7. Hiruzen Sarutobi

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Killing intent is manifested when one's chakra shows intent. More specifically, it's a type of intent that signifies bodily harm to another party. One could also create other effects like calmness, happiness, etc., with their chakra, but this increases the difficulty as killing intent is more primal than the other types.

Anyway, killing intent is of two types: one is actively released and requires a bit of skill; the other is the unconscious type, which occurs when one feels more primal emotions like the one Hiruzen was releasing.

Hiruzen took a deep breath and reined in his killing intent.

He flickered out of his office, heading in a certain direction. Soon, he reached a secret hideout and opened it, his face in a frown.

"So..., you found out, Sensei."

"I knew about your experimentations on prisoners, but on kids? Innocent kids who know nothing of the world?... How? Why?" Hiruzen felt like thousands of needles were being pierced into his heart.

"Sensei, I am scared of death. I also want to learn everything to satisfy my curiosity."

"So, to achieve that, you will let go of your humanity?" Hiruzen's words were anything but calm.

"If that is the sacrifice I need to make, then I would happily let go of it."

"I could kill you now, end your dreams now. You knew that I would do this, didn't you? Yet you took this path." Hiruzen released all the emotions he was feeling, his killing intent, which he had been holding back, all focused on Orochimaru.

Orochimaru felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Fear.

He thought, after reaching S-rank, he wouldn't feel such a thing again.

But he was proven wrong. He felt like a helpless genin again, as if he could be killed at a moment's notice on a battlefield.

Orochimaru was not wrong to feel that.

Hiruzen might be old, nearly 58 years old, far from his prime. But

he was still strong enough to successfully kill Orochimaru relatively easily.

Mind you, Prime Hiruzen was a monster in his own right. At nearly 70 years of age, he was able to hold off three S-ranks while purposely being in a barrier to protect the village.

There was a reason he was called the Strongest Kage of his era when monsters like the Third Raikage and Ōnoki were in their prime.

Hiruzen was still 10 years away from declining that much in combat prowess.

Orochimaru knew that too.

"Sensei, if you're going to kill me, then I could only die, but I won't back down without a fight," Orochimaru finally mustered enough willpower to speak.

Hiruzen was in a dilemma.

He felt like he had to choose between his son or wife.

Son being Orochimaru in this case and wife being Konoha.

Yes, Hiruzen might have been many things throughout his life—a liar, a pervert, selfish, and whatnot.

But he has tried to keep Konoha's interests as his own most of the time.

He had tried to live up to the position the Second Hokage had given him.

Yes, Uzushio was destroyed due to him not sending allies.

But at that time, Konoha was fighting against all four villages and didn't have the manpower to spare.

What about giving too much power to Danzo?

Initially, he was new to the Hokage position and needed someone to do the dirty deeds that he couldn't do, to take care of opposition within the village, so Konoha wouldn't crumble due to internal strife.

Soon, Danzo had enough clout that Hiruzen couldn't completely dismiss him.

Hiruzen could still have forcefully shut down Root at that time, but during wartime, Root was really valuable, as stealth and subtle ninja arts like poison and fuinjutsu made them useful.

In his prime years, Root wasn't like how it is currently.

Plus, Danzo had Konoha's interests most of the time.

Danzo had also sacrificed a lot for Konoha.

He lost his wife and unborn son during a mission around the end of the First Great War, for Konoha's sake.

The same mission when he lost his right arm.

There is a reason Hiruzen gave Danzo a lot of power.

Anyway, Hiruzen might have made a lot of selfish decisions to stay in the Hokage seat for a long time, killing many talents intentionally and unintentionally, but who doesn't?

Yes, he subtly brainwashes kids as it's the most efficient method in the long term.

But which village doesn't?

Isn't loyalty to one's family and village a value of society?

He might be weaponizing it, but who doesn't?

One could even argue that how a kid is brought up, with things like religion or teachings not to question elders, could be a part of brainwashing.

Anyway, back to the topic. To sum it up, Hiruzen has had Konoha's best interests most of the time.

Nobody is either black or white in this grey world.

The Fourth Hokage might be the most cheerful and efficient Hokage, but one should also not forget that he killed thousands of ninjas in the Third War such that he was given a "flee on sight" order in the bingo book.

Hiruzen knows that sometimes he has to make decisions based on the village as a whole. He can't let his emotions get in the way.

So, he raised his head and looked at Orochimaru, readying his chakra for a jutsu he would use.

In his mind, Orochimaru's current face overlapped with the one he had when he was a genin during the bell test.

Hiruzen let go of his chakra.

He couldn't kill Orochimaru after all.

He really was not fit to be the Hokage anymore.

"Sens-"

"GET OUT! Don't show your face ever again!" Hiruzen said with every emotion he was feeling.

Orochimaru was startled, but he quickened his steps and left.

"Sayonara, Sensei." With that, Hiruzen was left alone in the underground chamber.

Hiruzen might have taken a lot from Konoha to remain in power.

But Konoha, or more specifically his Hokage duties, has also taken a lot from him, like his time, wife, and now his student.

Then again, it is the way of the world.

To gain something, you need to sacrifice something.

***

Currently, Miyuki, Kakashi, and Yukio are having ramen at Ichiraku.

"Old man, one more bowl!"

"Coming up."

"You really can eat a lot, can't you, Miyuki?" Yukio asked with a Cheshire grin.

"Hehe, I obviously can. I am a regular here."

"I think Yukio was indirectly trying to imply that you will get fat if you eat too much," Kakashi decided to act as an unasked translator between them.

"Oh, really~? Is that true?" Miyuki asked with a smile.

Her expression didn't really seem like a smile to Yukio.

"Hmm, I never said that," Yukio calmly said and raised both of his hands in surrender.

If he had a white flag, he would have raised it.

Just to visually tell Miyuki indirectly not to attack him.

As they say, a picture speaks a thousand words.

"Hmph, you better not," Miyuki huffed and dived into a new bowl that had just arrived.

Yukio gave a stink eye to Kakashi when Miyuki wasn't looking.

Kakashi did the same.

Suddenly, an Anbu came near Kakashi, prompting the trio to look at the masked Anbu.

He whispered something in Kakashi's ear and then left.

"You two, we need to leave. Eat quickly," Kakashi said and started eating fast.

The other two did the same.

In less than half a minute, they were done.

They quickly paid the bill and left, the other two following Kakashi.

Kakashi reached the Hokage Tower and entered the Hokage's office via the door this time.

"Old man, what happened? The last time I saw you in a similar mood was when I broke your crystal ball."

"So, it was you who did it. Do you know how much trouble it caused in pe—doing important stuff?" Hiruzen said, finally catching the culprit.

Everyone present, including the hidden Anbu, sweatdropped at that.

"Hmm, why did you call us, Old—Lord Third?" Miyuki asked.

Hiruzen's expression turned into a frown. He deeply sighed.

"Did Ero-Sennin decide to stop publishing the next parts of Icha-Icha?" Yukio guessed.

"Hmm, fortunately, no, that's not why I am sad," Hiruzen sweatdropped at that.

'Does he only think of me as a perverted old man?'

"Anyway, the reason I called you is that Orochimaru has defected," Hiruzen dropped the bombshell.

'So, it is that time, huh,' Miyuki thought.

"Oh, that really is sad. So?" Yukio's answer stunned Miyuki, already stunned Kakashi and Hiruzen, along with the hidden Anbu.

"What? Why are you guys staring at me like this?" Yukio was confused by everyone's stares.

Nobody knew what to say to him.

"Anyway, who is Orochimaru?" Yukio decided to gain more information, seeing that nobody had decided to speak.

"He is the old man's student," Miyuki whispered in his ear, but everyone present could hear it.

"Oh, the Pedo-maru. You should have started from there, old man." 'Wasn't he the one who gave Sasuke the curse seal and is somehow related to the Reanimation Jutsu?'

"Pedo-maru?" Hiruzen asked, baffled as to why his student was called that.

"Hmm, do you really want to know why I call him Pedo-maru?" Yukio's question made everyone, especially Kakashi, Miyuki, and Hiruzen, feel a shiver run down their spine.

"Actually, no, we're good," Miyuki quickly said, afraid that he would take their silence as a yes.

"Yes, yes, as Miyuki said, let's not waste time; we have important matters to discuss," Hiruzen added. He was also a victim of Yukio's words—in fact, he was traumatized when Yukio explained his interpretation of the Will of Fire when he was a kid.

"Your mission is to track Orochimaru until Jiraiya arrives. Don't engage him at any cost."

***

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