Hiruzen Sarutobi, he was painfully aware that he fell short—in skill, reputation, and cunning.
Could he hold up the crumbling edifice? Reverse disaster?
If Hiruzen couldn't, could he?
Danzo couldn't shake the suspicion that he was just being set up as the fall guy.
But then, everything took a sharp turn—nothing went as he expected.
The first choice for Fourth Hokage, recommended by Konoha's council and the Fire Daimyo's representative, wasn't him at all—it was Orochimaru!
Danzo's blood boiled.
What the hell?! Not even good enough to be the last Hokage?
Orochimaru—a mere student of Hiruzen, a whole generation below him! What right did that snake have to stand above him?
But Koharu Utatane's reasoning was hard to argue:
First, Orochimaru's mastery of jutsu was legendary—he'd already earned the title of "Sannin" back in the Second Great Ninja War.
Second, Orochimaru was young, the most energetic member of Konoha's leadership, and the village needed that kind of drive.
Third, Orochimaru got results. In this war, both Hiruzen's Eastern Army and Danzo's Northern Army had suffered crushing defeats and humiliation. Only Orochimaru's Southern Army, with just five thousand shinobi, had held the southern border against over ten thousand Hidden Cloud ninja—never letting them advance a single step until the order to retreat came down.
The Fire Daimyo's representative nodded along, completely convinced.
"Elder Utatane is right. Konoha needs a young, capable leader like Orochimaru. Once the background check is done, he can take office immediately." (This so-called background check was just window dressing—asking around, checking for criminal history, the usual routine. We'll skip the details here.)
Danzo felt his temper boil over.
What kind of nonsense was this?
The "Sannin" title? That was handed out by Hanzo the Salamander—who beat them down to three survivors and called it an honor. Accepting a humiliating nickname like that? Where's the shame?
Youngest on the council? Please—he was dragged in by Hiruzen himself. If youth was all that mattered, then little Dog Egg Jiro from the Konoha kindergarten had more claim.
And as for the Southern Army's "success"—it was because the Hidden Cloud barely attacked at all! No battle, no losses!
But Danzo swallowed his anger. The reality was simple: if he couldn't drive back the Wind-Cloud Alliance, the Hokage's seat was just a throne in the clouds. No point fighting for it.
Still, the frustration gnawed at him. He tracked down Orochimaru for a private talk.
"You said you weren't interested in being Hokage," Danzo said, face like thunder.
Orochimaru fiddled with his beakers and test tubes, not even looking up. "I'm not interested. I still say that now."
"Then why—"
Orochimaru grinned, licking his lips. "Oh? So that's why you came running? You want the job? You think it's a prize right now? If you ask me, the Hokage's seat is no better than the red-hot chair in the interrogation room."
The "red chair"—Konoha's infamous torture device. An iron seat, heated until it glowed, then the prisoner was strapped down. The agony was legendary.
"I'm worried about Konoha's survival! Can you handle it? Can you beat Jinghang? The Third Raikage? The Wind-Cloud Alliance?" Danzo demanded, face flushed.
Orochimaru just chuckled. "Can you?"
Danzo's face turned even redder. "I… I can't. Can you?"
Orochimaru shook his head, smiling at Danzo like a parent humoring a petulant child. Then he produced a thick folder.
"I can't. But they can."
With a dramatic slap, Orochimaru dropped the file onto the table. On the cover—five bold words: "Living Dead Project."
Danzo snatched it up, eyes flying over the pages. As he read, his jaw dropped.
This kid… was a genius. Who else would come up with something so twisted?
"You—you—you actually want to dig up the old Hokages' graves?! Aren't you afraid Konoha will curse your name for generations?" Danzo's finger shook as he pointed.
Orochimaru sneered. "If the Wind-Cloud Alliance gets in, Konoha won't exist. What use are those graves? Leave them for Sunagakure and Kumogakure to use as fertilizer?"
Danzo was left speechless.
Orochimaru didn't stop. "I never wanted to be Hokage. But this village raised me, and I owe it something. I don't want to watch it fall apart. So when it's time to step up, I will. Instead of scheming and plotting like you, I'd rather actually do something."
He snatched the file back, returning to his lab work.
Danzo glared at his junior, a flash of malice flickering in his eyes.
The next day, just as the "Hokage inspection team" was wrapping up Orochimaru's background check, ANBU Captain Danzo led a raid on Orochimaru's secret base. The evidence of cruel human experimentation was ironclad. Orochimaru was immediately branded a criminal, and Danzo moved to arrest him.
Orochimaru took Nawaki Senju—the First Hokage's grandson—as a hostage and fled the village, becoming a missing-nin.
With Orochimaru gone, Danzo was the only candidate left—"emergency appointment" was the phrase of the day.
In the hospital room, Koharu Utatane was peeling an apple for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Did we just screw over Orochimaru?" she asked quietly.
Hiruzen sighed. "Not really. It was his idea in the first place. He knows exactly what he's done—if it wasn't settled now, it would be after the war. Human experimentation is unforgivable. No number of heads would be enough to pay for it—not just in Konoha, but anywhere in the ninja world. We gave him a way out. Better than me having to clean house myself."
"What about Nawaki?"
Hiruzen's eyes softened. "Jinghang saved that boy's life—and he's his brother-in-law. Life in the village wasn't easy for him. Going with Orochimaru might be for the best."
Koharu watched Hiruzen, searching his face for something.
Hiruzen took the apple, bit into it. "Mm. Not very sweet, but it'll do."
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