Although this episode's extra video is very short, it has a huge impact.
With Orochimaru's full cooperation, the merger of Konoha Village and Otogakure Village went smoothly.
With the support of the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, and the Third Hokage, opposition groups like Danzo could not cause any disturbances and were suppressed by the two Hokage.
The Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, is not like the Third Hokage; he does not have any affection for Danzo.
Things are different now than they were before.
In the past, Jiraiya had no way to deal with Danzo since he was protected by the Third Hokage.
Now, things are different. As the Fifth Hokage, Danzo is his subordinate in terms of status.
Emotionally, it would be difficult for the resigned Third Hokage to protect Danzo anymore.
Otherwise, if Jiraiya complained to the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, the Third Hokage would be in trouble.
So, this matter went very smoothly.
When the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya, and the Third Hokage were at the Hokage stage, they explained in front of many ninjas and villagers that Orochimaru's defection was actually to carry out a covert mission for the village.
The mission was completed successfully, and Orochimaru's identity as a traitor was completely cleared.
Ordinary villagers didn't know much about these things. They have limited knowledge and wisdom, so they could only follow what others said.
Seeing that both Hokage were supporting Orochimaru, they naturally believed what was said.
Besides, the return of Orochimaru, one of the three Legendary Sannin, was definitely a good thing.
As for him luring the Sand Ninja to attack Konoha, it was likely that the village knew of the Sand Ninja's evil ambitions and deliberately let Orochimaru lure them.
Didn't you see that the village didn't suffer any losses this time?
At most, some houses, fields, and other real estate were damaged, but not a single resident died.
It was obvious at first glance that the village had planned this in advance.
Otherwise, there will be casualties in war.
Am I right?
It is easy to deceive the villagers, but not so easy to deceive the ninjas, especially the jōnin.
Particularly Kakashi and Mitarashi Anko, who were privy to some inside information.
They didn't believe for a second that Orochimaru was on a mission outside the village.
But the reality is that the higher-ups—Jiraiya, the Fifth Hokage, and the Third Hokage—both supported Orochimaru. Additionally, the village didn't suffer significant losses in the defense battle. Furthermore, talents like Kabuto Yakushi, Kimimaro, Uzumaki Karin, Jūgo, Suigetsu Hozuki, and Guren had joined the village.
They really couldn't raise any objections.
Even Mitarashi Anko, who despised Orochimaru the most, refrained from causing trouble, though she looked at Orochimaru with a complicated expression.
After this incident, Orochimaru could finally walk around Konoha Village openly.
People who knew him greeted him.
Orochimaru hadn't felt this kind of acknowledgment in a long time.
"Sasuke-kun, long time no see."
That evening, Orochimaru encountered Sasuke on his way home.
"It's you, Orochimaru."
Despite the village's current stance, Sasuke didn't let down his guard upon meeting Orochimaru. He remained vigilant, prepared to flee at any moment.
"Sasuke-kun, don't be so wary. I'm not here to harm you this time."
"State your purpose."
Sasuke didn't lower his kunai and continued to scrutinize Orochimaru.
"I just wanted to ask if you would like to become my disciple."
"Ha?"
A large question mark seemed to appear over Sasuke's head.
He never expected Orochimaru to actually want to take him on as a disciple.
He was skeptical of such seemingly miraculous offers and pressed on: "What's your real intention?"
Orochimaru licked his lips and said, "There are reasons I cannot disclose, but I genuinely want to accept you as my disciple, and I have no ill intentions."
"I need to think about it."
"Of course. You have plenty of time to consider it. Once you've made up your mind, you can visit me at the XX laboratory in the east of the village."
"Okay."
"Then it's settled."
Orochimaru sank into the ground and departed, leaving Sasuke with a troubled expression.
Sasuke was uncertain about what had caused Orochimaru's sudden interest, but he knew this could be a chance to become stronger.
During the pursuit of Gaara, Sasuke had used the Chidori technique to injure him, prompting Gaara to transform into a tailed beast.
Once Gaara had transformed, Sasuke was no longer capable of contending with him.
On one hand, his chakra was depleted, and he could no longer perform powerful techniques.
On the other hand, he lacked the strength to confront such a massive enemy.
In this dire situation, Naruto, who had always seemed the least likely to succeed, summoned the giant toad boss Gamabunta, who was as large as Shukaku. Naruto defeated Gaara and rescued both him and Sakura.
Sasuke was grateful to Naruto, but he also loathed his own weakness.
He was so powerless that he couldn't even defeat Naruto. How could he hope to avenge himself against Uchiha Itachi?
He remembered Uchiha Itachi's recent appearance in the village. If Orochimaru and Jiraiya hadn't intervened, he would have likely been killed by this so-called brother, who was nothing more than a beast.
He never wanted to feel that helpless again.
"Becoming Orochimaru's disciple? It's not impossible."
At that moment, Sasuke made his decision.
Having already mastered Kakashi's signature jutsu, Chidori, he felt he wouldn't gain much more from staying under Kakashi's tutelage. It was worth considering Orochimaru's offer.
As one of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru was unlikely to let him down.
Senju Tobirama was deeply engrossed in his work. After learning about the cloning technique, he dived into his laboratory and began conducting experiments.
Don't misunderstand; Tobirama wasn't so impatient that he started with human trials right away.
Initially, he used specially-bred mice for experimentation, and within just five days, he successfully cloned a mouse embryo.
Once this mouse proved to be perfectly healthy, he planned to move on to cloning other animals, such as puppies and kittens.
He would only consider cloning humans after he was confident that the technology was fully developed.
Compared to the mature Orochimaru, Tobirama still maintained a certain ethical boundary in his work.
To prevent Orochimaru from losing his moral compass, Tobirama kept him by his side to mentor him.
Even while conducting experiments, he did not shy away from it but used the opportunity to offer guidance.
"Hokage-sama, do you seek eternal life?" Orochimaru asked, his curiosity piqued as he watched the light screen and saw Tobirama successfully clone a white mouse.
"Eternal life?" Tobirama shook his head. "Honestly, I don't desire eternal life."
"Then why are you doing this?"
Orochimaru was a bit puzzled.
Isn't the goal of cloning technology to create a body with one's own genes for reincarnation and thus achieve immortality?
"If I say that the reason I study cloning is to protect Konoha, would you believe me?"
"I believe whatever you say, Hokage-sama."
"Haha, good boy."
Tobirama patted Orochimaru's head with a smile, clearly pleased.
Note:
To make it easier to distinguish between the young and adult Orochimaru in the future, the young Orochimaru was given the name Little Orochimaru.
The same naming convention applied to Tsunade: Little Tsunade and Big Tsunade.
Jiraiya was referred to as Little Jiraiya and Fifth Jiraiya.
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