Naruto: Minato Namikaze, born evil

Chapter 52 What's there to mind?

"The Four Pillars Technique? What a magnificent ninjutsu..."

Inside his office at the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the scene inside the crystal ball and sighed with emotion.

The root members are all dead, but the base is still there. One day is enough time for the Dark Division to investigate thoroughly.

They secretly conducted human experiments, betrayed village ninjas for the benefit of Root, threatened and intimidated the parents of talented children, forcibly recruited people into Root, and even assassinated envoys from other villages multiple times to incite war…

Of course, there were also things that were beneficial to Konoha, such as assassinating geniuses and radicals from other ninja villages, and eliminating some small ninja villages or political organizations with development potential.

However, opinions vary on this matter, and compared to the evil Danzo committed, this achievement is really insignificant.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had to admit that Minato was right.

The growth of the roots is indeed more harmful than beneficial to the leaves.

He handed over the Root organization to Danzo because he understood his own shortcomings and needed someone to take some tough measures on his behalf.

But now it seems this guy has used some underhanded tricks on his own people…

Although he harbored some resentment towards Minato because of Danzo's death, he had to admit that the latter was indeed an outstanding child.

They are kind-hearted but not blindly naive, ruthless but not cruel or depraved.

The help that Shuimen provided to the orphanage further convinced him of this viewpoint.

Acting with order and method, advancing and retreating with justification, utilizing rules when advantageous, and deviating from rules when disadvantageous; even without rules, there is the absolute power to create them…

He couldn't be more satisfied with the water gate.

This is the heir to his dream love!

Looking at the figure inside the crystal ball, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly laughed out loud. Although he was inferior to Tobirama-sensei in both strength and ability.

But at least in terms of vision, he is still better than Tobirama-sensei.

However, it's possible that the teachers genuinely had no other choice...

Thinking of this, he immediately stopped laughing.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door, and a cold, thin figure pushed the door open and entered.

Orochimaru entered the room: "Sarutobi-sensei, you wanted to see me?"

"Well, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe and took a puff. Danzo was dead, but that didn't mean there was no more dirty work to be done.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had a clear understanding of himself; there were some things he definitely couldn't do himself, but he could turn a blind eye to them.

If he were to ask who would be suitable for this kind of work, the first person that came to his mind would be Orochimaru's disciple. However, when Orochimaru stood in front of him, he couldn't help but hesitate.

The other person's calm and collected personality makes them perfectly capable of handling this job.

As the other person's teacher, he could vaguely sense the dark side of them and worried that they might go astray because of it.

After thinking it over, he decided to leave the choice to Orochimaru.

Danzo died last night.

"Hehehe... His death has made a greater contribution to Konoha than you, Hokage, teacher."

"Pfft...cough cough...!"

Upon hearing Orochimaru's hoarse voice, Hiruzen Sarutobi choked on his smoke and coughed violently.

Sure enough, none of these three disciples gave him any peace of mind!

"So you called me here to take over the mess he left behind, right?"

Orochimaru asked calmly, a smile playing on his lips.

"Ah, that's right."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, unsure of how to begin.

To be honest, Orochimaru was originally his favorite successor to the Hokage position. As long as Orochimaru didn't make any mistakes, the future Hokage position was almost a certainty for him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that although his disciple never said it, he must also yearn for the position of Hokage.

But Minato is just too outstanding!

That powerful talent was enough to silence all doubts!

Orochimaru is already a once-in-a-lifetime genius, but even so, he pales in comparison to Minato's terrifying talent.

"Some things always need to be done by someone. You have the ability and the... qualifications."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused almost imperceptibly as he spoke, "But before that, I'd like to hear your thoughts."

Orochimaru was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled: "Teacher, you really don't need to be so cautious."

"Um?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was slightly taken aback.

"Roots are roots. The best choice is to always be rooted in the ground. Danzo, that fool, doesn't understand this principle, but I do."

Orochimaru said calmly, "Once I take on this job, it means I'll be completely out of the running for Hokage. That's what you're most worried about, isn't it?"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a moment, not expecting Orochimaru to bring this up.

After a long silence, he sighed and said, "That's why I wanted to hear your thoughts."

"My thoughts are not important; you, teacher, should know best."

Orochimaru gently shrugged, his calm tone devoid of any resentment or bitterness: "From the moment Minato Namikaze appeared, everyone in the village who wanted to compete for the Hokage position lost their chance on equal terms, didn't they?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent again, and Orochimaru chuckled as he looked at him.

"Is the teacher feeling guilty?"

"I…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, feeling genuinely sorry for Orochimaru.

Although he never said it outright, he was indeed training the other person to become Hokage.

If it's a fair competition, he won't feel guilty.

But the key point is that Minato was predetermined!

Moreover, even if he wasn't pre-selected, the two advisors would still give their full support to Minato. When his talent was fully revealed, all the major clans in the village, except for the Uchiha, would definitely stand firmly behind him.

"Feel sorry."

After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, with a hint of guilt in his voice.

"There's nothing to apologize for. If I were in the teacher's position, I would have made the same choice."

Orochimaru chuckled: "And from beginning to end, my ideal has been to learn all the ninjutsu in the world. I do aspire to the position of Hokage, but it's more because this position can better fulfill my ideal, but it has never been the only option."

"You...you really don't mind?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a jolt in his heart, but then suddenly felt a sense of relief.

"Why should I care? You can't hide what happened last night from me..."

Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, a playful smile on his face.

"I lost to Wood Release, I lost to a five-year-old genius with two bloodline limits who killed Danzo, but I didn't lose to someone as mediocre as Danzo. What do I have to care about?"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened.

"And I'm also very curious..."

The image of a blond-haired boy flashed through Orochimaru's mind, and he felt a mixture of anticipation and longing for something possible.

Wood Release, Light Release, and an all-around, powerful talent...

"How far can that child actually go?"