Of course, Linton was just present for the negotiations and didn't have the right to speak. Orochimaru led the talks, and as expected, the result was that Sunagakure and Konoha signed a treaty. Despite Konoha's victory at the Battle of Kikyo Pass, what they gained was pitiful. The war had dragged on for too long, and Konoha could no longer sustain it. The priority now was to end the war quickly.
As part of the peace terms, the Jinchuriki, Bunpuku, was returned to Sunagakure. It was said that in Sunagakure, he had been imprisoned the entire time, so for him, it didn't matter who had captured him—he was just a tool being passed around. No wonder the future Jinchuriki from Sunagakure had such twisted personalities; clearly, they weren't treated well.
With the negotiations concluded, it could be said that the Third Shinobi War was over. Although Iwagakure hadn't signed a treaty yet, both Konoha and Iwagakure knew that neither side would continue sending troops, so the war was essentially over. Once the war ended, Konoha's forces began their journey back, which Linton had been eagerly awaiting.
The return trip took several days, but it was peaceful, without any unexpected incidents. Konoha's reputation was still formidable, and no one dared attack their troops at this time. During this period, Linton took some time to study his own abilities.
His Sharingan had already evolved to the Mangekyo level, but it didn't seem to have fully developed its abilities. He could use the Susanoo instinctively, but other abilities typical of the Mangekyo Sharingan—like Itachi's Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi, and Kakashi's Kamui—were beyond his reach. He wasn't even sure what his unique Mangekyo ability was.
Despite several experiments, Linton couldn't figure out how to activate any special powers. He wondered if these abilities had to be purchased, but after checking the points shop, he didn't find anything like that available. However, some unusual items had appeared for sale, such as the Byakugan and Tailed Beast Chakra.
These seemed to be abilities Linton had uploaded earlier, much like when he unlocked the Sharingan. The Byakugan was straightforward, but when had he acquired Tailed Beast Chakra? Linton hadn't even noticed.
The Tailed Beast Chakra appeared to increase his chakra reserves, which was exactly what he needed right now. His Sharingan consumed too much chakra, and he couldn't maintain it for long. However, the Tailed Beast Chakra was expensive; even the D-rank version cost 10,000 points, and Linton only had around 7,000 points left.
With no other way to earn points, Linton's only option was to upload valuable items during scouting missions. Points for exploration and combat would only be awarded after the mission was completed, and since there were no more battles, he had no immediate way to earn points. Reflecting on how much he might have missed looting on the battlefield, Linton couldn't help but feel he had wasted a lot of potential points.
Though he could still afford a few things with his remaining points, most D- and C-rank ninjutsu didn't interest him anymore, especially now that he had the Mangekyo. He had become a bit arrogant.
However, having the Mangekyo also came with a serious drawback: blindness. Anyone familiar with the original story knew that overusing the Mangekyo Sharingan would lead to blindness. Linton asked Battle Sister if there was a solution, since it was a combat-related issue. Surprisingly, Battle Sister had an answer.
One solution was to let his eyesight fail and then use system points to repair his body. Linton had already experienced this when he regenerated his arm, so repairing his eyes was possible. The downside was that it would cost a large amount of points each time. The other, more permanent solution was to upgrade his Sharingan once more. The Sharingan had a unique B+ level upgrade, which meant spending 100,000 points to buy another Mangekyo Sharingan, transforming it into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan—a scientifically sound approach, indeed.
In other words, it was the difference between a one-time payment and paying in installments, but both required points, which Linton didn't have. So, he would have to wait until he could earn more points before dealing with it.
During the return trip, Linton familiarized himself with his abilities, but before he could fully adjust, they arrived back at the village from the original story: Konoha.
Seeing the village for the first time, Linton was surprised. Konoha was a perfectly circular village, surrounded by high walls, with one side against a mountain. Atop the mountain were the famous Hokage faces. At this point, only three faces were carved, as the Fourth Hokage had yet to be selected. The face of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked younger than the version Linton had seen in the original story, indicating the older version was added later.
Overall, the village was quite beautiful, but while Linton was observing it, Orochimaru was keeping a close eye on him. Linton glanced at Orochimaru and understood what was going on. Orochimaru was a highly suspicious person, and he likely still doubted Linton based on what he had said earlier. Over the past few days, Orochimaru had been quietly observing Linton's actions, trying to determine whether Linton had ever been to Konoha before.
"Orochimaru-sama, I'm very interested in seeing your lab," Linton said.
"There's no need to rush. Right now, the person you need to see is my teacher," Orochimaru replied.
"Oh, I'll leave it to you then, Orochimaru-sama," Linton nodded. By "teacher," Orochimaru was clearly referring to the Third Hokage. Linton had undoubtedly drawn some attention, and he couldn't fabricate a story about his identity on his own. He would have to rely on Orochimaru and hope for the best.
Although Konoha hadn't gained much from the war, they were still the victors, and the villagers welcomed the returning troops enthusiastically. One figure who stood out in particular was Minato Namikaze, who had shone brightly in the war.
Minato wasn't just a star in the war against Sunagakure; in the previous battles against Iwagakure, he had single-handedly turned the tide. In the Battle of Kikyo Pass, he had captured Sunagakure's Jinchuriki at a critical moment, making him a war hero. Of course, this fame was likely bolstered by official support.
The selection of the Fourth Hokage was already underway, and the message had been spread: a new Hokage would be chosen after the war. The Third Hokage would retire. Currently, there were three main candidates: Minato Namikaze, Orochimaru, and Danzo. Danzo had the least support, as he was old, from the same generation as Hiruzen, and lacked widespread popularity. Minato was the most popular candidate.
Orochimaru was Minato's only real competition, but only Linton knew what was about to happen. Orochimaru's human experiments would soon be exposed, leading to his defection from the village. Linton couldn't help but suspect that there was some political maneuvering involved in the timing of these events.
None of this concerned Linton, though. He wasn't a candidate, so it didn't matter to him who became Hokage. What he really wanted was access to Orochimaru's lab. Why was he so eager? Because that lab was full of valuable items, and those items meant points.
What Linton wanted most right now were points. There were so many tempting things in the shop, but he had too few points. Orochimaru's lab surely contained a treasure trove of valuable items—like Sharingan or, even more importantly, cells from the First Hokage.
Yes, based on the original story, Orochimaru had been researching the First Hokage's cells at the time of his defection. These cells were highly valuable, and Linton couldn't wait to upload them and see how many points they were worth. However, before that, Linton would have to get past the Third Hokage.
Linton finally saw the Third Hokage, who had come to welcome the returning troops and announce some rewards. He also mentioned the upcoming Hokage election. Once the speeches were over, he dismissed most of the ninja, but some important figures were summoned to the Hokage's office for a meeting.
The meeting focused mainly on post-war matters, including rebuilding efforts and the Hokage election. The meeting was long and tedious, and none of it concerned Linton, who nearly fell asleep. Finally, after everything else had been discussed, the Third Hokage kept Orochimaru and Linton behind to talk about Linton.
There weren't many people left in the room: the Third Hokage, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo. This was also the first time Linton had seen Danzo. At this point, Danzo hadn't implanted the Sharingan yet, so he still looked like a normal person. However, he exuded a sinister aura, the kind that immediately made people dislike him. If there was ever a character who looked like a villain at first glance, it was Danzo.
"Danzo, explain what's going on," the Third Hokage asked, without addressing Linton directly, turning instead to Danzo.
(End of Chapter)