In a private room at Konohagakure Hospital, angry shouts echoed.
"Orochimaru, what the hell are you doing?"
The Third Hokage's face was filled with rage. "Do you know how much chaos you caused by showing up like that?"
It was bad enough you trained so hard you ended up half-dead, but to collapse in front of so many people—what, you think the village isn't unsettled enough?
"You're so heartless, old man."
Orochimaru sat up against the pillow, his pale, thin face looking sickly.
The corners of his lips curled slightly as he forced a smile. "Your cute student is badly hurt right now."
Hearing such shameless words, the Third Hokage felt like a bucket of cold water was dumped on him, stopping his anger in its tracks.
"Orochimaru, you…"
"Enough, old man. It's not like I wanted to wreck my own body like this. As for the villagers…"
Orochimaru rubbed his chin and said calmly, "Just tell them I was injured while fighting the enemy who destroyed the village."
"I may be hurt, but I'm not dead. That's good news, right?"
"See? It's an easy excuse."
It was actually a pretty good idea—at least for now.
But it only made the Third Hokage more suspicious.
The Third Hokage's anger faded as he asked, "Orochimaru, tell me the truth. Did you really encounter the enemy who controlled the Nine-Tails?"
In his eyes, Orochimaru was politically clueless and never cared about the village. If he hadn't actually gone through it, why would he suggest this plan?
By right, it should have been him suggesting such a method and asking Orochimaru to cooperate.
"Of course not, this problem came from my own training." Orochimaru insisted firmly.
"This time I'll let it slide, Orochimaru, take care of yourself."
After all this fuss, the Third Hokage's anger faded. He gave Orochimaru a complicated look, then turned and left.
With the village facing such sudden change, the Third Hokage didn't have time to keep tangling with Orochimaru.
Not long after the Third Hokage left, Danzo walked in. The soundproof barrier that had just been removed was raised again.
The First Hokage's face didn't look so good. He woke the just-asleep Orochimaru and said coldly, "Orochimaru, I need an explanation."
"Explanation for what?"
Orochimaru blinked his sleepy eyes, then saw Danzo pulling his hand back from the bedside. He mocked, "Danzo, with that move of yours, I thought you were going to kill me."
Danzo glared at Orochimaru with hatred. If killing Orochimaru came with no consequences, he would have done it without a second thought.
But Danzo doubted if he could even succeed. Orochimaru had too many ways to keep himself alive, he was just too hard to kill.
He even suspected that Orochimaru's injuries might be fake.
Last night, Orochimaru's sudden acting had left too deep an impression on him.
Danzo didn't want to waste time. He asked the same question as the Third Hokage, "These injuries of yours, are they really from last night's enemy?"
"No." Orochimaru denied flatly. "This is the result of failing at a Ninjutsu during training."
Danzo was furious inside. "Then why would Hiruzen say that? What deal do you two have between you?"
That so-called mysterious enemy had ruined many of his plans, and at the same time raised Orochimaru's reputation.
The Fourth died against the enemy, while Orochimaru managed to walk away alive. What that meant was obvious.
"That… I don't know."
Orochimaru adjusted his pillow to rest more comfortably, then casually said, "Maybe the old man just didn't want to lose face."
"Orochimaru!"
Danzo suddenly raised his voice. "Don't forget the deal between us."
"That's exactly what I want to remind you too."
Orochimaru let out a cold snort. "A hundred million isn't that easy to prepare, but make sure you get me the people and information quickly."
"You… just wait!"
Danzo spat out the words with an ugly face, then slammed the door as he left.
Genie stopped controlling Orochimaru's body and let him fall back into sleep.
…
The moon was high, and time had already reached deep night.
Orochimaru woke up and found that his injuries were mostly healed.
He glanced at Genie, who was floating in the air in a mist-like form, and said, "I don't understand."
"Don't understand what? Don't understand why we staged all this?"
Genie reshaped into human form and smiled. "Didn't we agree? We split the work. Things like this aren't for you to worry about."
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and licked his lips. "But I'm curious. You're not just forcing Danzo to fulfill the deal, are you?"
"That's right, that's only one part of it."
Genie nodded, about to continue, when a medical worker knocked on the door and asked, "Orochimaru-sama, the Uchiha clan head wishes to see you."
Orochimaru frowned and was about to refuse, but Genie's voice rang in his ear. "Let him in."
Soon, Uchiha Fugaku stepped into the ward. His face was serious and gloomy, full of heavy thoughts.
Genie entered Orochimaru's body and spoke, "It's so late, I wonder what brings the head of the Uchiha clan to me?"
"Orochimaru-sama, I heard you encountered the enemy who controlled the Nine-Tails to attack the village."
Uchiha Fugaku asked directly with a stern look, "Can you tell me who he is, what methods he used, and what features he had?"
Orochimaru's lips curled slightly, a half-smile on his face. "Clan Head Fugaku, you seem to be in quite a hurry, coming to see me this late."
"I didn't expect the Uchiha clan to care so much about the village's safety."
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes hardened. "What is Orochimaru-sama saying? Uchiha are Konohagakure's Uchiha. Of course, we put the village first. Catching the enemies who attacked the village is our duty."
"Heh, Clan Leader Fugaku, you're not being honest."
Orochimaru smiled. "You came here because, when it comes to the Nine Tails' host, the Uchiha are the most suspicious, aren't they?"
Fugaku's face sank. He didn't expect Orochimaru to say it outright.
He was indeed worried. Whether it was the order that night for the police force to stay away from the battle and only keep order, or the hidden rumors spreading in the village now, both made him uneasy.
"But unfortunately, my body was injured because of a failed ninjutsu I was training. That so-called mysterious enemy was just something the Third Hokage spread on purpose to keep morale up."
Orochimaru looked regretful. "If you want to clear the Uchiha of suspicion, Clan Leader Fugaku, you've come to the wrong person."
"What?"
Fugaku's eyes widened, his face turning dark. "Are you telling the truth?"
Orochimaru answered bluntly, "No."
The sudden denial caught Fugaku off guard. He stared. "What are you talking about?"
"The failed ninjutsu was just the excuse I gave the Third Hokage. I really did meet the one pulling the strings, and I was badly hurt after fighting him."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "And the eyes of the one behind it… were a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan."
"Guess, Fugaku—if I told the Third Hokage the truth, what do you think would happen to the village?"