096 I’m Just That Willful and Reckless (Seeking Subscriptions, Seeking Monthly Votes)

Since the founding of the Leaf Village, the Uchiha clan has always been a force to be wary of. They possess great strength, yet are prone to emotional impulses, easily sliding toward extremes. Such ninja, let alone becoming Hokage, are unlikely to even attain high positions within the village. Thus, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, assigned them to the Police Force and ensured that in external conflicts, the Uchiha rarely held command authority.

But now, with the advancement of ninjutsu and ever deeper understanding of chakra and bloodline limits, his most talented student had found an explanation for the Uchiha's unusual temperament. He defined it as an illness—and claimed to have the means to cure it.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was immediately intrigued. Of course, this was not an easy decision. To treat the Uchiha, one must first conduct experiments involving transplantation of the First Hokage's cells—human experimentation with unpredictable casualties. Moreover, once the Uchiha are cured, their power would undoubtedly increase, and the impact on the stability of the village would be immeasurable. Most crucially, allocating so many resources to a single clan would violate the longstanding policy of weakening clan influence, potentially inciting discontent among both clans and commoners.

With so many drawbacks, the Third Hokage had no real reason to pursue this path—it would be gambling away decades of reputation. A single misstep could saddle him with a heavy burden. Why trouble himself for the Uchiha, when there are more convenient ways? As long as the Hokage's faction remains stronger than the Uchiha, their grievances would be forced to simmer beneath the surface. Just as when the Fourth Hokage came to power—holding high office, offering favors and reassurance—there will always be some Uchiha whose condition is less severe, who will trust and obey, allowing the clan to split into factions and channel dissatisfaction into internal strife.

When he was young, having assumed the Hokage position in a time of crisis, lacking strength and prestige, Hiruzen dealt with the proliferation of clans within the Leaf, each protecting their own interests even in battle. He did so by these means. Over more than a decade, he eroded the power of dozens of clans—such as the Shimura and Mitokado—for which his companion Danzo Shimura stained his hands with blood, carried the village's darkness, and established the Root to complement the Anbu.

Yet now, in his old age, why would he choose such an unwise course? Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed deeply in his heart. Perhaps it was because measures against the Uchiha only address the symptoms, not the root, leaving a ticking bomb for the next successor. Perhaps it was because he also wished to fulfill his student's dream. Perhaps, simply, age had made him sentimental, feeling the Uchiha should not continue to suffer such fate.

Whatever the reason, as he spoke, the Third Hokage resolved to eliminate the threat posed by the Uchiha during his tenure, to defuse this great mine. But unexpectedly, the voice at his ear was not as he anticipated.

"Wait... old man, perhaps you've misunderstood something."

Orochimaru's face suddenly broke into a smile. "I refuse."

"Orochimaru, you—" Jiraiya began, but was stopped by a hand.

"I previously promised at the meeting not to perform further surgeries on the Uchiha. That was not an empty vow." Orochimaru picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke calmly. "After three surgeries, I've obtained nearly all the data I wanted from the Uchiha. For now, I have no interest in conducting more experiments with First Hokage cells."

With Orochimaru's unyielding refusal, the atmosphere in the Hokage's office shifted once more. No longer master and disciple, but Hokage and Orochimaru—purely a negotiation of interests. And Orochimaru, by name, had no intention of accepting the deal.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, his gaze sharp as he scrutinized Orochimaru's expression, searching for signs of deliberate resistance, perhaps aiming for greater benefit. But Orochimaru simply smiled, with no sign of reluctance. In other words, Orochimaru truly did not wish to continue the First Hokage cell experiments.

How could that be? How could Orochimaru not covet the power of the First Hokage? It didn't fit his usual behavior. Or was there something about the First Hokage cell research he did not know?

Orochimaru didn't leave the Third Hokage in suspense for long. The corner of his mouth curled as he spoke unhurriedly. "To ensure successful transplantation of the First Hokage's cells, one must increase chakra strength—specifically, mental power; the other is to reduce the cells' corrosiveness."

"The former can only be accomplished by the strong, and increasing chakra strength is what I am working toward. The latter, however... requires a pile of lives."

Orochimaru glanced at the two men and smiled. "It's troublesome, offers no benefit to my own strength, and would drag my reputation in the village even lower."

"Why should I do it? What reason do I have?"

With Orochimaru's barrage of questions, Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a bitter smile. He had underestimated Orochimaru's complexity. Orochimaru's goals had always been clear—human experimentation was only a means, and once the goal was achieved, he would not do anything unnecessary.

"However, though I won't do it, someone else can." Orochimaru licked his lips, a mocking expression on his face. "For something that is best done in the shadows, why not hand it to Danzo?"

"Danzo's little schemes—old man, you must have noticed them."

At these words, the Third Hokage's expression grew unnatural, his heart filled with complicated emotions. It wasn't that the Hokage's records had been tampered with; even Danzo could not snatch the scrolls for First Hokage cell transplantation from him in such a short time—otherwise, he would be utterly incompetent. But Orochimaru's reminder made it clear that Danzo was indeed a perfect candidate.

Just as Orochimaru would not waste time on further surgery, Danzo, driven by ambition, would surely find a way to achieve successful transplantation. He had the ambition, and the ruthlessness, to see it done.

The Third Hokage resolved to closely monitor the actions of Root, ensuring that test subjects would be limited to ninja outside the Leaf and outside the Land of Fire.

That would suffice.

...

With matters of the First Hokage cell transplantation and Uchiha Jin's new bloodline limit concluded, Orochimaru left the Hokage's office. Jiraiya accompanied him.

Twilight had fallen; the stars were poised to ascend the night sky. Throughout the village, thousands of lights glowed—bright or dim, shining through windows into the darkness.

Jiraiya followed behind Orochimaru, his silhouette leaping between rooftops, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

"If you have something to say, say it," Orochimaru stopped suddenly, turning to face him. "It's not in your nature to bottle things up."

"Why won't you help the old man?"

Jiraiya stood with his back to the light, a shadow cast across his profile. As he spoke in accusation, his tone carried a hint of complaint.

He knew Orochimaru's reasons were perfectly logical, but ultimately it came down to his unwillingness to help the old man. And faced with Orochimaru's refusal, the old man's silence, and his turn to Danzo... these things struck Jiraiya as wretched, almost too painful to witness.

"Unwilling to help the old man?"

Orochimaru stepped forward, placing a hand on Jiraiya's shoulder. Facing the light, he smiled.

"I am, like you, walking my own path."

"On this path, I don't leave much space for the old man, for companions, for the village—are you not the same?"

"Besides, is the old man not also following his path as Hokage—struggling between dilemmas, making choices, manipulating, scheming... it's been this way for years."

"Or is it that, until today, you didn't see his struggles, believing him to be omnipotent?"

"If so, you need to reconsider."

Orochimaru patted Jiraiya's shoulder. "Rather than seeking my help, you'd do better to find another. She has no goals, merely wandering now."

"All these years—time enough."

With that, Orochimaru leapt lightly and vanished into the darkness, leaving Jiraiya lost in his inner turmoil.