Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Orochimaru's Strange Behavior

Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Orochimaru's Strange Behavior



If Sakumo Hatake continued to gain merit and grow his reputation, with the Daimyo's support, he could very well become a candidate for the Fourth Hokage.

But Danzo wanted to become Hokage, which is why he opposed Sakumo.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, on the other hand, wasn't eager to retire just yet, nor was he willing to give up his power, which led him to temporarily side with Danzo.

After all, his intentions were good. If Sakumo held any grudges, he'd direct them at Danzo and not Sarutobi Hiruzen.

It was Danzo who opposed you, not me, Hiruzen thought to himself.

"Orochimaru, can I trust you with this?" Hiruzen asked.

"I'll take care of it," Orochimaru responded, not rejecting the cooperation with Danzo.

At this time, it seemed that Orochimaru still harbored some desire for the Hokage position. Since Danzo had chosen him, Orochimaru simply stepped up.

With Orochimaru's agreement, the Third Hokage continued, "I'll have Jiraiya and Tsunade assist-"

"I'll stay in the village. Let Jiraiya go," Tsunade interrupted, standing up before the Third Hokage could finish.

She refused to leave the village.

Initially, Tsunade hadn't planned on refusing, but the moment Hiruzen began to speak, Takuya pinched her waist under the table.

Only then did she stand up in protest.

You brat, just wait. You have no idea what's coming. Doesn't anyone teach you not to pinch a woman's waist? And you did it with so much force!

Tsunade glared at Takuya, who responded with an innocent look.

"Alright then, Jiraiya it is," Hiruzen said, "And you'll need to select suitable members for the Jonin team. I'll have Shikaku Nara assist you."

Shikaku's father, Nara Shikashige, had already grown old and pushed his son into the limelight.

As a gesture of appreciation for his loyal subordinate, the Third Hokage wanted to give Shikaku Nara an opportunity to gain experience and recognition.

"Fine," Orochimaru replied, glancing at Shikaku standing quietly nearby. He didn't reject the suggestion.

He did indeed need someone to help handle some of the more tedious matters.

"Since the sea is the Mist ninjas' primary battlefield, I want the village to assemble a small, but highly capable, elite unit to be stationed along the border," Hiruzen continued.

"This unit will be composed of selected members from the different clans. I ask for everyone's cooperation."

The village needed to be well-prepared for a potential war before it actually began, and stationing people along the border to guard against sudden attacks was a part of that preparation.

This unit needed to be made up of elite forces and would be led by Orochimaru to the front lines.

Upon hearing the Hokage's request, representatives from each clan agreed to provide their full support.

After leaving the Hokage's office, Nawaki curiously asked, "Takuya, Minato, do you think we'll be sent to the front lines?"

"Who knows? That depends on what Lord Hokage and Orochimaru decide," Minato replied uncertainly.

Even though Jiraiya and Orochimaru were their mentors, there was no way to know until they were actually selected.

"Maybe," Takuya said.

floor. He poured himself some tea and waited.

After a while, the door to the private room opened, and Tsunade walked in, sitting in the chair

across from Takuya.

"You were worried that if I went to the front lines, some people would start acting out in the village?" Tsunade asked.

She had initially planned to assist Orochimaru, but after Takuya's hint, she chose not to go.

Instead, she pushed Jiraiya to take on the role.

"Not just that someone might act out-I'm certain some will," Takuya replied.

What had started as a mere suspicion had turned into a certainty.

If Tsunade left, certain individuals would undoubtedly cause trouble.

Turning to look out the window, Tsunade frowned. Those old geezers.

She said, "I'll keep a close watch. They won't have a chance to take anything that doesn't belong to them. I'll personally inspect everything that leaves the logistics division."

Previously, Tsunade hadn't cared much.

But now that she held the position of Head of the Logistics Division, anyone who tried to get around her would find themselves out of luck. She wouldn't give them the opportunity. "What about those two boys?" she asked, looking around, sensing for chakra. She couldn't find Nawaki or Minato anywhere. Turning back, she gave Takuya a questioning glance.

Takuya shrugged. "They're still discussing whether our squad will be chosen to go to the

front lines."

"Oh," Tsunade said, amused.

Having been around Takuya long enough, she was one of the few who understood him well. Just from his tone, she could guess what he was thinking. She teased him:

"You think Orochimaru won't choose you?"

"Unless the situation becomes very intense, I doubt it," Takuya replied casually.

There was no need to hide it-after all, he wasn't badmouthing Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru made me think about a lot of things today," Takuya added.

"What about him seemed off?" Tsunade asked. She hadn't noticed anything. To her, Orochimaru seemed like the same old Orochimaru.

It's just that the aura around him-the one she disliked-was growing heavier.

If anything was off, only Orochimaru would know for sure. Perhaps Danzo knew something

too.

Just as Takuya suspected, Orochimaru chose several members from the various clans,

including some elite civilian ninjas.

But Takuya's team wasn't among those selected.

Next Bonus: 1800 Power Stones (''))

(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 340+ at patreon.com/Emiko1.