For all of Minato's brilliance, Jiraiya couldn't be prouder of him.
Gentle, polite, unbelievably talented... even the Great Toad Sage had once spoken of a "child of prophecy," and Jiraiya believed Minato fit that role perfectly.
"Come on, Minato! Drink up!"
Jiraiya shoved a cup toward him.
"Sensei—ninja aren't supposed to drink! The Three Ninja Taboos!" Minato protested helplessly.
Jiraiya waved him off completely.
Minato sighed, resigned, and joined him with a bitter smile.
Compared to that chaotic pair, Shiki and Orochimaru were much quieter.
Orochimaru glanced at Shiki's profile, the corner of his mouth curling.
He remembered clearly the last time he had witnessed Shiki's Conqueror's Haki.
The crushing pressure…
That sensation of his life no longer being under his own control...
It was the first time Orochimaru had ever felt true weakness.
He would never forget it.
"I didn't expect the legendary Golden Lion to have a softer side," Orochimaru whispered with a light chuckle.
Minato's earlier panic had gone unnoticed by most but not by Orochimaru.
It didn't take a genius to guess who had been assigned to monitor Shiki and Tsunade.
"This Minato boy," Orochimaru added with quiet disdain,
"everything about him is excellent but he's far too simple. Simple to the point of stupidity."
He wasn't wrong.
Orochimaru acknowledged Minato's genius.
But in a village like Konoha...
where power struggles hid under every surface... a genius without calculation was easily manipulated.
The White Fang was strong.
But he killed himself.
Minato…
Even as the future Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru knew the truth:
all actual power would still remain in the hands of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The Hokage title meant nothing if the old man held the reins.
Shiki chuckled.
"If Jiraiya heard your evaluation of Minato, he'd come after you with everything he's got."
Jiraiya treated Minato like a precious baby.
Calling Minato a simple-minded idiot?
Even Orochimaru's friendship wouldn't save him from a beating.
"That kind of joke isn't very amusing," Orochimaru replied with a thin smile.
He respected Jiraiya but he certainly wasn't afraid of him.
Then, with no hesitation, he turned to Shiki:
"Shiki-kun… are you interested in immortality?"
Now that Danzō was gone, Orochimaru needed a new collaborator and Shiki was the ideal candidate.
Shiki blinked slowly.
Finally, Orochimaru said something worthwhile.
"Go on."
Orochimaru's eyes brightened—
Shiki hadn't refused.
Which meant he was interested.
To be clear, Shiki held no real desire for Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation technique.
Too many risks, too many side effects.
But cooperating with Orochimaru?
That was another matter entirely.
"I'll help Tsunade become Hokage," Orochimaru said,
"and afterward, I want your support in my research."
"Why not become Hokage yourself?" Shiki asked naturally.
Orochimaru gave a low, bitter laugh.
"Impossible."
He had once desired the position but the stronger he became, the more he understood Konoha's darkness.
Sarutobi Hiruzen might choose a new Hokage—
but he would never choose someone with their own will.
Only someone obedient.
No matter how much recognition Hiruzen gave him, Orochimaru knew he would never be entrusted with the hat.
Shiki smirked.
"As expected. You're the only one in Konoha who sees everything clearly."
Orochimaru's eyes sharpened with anticipation.
"So… our cooperation?"
Shiki didn't answer directly.
Instead, he raised an eyebrow.
"Ever heard of a sealing technique called Fushi Tensei?"
Orochimaru froze.
"Fushi… Tensei?"
Recognition flickered.
A forbidden jutsu created by Tobirama Senju—
unfinished due to his early death.
A technique rumored to grant eternal life.
Orochimaru's pulse quickened.
"So it really exists…?"
"It does," Shiki replied.
"But it's a half-finished prototype."
"That's more than enough."
Orochimaru's voice trembled with excitement.
"If it exists at all, I can perfect it."
That was the confidence of Orochimaru—
a true genius of forbidden techniques.
Shiki chuckled.
"No doubt you can."
Orochimaru continued, composed once again:
"But before that… I'll help Tsunade become Hokage. Only then can I access the Sealing Library legally."
He wasn't stupid enough to steal from the Hokage archives.
Not when Tsunade could grant him access willingly.
"Happy cooperation," Shiki said.
"Happy cooperation," Orochimaru echoed.
Their cups clinked lightly.
A new alliance was formed.
"Oi! Orochimaru! Shiki! You two are no fun at all! Drinking without us!"
Jiraiya, fully drunk by now, flailed around noisily.
Shiki and Orochimaru exchanged a mutual shrug.
Tsunade, meanwhile, was chatting happily with Kushina—
for once looking genuinely relaxed.
Then Orochimaru suddenly looked toward Minato and spoke casually:
"By the way, if I recall correctly… Minato has already mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, hasn't he?"
The entire table fell silent.
Even Minato stiffened.
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Y-Yeah… just a bit of luck…"
Jiraiya slapped Minato proudly on the back.
"Look at that! My apprentice, everyone! Even rare space-time ninjutsu—he mastered it!"
But Tsunade…
Tsunade stopped smiling.
She slowly set down her cup
and stared at Minato with calm intensity.
"Flying Thunder God… my granduncle's technique." Her voice was soft as she whispered calmly.
Without the Senju clan's permission...
how exactly did Minato learn it?
Minato swallowed.
"Tsunade-sama…?"
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