"After this, I will personally request merit for you from Hiruzen-sensei. Shinichi-kun, you achieve such outstanding military accomplishments at the very beginning of the war, it will be enough to completely silence those in the village who still question your youth."
At this point, Orochimaru's smile deepened: "Perhaps, after this war ends, you will become the youngest Jonin team leader in Konoha's history, or even further... It's not impossible, hehe. After all, Hiruzen-sensei is getting old, and Konoha's future ultimately needs a new, powerful pillar to support it, doesn't it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire tent fell into an eerie silence.
The pens in the hands of the staff officers paused at the same time, then resumed moving across the map as if nothing had been heard. The messenger ninjas in the corner lowered their heads and stared at their toes, wishing they could shrink entirely into the shadows.
Orochimaru, as a direct student of the third Hokage, could say such things and even casually make jokes about it.
As for them, they couldn't even think about such things, let alone hear them.
Even thinking about it would be wrong.
Shinichi stood still, his expression unchanged. He calmly met Orochimaru's half-smiling, snake-like gaze and gave a slight bow.
"Orochimaru-sama is too kind. At present, I only wish to do my utmost to share the burdens of the village and the Hokage-sama, so as not to fail the cultivation and expectations placed upon me."
"Hehe, Shinichi-kun is indeed an interesting person."
Orochimaru did not continue the topic, but simply put the documents in his hand back on the table.
"Go ahead and get some rest. I'm looking forward to more surprises from you, Shinichi-kun."
Shinichi bowed, turned around, and just as his hand touched the tent flap, that lazy yet magnetic voice sounded again from behind him.
"Oh, right."
"About my previous invitation to you, Shinichi-kun, have you considered it?"
Upon hearing this, Shinichi turned around, pretended to ponder for a moment, and then said: "I am deeply honored by your high regard, Orochimaru-sama. However, the war is currently raging, and I am unable to spare the time. Once this war is over, I will certainly seek guidance from you, Orochimaru-sama, if the opportunity arises."
Orochimaru stared at him for a while, his eyes revealing little emotion, only the ever-unfathomable interest.
Then, he softly laughed. The laughter echoed within the tent, carrying a certain sense of amusement.
"Hehe...."
Orochimaru didn't say much, as if the conversation had just been mentioned casually.
"Go."
Shinichi didn't say anything more, lifted the tent flap, and went out.
The command center fell silent again.
Orochimaru stood still, his gaze fixed on the slightly swaying curtain, and he remained motionless for a long time.
"What an ambitious child..."
His voice was so low it was almost inaudible; only he himself could hear it.
Orochimaru recalled the boy's image in the village: Diligent, humble, gentle, reliable, considerate to his companions, and loyal to the village, so perfect that there was almost no flaw in him.
A perfect genius.
A perfect hero template.
A perfect inheritor of the Will of Fire.
Even a perfect… mask.
His actions were absolutely correct. Every choice, every statement, every action, and even every risk and sacrifice seemed to be the result of the most meticulous calculations, maximizing benefits to the extreme.
His humility perfectly dispelled jealousy, his impeccable loyalty earned him trust, and his responsible attitude precisely won him prestige and popular support. Everything was moving in the right direction, and he was rapidly accumulating an astonishing network of connections and capital.
But from the first time he saw Shinichi, he keenly sensed a kindred spirit in him.
Orochimaru licked his lips with a playful look in his eyes.
That ambition hidden deep beneath the perfect mask, a near-greedy desire for power, for knowledge, for higher views, and the willingness to pay any price, to use every ounce of wisdom and means to seize and climb upward.
And this was precisely what Orochimaru found interesting. A kindred spirit skilled in disguise, capable of endurance, and possessing the ability to realize ambition was far more intriguing than a simple hot-blooded genius or hero.
However, Orochimaru still couldn't understand how this child could be so skilled at disguise at such a young age, to the point that the disguise has become almost instinctive.
Based on the intelligence he has gathered, if it's truly an act, this child has been playing a role since he was just learning to speak and walk, or even earlier.
This was absolutely impossible, but Orochimaru's ability to recognize the aura of his own kind made him quite certain that the child had been faking it all along.
Perhaps it was precisely this contradiction between impossibility and certainty, this fascinating contrast and mystery between a perfect exterior and a dangerous essence, that made Shinichi Higashino so captivating to Orochimaru.
"Hehe…"
Orochimaru chuckled, then withdrew his gaze from the tent flap and refocused it on the map.
Perhaps the truth will be revealed when he comes into contact with that thing?
Hehe…
…
On his way back to his camp, Shinichi had no idea what Orochimaru was thinking. Even if he had known, he would have just scoffed.
Does a tiny, primitive cell deserve to expose his true nature?
The price is far too low.
However, at this moment, Shinichi was also contemplating the first Hokage's cells, thinking about how, if, after this war, he truly accepted Orochimaru's invitation and entered that laboratory, how he should use it if he obtained it.
A Senju and a Monk? They make a good match.
Shinichi thought to himself.
The Senju clan, whether in their name and forms of their jutsu, or various legends and references, was all deeply connected to Buddhism. Even their progenitor, Asura, derived his name from the Buddhist guardian deity.
Hmm… when the time comes, he would also find a way to obtain a pair of Sharingan, or even the Rinnegan.
After all, the six paths of reincarnation are a core concept in Buddhism.
The Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan are slightly different, taken from Buddhist deities and stories; more precisely, they are all related to the world-honored one, the Buddha.
However, given the existence of the Daikokuten (Though not the Sharingan or Rinnegan), it wouldn't feel too out of place.
...
February 10, Konoha Year 47.
The eighteenth day since the outbreak of the war between Konoha and the Village Hidden in the Cloud.
When news of B Yotsuki's death reached the Village Hidden in the Cloud, the third Raikage was furious. The next day, he personally led his army to charge into battle again. With his Lightning Style Armour fully activated, the man was like a moving natural disaster, and Konoha's defenses teetered on the brink of collapse wherever he went.
But the Village Hidden in the Cloud still returned empty-handed.
Minato Namikaze, with his Flying Thunder God Technique, moved like a ghost, constantly entangling the third Raikage's movements, preventing this strongest spear from unleashing his full power.
Three days later, the Village Hidden in the Cloud finally realized that a direct assault would not break through Konoha's defenses.
Instead, they broke up their massive forces into smaller, elite infiltration teams, attempting to penetrate deep into the Land of Fire through various weak points along the long front, with the goals of gathering intelligence, disrupting supply lines, or creating chaos in the rear.
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