Because They're Too Pure!

"Surprised?" Orochimaru's lips curled into a sly smile as he observed Ishiki Kujo's expression. "I may not care much for the Hokage seat anymore… but I've started to grow interested in Konoha's darkness. If you manage to eliminate Danzo, I wouldn't mind supporting you as the next Hokage."

"But didn't you just say that schemes and popularity alone aren't enough to make someone Hokage?"

"True. That's why you'll have to work for it. At the very least, you'll need to surpass the Third. Otherwise, with what you've done, there's no way Hiruzen would support your rise."

"And if you want to go beyond him," Orochimaru's voice dropped low, "you've got two options—either become so powerful that not even the Third can stop you… or remove him entirely. Of course, that only works if the village still trusts you afterward."

He smiled again. Playful. Dark.

"Why?" Ishiki asked, eyes narrowing. "Why do you want me to become Hokage?"

"Because it would be… amusing. Just like you probably think it'd be amusing if I became Hokage."

Orochimaru's eyes glittered like a serpent's—cold, calculating, inscrutable. But there was something in them Ishiki couldn't quite decipher.

"Actually, I was thinking of putting an Uchiha in the seat," Ishiki replied casually, as if commenting on the weather. "That would be even more entertaining."

He didn't know how Orochimaru had guessed he'd ever considered the Sannin for the job—but in truth, it was always the Uchiha idea that fascinated him more.

Orochimaru arched an eyebrow. "Why an Uchiha?"

"I told you," Ishiki grinned. "Because they're too pure."

Orochimaru stared at him for a long moment. Then, slowly, the corners of his mouth turned up. "I underestimated you, Kujo Ishiki. That's delightfully twisted. You're not planning to kill Danzo at all, are you? Not yet. Because that wouldn't make for a good show, would it?"

Having Danzo—the man who loathed the Uchiha with every cell of his decaying body—watch as an Uchiha became Hokage… there was no greater punishment.

"Interested in joining the production?" Ishiki asked, his eyes sparkling. "Orochimaru-sama?"

He meant it. Deep down, Ishiki wanted someone to share in the madness—a kindred spirit.

Would Orochimaru be that kindred?

"Why not?" the Sannin said, without missing a beat. "Though… what's in it for us, if an Uchiha becomes Hokage?"

"A stronger village. A quieter life. Isn't that enough?" Ishiki replied after a moment's thought.

He didn't care about ruling the world. He never had.

What he wanted was a life of experimentation, research… a peaceful post at the Konoha Hospital, tinkering with jutsu in his spare time, dabbling in the secrets of immortality.

He didn't need power. He needed freedom.

As they parted ways, Ishiki was smiling.

He liked being able to speak openly—to trade dreams with someone who didn't flinch at madness.

Power had started to embolden him.

He'd never been someone with bottomless ambition—he needed only enough money to live comfortably, a few good friends, and the ability to act on the whims that danced through his head.

Like making an Uchiha Hokage.

Or summoning Turtle Island in the middle of the Land of Grass just to see what would happen.

The first plan would take time. The second had already borne delicious fruit.

He even wondered, idly, what would happen if he dropped Obito Uchiha into the Truth Falls of Turtle Island. What would that boy see?

Soon, Ishiki left camp alongside his squad.

Iwa, now in a ceasefire with Kumo, had begun reinforcing its borders. Neither of them trusted each other—or Konoha.

And none of them wanted to see the other create a perfect Jinchūriki.

Perfect Jinchūriki were battlefield gods.

Iwa's Jinchūriki was already powerful—if he mastered his tailed beast, they'd have another Ōnoki on their hands.

Kumo wasn't worried; they had Killer Bee and the Eight-Tails.

Plus, the new peace ensured there'd be no more border skirmishes between Lightning and Earth for the foreseeable future.

But Iwa would never let the opportunity slip.

Which meant they'd soon invade somewhere.

The two likeliest targets: the Land of Fire… or the Land of Wind.

Even a minor territorial gain would fuel their expansion.

During his years in this world, Ishiki had come to understand why the Second Hokage hadn't stopped the First from distributing the tailed beasts.

One: it funneled wealth into Konoha, helping them recover from constant wars.

Two: creating perfect Jinchūriki was not easy. Letting other villages try meant forcing them to drain their own resources.

And it kept the inevitable explosions of bijū rage away from Konoha soil.

The only wildcard was Kumo's Turtle Island.

That sacred beast and its waterfall of truth gave their Jinchūriki a real shot at taming their tailed beasts.

But by the time the other villages understood this, the bijū had already been handed out—and Turtle Island was far across the sea.

Even destroying it wouldn't be easy.

Still, these were just Ishiki's personal theories.

He believed Tobirama had made the call based on cold logic—calculations meant to benefit Konoha in the long run.

And now Turtle Island couldn't be unsummoned—thanks to Leo returning to Turtle Sage Island and having the turtle's name erased from Ishiki's summoning contract.

The great beast would have to walk back home. Slowly. Painfully.

Because it was too gentle.

As the squad advanced, Ishiki had plenty of time to daydream. Between his Ripple sensing and his teammates' tracking abilities, infiltration was smooth.

Orochimaru, meanwhile, had launched an offensive against Iwa at the border—drawing attention away from the smaller units.

With Konoha's main force acting as bait, the infiltration teams slipped through the first layer of defenses.

But entering the Land of Earth would not be easy.

The borderlands were crawling with Iwa-nin, especially near the transition from the Land of Grass to the Land of Earth itself.

And when Konoha's initial assault ended… a counterattack was bound to follow.

After all, you can't fool Iwa forever.