Naruto's Strongest Force - Chapter 99
Land of Fields, Hidden Sound Village.
In Orochimaru’s laboratory, Natsuki pondered the events of the original timeline. Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage only because the Third Hokage died suddenly. Tsunade had reluctantly taken the position to prevent the village from falling into Danzo’s hands.
At present, Tsunade’s relationship with the village isn’t the best. The deaths of her brother, Nawaki, and her lover, Dan Kat?, had been handled carelessly. Natsuki couldn’t believe that Danzo had no part in those tragedies. Whether Danzo acted on his own or with the approval of the Third Hokage was still a mystery.
With the death of Nawaki, the Senju clan had no heir, and Tsunade spiraled into despair, eventually distancing herself from the village. The Sarutobi clan, however, grew more assertive, while Danzo coveted the Hokage position. Given the reaped benefits, Danzo and the Third Hokage had their share of suspicion.
Natsuki smirked darkly. “Orochimaru, do you want to become Hokage?”
“Hokage?” Orochimaru repeated, chewing on the word.
In truth, Orochimaru had no deep attachment to the title. His resentment stemmed from the Third Hokage’s choice of Minato over him as the Fourth Hokage. Orochimaru believed he was superior to Minato and wanted to prove the older man wrong.
With the Hidden Sound Village thriving, Orochimaru didn’t have a pressing need to become Hokage. Though it wasn’t recognized as one of the Five Great Nations, he could quickly call himself the “Sound Shadow.” But outside the Five Great Nations, these titles held no accurate weight, so names like “Waterfall Shadow” or “Grass Shadow” were never used.
“I don’t care about becoming Hokage,” Orochimaru said, shaking his head.
Natsuki grinned and waved his finger. “Orochimaru, you’re thinking too small.”
“The Land of Fields is limited in size and resources. The rare materials you struggle to acquire would be much easier for the Hokage to obtain.”
“Jiraiya managed to bring those materials once. Imagine what you could do as Hokage.”
Orochimaru’s mind began to race. He wasn’t a fool, just obsessed with his research. If he were to become the Fifth Hokage, the rich Land of Fire, with its vast resources and numerous secret techniques from the various clans, would be within his reach.
After all, the Land of Fields was less than a tenth the size of the Land of Fire, lagging far behind both economically and militarily.
“What’s your plan?” Orochimaru was practical—once he saw the logic, he wanted to act quickly.
“Currently, Konoha is short on talent. There aren’t many who can inherit the title of Hokage,” Natsuki explained. “Aside from you, there’s only Tsunade and Jiraiya from the Third Hokage’s lineage. If the Third doesn’t want power to fall into the hands of others, he won’t look beyond you three.”
The Sarutobi clan had produced many shinobi under the Third Hokage’s guidance, becoming a powerful force. However, there were no top-tier warriors among them. Despite his talents, his son Asuma was rebellious and not suited for the Hokage role. Other potential candidates had either died, fled, or defected.
That was why the nearly 70-year-old Hiruzen still clung to the Hokage seat.
At this point, Natsuki didn’t even consider Kakashi. He was still in his development phase and needed more time to grow.
“Jiraiya doesn’t want to be Hokage,” Orochimaru remarked, knowing his old comrade well.
Natsuki chuckled. “Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t get the chance.”
Orochimaru had heard about Natsuki’s schemes to ruin Jiraiya’s reputation and couldn’t help but smile.
“That leaves only Tsunade,” Natsuki said thoughtfully. “Do you know how Nawaki and Dan really died?”
Orochimaru’s lips curled into a mocking smile. He understood what Natsuki was getting at. “Nawaki was the sole heir to the Senju clan. Who benefited the most from his death? How could someone of his stature die in an ‘accident’?”
Natsuki nodded—Orochimaru’s thoughts aligned with his own.
“As for Dan,” Orochimaru continued, “his Spirit Transformation Jutsu was extremely effective for gathering intelligence. Just as he was getting deeper into his investigations, he suddenly died.”
Natsuki smirked bitterly. Those who had been around that time knew much more than he did. Dan Kat? had been a valuable asset to Konoha, and his Spirit Transformation Jutsu was a significant contribution. However, its greatest weakness was that it left his physical body vulnerable during use.
Dan’s movements, which should have been secret, were exposed, and he was attacked during the use of his jutsu, dying from his injuries.
Orochimaru’s tongue flicked out briefly. “At the time, only a few of us knew Dan’s movements. Besides us, only the Third Hokage and Danzo were aware.”
“Was the Third involved?” Natsuki asked.
Orochimaru shook his head. “Unlikely. However, he might have known afterward and helped cover it up. Tsunade probably suspected as much, which is why she left the village.”
Although the Third Hokage wasn’t the mastermind, his leniency towards Danzo had caused significant harm to Konoha, leading to a loss of talent. It was a textbook case of squandering a good hand of cards.
“Does Tsunade have any interest in becoming Hokage?” Natsuki asked, knowing that Orochimaru, as her former teammate, would know best.
Orochimaru laughed softly. “Tsunade was born into the prestigious Senju clan and is the granddaughter of the First Hokage. She’s never lacked anything and has no desire to be Hokage.”
“Of course, if Konoha were in dire straits, she might step up to save it.”
Orochimaru knew Tsunade well. In the original timeline, she had returned to the village for that reason.
Natsuki’s eyes narrowed. “If you becoming Hokage can make Konoha stronger, Tsunade likely wouldn’t challenge you for the position.”
The Hidden Sound Village was no longer the small, insignificant village it had been in the original timeline. Though the Land of Fields hadn’t expanded, its economic development was rapid.
Moreover, with over a hundred Uchiha in the village, they had become a crucial pillar of support during the village’s most difficult times.
The increased demand for missions also attracted many ninjas from outside, giving the village significant influence in the ninja world.
However, the Hidden Sound Village lacked an official title. Although Orochimaru was the leader, he wasn’t recognized as a “Kage.”
Perhaps one day, if the Land of Fields continued to develop, they could hold a ceremony and declare Orochimaru as the Sound Shadow. If both the daimyo of the Land of Fields and the new Sound Shadow supported Orochimaru’s candidacy for Hokage, his chances would increase.
In truth, Orochimaru had long distanced himself from daily village affairs. The village was managed by Kabuto, despite his being around 20 years old. Kabuto had played a vital role in transforming the barren land into a thriving town, earning him the title of “Sound Shadow” among some, although it wasn’t official yet.
The village was stable, with Kabuto in charge of Uchiha Takuya, serving as the third elder and the top-tier warriors Itachi and Shisui.
Initially, many feared the Uchiha would seize control of the village, but they had peacefully integrated, even working with the daimyo to promote commerce. The rumored fiery Uchiha temperament was nothing more than cold aloofness.
If Kabuto were officially declared the Sound Shadow, Orochimaru could distance himself from the village, playing the role of an outside collaborator. Supported by the Uchiha and the village, his external backing was already in place.
He only needed to return to Konoha and achieve some political success to secure the position of Fifth Hokage.
As for how to achieve that, there were many ways to manipulate events.
Natsuki had already considered seeking out Tsunade. She had built mainly the robust medical system in Konoha. Natsuki wanted her to help the Uchiha create a similar medical team if possible.
Now, he had even more reason to find her.
And if Tsunade disagreed?
The Uchiha had nothing but money. Natsuki hadn’t even touched his personal development funds yet. He could throw as much money as it took to bring Tsunade to the Uchiha’s side.
After briefly discussing the plan, Orochimaru seemed intrigued and willing to cooperate.
Although Orochimaru hadn’t become the Fourth Hokage, becoming the Fifth Hokage still sounded appealing.
With the main plan, Natsuki shifted the conversation back to the Sharingan.
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