— — — — — —
"So, they've completely lost sight of what's important!"
Kaito shook his head with a chuckle. "As long as you hold absolute power, what's the point of clinging to these trivial, meaningless rights?"
"Isn't that just looking for trouble?"
"Fists are power! That's the true essence of authority!"
"As long as my strength is overwhelming, even if I delegate all the Hokage's powers to others, I wouldn't worry about losing control or being sidelined."
"And I wouldn't have to worry about anyone daring to act recklessly behind my back."
"Because the power in my fists can take their lives at any moment."
Honestly, the Naruto of the future was really foolish in this regard.
He actually let himself get tied down by all the endless, tedious affairs of the village.
He neglected his family, failed to take care of the village properly, and of course, had no energy left to deal with other villages or bigger plans.
Kaito suspected this might have been a deliberate scheme by other ninja villages.
They probably wanted Naruto to stay so bogged down in these mundane responsibilities that he wouldn't have the time or energy to unify the ninja world or launch any invasions with his unmatched power.
"Just maybe that's only a conspiracy theory!"
Either way, Kaito wasn't going to be some overworked, frustrated tool like that.
"Uh... Wow, you really have a clear perspective on the essence of power," Uzumaki Mito said, momentarily at a loss for words.
Indeed, Kaito was right.
Back in the day, her husband, Hashirama, had delegated all the administrative work to Tobirama and distributed authority among the various clans. Even so, no one dared to defy him or treat him like a figurehead.
After all, Hashirama was invincible back then.
"Since you've got it all figured out, I won't say much more. Do what you think is best."
"If possible, it'd be great to revive Hashirama and Tobirama ahead of time."
"Let them handle some of the hard work and make up for all the trouble they left behind when they died so early."
"Especially Tobirama—work him to the bone! It's not like he'll get tired anyway, given the pseudo-immortality of Edo Tensei."
"Let him work 24/7 for all I care!" Mito said with a completely serious expression.
Kaito and Uchiha Naori were both dumbfounded.
What kind of grudge was this?
But they liked it.
"Alright, it's settled then!" Kaito said with a sly grin. "Since things are wrapped up here, I'll head back to the front lines."
"Next up, we're attacking Amegakure."
"Maybe even clashing with Sunagakure and Iwagakure. I've got to lend a hand!"
"The village matters are in your hands. I'm off!"
With that, Kaito vanished from Konoha in a flash.
"Alright, let's get started!" Uchiha Naori said, exchanging a knowing smile with Mito.
"Sure! First, we'll gather people to organize these, copy and compile them into manuals, and get the village buzzing about it."
"Agreed! I'll call in help from the Senju and Uzumaki clans too."
— — —
At the Konoha front line camp, Kaito reappeared in his tent.
A quick sensory sweep told him that Tsunade, his shadow clones, and the allied clan ninja forces hadn't returned yet.
"Well, with the distance, it'll still take them a few hours to get back."
"Might as well go see Orochimaru. It's time we had a little chat."
With that thought, Kaito locked onto Orochimaru's location. Surprisingly, Orochimaru was in an underground lab right beneath his tent.
In the next moment, Kaito teleported into Orochimaru's tent.
"Hisss..."
His sudden appearance startled the white snake Orochimaru had left there for security.
Kaito smiled faintly at the snake, which promptly vanished in a puff of white smoke.
He walked to the entrance of the underground lab and used Earth Style to bypass several layers of seals and barriers, finally entering a dimly lit lab.
"Ssslick..."
Orochimaru was waiting, eyes sharp and wary. He gave a fake smile, licking his lips before speaking. "My, my, Kaito-kun, what an unexpected visit! I didn't think you'd show up here."
"Shouldn't you be walking right into the trap that Danzo and Hanzo so carefully laid for you by now?"
Indeed, Orochimaru knew about Danzo's plan to wipe out the Uchiha and the allied clans. He had even tipped off Tsunade about it.
Of course, Tsunade and the others had already been aware, but they appreciated Orochimaru's gesture.
It seemed that at this point, Orochimaru still had some sense of camaraderie.
"Ha!" Kaito chuckled. "Well, since I'm standing here now, it's obvious Danzo and Hanzo are both dead."
"By the way, thanks for the heads-up earlier."
Orochimaru's pupils contracted sharply. He was stunned.
How long had it been?
Including travel time, it hadn't even been half a day. The battle was already over?
He doubted as the battle didn't even last more than an hour.
"Danzo and Hanzo were that weak? Or was it Tsunade and the Uchiha who were underestimated?"
Orochimaru composed himself quickly and smirked. "I doubt my intel was that valuable—you clearly knew about Danzo's plans beforehand."
"Not true," Kaito replied. "Results aren't everything; intent matters too. You showed goodwill, and that's enough for my thanks."
"It proves you were on our side."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "So Danzo and Hanzo are dead? What about their forces?"
"All dead," Kaito said flatly.
"All of them?" Orochimaru's eyes widened. "Danzo had nearly a thousand men, and Hanzo had over two thousand. How did you...?"
"We didn't lose anyone," Kaito said with a grin. "Not a single fatality. Only a handful were lightly injured."
Orochimaru gasped audibly.
"Impressive, Kaito-kun."
"By the way, did you make a stop at Danzo's Root base?"
"Of course," Kaito said, smiling knowingly. "Care to guess what I found?"
Orochimaru's mind raced. He knew Danzo's death would trigger all the seals on his subordinates, rendering the base vulnerable.
"Let me guess—plans to move against the Hokage?"
"You're sharp," Kaito said. "This internal conflict will end soon. Once the front line stabilizes, I'll return to Konoha as the Fourth Hokage."
"And I want you to lead Konoha's new Research Division."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"We'll fund research into jutsu, forbidden techniques, Kekkei Genkai, and even advanced technology."
"Even human experimentation—within limits—will be allowed."
Hearing this, Orochimaru's eyes lit up with excitement. By the time Kaito finished speaking, he was grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm very interested!" Orochimaru said, his tone practically oozing enthusiasm.
"I must say, Kaito-kun, you're truly visionary! Unlike my old teacher, who's stingy, overly cautious, and afraid of his own shadow."
"I'm thoroughly satisfied with this offer. In fact, I can't wait for you to become Hokage already!"
"Honestly, I'm itching to step into my role as Head of the Research Division!"
At this point, any thoughts of war or loyalty to his old teacher had completely evaporated from Orochimaru's mind.
What war? What teacher?
None of that mattered anymore.
The promise of the Research Division had utterly captivated him.
Orochimaru was a total science geek at this moment.
.
.
.