In Konoha: I will spread the will of conquest throughout the ninja world.

clap clap.

The rhythmic drumbeats relentlessly challenged Orochimaru's common sense.

He looked at the person in front of him.

With a face as exquisite as an angel's, and a long, moon-white robe fluttering in the wind, she looked on with a smile at everything she had caused.

After a moment's hesitation, Orochimaru tentatively asked, "Gen-kun?"

"Hmm?" Isogen tilted his head slightly.

As expected.

Orochimaru rarely went out in the past year, but news about Yuuko Ujūgen still reached his ears through various channels.

This includes, but is not limited to, the fact that Yuka was originally in an orphanage under Danzo's control, but Danzo was blind to her potential and allowed her to grow to an uncontrollable level.

Danzo was furious.

In fact, after hearing about Isogen's rapid improvement in strength, he had considered inviting her to participate in his experiment. The idea was quite good, but unfortunately, Mito Uzumaki's power was even greater than that of the Nine-Tails.

Moreover, he already felt guilty and uneasy for not taking good care of Rope Tree.

It can only be said that Orochimaru is still a follower of the Will of Fire, possessing passion and conscience.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Orochimaru asked tentatively.

"Punish evil and promote good."

"Did you know that base belongs to a very important person and contains a lot of valuable information that is very useful to Konoha?"

"That's him we're going to hit."

Fifty strings without hesitation.

Orochimaru fell silent.

In addition to being a ninja, he was also proficient in psychology.

It was easy to see that Isogen was acting from the heart; in other words, he knew what he was doing, and he did it anyway, without fear of the consequences.

"..."

Have I been out of touch with the outside world for too long?

Has Danzo's reputation become so unbearable?

Do kids these days not know about the Will of Fire?

The fact that he answered so quickly shows that Isogen knew whose territory this was, but he did just that, blowing the entire Root base into the sky.

It also contains the research materials that I have worked hard to complete these past few days.

Orochimaru's originally calm heart couldn't help but clench when he thought about the precious research data that perished in the fire.

That contains special training he secretly gave himself by misappropriating Root resources without Danzo's knowledge!

What will you use to compensate me?!

"Tch, where did this poor wretch come from?"

The tone was as flat as if one were dismissing a beggar on the street.

After a few seconds of silence, Orochimaru's eyes gradually turned hostile.

I'm here, you born evil brat!

"Ten million, interested in working with me?"

The sense of danger suddenly subsided, and the lesson that had been brewing in Orochimaru's mind vanished without a trace.

Most importantly, he is an expert in psychology, so no matter how you look at it, the ten million mentioned by Fifty Strings is true.

What happened to the orphans they were promised?

Or is it that Konoha has become so wealthy that the combined wealth of a Chunin and a Genin could reach this level?

"Mere money."

"Twenty million, take it or leave it."

"...The Root and Dark Bureau personnel will arrive soon. If you leave now, you can avoid them."

Orochimaru gave advice in a natural manner.

What happened to the Sannin?

What happened to the Root members?

No matter how prestigious your reputation is, you still need to make a living.

In particular, the goals he set for himself all required a lot of money.

Harnessing resources from the roots is one channel, but it can't be done forever, since Danzo himself also needs a lot of money to maintain his power.

Right now, it's just a matter of both sides getting what they want. It's only a matter of time before Danzo achieves his goals or his patience reaches its limit and they break off relations.

He has invested most of the money he has earned from completing tasks over the years into projects.

An S-level mission's reward starts at one million, and a single expensive piece of equipment can cost more than that.

You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household.

Even with Orochimaru's "cold-blooded" nature, once he took charge of the household, he couldn't help but value money.

Twenty million? How long would it take me to complete all those tasks?

All you have to do is talk and pretend to be blind to get it for free; imagine how much time that could be saved for experiments!

As for the research data that perished in the fire, it wouldn't be a problem for him to spend some time rewriting it.

As for Danzo's losses...

Who is Danzo? Who is Danzo?

Not familiar, really not familiar.

Isogen was not surprised by Orochimaru's sudden change in attitude.

Even ninjas need to eat, and Orochimaru is a researcher. This thing is a money-devouring beast, and it often only takes in and doesn't give out. Even if it does give out, it's a special piece of equipment that can't be used to make money among the common people.

He doesn't have any ill feelings towards the current Orochimaru. Putting aside the evil scientist image of him who defected and caused trouble after the original work, the current Orochimaru is still a good young man infected by the Will of Fire.

Well, it got a little contaminated after staying at the root for a while.

But it doesn't matter, Orochimaru is still a malleable young man at this time.

It's such a pity that Orochimaru fell into such a deep abyss because of the Hokage position; his talent should have benefited the whole world!

It's absolutely not that he wanted to unleash his Will of Conqueror to show Orochimaru how a mere Fire Will could compare to even a fraction of the Will of Conqueror. No, absolutely not!

Okay, that's him.

He has already decided to ruthlessly exploit Orochimaru, making him start striving for a happy, carefree, and high-quality life without limits.

Rather than Orochimaru, who will be running around the world in the future and might pop up at any time, it's better to have Orochimaru by my side so that I can constantly feel his will of conquest.

"You continue to stay at the root and wait. I will find you when the time is right."

Orochimaru was about to nod when he suddenly realized something.

No, who are you? I am the Hokage's disciple, the nominal deputy of Root, and the future Fourth Hokage. Why should I listen to you?

"I made over two hundred million in one afternoon," Igarashi said calmly. "The six people who went with me each received twenty million, and Tsunade, who came in later, received thirty million. I even gave this much to my temporary teammates, so those who follow me will only get more."

"Don't let your limited perspective restrict your imagination, you poor wretch."

Orochimaru was moved.

Although "poor ghost" doesn't sound very nice, it's over two hundred million! If I had that much money, would I still care about Danzo?

Teachers had to coax them into investing money in Konoha Construction.

Moreover, it turns out Tsunade also got a share of the money, 30 million yen, which was wasted on her gambling.

"Ahem, we'll talk about that later. If you're able, we'll meet again." Completely unconcerned about the disrespect in Igarashi's tone towards his senior, Orochimaru prepared to investigate the amount he mentioned.

Wu Shixian chuckled, "If you take my money, you'll be my slave in the future."

Shortly after Igarashi left, the Anbu and Root members who rushed to the scene were shocked by the horrific sight before them.

Such a horrific explosion scene! Just how many detonating tags did the enemy use?

The ANBU ninjas were puzzled as to why there was a base here, and why Lord Orochimaru was here as well.

Just as Danzo arrived at the scene under the protection of his subordinates, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot when he saw the mess. He immediately spotted Orochimaru, who was watching the commotion.

"Orochimaru, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

"Shouldn't I be the one demanding an explanation?" Orochimaru remained unfazed, observing coldly.

"Your subordinates were in charge of the base's defense, while I was only responsible for research. But it seems your defense work was inadequate. My recently completed research and the research data stored in this base have been completely destroyed. You owe me a reasonable explanation and compensation."

"You! Hmph!" Danzo glared angrily, snorted coldly, and said nothing more.

After all, strictly speaking, he was in the wrong in this matter.

He was so frustrated!

That is, he looked away in frustration and didn't see the smile that appeared in Orochimaru's eyes.

To be honest, he somewhat understood how Yu Ge of the Fifty Strings felt when she first faced him.

Whether he enjoys it or not, he's happy to see Danzo get his comeuppance.

Just then.

An ANBU member approached Danzo and said, "Lord Danzo, the Hokage requests your presence at the Hokage Building."

Danzo's face turned ashen, and he snorted coldly, "I understand."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: It's a new month, please support me, everyone! Just a click of my little hand, or I'll send you anything you like. Little Red Kite has a good appetite and isn't picky about food.