Orochimaru's Goodwill

The sky was just starting to get lighter the next morning when someone arrived quietly.

"Who's there?"

Yamanaka Hui opened the door, and her face showed surprise when she saw the man with the cold, scary face.

"Lord Orochimaru?"

"Heh heh... Sarutobi Ryo should be home."

The man with long hair had pale skin and eyes like a snake.

Even though he tried to smile in a "friendly" way, he seemed dangerous, like an animal ready to attack.

Just looking at him made you feel uneasy. Imagine being his target.

But this was a very famous person.

Orochimaru wasn't just a student of Sarutobi Hiruzen; he was also known as one of the "Sannin," a title given to three legendary ninja.

Yamanaka Hui thought about this for a moment before letting Orochimaru come inside.

Orochimaru waited. Sarutobi Ryo, who had finished his morning training and changed his clothes, came out of the bathroom.

"Senior Orochimaru, what brings you here?"

Sarutobi Ryo sat down across from Orochimaru at the table.

Different Naruto worlds had different stories in their past.

In the manga, Orochimaru didn't have any connection to Senju Nawaki.

However, the TV show added a story where Orochimaru was Senju Nawaki's teacher.

Sarutobi Ryo had been carefully watching these small differences since he arrived in this world.

In Sarutobi Ryo's world, Orochimaru and Senju Nawaki didn't know each other.

So, Sarutobi Ryo and Orochimaru weren't very close.

"Heh heh, well..."

Orochimaru tried to look friendly.

It was rare for someone as proud as Orochimaru to be nice.

As Sarutobi Hiruzen's favorite student, Orochimaru was known all over Konoha for being a genius, and he definitely had a reason to be proud.

Orochimaru took out two papers from his sleeve and put them on the table. "These are your and Yamanaka Hui's Jonin Qualification Certificates..."

Sarutobi Ryo looked at them.

Like the Chunin exams, when you passed the Jonin exams, you got a certificate to prove it.

It was mostly just a formality.

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior Orochimaru..." Sarutobi Ryo nodded and told Yamanaka Hui to put the certificates away.

"Then, Sarutobi Ryo... please come with me to the Jonin Archives..."

Orochimaru stood up, inviting him to come along.

Sarutobi Ryo knew that just like Chunin got a Konoha vest and other things to identify them, becoming a Jonin also came with special benefits and resources.

A Shinobi Village would do everything it could to help its Ninja grow stronger.

Giving them resources was also a way to make them loyal.

Following Orochimaru, they walked through the streets of Konoha. Soon, Orochimaru started talking. "Heh heh... Young Master Ryo, first of all, congratulations on becoming Jonin..."

After a few polite words, Sarutobi Ryo didn't think Orochimaru was just acting as a messenger. If that were the case, he could have asked anyone to show them the way.

Orochimaru clearly had other plans.

Soon, the three of them arrived at the Jonin Archives.

It was on a street near the Hokage Building and seemed pretty empty.

It was early in the morning, and there was hardly anyone around.

They walked down a dark alley and finally reached the door at the end.

Two Konoha Ninja guarding the entrance nodded to Orochimaru and unlocked the door.

Sarutobi Ryo saw a room full of scrolls.

Now that they were Jonin, they had more ways to learn Ninjutsu than Genin and Chunin did.

"So many scrolls... is this what a Jonin can get?"

Yamanaka Hui stepped forward and started looking at the scrolls that others had read many times before.

But soon, she looked disappointed.

"Tch... all garbage!"

Yamanaka Hui threw the scroll back on the shelf, looking completely uninterested.

"Young Master, I thought there would be some powerful Ninjutsu, but they're all just common stuff..."

"You may each choose one scroll from within."

Orochimaru said this, explaining the rules.

Saying this after Yamanaka Hui's reaction made things a little awkward.

Sarutobi Ryo looked at Orochimaru, who was smiling, and then he walked over and quietly looked at the scrolls on a few shelves.

Anything free was good.

It was better than nothing.

With this in mind, Sarutobi Ryo started carefully choosing.

"Heh heh..."

Orochimaru stood by, watching Sarutobi Ryo.

He was impressed by how calm and collected Sarutobi Ryo was.

Finally, Orochimaru made a decision, or rather... revealed why he was really there.

"Young Master Ryo, how about this scroll?"

He took it out of his sleeve, walked over to Sarutobi Ryo, and handed it to him.

Sarutobi Ryo looked at the scroll and immediately understood that this was one of Orochimaru's private scrolls.

Orochimaru wanted to learn all the Ninjutsu in the world, so he had a lot of scrolls.

Compared to the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, Lightning Release: Earth Flow, and other common techniques on the shelves, Orochimaru's special techniques were much better.

Sarutobi Ryo silently took the scroll and opened it.

He immediately knew how valuable it was.

Sometimes, you can't judge how good a technique is just by its rank. Some Ninjutsu could be much stronger than you'd expect.

The scroll Orochimaru gave him came from the Land of Rice Fields and had a secret technique from a certain clan.

This scroll was about Body Art, and it wasn't well-known in the Ninja World or Konoha, which made it rare.

If I remember correctly, only Jirobo, one of the Sound Four, learned this Body Art in the original story.

These things showed how powerful this Body Art was.

Smashing rocks with a punch, lifting tons of stone with bare hands, and blasting away Super Expansion Technique Choji with a palm strike...

It was a very violent Body Art.

The technique was only C-rank, so it was easy to learn.

But you needed a special body to use its full power. Otherwise, it would just be ordinary Body Art.

The Sarutobi Clan was born with great power, so they would definitely be able to use this Body Art and unleash its full power.

Seeing that Sarutobi Ryo looked interested, Orochimaru knew he had achieved his goal.

Sarutobi Ryo asked his question, and Orochimaru finally said why he was there: "Young Master Ryo, I simply hope... that if the village holds the next Hokage election, you will support me..."

So that's it.

Sarutobi Ryo understood.

Orochimaru had always thought he was the best choice for the Fourth Hokage.

This confidence didn't disappear until Namikaze Minato took the position in the original story.

He wants to use a powerful scroll to get my vote... it's possible.

But there was a problem...

"Sorry, Senior Orochimaru, I can't accept this scroll."

Sarutobi Ryo handed the scroll back, refusing Orochimaru's offer.

Orochimaru wasn't surprised that Sarutobi Ryo was being so honest. He had been watching him for years and knew he was calm and collected.

"Heh heh... Young Master Ryo, do you think I can't become the Fourth Hokage?"

Orochimaru spread his hands, not taking the scroll, but asking out of curiosity.

Just like Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura supported Namikaze Minato, Orochimaru also had Danzo supporting him.

"How should I say it... if we're being honest, Sakumo-sensei has the best chance of becoming the Fourth."

Sarutobi Ryo gave his opinion.

Even the Sannin seemed less important than the Konoha White Fang.

Orochimaru knew this.

He smiled, not minding it. "Then... if Sakumo-sensei doesn't want to be Hokage, would you support me among the other candidates?"

Orochimaru suggested a possibility, but it meant a lot.

His golden snake-like eyes stared at Sarutobi Ryo.

Sarutobi Ryo looked back without flinching, then reached out his hand. "No problem."

----

A moment later.

Sarutobi Ryo and Yamanaka Hui listened as the door closed and locked behind them, watching Orochimaru leave.

"Young Master, Lord Orochimaru's words just now meant a lot..."

Yamanaka Hui felt that his words were hinting at many things.

"Yeah."

Sarutobi Ryo nodded, putting away the scroll.