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....
Nara Shikaku and Konoha's think tank had analyzed Iwagakure.
A village's external style often has a lot to do with the personality of its Kage.
Unlike Konoha's ever-flourishing Will of Fire, Iwagakure's style is as tough as their "Will of Stone."
The elder Ōnoki once followed his teacher, the Second Tsuchikage Mū, to seek a peace treaty with Hashirama Senju in Konoha, only to be blocked by Uchiha Madara, who believed in Absolute Power.
Since then, Ōnoki's heart began to pursue ultimate strength, advocating the hegemony of great ninja villages.
Ōnoki not only delved into his own strength but also vigorously developed Iwagakure's military power. Under his leadership, Iwagakure reached its peak in both economy and military might.
They began actively seeking ninja wars to divert internal conflicts, consume excess productivity, and expand their village's territory.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Ōnoki dispatched thousands of Iwagakure ninjas, using the Land of Grass as a springboard to attempt to annihilate Konoha Village. They even pushed Konoha's frontline defense forces back until only four people remained.
In the end, it was the current Fourth Hokage who arrived on the battlefield like a savior.
Bearing the name "Yellow Flash," he wiped out fifty Iwagakure Jōnin in one go, completely reversing the battle situation between Konoha and Sunagakure.
Since then, the "Yellow Flash" became a nightmare in the hearts of many Iwagakure ninjas.
It also reminded Ōnoki of the fear dominated by Uchiha Madara-that Konoha was still the unbeatable Konoha.
So, Ōnoki redirected Iwagakure's forces, using a ninja flood tactic to exhaust the Third Raikage, known as the "strongest spear," achieving a huge victory against Kumogakure.
After that.
Iwagakure turned a deaf ear to the ninja world's affairs and focused solely on development. Ōnoki spent his life accumulating power, dreaming of leading Iwagakure to surpass Konoha in one fell swoop.
From Ōnoki's personality and Iwagakure's performance in the ninja wars, they've always wanted to pursue an external expansion strategy.
But with the end of the ninja wars and mediation among the Daimyōs, Iwagakure also began to maintain relatively peaceful relations with the Grass Village.
Now, Konoha's "Advisor Assassination" incident could be shared with Iwagakure, under the pretext of jointly maintaining ninja world order and severely combating political terrorism by assassins, to carry out a special joint military operation between the two villages.
Since Konoha is initiating the "invasion," Ōnoki would likely be happy to get involved and take a share. As for the Land of Earth's Daimyō questioning them... Ōnoki, at his age, has the face needed for such debates.
There are no permanent enemies in the ninja world, only eternal interests.
Konoha and Iwagakure, who fought fiercely during the Third Ninja War, seem to be coming together for mutual interests this time.
A perfect strategy, no flaws!
Nara Shikaku suddenly understood. Past animosities during hostile states had blinded him, causing him to forget that Iwagakure could be such a "reliable ally."
'Ah... wait.'
'What am I getting happy about? Wasn't I originally trying to reject this nomination by questioning Uchiha Fugaku's abilities and proposing Orochimaru?'
Nara Shikaku rarely found himself confused, only now remembering what his political demands were.
He wanted to say more, but Minato beat him to it:
"The specific arrangements will depend on the situation, but I lean more towards Uchiha Fugaku."
Minato uncharacteristically stood firm, rejecting his subordinate's suggestion. But to avoid chilling the hearts of the ninja clan representatives, he added tactfully:
"Let's leave it at that for now. Let's have Orochimaru come to the Hokage Building to report, and we'll seek his opinion."
"If he passes all aspects of the assessment... I will consider it carefully."
"Kakashi, please go and invite Orochimaru to the Hokage Building."
Minato crossed his arms, his demeanor resolute, indicating his decision was final.
He loudly ordered Kakashi, the Anbu squad leader, to deliver the message.
Seeing this, Nara Shikaku could only sigh inwardly.
The Fourth Hokage has changed too much compared to when he first took office; he no longer listens to the advice of veteran subordinates like him.
He only hopes that in the future, Minato won't fully lean towards an Uchiha dictatorship...
Deep concern filled Nara Shikaku's eyes. The Fourth Hokage's partiality towards the Uchiha and Gojo Kaigetsu might lead to the most extreme and worst outcome...
[Shadow Side]
....
"Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru has come to report as per your orders."
"May I ask what instructions you have?"
Orochimaru wore the classic Konoha ninja attire, his voice hoarse, expression indifferent.
He seemed unchanged for decades.
Compared to his fellow Sannin, who indulged in gambling and other vices, he now looked the most like a normal Konoha ninja.
Minato calmly observed this senior.
If possible, he genuinely hoped Orochimaru stood with Konoha and that the intelligence Kaigetsu-kun had given him was fabricated.
If that were the case, Minato wouldn't know how relieved he'd feel.
But reality was cruel. The one who looked most like a normal Konoha ninja-Orochimaru-was actually the one most in the wrong.
The other two... were just using their Sannin privileges to stay away from the village for extended periods.
"Orochimaru-sensei..."
"Please, have a seat."
It's said that Kage are natural politicians; even someone as honest as Minato could act flawlessly when needed.
Even though he had already sentenced Orochimaru in his heart, he still maintained a friendly demeanor.
"The following information is top secret. After you leave this office, only you should remember it."
Orochimaru sat opposite Minato, his snake-like eyes narrowing, heart rate accelerating.
He realized that the opportunity he had been waiting for might come from Minato's mouth.
"Please go ahead."
"We at Konoha plan to launch a blitz operation against the Grass Village at some point. We aim to eliminate forces within the Grass Village opposing Konoha and the Kumogakure units stationed there."
"Because the blitz operation needs to be completed in a very short time, achieving our predetermined results as swiftly as white lightning."
"Therefore, the commander of the strike force has very high requirements."
Minato briefly explained the mission's background.
Hearing this, Orochimaru's heart raced.
An opportunity! The opportunity! The chance he had been waiting for was finally here!
Invading the Land of Grass? Ninja conflicts-how boring; he couldn't muster any interest.
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes glanced at the map, looking at his planned base location-[Land of Rice Fields]
This was a small country with ninjas but no ninja village.
Using it as a hideout while establishing a ninja village to serve him, handling dirty work, capturing experimental subjects-it couldn't be more suitable.
Recently, Orochimaru had been secretly sending funds to his subordinates planted in the Land of Rice Fields to prepare the initial base.
Everything was ready; all that was missing was his defection from Konoha.
Konoha assigned him the task of leading a strike force to attack the Grass Village. Between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rice Fields were two countries-it's a bit far, but that's okay; it would help confuse Konoha's pursuit.
In a flash, Orochimaru had already planned his escape route.
He was just short of saying to Minato:
"Your next words will be: 'Orochimaru-sensei, are you willing to serve as the commander of the strike force?'"
However, Minato's next words nearly broke his composure.
"Orochimaru-sensei, before you came, we internally discussed who to entrust with this important task. The result was to appoint the current head of Konoha's Police Force, Uchiha Fugaku, as the commander of this White Blitz Operation."
"I called you here to ask your opinion on this appointment."
"After all, as one of the Sannin, you have significant input on this matter."
Minato amicably pulled out his metaphorical knife, stabbing into Orochimaru's heart one cut at a time.
Sure enough... Orochimaru's snake-like eyes seemed to freeze for a moment. His usually indifferent face was now filled with astonishment and confusion, along with a hint of... anger!
Yes, anger!
On the path of pursuing immortality, Orochimaru had nearly eradicated his emotions as a ninja.
But Minato's words reignited his anger.
Almost instinctively, he said: "Why not me?"
But realizing that his tone showed excessive desire for the position of "strike force commander," Orochimaru added:
Minato smirked slightly. "You mean, Orochimaru-sensei has absolutely no personal motives?"
"Of course."
Orochimaru's tone became increasingly calm: "My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror; everything I do is for Konoha."
"Is that so!"
Minato seemed deeply moved. He slowly stood up, his eyes showing a certain determination.
He turned around, looking out the window at Konoha's bustling streets, leaving only the back of his Hokage robe for Orochimaru to see.
"After careful organizational research and discussion, we have officially decided to appoint the current head of Konoha's Police Force, Uchiha Fugaku, as the commander of this White Blitz Operation."
"Orochimaru-sensei, you may leave now."
Creak-
It sounded like something cracking.
Tiny cracks appeared on the wooden floor beneath Orochimaru's feet.
Targeted! This was blatant targeting, political persecution from the Fourth Hokage's small team!
Although he no longer cared about Konoha's political ecology and wasn't clear about the power struggles between the Fourth Hokage, his teacher, and Danzo, the Fourth Hokage's decision was blocking his path!
Orochimaru's face darkened. He said slowly, enunciating each word:
"I have shed blood for Konoha; I have shed tears for Konoha! Fourth Hokage, you cannot treat me like this-I want to see Lord Hiruzen!"
...
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