RNP Chapter 310 Orochimaru: There's nothing to explain, I did it.
Chapter 310 Orochimaru: There's nothing to explain, I did it.
Chapter 310 Orochimaru: There's nothing to explain, I did it.
On the big screen, Tsunade in the dream raised her hand and patted Orochimaru on the shoulder.
Even Tsunade herself, sitting in the audience, got goosebumps when she saw this scene.
Absurd, awkward.
She stared at herself on the screen, her expression a mixture of impatience and intimacy with Orochimaru, which made Tsunade frown.
"Hmph, that stinky snake, always dreaming big dreams."
"In my dream, he made himself out to be very popular, and even I was completely fooled by him and went to stand up for him."
The words sounded quite harsh, but if you really listen carefully, you'll find that in addition to the rejection, there's also a bit of complexity.
[Ding! Tsunade's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +400!]
Jiraiya sat down next to her, sensing a subtle shift in her demeanor. He stroked his chin and looked back at the screen.
On the screen, the three people in the dream stand side by side.
Jiraiya looked at that scene and felt a sudden, inexplicable weight lift from his heart.
How long has it been since this scene has appeared in reality?
So long that he almost forgot what kind of looks others would give when the three of them stood side by side.
He sighed and said solemnly, "Tsunade, you can't say that."
Tsunade didn't turn around, but simply raised her chin, signaling him to continue.
Jiraiya continued, "While dreams are illusory, they don't necessarily reflect only fantasy. At least it shows that under certain conditions, Orochimaru isn't entirely without hope of redemption."
Tsunade's lips twitched, her face full of noncommittal, and she did not reply.
Meanwhile, Danzo, sitting on the other side, was staring at Orochimaru, who appeared calm and collected on the screen, with a look of smug satisfaction and confidence.
His gaze was like that of someone looking at a snake about to fall into a trap.
He glanced over coldly when he heard Tsunade and Jiraiya's conversation.
"snort."
Danzo let out a sneer.
"A chance to salvage the situation? Naïve! Just you wait, Orochimaru is going to be in deep trouble this time."
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Shimura Danzo have been detected! Emotional value +450!]
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya turned his head, glanced lazily at Danzo, and teased, "Oh? Elder Danzo is so confident?"
Oh, I almost forgot, in reality, Lord Danzo is no longer an elder.
"However, in my dream, Orochimaru was as steady as a mountain, completely ignoring your elders' questioning."
As soon as he finished speaking, Danzo's face darkened, his eyes flashed with cold light, and his voice became sinister: "Steady as a mountain? It's just an act! Jiraiya, what do you know? In Konoha, some things can't be resolved by personal strength and a little bit of cleverness alone."
"In the past, whenever he got into trouble in the village, it was always me who helped him out and suppressed the dissenting voices."
"If it weren't for me speaking up for him in the council of elders, those two old bastards, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, would have thrown him in the dungeon long ago!"
Danzo, seemingly regretting his previous favor to Orochimaru, said with a smug satisfaction, "This time, I'm personally going to deal with him. Hiruzen, along with the elders, pressured him. He secretly took orphans from Root, interfered in Root's internal affairs, and threatened the village's safety. Every single one of these things is enough to make him suffer. Without my protection, let's see how he tries to deny it this time!"
Meanwhile, in a corner of the audience seats.
Dou sat there quietly, his gaze behind his glasses seemingly calm, but upon closer inspection, one could see that his breathing was not even.
As Danzo's gloating voice faded, the usually refined and amiable demeanor on his face turned cold.
He lowered his eyes slightly, secretly cursing in his heart.
That old geezer.
That's absolutely despicable.
[Ding! Kabuto's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +300!]
On the other side of the audience seats.
Nagato and Konan were also drawn to Danzo's demeanor.
Xiao Nan's face was frosty, and she didn't even bother to lower her voice as she said, "That disgusting old bastard."
Nagato remained silent.
After a moment, he seemed to suddenly remember something, turned to look at Obito, opened his mouth, and then swallowed his words back.
Obito tilted his head, a hint of doubt showing in his eyes beneath the mask: "What?"
Nagato remained silent for a moment, then uttered only four words: "We'll talk about it during the day."
on the screen.
As soon as the voice from the communicator ended, Jiraiya's expression changed.
-
"So fast?"
He hadn't expected Danzo to act so quickly.
Jiraiya's gaze immediately fell on Orochimaru, his brows furrowing deeply.
However, Orochimaru remained unmoved, seemingly unconcerned, his gaze still fixed on the files on the table.
He was indeed a little distracted.
A hint of regret flashed in Orochimaru's eyes as he muttered to himself, "It seems I won't be able to focus on my research for a while today."
For him, exploring another treasure trove of knowledge about himself was far more appealing than dealing with this political struggle.
It's like you and your buddies have just arrived at an internet cafe, ready to start a game, when you get a call from your boss informing you of a meeting.
But what must be faced will eventually have to be faced.
The sooner we finish dealing with it, the sooner we can have some peace and quiet.
Orochimaru got up from his chair and casually put the file into the top drawer.
He straightened his crisp green vest with a composed movement.
"Let's go."
Jiraiya chased after him, lowering his voice urgently, "Hey, Orochimaru, are you really not afraid at all?"
Although he sided with Orochimaru, he knew that this trouble couldn't be glossed over with mere words.
Tsunade laughed heartily and said generously, "What's there to be afraid of? This is how the Sannin should act. Let's go see what tricks that old man Danzo is up to this time."
Tsunade's eyes were sharp, and she never gave Danzo a kind look.
The three walked out of the laboratory side by side.
The air in Konoha is always so sweet in the early morning; this is the advantage of the Land of Fire's location in a place with a spring-like climate all year round.
The other countries are either dry or humid, and most immigrants to the Land of Fire usually remark that they can breathe easily after crossing the border.
At that moment, shouts of hard training came from the training ground in the distance, and occasionally ninjas would sweep across the rooftops with footsteps as swift as the wind.
But when these three people walked together on the street, they instantly attracted countless admiring glances.
Greetings rose and fell in waves.
"Lord Orochimaru!"
"Lady Tsunade!"
Good morning, Jiraiya-sama!
During this period, the three legendary Sannin held a prestige in Konoha second only to the Hokage.
Orochimaru remained calm, his golden vertical pupils showing no emotion whatsoever.
Jiraiya, however, was visibly nervous, pondering how to deal with the accountability.
Tsunade, on the other hand, held her head high and swaggered around.
The three of them quickly arrived at the Hokage Building.
The Hokage's office is located on the top floor.
When Orochimaru and his two companions pushed open the door and entered, the air inside suddenly became heavy.
The room is spacious.
However, an invisible pressure came crashing down on us.
Behind the Hokage's desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the main seat, wearing the Hokage hat and smoking a pipe.
Several guest chairs were placed on either side of the desk in front of it.
There are three people sitting on it right now.
On the left are two elders of Konoha, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
The two of them had straight faces and were expressionless.
At that moment, they glanced at the three ninjas who had entered together with them, and their expressions became noticeably more serious.
On the right, sitting alone, was Shimura Danzo.
He changed into more formal attire, his right eye and right arm still wrapped in bandages, his whole demeanor gloomy and oppressive, his one eye fixed on Orochimaru as he entered the office, his gaze full of sinister intent.
Orochimaru glanced briefly at the people in the office, then turned his gaze to Hiruzen Sarutobi behind the desk.
Unlike the retired, frail Third Hokage in reality, Hiruzen Sarutobi still had sharp eyes and exuded a powerful aura and a sense of oppression.
Orochimaru greeted him politely, "Hokage-sama."
Then, he nodded to the two elders: "Elder Xiaochun, Elder Yan."
Danzo was the only one they ignored.
Tsunade and Jiraiya stood on either side and bowed as well, but their postures were noticeably more casual.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag on his pipe and slowly exhaled.
Amidst the swirling smoke, his gaze fell upon Orochimaru's calm face, then swept over Tsunade and Jiraiya beside him, who stood firm against all odds, before finally lingering on Danzo.
Then, he solemnly said, "Orochimaru, Elder Danzo has raised an inquiry, believing that you have repeatedly interfered in Root affairs without permission and taken away reserve personnel belonging to Root without authorization, which seriously violates the rules and regulations of Konoha."
"Do you have anything to explain about this?"
He didn't use the word "accuse," but simply said he was questioning and demanding an explanation, and his tone was relatively calm.
All eyes were now focused on Orochimaru.
Danzo's lips twitched coldly, while Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado remained serious, their eyes fixed.
Tsunade and Jiraiya also tensed up at this moment, holding their breath and hoping that Orochimaru could handle the situation well.
Orochimaru's answer to Hiruzen Sarutobi's question was incredibly fast.
He calmly met Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze and said frankly, "There's nothing to explain. I did it."
Orochimaru felt that staying here for even a minute longer would be a waste.
He didn't even bother to explain that it was actually Rope Tree who did it using his name.
In his view, explaining these things is meaningless.
He just wanted to get through the accountability phase as quickly as possible, return to the lab to continue going through those files, and continue dissecting this novel research path.
I suppose the old man won't make things too difficult for him with such a small matter.
They only robbed a few orphans; there's really no need to waste time on this.
Jiraiya's eyes widened suddenly.
He looked at Orochimaru in disbelief and hurriedly whispered, "Hey—at least come up with a reason."
He had thought that Orochimaru would at least offer some explanation, even if it was just for the sake of Konoha's future or for the needs of the experiment.
And this guy just admitted it so readily?
And there was an impatient tone, as if to say, "Don't waste my time."
What's the difference between this and directly grabbing Danzo's hand and slapping him across the face?
A look of surprise flashed across Tsunade's face.
In her heart, she actually thought Orochimaru did the right thing; one shouldn't be polite when dealing with someone like Danzo.
However, Orochimaru's self-righteous attitude still made her feel that he was being a bit too confrontational.
This is unlike the cunning and adaptable Orochimaru she remembered.
However, on the other hand, this straightforward style unexpectedly suited her taste.
She actually felt a bit of admiration for it.
Tsunade couldn't help but glance at Orochimaru, only to find him still looking as calm and collected as ever.
She couldn't help but wonder to herself: What exactly is this guy up to?
boom!
A loud bang erupted in the office.
Danzo's single eye was bloodshot. He could no longer maintain his composure, stomped his cane, stood up abruptly, pointed at Orochimaru, and roared, "Orochimaru! What kind of attitude is this?!"
"Do you think that just because you've made some contributions and achieved some research results, you can act with impunity, disregard Konoha's rules, and disregard us elders?"
"Unauthorized interference in the internal affairs of the headquarters, and the abduction of key reserve personnel!"
"They're still so arrogant, without even a decent explanation!"
"This is blatant disrespect for the Hokage and the Elder Council's authority!"
While he was angrily rebuking them, he impatiently turned his gaze to Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado beside him, trying to win over these two conservative elders and play more cards.
"You saw it!"
"Orochimaru's attitude isn't that of someone here to be questioned; he's clearly here to provoke us!"
"If such behavior is not severely punished, what will become of Konoha's rules? If everyone follows his example, won't things descend into chaos?"
However, to Danzo's surprise, the silver was...
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, two elders known for upholding rules and adhering to procedures, did not immediately echo Orochimaru's blunt admission and Danzo's fierce criticism.
Their gazes lingered on Orochimaru for a moment, then swept over Hiruzen Sarutobi's calm face.
They exchanged a quick glance, their eyes showing embarrassment and hesitation.
In the end, both elders chose to remain silent.
They didn't bring up Danzo, but instead turned their attention to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
When Danzo saw that the two elders remained silent and things were not going as he had expected, he became even angrier.
He immediately turned his attention to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was still smoking, and said aggressively, "Hiruzen! Tell me! Orochimaru is a disciple of the Twins!"
"Now that he's Hokage, are we just going to let him run rampant, disrupting the village's rules and stability?"
"Jin Ya's relationship demands an explanation!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.
He glanced at the enraged Danzo, then at Orochimaru, who stood calmly.
As Hokage, he had to find a balance between upholding the rules, appeasing the elders, especially Danzo, and protecting his subordinates.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe and calmly said, "Orochimaru, the Root organization has handled many clandestine affairs for Konoha, making sacrifices and contributions."
"The reserve personnel of the Root are seedlings who have been selected and have the potential to become the future strength of Konoha."
"Their destinations and training have their own procedures and regulations."
"Taking them away without authorization is indeed inappropriate from a procedural standpoint."
After he finished speaking, there was a brief moment of silence in the Hokage's office.
Danzo's single eye still held the bloodshot veins and fierce intent from his earlier angry outburst.
Orochimaru stood in the center of the office, his expression still calm.
Tsunade and Jiraiya stood on either side, one with her arms crossed and the other scratching his clown, neither of them in a hurry to speak.
As soon as the Hokage spoke, Mitokado Homura coughed lightly twice and said, "Ahem, what the Hokage says is true. Orochimaru, we call it 'transformation,' not to condemn transformation, but this matter has a significant impact, and transformation must—must be explained in a reasonable way."
Danzo's five ugly figures were tightly locked.
The unexpected turn of events far exceeded his expectations; Mitokado Homura actually offered Orochimaru a way out right away.
Koharu, surprisingly, didn't press the matter further. Instead, she spoke with a tone of elder's admonition: "Yes, Orochimaru, tell us the whole story and make things clear. If there is indeed a reason, such as—certain necessary needs, or an urgent need for those orphans, we are not unreasonable people."
auditorium.
Danzo was momentarily speechless at the unexpected turn of events, which was completely contrary to his expectations.
His single eye was wide open, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the three figures on the screen: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado.
The look in their eyes was as if they were seeing them for the first time.
No, to be precise, it's like they're trying to confirm whether these three old guys have been switched.
The scene he envisioned was that he would raise his arm and call out, and the two elders would rise up and unite in hatred against the enemy.
Under pressure, the Third Hokage had no choice but to severely punish Orochimaru as a warning to others.
But where is it now?
The third generation's expression is merely superficial and inappropriate.
The two elders were more amiable than ever before.
The three practically wrote their message down: Orochimaru, just make up some excuse so everyone can back down. Let's get this over with quickly, and stop letting that old bastard Danzo cause any more trouble.
This feeling of being invisiblely isolated and treated as a nuisance made Danzo feel suffocated, like a bone stuck in his throat, and he chewed his guillotine with a crunching sound.
[Ding! Emotional fluctuations from Shimura Danzo have been detected! Emotional value +900!]
puff!
A sneer, which was not concealed, came from the side, making Danzo even more embarrassed and angry.
Jiraiko crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, unable to suppress the corners of his mouth.
"Oh dear."
"Is this what Elder Danzo was so confident about—that Orochimaru was definitely going to be in big trouble this time?"
"To me, Orochimaru, who was supposed to be in big trouble, is not only fine, but seems to be handling things with ease."
These words are truly devastating.
Danzo's muscles twitched, he took a deep breath, and without saying a word, he didn't even glance at the other person.
He stared intently at the screen.
Danzo did not believe it.
He absolutely did not believe that Orochimaru, with his reckless and unruly nature, could come up with a reason that would satisfy Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two elders.
Danzo believed that the version of himself in the dream was a highly intelligent and resourceful figure in Konoha, possessing extraordinary wisdom that would surely make Orochimaru suffer.
He stared coldly at the vast screen, waiting for Orochimaru to speak.
on the screen.
Tsunade and Jiraiya were also somewhat bewildered.
They were clearly taken aback by how easy the elders were to talk to this time.
Especially those who come from elsewhere.
Those stubborn old folks have all changed their ways today.
Orochimaru, standing in the center of the blind man's room, felt even more complicated at that moment.
The three men's seemingly kind persuasion made him unable to distinguish between dream and reality.
In the real world, whenever he was summoned by these three high-ranking officials of Konoha, it was usually because his research had gone wrong.
Every single time it wasn't a battle of words, with each side pressing the other relentlessly.
Old Ugly Man always looked heartbroken, as if he were looking at a child about to go astray.
Not to mention Koharu Utatane and Haru Mitokado.
On the contrary, Danzo, because of their cooperative relationship, often helped him out.
However, things took a turn for the worse.
Danzo was determined to punish him at all costs.
Ironically, the three people who were originally most likely to punish him are now giving him a way out.
His words, though seemingly a reprimand, sounded more like a senior gently advising a junior who had inadvertently caused a minor mishap.
When the matter came to this, Orochimaru was able to detect a subtle protectiveness in those three pairs of eyes.
They didn't want to make a big deal out of it.
There is silver in my mind.
That's so clever.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly. Three people he knew would never be so lenient with him were now vying to give him unusual preferential treatment.
The status and power I possess in this dream world probably far exceed his previous estimates.
This cannot be explained simply by the fact that research has yielded results.
This unexpectedly favorable situation, for reasons that are hard to explain, gave Orochimaru a strange sense of pleasure.
[Ding! Orochimaru's emotional fluctuations have been detected! Emotional value +500!]
It's like suddenly discovering you've inherited a huge fortune, making you want to do something with it.
In the blink of an eye, Orochimaru had made his decision.
Since the other party has extended an olive branch, he has no reason not to accept it.
Orochimaru readily complied, his playful expression fading slightly, replaced by a somewhat smug look, as he nodded slightly to Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
"The facts are just as Elder Xiaochun said."
"Recently, my Wood Release research has required some children with good chakra adaptability to assist in the experiments."
"As for the children under Elder Danzo, according to my assessment, they are very suitable."
"Time was tight, and I didn't have time to complete the formal application process, so I borrowed them first."
He lowered his head slightly and respectfully admitted his mistake, saying, "This was indeed my oversight."
This is the reason.
To be honest, it was very perfunctory; it was basically just made up based on what Koharu Tsurugi said.
However, none of the seasoned veterans present showed any sign of something being amiss.
On the contrary, a look of realization or perhaps a sense of bewilderment appeared on Koharu's face as she turned to the dormitory.
"Oh, I see."
She turned to Mitokado Homura and said, "See? I told you Orochimaru always knows how to behave properly. Why would he go after the Root people for no reason?"
"So it was for the village's most important Wood Release research. There's no high-level method here; research takes priority."
Mitokado Yan immediately understood and hurriedly nodded.
He turned to Danzo, his face showing an expression that seemed to say, "How could you be so clueless about human relationships?" and said matter-of-factly, "Yes, Danzo, the most important matter for the village is the re-emergence of Wood Release. This is a matter of strategic importance to the village. What do a few children matter?"
"There are plenty of talented people at the root. We can just wait for the next batch of good seedlings. Don't argue with the younger generation over such a small matter. We should prioritize the big picture."
Danzo's character was already terrifyingly dark, yet these two old men spoke flawlessly, each sentence occupying the moral high ground.
He tried to refute, but it made him seem like he was being petty.
Seeing that the two elders had stabilized the situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke.
The smoke obscured half of his face, but it couldn't hide his discerning eyes, which were full of appreciation.
He looked at Orochimaru and said definitively, "Danzo, it seems you've misunderstood Orochimaru."
2
"He wasn't troubled by the silver, but by the important research for the village."
"This is a misunderstanding."
As soon as he finished speaking, Danzo's one eye twitched.
He felt like he was being trampled on in public.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his gaze to Orochimaru and said sternly, "Orochimaru, even if there is a reason for the change, the procedure cannot be disregarded. In the future, if there is any such urgent need, you must apply to the Hokage's office in advance."
Hiruzen Sarutobi paused here.
Then, he seemed to be instructing a disciple, or perhaps giving someone a way out.
"I believe that as long as the reasons are legitimate and for the benefit of the village, Elder Danzo is not the kind of person who lacks vision and is unreasonable."
On the surface, this statement is an attempt to persuade Orochimaru to follow the rules and trust Danzo.
However, it actually seemed to be a hint to Danzo that if he continued to pursue the matter, he would become a person who lacked perspective and reason.
However, if he backs down, it would be tantamount to admitting that his outburst was just unreasonable.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put him in a position where he could only suffer in silence.
"Yes, disciple understands."
Orochimaru readily agreed, bowing slightly, his attitude impeccable.
However, that monkey-like quality made Danzo's eyes suddenly turn cold.
This accountability process has now completely distorted its original purpose.
It is no longer a trial.
It's more like he was set up.
Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a glance.
Senseless.
Is this over?
They were ready to speak.
I'm ready to retort and fight Danzo to the death.
In the end, their support was completely unnecessary.
Orochimaru single-handedly resolved the situation.
Tsunade's eye twitched, and a strange feeling suddenly arose in her heart.
This snake—was it really so sensible when it was being attacked?
Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, then the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Lovers!
Danzo suppressed his rage, but couldn't stop trembling. He looked at Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, who seemed to take it all for granted, and then at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was expressionless under the smoke.
He reached out towards Orochimaru, shouting incredulously, "His excuse was just made up!"
"Can't the lovers come out in the morning?"
However, faced with his desperate cries of hunger, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado merely exchanged a glance.
It shook and looked ugly.
The two did not exchange words.
They stood up.
"Now that things have been explained, we'll take our leave, Lord Hokage."
"Yes, the research on Wood Release is more important; we shouldn't waste Orochimaru's time."
Mitomon inflammation is echoed.
He even gave Orochimaru a slight nod, as if to say, "Thank you for your hard work."
Then, the two walked straight to the door of the blind fortune teller's office.
They didn't look at Danzo even once more throughout the entire process.
Danzo stood frozen in place.
The outstretched hand remained suspended in mid-air.
The anger in his heart was like a bucket of cold water being poured over him, solidifying into an unbelievable blankness and utter stagnation.
Like a clown putting on a great show but receiving no applause.
"alright."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice rang out again, speaking calmly and slowly: "Danzo, let's go back for now. This matter ends here. I have something to discuss with Orochimaru privately."
Danzo's body swayed violently.
He gripped Ran tightly, saying each word distinctly, "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
Through the smoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes suddenly sharpened, his aura surged, but he merely uttered calmly, "Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
As he finished speaking, the light in Danzo's single eye shifted from anger to resentment, and finally to ruthlessness.
Finally, he glared at Orochimaru, flicked his sleeve, and without a word, turned and strode away from the Hokage's office.
Door: Bang!
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