Chapter 43 Planting Trees During the Ninja Village Period (23) Oh~ You're really crying? ……
Having confirmed that Obito Uchiha was growing up healthily and there were no other problems, Takeru Senju decided to go to the hospital to help his best friend find Danzo Shimura and Orochimaru.
"Oh, right, remember to give this to Orochimaru when you see him." After handing the contract to Senju Takeya, Uchiha Senma took his two little brats and went off to busy himself. After all, the sports meet he was preparing for was about to start, and the tickets were almost sold out. It was kind of Senma to send his two most trusted and capable lieutenants to help him reorganize the Senju clan's territory.
On his way to the hospital, Senju Takeya happened to run into the Third Hokage.
After becoming a Buddhist, the Third Hokage seemed to have let go of everything, becoming even more like a kind old man. He was very familiar with Senju Takeya and went to the hospital together. After all, you can't get to know Senju Takeya if you're not outgoing. He was the complete opposite of the cheerful and talkative First Hokage.
“I’m about to retire,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said. “I’m no longer suited for this position.”
Senju Take also looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed: "Surprised? I'll tell you about it."
Senju Take also shook his head. He knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi would say it sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to be so sudden.
“I want Minato Namikaze to succeed me as the Fourth Hokage,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said. “Minato has a good relationship with the Uchiha clan and comes from a commoner background. I think he would be very suitable to change the current situation in Konoha. What is your impression of him?”
“Good guy,” Senju Take said, then, remembering his best friend mentioning that in this world, might makes right, he added, “Weak.”
"Hahaha, compared to you and that kid Ogima, everyone else in the world is probably weak. It's enough that you can accept that kid." Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed, his expression and eyes relaxed as he was about to relinquish his heavy responsibility. "This ninja war was all thanks to you and Ogima. We should all be grateful to you."
Qian Shouzhu shook his head; he didn't think he had done anything particularly worthy of gratitude.
“No one could have predicted that you and Ogi would develop into the relationship you have today,” Hiruzen Sarutobi remarked. “At first, I was worried that you two would cause some conflict due to historical issues, breaking the peace of Konoha… Now it seems that I have really grown old, not only becoming cowardly, but also more suspicious.”
Senju Take also looked up at Sarutobi Hiruzen; this was the first time he had truly looked at the Third Hokage seriously.
Hiruzen Sarutobi realized this and couldn't help but laugh, "What a willful child, but you have the right to be willful."
Thousand-handed bamboo remained silent.
"What are your thoughts on Minato Namikaze becoming the Fourth Hokage?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked earnestly. This was probably the first time in his life that he had so sincerely sought the opinion of a 9-year-old child, but the child in front of him was undoubtedly worthy.
Senju Takeru was silent for a moment. Just when Sarutobi Hiruzen thought he wouldn't answer, the Wood Release user raised his obsidian-like cat eyes and looked at him, saying, "The Fifth Hokage must be Ogima."
Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed heartily, "With that kid's abilities, he's probably the only one fit to be the Fifth Hokage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was relieved. Takeya Senju's answer undoubtedly acknowledged Minato Namikaze as the Fourth Hokage. With Takeya Senju's recognition, Osaka Uchiha would not make any moves regarding the position of the Fourth Hokage, but would tacitly accept the position of the Fifth Hokage. This also indicated that Takeya Senju and Osaka Uchiha would reside stably in Konoha, and Konoha would be stable.
Bonds are such a thing... It's really hard to understand. He actually believes that the willful little devil Ogima would restrain his sharpness for the sake of Senju's Wood Release.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took an apricot from the fruit basket he had bought for Danzo Shimura, wiped it casually on his clothes, and started eating it.
As they reached the hospital entrance, Senju Takeya suddenly asked, "Where is Shimura Danzo?"
"What does Takeya-kun want to do?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was muffled, because he was chewing on an apricot. "Danzo shouldn't be doing anything to provoke you lately, right?"
The current Danzo Shimura is completely ruined and can no longer be a ninja. Moreover, his injuries mean he can only lie in the hospital year-round and rely on his body's self-healing mechanism to slowly recover.
The injuries inflicted by Uchiha Senma would disrupt the patient's own chakra. In addition, the chakra that Uchiha Senma injected himself would exacerbate the chaos and aggravate the internal injuries. This would result in the slower the recovery for ninjas with stronger chakra.
This has resulted in the fact that, despite the passage of time, none of the former Root members who were sent to the ICU by Uchiha Senma have been able to be discharged. Only a few who were merely slapped by Uchiha Senma on the street before have escaped death.
Senju Take did not answer Hiruzen Sarutobi, but simply looked at him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't ask any more questions. "Come with me."
The location of Shimura Danzo's hospital room was kept secret from Uchiha Ogima because Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two advisors and elders were worried that Uchiha Ogima might suddenly be in a bad mood and rush into the hospital room to beat up Shimura Danzo again. To this day, they still don't understand why Uchiha Ogima would rush over and beat up Shimura Danzo on the street that day, but they are not surprised that Uchiha Ogima beat up Shimura Danzo.
After all, no one knew better than Uchiha Osaka how much malice Shimura Danzo harbored towards the Uchiha clan, and Osaka happened to be extremely protective of his own.
So it was only a matter of time before Shimura Danzo got beaten up, especially after they learned of Uchiha Ogima's true strength. The first reaction of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others when they learned of Shimura Danzo's hospitalization was—this day has finally come! He's not dead, is he? Great! He's not dead!
But given Uchiha Osaka's personality, shouldn't he have secretly dragged the person into a secluded place in the middle of the night and given them a good beating? After all, the Uchiha's reputation has only recently recovered, and Uchiha Osaka cherishes his image very much. Just like the hostages from the two villages he used to enslave, they went from complaining to praising him on their first day of work, and now they wish they could stay in Konoha forever.
While he was pondering, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already arrived outside Danzo Shimura's hospital room with Take Senju.
"This is it."
Danzo Shimura heard Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice coming from the doorway, and then the door was pushed open. Standing in the doorway was none other than Takeya Senju, Uchiha Senju's close friend, whose Wood Release user's deep, dark cat eyes looked at him without any emotion.
And at this very moment, his old friend, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was standing there cheerfully behind him! You'd never guess he was the one who brought him here!
Ahhhhh, so you really did betray him completely after all?! Hiruzen Sarutobi!!!
Danzo Shimura was so angry that his hands were trembling.
The Wood Release user glanced at the ward number, then gave Shimura Danzo a deep look before asking, "Where is Orochimaru?"
"Haha, I know that too. After all, he's my student, so I, as his teacher, naturally have to take good care of him." Hiruzen Sarutobi said as he left with the Wood Release user.
Danzo Shimura already had the equation in his mind: Wood Release user = Uchiha Ogima. The arrival of the Wood Release user clearly triggered his extremely fragile and sensitive nerves.
Having had his edges smoothed out by cruel reality, Danzo Shimura, who is still in excruciating pain all over his body, is exhausted, helpless, and desperate.
Uchiha... Senju... Ha, is this the power of bloodline? How unfair is this heaven! No matter how hard these ordinary ninjas try, they can't compare to a single finger of a top-tier bloodline limit user! Heaven is so biased! It might as well just kill him outright!
A sudden, unexpected clap of thunder came from outside the window.
Danzo Shimura:…
The already quiet ward seemed even more eerily quiet at this moment. After a while, a faint sniffling sound came from under the covers. No one knew how cold Shimura Danzo's heart was at this moment. He had struggled for most of his life, only to have everything easily destroyed by an Uchiha brat who was several generations younger than him. He had nothing left, and he was even betrayed by his good brother who was Hokage...
Even the strongest man can't hold back when faced with these things.
At this moment, Orochimaru is even more unfortunate than Shimura Danzo.
Lying on the bed, Orochimaru, his entire body encased in plaster casts, stared at the draconian contract handed to him through his two exposed eyes. He was speechless for a moment, then chuckled twice: "What am I in Lord Senju's eyes?"
If a contract could bind a person, how could war possibly exist in this world?
"The dog of the future." Senju Take also answered straightforwardly.
Orochimaru: ...
Faced with this answer, he, as one of the legendary Sannin, couldn't laugh at all.
"Sign." Senju Takeshi practically plastered the contract on Orochimaru's face, clearly determined to complete the task given to him by Uchiha Osaka, "or die."
"How am I supposed to sign this?" Orochimaru knew he couldn't escape this predicament.
“You can also input chakra directly,” Senju Takeya said. Of course, Orochimaru’s inability to move was within the expectations of Uchiha Osaka, the culprit.
"Unfortunately, I am completely unable to mobilize even a single drop of chakra right now," Orochimaru said with a sinister smile.
Senju Take also raised one hand, and with his index finger bent, he tapped Orochimaru on the forehead with his finger bow.
In that instant, Orochimaru felt as if he were enveloped in a giant, struck bronze bell. Accompanied by rapid, echoing vibrations and a downward pressure, his soul seemed to be shaken out of his body by this 'gravity'. The plaster cast around his body shattered as a result, followed by the collapse of the hospital bed under the weight, the steel frame embedding itself into the cold, hard ground, inevitably accompanied by an almost deafening and terrifying roar.
When it was all over, Orochimaru, still shaken, collapsed onto the sunken, broken hospital bed, panting heavily. He found that although he was still in pain all over his body, he could now freely mobilize and circulate his chakra. In other words, the chakra disorder caused by Uchiha Senma had been resolved—it was actually achieved through violent means, a direct yet incredibly precise strike that had shaken out the chakra belonging to Uchiha Senma.
Haha, is this what they mean by "there's always an antidote near a poisonous snake"?
However, Orochimaru also realized that a contract that required chakra to be signed could not possibly be just a piece of paper like an ordinary contract, and he could not escape this fate. Uchiha Osaka was not the type to joke about life and death. If he said he would kill you, then you were truly on his death list.
Orochimaru only had one choice left.
The moment Orochimaru signed his name with chakra on the contract, he felt an invisible binding force on his soul. The feeling of binding faded in an instant, but he knew that the contract was now permanently effective unless he died.
As usual, Senju Takeru gave Orochimaru one copy of the contract to keep for himself, and another copy to give to his best friend. After leaving the ward, he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was blocking the medical staff, and asked, "Aren't you worried?"
Thousand-handed bamboo was also brought out, allowing the medical staff to enter.
“I would be worried if it were Ogima-kun, but as for Takeya-kun…” Hiruzen Sarutobi looked into the ward, his brows relaxing. “Orochimaru looks much better. It seems he’ll be able to be discharged soon.”
“Yes, Senma is short-handed right now. Only a scientist like Orochimaru, who has no humanity, can be ordered around by Senma without any compassion.” Senju Take nodded in agreement.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: Haha, it seems I've heard something incredible.
"Thank you so much, I'll be going now." Senju Take also said goodbye politely and left without looking back.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Senju Take leave as well, then leisurely carried his fruit basket back to Danzo Shimura's hospital room. Hearing a sniffling sound coming from under the bulging blankets, he put down the fruit basket, lifted a corner of the blankets, and cheekily poked his head in: "Oh~ really crying?"
"Are you sick in the head, Hiruzen Sarutobi?!" At this moment, Danzo Shimura, with tears streaming down his face, looked at the incredibly irritating Hiruzen Sarutobi and wanted nothing more than to punch him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was delighted. He pulled back his old friend's blanket and said to his friend, whose face was covered in tears, "Want an apple? It'll keep you safe and sound."
"You stinky monkey from the Sage of Six Paths, eat me?!" Shimura Danzo, who had been lying listlessly in his hospital bed for a long time, was now bursting with rage. "Get out—! Get out of my world!"
Let him die! It's better to let him die than to make him lose face in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi!
It's all Uchiha Osaka's fault!!!
“Let’s retire together, Danzo,” Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly said. “Forget about anything else, now it’s time for us to adapt to Ogima Uchiha.”
Danzo Shimura fell silent.
"Koharu and En have decided to step down with me to make room for the younger generation." Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the armchair peeling an orange. "Minato is the Fourth Hokage, Ogima has already decided on the Fifth, and Takeya promised me that even if the sky falls, Konoha will be safe. We're all doing this for a better future for Konoha, aren't we? Actually, if it weren't for the conflict of interest, Ogima's style would be more to your liking, but you can't control him, and you're not as strong as him. Takeya is also much stronger than me... and much more determined than me."
Danzo Shimura felt a lump in his throat, yet he knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi was right.
"Don't die, Danzo." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice trailed off, becoming increasingly indistinct.
"Don't curse me, I'll definitely outlive you." Shimura Danzo turned his head away. He didn't want to see his old friend's face, nor did he want the other to see his own face now.
Hiruzen Sarutobi then changed the subject again: "Want some oranges?"
Before Shimura Danzo could answer, Sarutobi Hiruzen stuffed a slice into Shimura Danzo's mouth. The sourness made Shimura Danzo's face contort like an orange.
"Hahaha, this is too sour, I can't eat it." Hiruzen Sarutobi felt no guilt about harming the wounded, only the joy of teasing his old friend.
"Cough cough cough!" Shimura Danzo roared, nearly choking on the saliva from the sour orange. "Sarutobi Hiruzen—get the hell out of here—!"
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Author's Note: [Mini-Theater]
Orochimaru before signing the contract: What am I in your eyes?
Thousand Hands Takeya: The dog of the future.
Orochimaru, who had signed the contract: ...Alright, please, Wood Release Master, don't say anything, okay? :)
Thousand Hands Bamboo: Okay, the dog is now in the fan room.
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