Naruto, the strongest Uchiha from signing in.

Huayue looked surprised, and her casual question immediately froze the atmosphere.

After a moment, Orochimaru's voice became a little hoarse, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Do you think Minato will be the next Hokage?"

Hongdou was sweating profusely and kept signaling to Huayue with his eyes to stop talking. Although he was very strong, he would definitely not get any advantage if he faced the furious Orochimaru.

"Isn't this something everyone knows, Mr. Orochimaru?"

He closed the book, his hand supporting his face motionless, his eyes deep, as if he could see through everything.

"Since the Third Ninja World War, he has saved Konoha several times, achieving feats that even the three ninjas combined have never achieved. Isn't he a strong candidate for Hokage?"

"Or does Orochimaru-sensei also want to become Hokage?"

At this moment, Orochimaru, who never stopped taking actions, put down his research, turned his head and looked with a deep gaze.

"My most lovely and proud disciple, don't forget that the achievements you made on the battlefield can also be counted as mine."

"That's why you can't become Hokage, Orochimaru-sensei."

Hongdou, who was standing by, was already sweating profusely from anxiety. She quickly started to persuade them, and even her usually cheerful and passionate tone became urgent.

"Shut up, Huayue, how come you become like Lin! Teacher, please don't..."

The cool autumn wind blew into the room through the cracks, diluting the smell of disinfectant slightly, but it failed to calm Hongdou's mind.

"When the birds of the sky disappear, no matter how good the hunting bow is, it will be hidden by the hunter. When the cunning rabbit dies, the lackey at the center will be cooked by the master."

“An accessory that has lost its value will either be treasured or destroyed. Try to make the most of its last bit of value.”

"If this is the case with loyal lackeys and weapons, what about poisonous snakes that are hard for the master to figure out and have the potential to backfire?"

Having said this, Huayue paused for a moment, and Hongdou was a little confused by these cryptic words. She has never been good at guessing riddles.

Orochimaru's eyes flickered, but the smile at the corner of his mouth grew wider and wider, and he was dismissive of the remarks.

"Wait, what on earth are you talking about? Can't you use more concise words? The Riddler is so annoying!"

Seeing Anko's confused face, Huayue continued with a smile.

"In that case, let me put it another way. What do you think is the significance of Konoha's training of geniuses?"

Without waiting for Orochimaru to answer, Kagetsu asked and answered herself.

"Reduce the losses of the war, protect the village and other ninjas, and end the war as quickly as possible. This is the definition of genius for the village."

"For you who were born during the war, ending the war in a timely manner is the most important task. Even if your thoughts are a little dangerous, they will be ignored by your teacher, the Third Hokage."

"But after the war is over and a new war begins, when a genius who is better than you and more in line with the Third Hokage's wishes appears, your role becomes dispensable."

"Once the war is over, your existence will become a destabilizing factor in Konoha for the village. In other words, you will be a threat to the village."

"That's true of your thoughts and actions, isn't it?"

Smiling without saying anything, Orochimaru looked at the experiments in front of him, the overt and covert ones, the forbidden techniques that ordinary people could not touch...

"For a ninja, technique is everything. When one has mastered all the techniques in the world, the truth is about to be revealed."

"If you want to become Hokage, techniques and strength are secondary. What you really need is the trust of Konoha's many jonin and major famous families, isn't it?"

The atmosphere was heavy, Orochimaru's eyes flickered, and his inner thoughts kept emerging like bubbles, and then kept bursting.

"Can your eyes see far into the future? Can you see through my thoughts?"

"Your purpose is clear at a glance! So, if you want to continue your research in this village, you have to bow your head, lower your snake head, and retract your fangs. Other than that..."

"Let this war never end, right? Hehehe..."

Orochimaru's cold smile made Hongdou shudder. The teacher who was usually kind but sometimes had a strange smile was the friend she was most familiar with and who skipped classes every now and then to go shopping...

At this moment, the distance between the two people and himself seemed very close, yet out of reach, just like the flowers blooming beside the cliff, he wanted to touch them, but could not take a step forward.

"That's your problem. It has nothing to do with us. But I don't want to go to the border to eat soldier rations and face those troublesome old men. Let's go to Hongdou and head to the dumpling shop. Let's go!"

Before Anko could object, Kagetsu and her figures disappeared in an instant, Orochimaru's expression was calm, and the smile on his lips gradually disappeared.

"Can't power solve everything? After all, I'm still a child and I have certain fantasies about the world, hehe."

"The symbol of the snake is regeneration and immortality. As long as this forbidden technique is completed, what is Konoha? What is the Hokage? What is the ninja?"

Immersed in forbidden techniques, Orochimaru enjoyed the ability to analyze the truth with his eyes lowered, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.

"Before that, do you want this war to continue endlessly? Is this what you expect?"

"Those eyes of yours, what are you hiding? You are an unfathomable disciple, is this how Sarutobi-sensei sees me?"

Orochimaru rarely understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's feelings and stopped his actions. The expected reactions kept appearing and everything went as expected.

On a busy street in Konoha Village, inside an extremely popular three-color dumpling shop.

"As expected, dumplings should be served with red bean soup. Don't you want to eat it?"

Hongdou, who was immersed in the dumpling, slowly raised her head, her face blushing inexplicably, as if she noticed the way she ate, but then forgot about it.

Anyway, this guy has seen it so many times that he can't change it even if he wants to. The main point is to just throw it away.

"If you eat too much, you'll have to exercise properly later. By the way, I have a ninjutsu that I've been thinking about recently. Do you want to help me?"

Facing the long-lost bright smile in front of her, Hongdou hesitated for a moment and whispered in her ear.

"Actually, Orochimaru-sensei gave me a snake that can do backflips. Do you want to come to my house and take a look?"

A ripple quietly appeared in the dark eyes. The girl in front of her was nervous and anxious. She held up the teacup in a pretentious manner, waiting for an answer.

"Forget it, how about going to my house?"

"Eh? Wait, are you in such a hurry? I still..."

"What's wrong? It's just to test a new ninjutsu. There's no need to go to your house."

Under that half-smile, Hongdou was completely defeated and said angrily.

"Damn it, I know, I know!"