He looked at Jiraiya, who was beside him looking deep in thought, and asked in a low voice,
"Jiraiya, what are your thoughts?"
Since arriving at the Hokage's Office, Jiraiya had been in a state of contemplation.
His rare seriousness made the Third Hokage somewhat uneasy.
He understood this disciple of his.
He believed Jiraiya might have already guessed the identity of that Kage-level powerhouse.
Jiraiya showed a hint of hesitation, then said thoughtfully, "I've been tracking Orochimaru for all these years and am very familiar with his ninjutsu. If I'm not mistaken, the Kage-level powerhouse who infiltrated Konoha might be Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru?" The Council of Elders looked horrified. Only Danzo's face was dark, as he inwardly cursed Orochimaru:
"How did that fellow Orochimaru get exposed so easily? It seems collaborating with him was the wrong choice."
Although he was cursing Orochimaru in his heart, he definitely needed to cover for him verbally. So, he spoke up:
"We've been preparing for this Chunin Exam for a long time; we naturally can't just give up like this. If we rashly cancel the Chunin Exam, how will we answer to the other ninja villages? Are we going to tell them we were wary of a single Kage-level powerhouse and therefore canceled it? This doesn't align with our Konoha's image."
"We are the strongest ninja village; we must display magnanimity and vision. Besides, a single Orochimaru can't overturn the heavens," Danzo said in a low, firm voice.
Konoha had been planning this Chunin Exam for a long time.
Their purpose in jointly hosting the Chunin Exams was not only to select Chunin but, more importantly, to display the strength of their own village to secure more mission requests.
And to achieve the goal of displaying strength, for major ninja villages like Konoha, it was undoubtedly better to have more smaller ninja villages serving as a foil.
That was why many ninja in the Chunin Exams came from smaller villages like Kusagakure and Otogakure.
These ninja from smaller villages were merely green leaves for accompaniment.
If Konoha were to cancel the Chunin Exams at this juncture, they would inevitably have to provide a satisfactory explanation.
Otherwise, their reputation might plummet, and the number of mission requests they received would also decrease sharply.
"That makes sense," the other elders murmured thoughtfully upon hearing this.
"That's what I was thinking as well," the Third Hokage said, rarely finding himself in agreement with Danzo. He then voiced his own concerns:
"Orochimaru wouldn't come to Konoha without a reason. What do you all think his objective might be?"
"Given his personality, it's most likely for research," Jiraiya said, looking pensive. "Could it be a Kekkei Genkai?"
"The Uchiha clan?" As soon as Kekkei Genkai was mentioned, the Third Hokage thought of Sasuke.
"It couldn't be Naruto, could it?" he then muttered to himself with some worry.
But he quickly dismissed this speculation. "Impossible. Naruto's Kekkei Genkai has always been kept secret. Orochimaru couldn't possibly be here for Naruto. Then it can only be the Uchiha." The Third Hokage knew Orochimaru had always had an obsession with the Uchiha.
Thinking it over, Orochimaru's objective could only be Uchiha Sasuke.
The Third Hokage looked at Jiraiya. "Jiraiya, I'll have to trouble you to stay in Konoha during this time."
Konoha's available Kage-level combat strength was almost depleted. As long as Jiraiya stayed, the Third Hokage was confident Orochimaru wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble.
Jiraiya also understood the gravity of the situation and nodded in agreement.
But his mind was entirely focused on Orochimaru.
He just really wanted to know.
Why had Orochimaru come to Konoha?
He had been tracking Orochimaru for all these years and had actually learned many secret pieces of information.
Based on his understanding of Orochimaru, his visit this time might not just be for research, but for Konoha itself.
Jiraiya's expression couldn't help but become somewhat complex.
Orochimaru's feelings for Konoha were very complicated.
He was born in Konoha; it was impossible for him to have no feelings for the village at all.
He was also one of the few who best understood Konoha's darkness. After his research was discovered, he decisively chose to defect from Konoha.
Thereafter, Jiraiya and Tsunade also successively left, disheartened, leading to a precipitous decline in Konoha's top-tier combat power.
If Konoha wanted to return to its original strength, it needed to eradicate its darkness.
Jiraiya's heart felt somewhat heavy.
Orochimaru, you wouldn't really be thinking that, would you?
"I won't leave Konoha during this period," Jiraiya replied in a low, somber tone.
"With Jiraiya here, we can rest assured," the Council of Elders felt considerably more at ease.
"Aside from a Kekkei Genkai, I can't think of any other reason for Orochimaru to return to Konoha," the Third Hokage mused. "Jiraiya, do you have any intelligence regarding Orochimaru?"
"Not much," Jiraiya shook his head, clearly unwilling to share.
Seeing this, the Third Hokage didn't press further.
He understood.
Jiraiya, like Tsunade, harbored dissatisfaction towards him.
Danzo's expression wasn't looking too good either.
The Konoha Crush plan was perfect, but it hadn't accounted for Jiraiya.
Now that Jiraiya was guarding Konoha, the difficulty of the plan would increase exponentially.
"Damn that Orochimaru," he cursed inwardly again.
Having cooperated with Orochimaru for so many years, he roughly understood his personality.
He was usually very reliable, yet unexpectedly, he had messed up during the Chunin Exams.
"Orochimaru, you were too reckless this time," Danzo said in a cold tone not long after, when he met Orochimaru at the Root headquarters.
Looking at the androgynous ninja before him, Danzo was also surprised by the progress of Orochimaru's research.
If he wasn't mistaken, Orochimaru might have already completed that immortality jutsu.
Facing his old acquaintance Danzo, Orochimaru revealed a sinister smile, his long tongue licking his lips, his voice soft and effeminate. "Rest assured, it won't affect the plan."
"But Jiraiya is currently stationed in Konoha," Danzo said gravely.
"Jiraiya?" A nostalgic smile touched Orochimaru's lips.
Jiraiya had always been tracking his movements.
For Orochimaru, Jiraiya had once been a decent comrade. Unfortunately, some people had changed; there was ultimately no going back.
"Don't you worry. Based on my understanding of Jiraiya, he won't interfere with my plan. Because, like me, he is thoroughly dissatisfied with Teacher Sarutobi. In fact, for Konoha, Teacher Sarutobi's death would actually be a good thing."
"Hmph, let's hope so," Danzo snorted, his eyes blazing with fervor.
Hiruzen, soon, I will be the Hokage!
Since you like to use the Hokage position to suppress me, then you can just go die.
I will carry on your legacy and manage Konoha well.
Thinking of the wonderful future, Danzo couldn't help but let out a sinister cackle.
Orochimaru watched Danzo quietly, his expression impassive.
He understood.
As long as Danzo and the Third Hokage didn't die, Konoha would never see a better day.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving," Orochimaru said, getting up to leave, but was stopped by Danzo.
"What did you do during this Chunin Exam?" Danzo questioned.
"That hardly seems like any of your concern. I merely met with someone I was anticipating," Orochimaru smiled perversely.
"Remember, don't touch Naruto," Danzo's tone turned cold. "He is my disciple."
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