His feelings toward this teacher were anything but simple.
On one hand,
when he was a child newly orphaned, Hiruzen Sarutobi had filled the emptiness inside him, letting the young Orochimaru feel a warmth like family.
Especially back then, Hiruzen had truly treated his disciple well.
Ninjutsu, resources, money—virtually nothing was withheld from him.
Techniques a Civilian Ninja could claim only after years of merit and hundreds of missions, and then only by currying favor, pulling strings, and paying coin, were his for the asking… with no strings attached.
Grown in such an environment, how could he not feel deeply for Hiruzen?
Yet on the other hand,
Konoha had undeniably declined under the man's watch; to preserve his own authority as Hokage, countless strong shinobi died to his schemes, and the Village's millstone rotted clean through.
How had Nawaki died?
Did they really think he, Orochimaru, couldn't see?
And why had Tsunade abandoned the Village?
The blood spilled in the Senju Clan's and Uzumaki Clan's power struggles, Sakumo Hatake, Kato Dan—again and again the crimson stains had nearly worn away every shred of goodwill he bore Hiruzen.
Of course,
what mattered most… was the betrayal he'd suffered when he was poised to become fourth hokage.
Bear in mind,
for all Minato Namikaze's rising fame, in truth he had been far behind Orochimaru.
Because of the Flying Thunder God, no one could keep pace with him; he constantly fought alone, unable to build a following of his own.
Apart from Akimichi Torifu, Aburame Shimi, and the lone sprout Kakashi, Minato effectively had no trusted subordinates.
His vaunted momentum was hollow.
Ninja are ruthlessly pragmatic; no matter how dazzling the "Yellow Flash," how much profit could he secure for them once in office?
The sticking point… was that no one knew him!
Under such circumstances, no matter how capable, if you aren't "one of us," why should anyone back you?
As for Jiraiya?
Though one of the famed Sannin and seemingly on equal footing,
in essence…
that was pure nonsense.
A born wanderer, he had never—despite his own civilian roots—fought for the rights, status, or wealth of the common folk.
Though he fought in the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, he'd never cultivated followers, so his support for Minato was thin.
Orochimaru, by contrast, was completely different.
He had truly worked to become fourth hokage, and with a statesman's mind had begun laying groundwork back in the Second War.
Knowing the common Ninja's pain, his treatment of subordinates boiled down to two words:
Fairness!
Whether they were his trusted aides or not, rewards followed merit; every exploit had a clear, open payoff.
Serve under him, and no one could steal your credit.
You could call him ruthless, but you got what you earned.
Take the Battle of Kikyou Pass in the Third War: most believed he'd sacrificed his own as pawns to bait Sunagakure's main force into a trap he then annihilated.
In truth,
every Konoha Ninja cast as a "sacrificial piece" had gone willingly.
Because of—fairness.
Orochimaru had told them plainly: your mission is to die, but your families and children would enjoy his personal protection, and the pensions and rewards due would be safeguarded even against the Third Hokage or Danzo.
Even more crucial was the shelter offered by Orochimaru, one of the Sannin.
If they gave their lives for him, the Village's darkness would never touch their kin.
Therefore,
for all that Jiraiya and Minato claimed the civilian faction, their foundations were leagues behind his.
Even the once-legendary Sakumo Hatake could not match his sway among the common ranks.
In short, had Orochimaru truly contested the post, Hiruzen's backing Minato would have meant nothing.
So—why had he lost?
Because his heart had frozen, then shattered.
The teacher who had reared him, whom he'd silently honored like a father, had cast him aside for power without a second thought.
To the proud Orochimaru, the word "Hokage" ceased to be an honor.
Indeed… when he heard it, his first reaction was nausea.
He had walked away from the contest of his own accord; otherwise Minato, that green upstart, would have been beneath his notice.
That was why, now that Hiruzen had fallen and his own clan teetered on ruin, Orochimaru had come.
Gathering the corpses of the mighty—material for Edo Tensei—was one benefit he would claim.
But more than that,
he wanted to help Hiruzen Sarutobi.
In the original tale,
when his aged teacher stood amid Konoha's growing rot, he had granted him a grand funeral.
Now, too,
for all of Hiruzen's faults, for all his own contempt, the serpent long derided as cold showed a final, impossible—gentleness.
Alas,
he still failed.
Uchiha Jin's power was too dreadful; even the Edo Tensei he commanded could not save Hiruzen.
Of course,
he had foreseen that; his appearance had been only to fulfill a last duty.
But now,
though he had failed, he felt he had discharged his filial debt as a disciple.
With that final bond severed, Orochimaru felt a lightness—and found his gaze drawn to Uchiha Jin, curiosity flickering deep in his eyes.
Yes…
the least Uchiha-like Uchiha, a schemer even more terrifying than the Nara, whose strength neared that of the god of shinobi, Senju Hashirama—such a man was irresistible to him.
How he longed to study him!
However,
just as he prepared pleasantries and withdrawal, Uchiha Jin spoke first:
"Orochimaru!"
"Hand over the Edo Tensei technique and control of these Edo-strong fighters!"
"I'll spare your life—and let you walk away."