression remained grave, his brows furrowed as he said in a deep voice, "I've discovered that a mysterious organization is secretly influencing the entire shinobi world!"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, half-jokingly saying, "The organization you're talking about—it wouldn't be us, would it?"
After all, to some extent, wasn't that mysterious Mr. 'Adam' secretly influencing the course of history and the future?
"No, it's a different one."
Hatake Sakumo's voice was low as he said, "Their name is... 'Kara'!"
[End of Chapter 146]
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