"Excellent. Personally, I think Minato is perfectly suited for the position of Hokage," Hiruko said with a practiced smile.
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in satisfaction. Hiruko's contributions during the Third Great Ninja War had been monumental—at times even overshadowing Minato's own feats. Having his public support for Minato was the best outcome the Third could have hoped for.
As the meeting adjourned, Tsunade followed her usual routine. She reached into Hiruko's robes, snatched a thick stack of Ryo, and headed straight for the gambling dens with an excited glint in her eyes.
"Put it on my tab!" she called out, waving a dismissive hand over her shoulder as she strolled away.
"Man, Hiruko, you really are a pushover for her," Jiraiya remarked, his eyes flickering with a complicated emotion.
"It's fine. It's not like I'm hurting for cash."
Sensing that Hiruko had caught onto his subtle jealousy, Jiraiya rubbed his nose sheepishly, let out a boisterous laugh, and made a quick exit.
Hiruko and Orochimaru began walking together toward the laboratory wing, but Orochimaru remained uncharacteristically gloomy, a dark cloud hanging over his features.
"What's wrong? Not feeling the festive spirit?" Hiruko asked bluntly, observing his partner's sour expression.
"Hmph. The position of Hokage is meaningless to me," Orochimaru replied, his raspy voice sounding more grating than usual.
A twisted smile played on Hiruko's lips. "Is that so?"
He didn't believe for a second that Orochimaru was entirely unfazed. Orochimaru had been raised with the ambition to become Hokage; the Third's decision had to sting. Whether Orochimaru actually wanted to be Hokage was one thing, but being denied the choice was another entirely.
"To those of us who pursue eternity, the fame and fortune that commoners spend their lives chasing are worthless. Utterly devoid of value," Orochimaru hissed, his tone sinister.
He was indeed annoyed, but it was a fleeting irritation. He wasn't obsessed with the seat like Danzo was.
Once they reached the lab, Hiruko handed over the data he had prepared earlier. Orochimaru accepted it with a thin smile and turned to leave, but Hiruko called out to him.
"When do you plan on leaving?"
The idea of Orochimaru defecting had been brewing for a long time. Trapped between the machinations of Danzo and the Third, Orochimaru had already scavenged almost everything of value from Konoha's archives. Staying provided no further benefit; it was time to find better "materials" in the wider world.
Orochimaru's eyes shifted toward Hiruko. "A few more experiments. Once the data is collected, I'll be gone in a few days."
He wasn't surprised that Hiruko had read his mind. He knew Hiruko wasn't truly loyal to Konoha—like him, Hiruko was only loyal to his own pursuits.
Humans always draw clear lines between acquaintances and kin. While he and Hiruko were brilliant collaborators who shared a mutual respect as scientists—and were even "friends" in their own dark way—they didn't have the history Orochimaru shared with Tsunade, Jiraiya, or the Third.
When the time would eventually come for Orochimaru to assassinate the Third Hokage, it would be his way of giving his teacher a dignified exit—rather than letting him rot away in a seat he was too weak and stubborn to vacate.
"Will you come with me?" Orochimaru issued the invitation tentatively. His long, slender tongue darted out, licking the air as if tasting the temptation of the unknown. "Konoha is too small. The Third is too conservative to ever let our ambitions truly take flight. Join me. Let's explore the vastness of the world together."
To realize his dreams, Orochimaru needed power and talented allies. Hiruko was, without a doubt, the most exceptional research partner he had ever found. Moreover, they were kindred spirits, both obsessed with the secrets of immortality. In that moment, Orochimaru had already tossed aside his old teammates, focusing entirely on how to recruit Hiruko for the journey ahead.
Hiruko shook his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I can't bear to leave the beauties of Konoha. Besides, Danzo is about to gift me that 'Wandering Priestess' he's been keeping."
"Heh. That man certainly knows how to cater to your tastes," Orochimaru muttered, not pushing further.
His partner was brilliant in every field, with one glaring weakness: he was pathologically lecherous. He had Pakura of the Scorch Style imprisoned in his villa, he was shamelessly pursuing Tsunade, and now he was eyeing the Priestess. At this rate, he'd eventually be undone by a woman's touch.
"I have mastered ninety-nine percent of Konoha's forbidden jutsu. Don't you want a look?" Orochimaru's eyes burned with intensity, trying to lure him with forbidden fruit. "I can share the secrets of the Scroll of Seals with you. Everything I have, we can split."
As the Third's disciple, Orochimaru was a master of persuasion. He figured he'd trick the man into leaving first, and worry about actually sharing the "benefits" later.
Hiruko, despite his brilliance, wasn't a "direct disciple" of the Hokage, so his access to high-level forbidden techniques was limited. Most of his arsenal had been traded from Danzo. As far as Orochimaru knew, despite Hiruko's war hero status, the Third had only taught him the Shuriken Shadow Clone and the somewhat lackluster Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu. To someone without massive chakra reserves, the latter was practically useless.
But Hiruko shook his head again. "No. I have no plans to leave for now. I've lived here for decades, after all."
The offer was tempting, and Hiruko would love to see the Scroll of Seals for inspiration, but his desire for it wasn't overwhelming. Techniques were just tools, not the "Great Dao" itself. Hiruko aimed to be the master of the laws of life, not just a collector of jutsu. Besides, he could always fleece those techniques out of Danzo later.
"Heh... you know, the things you do aren't exactly foolproof," Orochimaru said with a mocking glint in his eye. "Pakura isn't the only one you've 'collected,' is she?"