The deathly silence inside the Hokage's office did not last long before it was broken by the slightly hesitant report of a guard outside the door.
"Hokage-sama, according to the latest intelligence, Lord Chiya has arranged a temporary residence for Orochimaru..."
"It is a separate courtyard on the western side of the Uchiha Clan District."
"At the moment... Orochimaru is heading there alone."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's cloudy eyes shifted slightly. He waved his hand, indicating that he understood.
The guard withdrew, leaving him alone once again.
Danzo's resolute back as he left, along with those cold words, continued to echo through his mind like a curse.
That look of complete denial, even pity.
It hurt him far more than the attacks of any political rival, leaving him feeling both pain and... emptiness.
The impulse he had just felt to summon Orochimaru immediately and demand answers was extinguished as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over it.
Summon him?
In what capacity?
As the Hokage?
As his teacher?
What right did a failed Hokage and an unworthy teacher have to summon a disciple who had perhaps finally found his true home?
Besides, judging from Danzo's reaction and the rumors spreading at the village gates, Orochimaru had willingly chosen to follow the Uchiha.
If he forced him to come, he would only run into another wall, humiliate himself again, and prove every one of Danzo's harsh accusations.
An overwhelming wave of exhaustion and helplessness washed over Hiruzen.
Leaning back in his chair, he stared blankly at the blurred patterns on the ceiling. He packed his pipe, emptied it, packed it again, then let it go out without even realizing it.
After a long time, he finally seemed to make up his mind and slowly stood up.
He did not summon the ANBU, notify his guards, or even put on the Hokage robe that symbolized his authority.
Instead, dressed only in ordinary shinobi clothing, he slowly walked out of the Hokage Building with somewhat unsteady steps.
The setting sun stretched his shadow across the ground. The crowds celebrating the victory had not yet fully dispersed, and joyful laughter echoed through the streets.
When people saw the Third Hokage, they respectfully bowed, their eyes filled with gratitude for the victory and admiration for the village's heroes.
Normally, Hiruzen would have felt comforted.
But now, those gazes only made him feel uncomfortable, as though they silently reminded him of his failures and limitations.
He forced himself to respond to them, yet his feet unconsciously carried him toward the Uchiha Clan District.
He did not know what he intended to do.
Perhaps... he simply wanted to look from afar.
To see what the child he had once been most proud of, yet who had eventually gone down the wrong path, looked like now.
Fate sometimes worked in mysterious ways.
Just as he was nearing the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan District, a figure appeared around the corner of a quiet street.
Pale skin.
Long black hair.
Golden snake like eyes.
A loose grayish white kimono.
Who else could it be but Orochimaru?
It seemed he had just settled into his new residence and was taking a quiet walk to familiarize himself with the surroundings.
His expression was calm, even carrying a sense of relaxation that Hiruzen had never seen on him before.
The obsession and gloom once hidden beneath his calm demeanor were gone.
So was the madness and hostility that had followed his defection.
The two met unexpectedly at the street corner.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
Hiruzen stopped walking. His lips moved slightly, countless words gathering in his throat, yet not a single one came out.
A rebuke?
A question?
Concern?
None of them seemed appropriate anymore.
Orochimaru noticed him as well. A tiny ripple flashed through his golden eyes, perhaps surprise, perhaps understanding, but it quickly disappeared into complete calm.
He neither avoided him nor spoke first.
He simply stood there quietly, as though waiting for Hiruzen to make the first move.
Occasionally, pedestrians passed by. When they saw the strange pair, especially after recognizing Orochimaru, they hurried away in fear while secretly glancing back.
The last rays of the setting sun bathed the two of them in light, stretching their long shadows across the street.
The shadows overlapped, yet seemed separated by an invisible chasm.
In the end, Hiruzen moved first.
He looked deeply at Orochimaru, his eyes filled with emotions beyond words, then tilted his head slightly toward a bench beside the road.
Without saying anything, he walked over first and sat down heavily.
Orochimaru silently followed and sat beside him, leaving a small distance between them.
Close enough not to seem distant, yet far enough not to seem intimate.
Teacher and student sat side by side beneath the evening sun, watching the thinning flow of pedestrians in silence.
The air was filled with an indescribable mix of awkwardness, heaviness, and... sorrow.
Hiruzen glanced sideways at Orochimaru several times.
Looking at his calm, almost peaceful profile, all the stern questions he had prepared as the Hokage eventually dissolved into a long, heavy sigh that drifted away in the evening breeze.
Suddenly, he felt those official questions were meaningless.
"...You."
After a long silence, Hiruzen finally found his voice again.
His hoarse words broke the suffocating silence.
"Have you really thought this through?"
The question seemed to come out of nowhere, but Orochimaru understood exactly what he meant.
He did not answer immediately.
Instead, he raised his head slightly and looked at the dying sun, which was about to be swallowed by the coming night.
A faint, cold smile appeared on his lips.
"Teacher."
His voice remained as low and husky as ever, but the sinister charm it once carried had faded, replaced by clear indifference.
"Are you asking me as the Hokage, or as... my teacher?"
Hiruzen's throat tightened.
After a long pause, he answered,
"Both."
"Heh..."
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
His laughter carried undisguised mockery, though it was not directed at any particular person.
Rather, it mocked everything that had happened in the past.
"As the Hokage? Then rest assured."
"I am doing very well now, better than I have ever been."
"I will obey Konoha's rules and, within the permitted limits, conduct research that is... truly meaningful."
"As for Chiya-kun..."
He paused.
His tone became somewhat different.
It carried heartfelt recognition, even a trace of fanatic admiration.
"He possesses the greatest power I have ever witnessed, along with the clearest mind."
"He understands my value and is willing to point me toward a direction that truly has meaning."
"Following him and serving Konoha is my current belief."
"Is that answer satisfactory enough for you, Hokage-sama?"
His words sounded flawless.
No one could find fault with them.
Yet they scraped against Hiruzen's heart like an icy file.
He would rather have Orochimaru argue with him or mock him as before than hear such obedient words.
"Then... what about as your teacher?"
Hiruzen's voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
"You... do you truly have nothing to say about the past, or to me... your failed teacher?"
The moment those words left his mouth, it seemed as though all his strength had been drained away.
His back appeared even more hunched.
At last, Orochimaru slowly turned his head.
For the first time, his golden snake eyes met Hiruzen's cloudy gaze directly.
Those sharp eyes seemed capable of stripping away every layer of disguise and weakness.
"Teacher..."
His voice became lower.
The mockery faded, replaced by cold disappointment that had settled over many years.
"Do you still remember what I wanted in the beginning?"
Without waiting for an answer, he continued, as though these words had been buried in his heart for far too long.
"I simply wanted to understand the mysteries of life."
"I wanted to comprehend the truth that formed this world."
"I wanted to escape the disgusting, unavoidable fate of death and decay."
"Was that wrong?"
"What did I receive in Konoha, under your leadership?"
"I was branded as someone who practiced forbidden techniques."
"I was judged to be dangerous."
"I was warned that I needed to be kept under strict control."
"You admired my talent while fearing my ambitions."
"You allowed Danzo to work with me in secret, yet the moment I crossed your bottom line, you abandoned me without hesitation just to preserve the balance that looked stable on the surface, but was actually on the verge of collapse."
His voice never became louder.
Yet every word struck Hiruzen's heart like a hammer.
"You asked if I had anything to say."
"What I want to say is this."
"My respected teacher, you have disappointed me greatly."
"You became obsessed with political balance."
"You were satisfied walking a tightrope between every faction."
"But you forgot that what a Hokage truly needs is the courage to move forward without hesitation and the tolerance to embrace possibilities."
"You enjoy destroying Konoha's sharpest spear, yet still expect it to protect the village from future storms."
"How... laughably naive."
Orochimaru looked into the distance once more.
His voice returned to its usual calmness, but sounded even more resolute.
"And now, someone has recognized my value. He has given me the platform and direction that I have always wanted."
"He does not care about worldly opinions. He does not fear forbidden power."
"All he wants are results, and a Konoha powerful enough to crush everything in its path. That is the kind of leader I am willing to follow."
"As for the past..."
Orochimaru let out a quiet snort.
"It is all over. I have found a new path and finally understood many things. Take care of yourself, Teacher."
After saying that, he stood up and straightened his sleeve.
"Teacher, you are old. You should retire early and pass the position to Chiya-kun."
Without another glance at Hiruzen's face, which had instantly become older and filled with despair, Orochimaru turned and walked toward the Uchiha Clan District.
Hiruzen remained seated alone on the bench.
The last rays of the setting sun covered him, yet brought him no warmth.
Orochimaru's words were even sharper and more accurate than Danzo's accusations.
Because they were the final judgment delivered by the disciple who had once understood him best, and the one in whom he had placed the greatest hopes.
He had always believed Orochimaru's defection had been caused by his obsession with forbidden techniques and his moral corruption.
Only now did he understand that, beneath it all, lay an even deeper disappointment in him as a teacher, and despair toward Konoha's rigid system.
Had he... really been wrong?
For the village's stability and that fragile balance, had he truly crushed too many possibilities and broken too many hearts?
Was it really time for him to step down and let someone more capable take over?
Memories flooded back like a tidal wave.
An unprecedented sense of regret and confusion completely consumed the old man who had ruled Konoha for so many years.
He watched Orochimaru's figure disappear at the end of the street, then looked toward the brightly lit Uchiha Clan District in the distance, which looked more prosperous and full of life than ever before.
For the first time, he realized with absolute clarity...
An era had perhaps truly come to an end.
And he himself had been left behind in the past forever.
Night quietly descended, swallowing his figure into the cold darkness.
"No!"
"I am the Hokage!"
"I still have my students, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Jiraiya's student, Namikaze Minato!"
The solemn face of Senju Tobirama suddenly appeared in Hiruzen's mind, strengthening his resolve.
"Even if I pass on the position, I will never give it to the Uchiha!"
━━━━━━━━━━━━
❤️ Enjoying the Story?
⭐ Every 500 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter!
📖 Read 120 chapters ahead on Patreon.
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
Thank you for your support!
━━━━━━━━━━━━