It was evening, with the sun setting.
Veigar looked at the gates of Konohagakure and smiled faintly.
"Finally, I'm back."
At this time, the Third Great Shinobi War had concluded, and the shadow of war that had loomed over Konohagakure had also dispersed.
With Iwagakure's surrender, and Kumogakure having successively lost the Third Raikage and been rampaged through by Veigar, they temporarily withdrew their forces and no longer encroached upon the borders of the Land of Fire.
The end of the Third Great Shinobi War once again cemented Konohagakure as the number one shinobi village.
Due to the war, the village had lost a significant number of ninja, and everything was now entering a phase of recuperation.
In the Hokage Residence, a benevolent smile graced Hiruzen's face as he listened to Veigar's mission report, his smile growing brighter and brighter.
After Veigar recounted his experiences in Kumogakure, Hiruzen asked him:
"Veigar, are you interested in becoming Hokage?"
In an instant, Veigar was surprised by Hiruzen's words, but quickly, he shook his head and replied:
"Lord Third, I've lost interest in the position of Hokage."
"Now that the war is over, unless absolutely necessary, I'd like to rest at home."
Unemployed?
Veigar's words made Hiruzen choke. He truly couldn't fathom what Veigar was thinking.
Hiruzen, who was just racking his brain on how to assign Veigar, actually had a fleeting thought of agreeing to Veigar's request, but it quickly vanished.
He couldn't, and he shouldn't.
Given Veigar's current prestige in the village, if he truly did that, it would undoubtedly stir public outrage.
Moreover, now that they were in a period of recuperation, Veigar's power would only benefit Konohagakure, not harm it.
However, for Hiruzen himself, it might be a different story.
"Why would you suddenly have such a thought, Veigar?"
Taking a puff from his pipe, Hiruzen's eyes keenly fixed on Veigar, desperately wanting to see through him.
Shaking his head, Veigar replied:
"It's nothing!"
Without directly answering Hiruzen's question, Veigar then took his leave.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"I want to check on Kakashi's condition."
After a moment's thought, Hiruzen nodded and said:
"Go ahead!"
Veigar nodded to Hiruzen before turning and leaving the Hokage Residence.
Hiruzen was left in the office, deep in thought.
Becoming Hokage wasn't Veigar's goal. For him, who no longer had any goodwill towards Hiruzen, voicing such a thought at this moment was preparation for the plan he intended to implement after Minato took office.
As for the Third... well, forget it!
At the Konoha Hospital, Kakashi, who had returned from the battlefield, was admitted, his room directly across from Might Duy's.
As Veigar pushed open the hospital room door, he saw Kakashi sitting on the hospital bed with a sorrowful expression.
At this moment, Kakashi wasn't physically injured, but deeply wounded in spirit.
Additionally, his frantic use of the Sharingan's power in his final battle against the Iwa-nin meant he needed time to recover.
"Kakashi, are you feeling better?"
Kakashi seemed not to have heard Veigar's words, sitting silently on the bed.
Gently closing the door, Veigar walked over to Kakashi and said to him:
"Are you worried the Uchiha clan will take back the eye Obito gave you?"
Hearing Veigar's words, Kakashi finally looked up, his two-tomoe Sharingan staring intently at Veigar.
Kakashi was indeed worried about this. This parting gift from Obito, he truly didn't want to let go.
Although Minato had promised him that he would do his utmost to help him keep this Sharingan, based on his understanding of the Uchiha, things probably wouldn't be that simple.
"Veigar..."
At this moment, Kakashi was like a completely helpless child, unable to see the path ahead.
"Don't worry!"
"As long as you don't want to give up your Sharingan, no one can force you."
"Not even the Uchiha!"
With Veigar's strength, he certainly had the confidence to say this. Moreover, he had already discussed it with Fugaku Uchiha.
"Let me take a look!"
Saying this, Veigar placed his hand on Kakashi's left eye. Kakashi didn't resist.
As Veigar infused senjutsu chakra into Kakashi's eye, the burden on Kakashi's body significantly eased.
"Thank you."
Waving his hand, Veigar smiled and said:
"It's nothing. Just a small favor."
"Get ready! Perhaps after this, you'll be joining the Anbu for a while."
Joining the Anbu was Kakashi's experience in the original story, and Veigar had no intention of changing it.
That night, Veigar left the Konoha Hospital and returned home.
"Orochimaru-sama, did you need something?"
Veigar showed no surprise at seeing Orochimaru in his home.
"Veigar, have you ever thought about leaving Konohagakure?"
Orochimaru's words were for Hiruzen, for Danzō, and also for himself.
After Veigar's last reminder, Orochimaru already knew his current predicament; he certainly couldn't remain in Konohagakure.
Even if he were to announce his withdrawal from the Fourth Hokage competition now, it wouldn't matter, because Danzō, who held leverage over him, wouldn't allow him to stay in Konohagakure.
At the same time, Orochimaru had made groundbreaking progress in his experiments, and he believed that leaving Konohagakure would actually be a good thing for him.
The limitations here were too great.
"Have you made a decision?"
Orochimaru discerned the certainty and expected meaning in Veigar's gaze.
"Did Veigar-kun already anticipate this?"
Kun?
It had been a long time since Veigar had heard Orochimaru address him with that honorific.
"I probably understand Danzō-sama's character better than you do."
"If you ever want to come back, then come back!"
After saying this, Veigar turned and walked towards the bathroom, leaving Orochimaru with a meaningful silhouette.
"Veigar-kun is truly an interesting person..."
After leaving that last remark, Orochimaru vanished from Veigar's home.
To still offer such a promise after his defection, Orochimaru understood a great deal from Veigar's words.
Veigar now possessed strength and reputation, so what next...?
"Then let me see what you're capable of!"
"Veigar-kun..."
Orochimaru, far away, thought silently to himself.
Meanwhile, Minato, accompanied by Kushina, entered the Uchiha clan compound under the guise of a visit.
"Minato, Kushina, it's been a long time."
Mikoto Uchiha, holding young Itachi Uchiha in her arms, stood at the entrance to welcome Minato and Kushina.
"Mikoto, it's been a while."
Seeing her old friend, Kushina spoke warmly.
Minato, standing beside Kushina, also nodded in greeting.
"Mikoto, long time no see!"
"This must be your son! He's grown so much in a blink of an eye!"
Upon hearing Minato mention Itachi, Mikoto immediately showed a blissful smile.
"Itachi, quickly greet them."
"This is your Kushina-basa, and Minato-jisan."
Though young in age, Itachi, whose mental development far surpassed that of ordinary children, immediately greeted Minato and Kushina very politely:
"Kushina-basan, Minato-jisan."
Minato gave Itachi a brilliant smile that almost blinded his yet-to-be-activated Sharingan.
Kushina was even more direct, pressing her palm onto Itachi's forehead and saying:
"Itachi, your name is Itachi Uchiha, right?"
"From now on, Kushina-obasan has your back. If anyone in the village dares to bully you, I'll help you beat them up fiercely."
Kushina's words made Minato look embarrassed, and a large drop of cold sweat ran down Mikoto's forehead.
'Her fiery personality hasn't changed a bit.'
Itachi, however, stared at Kushina with bright eyes, nodding emphatically.
"I understand, Kushina-basan."
Rubbing Itachi's head again, Kushina said:
"Don't talk like an old man, little one, alright?"
For some reason, Kushina's mind drifted to Veigar's figure.
"Alright, let's not stand at the entrance. Let's go inside and talk!"
Itachi followed beside Mikoto, carefully listening to the adults' conversation and observing their expressions.
On the other side, Danzō sought out Hiruzen. Whenever anything related to the Uchiha came up, Danzō would become extremely sensitive, just like now, even though he knew the reason for Minato's visit to the Uchiha clan.
"Hiruzen, the Uchiha cannot be trusted. Don't hold out hope."
To this, Hiruzen merely smiled. Before Minato approached the Uchiha clan, he had secured Hiruzen's approval. How could Danzo's words now change Hiruzen's mind?
"Danzō, the village needs the Uchiha's strength now."
Well, Hiruzen simply felt that the village needed the Uchiha clan's strength at the moment, which was why he supported Minato.
Truly, a treasure when needed, and less than grass when not.
Now, with everything needing to be rebuilt and Konohagakure recuperating, it genuinely needed the Uchiha clan's strength.
During the outbreak of the Third Great War, the Uchiha clan hadn't participated in the fiercest battles but had remained in Konohagakure. Only towards the end of the war did Hiruzen dispatch the Uchiha to prevent the Kirigakure from landing.
Now, within Konohagakure, the Uchiha clan's power was the strongest, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel he had made a major misstep earlier.
Using the eye Obito gave to Kakashi as an opportunity, it wasn't too late to mend fences.
"Hmph!"
"Then hand Kakashi over to me. The current Kakashi is most suitable for Root."
Hiruzen turned to look at Danzō, feeling that he was being taken for a fool.
How could Hiruzen hand over such an important chess piece as Kakashi to Danzō?
He almost pointed at Danzō's nose and cursed, "What are you even thinking?"
"I've already decided to bring Kakashi into the Anbu."
Instantly, Danzō's anger surged.
"Hiruzen, you..."
Seeing Hiruzen's sharp gaze, Danzō immediately cowered, the rest of his words unspoken.
"This matter is settled."
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
With that, Danzō turned and left; there was no point in staying.
"You're the Hokage now."
"But once I become the Fourth Hokage, hmph..."
Looking at Danzō's departing back, Hiruzen, who always operated on a grander scale compared to Danzō, could easily guess his thoughts.
"Danzō, I will absolutely not hand over the Fourth Hokage position to you."
On the same night Minato visited Fugaku, no one besides those involved knew what they discussed.
However, on the morning of the second day, Fugaku went to the Hokage Residence, and after returning to his clan, he suddenly announced that they would not pursue the Sharingan held by Kakashi Hatake.
He also stated that the Sharingan could only be used by Kakashi, and if Kakashi were to die, the Uchiha clan would reclaim it.
On the other side, after Danzō's meeting with Hiruzen, he immediately formulated a plan against the Uchiha clan overnight and began scouting suitable candidates.
Shisui Uchiha, a young descendant of Kagami Uchiha, who was also one of the Second Hokage's, Tobirama Senju's, subordinates, subsequently entered Danzō's sight.
...
Time flashed by; over three months had passed.
During this period, Tsunade and Jiraiya successively left Konohagakure. Kakashi, a hero of Konohagakure and wielder of a Sharingan, also disappeared from public view.
The battle for the Fourth Hokage position had reached a fever pitch, with the three candidates, Orochimaru, Danzō Shimura, and Minato Namikaze, fiercely contending, each striving to claim the Hokage seat.
Veigar, however, found himself quite leisurely. For these past three months, he had been constantly at the Konoha Hospital, simultaneously learning Medical Ninjutsu and using Senjutsu: Ultra-Fast Regeneration Technique to treat Might Duy.
Veigar, who had been keeping an eye on the Fourth Hokage race, knew that Orochimaru was about to defect.
After treating Might Duy once more, Veigar instructed him:
"Uncle Duy, at this rate of treatment, you should recover in about two years."
Hearing he still needed two years of treatment, Might Duy, who was eager to go out and run dozens, even hundreds, of laps right away, wasn't dejected. Instead, he said to Veigar with great gratitude:
"Thank you, Veigar!"
"Please rest well! I'll be going now."
As Veigar left the hospital room, deep within the Root of Konoha, Orochimaru stood in the center of a laboratory. Danzō entered and said to him:
"Orochimaru, is the experiment complete?"
On the walls around the laboratory were children, ranging from five or six to fourteen or fifteen years old, immersed in liquid.
"It's complete. The balance point between the First Hokage's Wood Release and the Uchiha clan's Sharingan has been found."
"Do you wish to proceed with the transplantation now?"
Orochimaru looked back at Danzō, the eager look in his eyes clearly noticed by Danzō.
For Orochimaru, Danzō was also an experimental subject.
Nodding, Danzō acknowledged Orochimaru's words, but he remained cautious.
"Give me all the experimental data."
"I'll return in a few days for the transplantation. You perform the final adjustments."
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TN: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]