Konoha: Who's the good guy?

In the Land of Fire, in the dense forest where Yamanaka Kei previously tested his Wood Release technique.

As a huge cloud of chakra smoke rose, the enormous Manda appeared at Orochimaru's feet.

not only that.

Thousands upon thousands of brightly colored, obviously highly venomous snakes crawled out of the smoke.

Like a tidal wave, it rapidly filled the dense forest amidst a chilling sound of hissing and crawling.

"I approached Jingjun with sincerity seeking cooperation, but Jingjun's arrogance is truly disappointing."

Under the Orochi-ryu Substitution Technique, Orochimaru emerged from the mouth of his original body, much like a python shedding its skin.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed the old leather pouch, bearing the mark of the Flying Thunder God Technique, into the swarm of crawling snakes around him.

Let those venomous snakes tear it apart and devour it, completely destroying the Flying Thunder God mark on it.

As a disciple of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, he already knew many forbidden techniques. After cooperating with Danzo, he learned almost all of Konoha's forbidden techniques.

I was suddenly brought here from the laboratory.

How could he not recognize that this was the Flying Thunder God Technique created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju?

Previously, it was because of Jiraiya's disciple that he learned the Flying Thunder God Technique.

He also studied this ninjutsu for a period of time.

Although he was unable to master it due to his insufficient spatial aptitude, he was very clear about its principles and combat methods.

This is a method of leaving a mark of a technique silently.

It might threaten ninjas who don't understand this technique, but it poses no threat to him at all.

"Such a strong reaction, you really want to become Hokage?"

Yamanaka Kei looked at Orochimaru, who was standing on top of Manda's head, with a pained expression.

If it weren't for the powerful [zero-frame start],

If he reacted quickly enough when Orochimaru made his move and brought him here, then Experiment Base No. 7 would be gone!

That's all money!

The roots were built with a large sum of money!

"In Konoha, besides me, who else could sit in that position, Kei-kun?"

Orochimaru stood with one hand on his hip, looking down at the mountain scenery on the ground.

His teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had begun to decline in strength, and his rigid thinking, weak methods, and indecisiveness made him unsuitable to continue serving as Hokage.

Among the younger generation.

In terms of military achievements, seniority, strength, potential, and prestige...

Shouldn't the position of Fourth Hokage be held by him?

"What would I have thought to become Hokage...? I'm asking you, do you really want to be in that position?"

Yamanaka Kei put a hand to his forehead, ignoring the sea of ​​snakes surrounding him, and continued questioning Orochimaru.

He was just seriously discussing cooperation with the other party.

They presented their conditions while also offering sufficient benefits.

Doesn't this guy want to live forever?

Ample funding, abundant human resources, the right research direction, the secrets of the Senju Uchiha clan, the ultimate origin of ninjas...

That's sincere enough!

He put forward three conditions.

First, Orochimaru must not conduct human experiments rashly before his research yields stable results, and the candidates for human experiments must be provided by Root; he must not capture them privately.

Second, all research results must be shared and not kept secret.

Third, withdraw from the competition for the Hokage position and stop causing trouble behind the scenes; focus on your research.

They were talking very well just now.

When the third condition was presented, this guy thought he was being threatened, and with a glare, he immediately resorted to dirty tricks.

What else could this be but wanting to become Hokage?

But is this really Orochimaru's own wish?

Has this guy really thought this through?

"..."

Orochimaru's snake-like pupils narrowed slightly, transforming into sharp, slender vertical pupils.

he......

What were you thinking?

If the position of Hokage were truly that important to him, he wouldn't have engaged in forbidden human experiments, or even explored those dangerous forbidden techniques.

If that position were truly his ultimate goal, he wouldn't have resorted to methods that easily provoked discontent among lower-ranking ninjas in numerous battles to quickly achieve victory.

With his wisdom and understanding of human nature, gaining greater prestige and more support would be a piece of cake.

Can......

Orochimaru recalled the image of Hiruzen Sarutobi patting him on the shoulder, saying he looked forward to his future and would always watch over him.

A scene appeared where Danzo stood beside him, promising to help him become Hokage.

A rope tree appeared, red beans appeared, and subordinates appeared...

The screen is shaking slightly...

"untie!"

Orochimaru clasped his hands together.

The memories before my eyes, so indistinguishable from reality, are fragmented like a mirror.

As the chakra of Manda within him gradually receded, the other party's incessant voice came from beside his ears.

"Release! Release! Release! Orochimaru, you idiot, you actually fell for a genjutsu! Hahahaha~ I've done you such a huge favor this time, two hundred sacrifices! Two hundred sacrifices are a must!"

"I'll send it to you later."

Orochimaru's face was grim as he raised his hand to wipe away the cold sweat that had seeped from his forehead due to the mental shock.

When Yamanaka Kei dealt with Miyajo En earlier, he tapped his arm with his finger and immediately cast an illusion.

Just now......

Is it that gesture of rubbing one's forehead?

Such illusionary techniques are truly impossible to guard against!

"Are you awake? Have you figured things out even a little bit?"

As Yamanaka Kei watched Orochimaru awaken from the illusion, he genuinely wanted to give Manda a severe beating.

He had already completely ensnared Orochimaru!

Just a little longer.

In the illusionary world, he could use a series of psychological suggestions to make Orochimaru give up his dream of becoming Hokage.

As it turned out, this dead snake jumped out halfway and ruined everything!

"Does Kei-kun feel that the idea of ​​becoming Hokage was imposed on me by someone else?"

Orochimaru appeared as relaxed as before, but one hand remained pressed on Manda's head, and his gaze no longer met Yamanaka Kei's eyes.

"Expectations, pressure, environment, experience, sunk costs, and what is taken for granted?"

After thinking for a moment, Shan Zhongjing gave his answer.

"That's a fair answer. Since that's the case, then please, Jing-jun, demonstrate the power to persuade me to change my mind and show me that turning back in time is the best choice, otherwise..."

Orochimaru revealed a sinister smile, licked his lips, and gave the order to attack the surrounding venomous snakes.

He didn't care why Yamanaka Kei didn't want to become Hokage, and even tried to stop him from becoming Hokage.

But since we can't reach an agreement on cooperation, let's settle things with force.

Let the winners dominate the lives of the losers!

The roots!

He's really looking forward to fully mastering its power and carrying out all sorts of research!

"Tsk~ On a side note, aren't Takoshi-hime, Ichikishima-hime, and Takitsu-hime pretty?"

"Would a powerful figure like Jing Jun be so fixated on appearances?"

"A bit. Beautiful things always make people happy. But I'm asking you this simply because I have a little hobby of collecting various summoned beasts. Also, when it comes to fighting, if things don't go well afterward, I always feel like I'm losing out."

"Hehe~ If Jing-kun wins, I'll personally take you to Ryuchi Cave, but if..."

"It's a deal, Orochimaru-kun!"

Rumble rumble rumble~

"Roar~!"

Several wooden dragons, each a hundred meters long, shot up from beneath the ground and roared angrily!

The wooden figure, several times larger than the giant snake, slowly rose from the foot of the mountain scenery, using its arms to support its body buried in the ground, like an ancient god supporting the sky, blocking the sunlight behind it!

The already lush trees around seemed to come alive in an instant, stretching out their branches.

Several large, somewhat abnormally large ancient trees, with their branches swaying and shaking, have blossomed with huge, brightly colored flower buds!

bang~

Without uttering a single unnecessary word, Manda immediately dispelled the summoning technique and returned to Ryuchi Cave.

fight?

What's the point of knitting!

It was born to love peace and couldn't stand the sight of bloodshed!