Three days later, in the Hokage Tower office, the Third Hokage was discussing something with Orochimaru.
"No way. I still have plenty of research to finish! Sensei, you could just ask Tsunade or Jiraiya. Besides, I'm not even a teacher."
"Orochimaru, if I recall correctly, haven't you completed a single ninja mission in over half a year? Although Konoha never forces anyone to accept missions, it's unreasonable that you've done absolutely zero missions for six months straight."
The Third Hokage forcefully interrupted Orochimaru's words. He figured it wouldn't take much to convince Orochimaru, who was far easier to talk into things than Tsunade or Jiraiya ever were.
"I'll go accept one right now then."
"No need. I've already assigned this matter to you as a mission."
"I refuse—"
"This is an S-rank long-term mission. You must train those three kids until they're capable of operating independently!"
Before he could even finish saying 'no,' Orochimaru was stunned by this sudden series of punches. He realized he had no choice but to accept, since this had already escalated to the level of an S-rank mission.
"Then what's the basis for assigning an S-rank mission? Those three children can't possibly be involved in affairs between countries?"
The Third Hokage looked at him seriously. "You'll understand once you agree to take the mission."
The look in his eyes convinced Orochimaru that things wouldn't be simple. He nodded solemnly. "I accept this mission."
Once he'd agreed, the Third Hokage began explaining all his suspicions about Amegakure, information that made Orochimaru frown repeatedly.
"The Third," Orochimaru asked, "do you want me to lead the team while also testing Amegakure? I don't mind personally, but might this be too early for these three children?"
The Third Hokage didn't so much as blink at Orochimaru's concern. He simply stated a fact: "You don't know how those two kids, Shen Uchiha and Nayou, managed to sneak into the Written Exam Hall and place three test papers, right? Even I can only guess that they used [Byakugan] to survey the guards' layout before dodging them one by one. Yet I found absolutely no traces of their presence at the scene—not even I could pull off such a flawless infiltration!"
"[Byakugan], sure. They probably communicated through earpieces. As for traces—"
After analyzing for a long time without figuring it out, Orochimaru suddenly remembered something. "It must be his [Earth Chakra Mode]! While I'm not exactly sure what effects it has, we all saw that layer of rock covering his body on finals day. Perhaps he could pass through walls without leaving any trace whatsoever!"
After briefly considering this explanation, the Third Hokage shook his head. "That wouldn't work. Even if someone could match the same material, the composition of such complex walls would make it impossible to memorize completely—even the Engineering Crew responsible for construction couldn't remember everything."
"No! Shen Uchiha could do it. That kid is a walking paradox. The Third, could you ever have imagined chakra being used as a core power source for machinery before?"
Even the Kumogakure Village, whose technology far surpasses ours, has only managed to develop electricity as a basic energy source. Moreover, from what I know, he can memorize and improve upon hand seals and chakra pathways after watching someone perform a ninjutsu just once—I don't believe this has anything to do with the Sharingan."
Orochimaru's logical analysis made the Third Hokage realize the terrifying potential of that troublemaker. While the Sharingan might help him observe the process of jutsu execution, permanently memorizing it and then improving upon it was simply impossible.
"We must ensure nothing happens to that child—someone like him may one day rival even the Sage of Six Paths who founded ninja arts!"
Orochimaru recalled all the vehicles Shen had once described to him and immediately exclaimed in admiration: "You're right, Master. The Sage may have been the first to discover chakra's potential, but it's Shen who has the power to push its applications beyond limits. His proposed rocket could actually carry people to the moon one day!"
"The moon? That kid actually dreams that big?"
"Yes. In theory, those massive machines powered by thrust could carry humans to the moon or even further into space. We just haven't discovered any materials yet capable of supporting such an enormous amount of chakra."
After answering his teacher's question, Orochimaru suddenly remembered something else and continued: "Also, he's already built and tested one automobile designed to transport people over long distances. Another of his designs—an aircraft capable of flying through the sky—has found suitable materials, but remains untested due to the precision required for internal components."
"Automobiles? Aircraft?"
Although the Third Hokage didn't fully grasp these two terms, he was already considering various ways they could be applied in warfare: "Orochimaru, do you think those flying aircraft could carry ninjas onto the battlefield? Could those automobiles, equipped with barriers, safely evacuate wounded personnel?"
Orochimaru immediately gave a definite answer without even needing to think. In his mind, it would merely require adding another sealing scroll containing chakra.
And couldn't the shinobi inside just replenish their chakra as needed? Such a simple matter made him look at his mentor as if he were staring at a fool.
Unbelievable! Even our beloved Snake Uncle thought of his own teacher like that! If it weren't for the fact that Orochimaru was famously known for having good morals, the Third probably would've experienced firsthand his master's 'poisonous beating' more than thirty years earlier.
As for the Third himself, he remained perfectly composed even beneath such unsettling gazes. After all, how else could he have held the Hokage title for so many years?
Just look at Danzo—if only he'd restrained himself, apologized to the Second Pillar, and used Izanagi's trickery to escape, would he really have become history's shortest-serving Kage?
Although Obito, masked as usual, was monitoring the scene from a distance, he absolutely had no idea Danzo had so many red eyes. Consider Lord Madara, for instance—he successfully faked his death and slipped away unnoticed.
"The objective of this S-Rank mission must be adjusted. It remains S-Rank, but now I need you, Orochimaru, to properly protect and instruct Uchiha Shen. Previously, I had already assigned an ANBU to secretly guard him; now this task shall be entrusted to you!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Orochimaru, who remained composed while receiving the mission, felt relieved internally. As long as it wasn't a mission requiring him to leave the village for Amegakure, he was fine. After all, he still had numerous ongoing research projects in his laboratory.
What if he left for a year or half? He wasn't like others who could commit things to memory at a glance. So much time passing might force him to restart his research from scratch.
After Orochimaru left, the Third Hokage returned to staring pensively out the window.
"[Strategic War Machine] is a weapon capable of reshaping the very nature of warfare. With such weaponry, Konoha's offensives and retreats could proceed under secure conditions while conserving ninja energy otherwise exhausted from traveling long distances. This tactical ability to rapidly deploy onto battlefields and immediately engage in combat may become the norm across the shinobi world in the future. Fortunately, young Shen Uchiha was born into Konoha. Had he emerged in another village instead, the destruction he could unleash on Konoha is beyond imagination."
The Third sighed wistfully as he looked out the window, then picked up his Kage hat and walked out of the office. He intended to keep this matter classified, without informing any of the upper echelons.
He hadn't even planned on telling Danzo. One could only wonder whether this meant the Hokage had finally made a choice between Danzo and Konoha's future.
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