"Who do you plan to send over?"
Late at night, in the Hokage's office, Orochimaru asked the question after hearing Kagetsu's decision.
"The person has to have high status, seniority, the ability to command respect. Strong, too. Ideally, someone who's familiar with the older generation in Sunagakure—someone they can talk to."
Kagetsu ticked off the conditions one by one on his fingers.
By the time he finished, Orochimaru was already rolling his eyes.
Those requirements were a bit too specific.
In the entire village, aside from the three of them, only the old guard could possibly meet those criteria.
Frankly, Orochimaru was tempted to send Danzo Shimura. A man like Danzo, once outside the village's supervision, would definitely stir up trouble.
If that trouble happened to involve Sunagakure and they "accidentally" dealt with him, then maybe—just maybe—the two villages' relationship would take a hit.
Though Orochimaru wasn't exactly known for scruples, Sunagakure still held strategic importance for Konoha.
If he could gradually guide them into a tight alliance over time, then there was no need to send a walking disaster like Danzo to ruin things.
As Hokage, he had to reconsider. That tempting idea had to be extinguished.
Danzo, kept under close watch, couldn't be allowed to leave the village. His teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, also wasn't a viable option. The old man was currently thriving at the ninja academy, pouring his heart into training the next generation.
That left only the two former advisors, who had stepped back from frontline duties.
They still held significant influence in the village.
If it weren't for Hiruzen forcibly making room for Orochimaru back then by easing them out of power, his current policies would've never gone through so smoothly.
Still, as long as those two remained in the village, they could always find ways to influence things from behind the scenes.
"Notify elders Koharu and Mitokado Homura to come here," Orochimaru ordered, summoning an Anbu to deliver the message.
Seeing Orochimaru's unwillingness to even act polite, Kagetsu quietly remained silent. This had become a kind of unspoken understanding between them.
Before long, the door to the Hokage's office opened, and the two Konoha elders, Mitokado Homura and Koharu, entered.
"Why are you calling us old people in the middle of the night?" Koharu asked as they came in. Follow current novels on ⓝovelFire.net
From the moment Orochimaru took over as Hokage, except for the early days, he had been eager to remove the influence of these old elders from within the building.
Without major matters concerning them, Orochimaru hadn't urgently summoned them for a long time.
"There is an important mission, and I need to hear your opinions on it," Orochimaru said.
Wearing the Hokage robe, Orochimaru stood up and sincerely repeated the discussion he had with Kagetsu and Baki.
"This is good," Koharu and Mitokado Homura both nodded in agreement after hearing Orochimaru's words, glancing at Kagetsu standing nearby.
"Maintaining and deepening the alliance with the Hidden Sand Village is necessary now. If we can keep Sand deeply tied to Konoha's influence, it will be very good for Konoha's future."
Mitokado Homura shared his opinion.
Although the Hidden Sand Village was not very strong, it was still one of the Five Great Nations' supported major ninja villages.
The ninja quality and strength in the village were among the best in the ninja world.
If Orochimaru's plan could really work — subtly binding the interests of these two great ninja villages together — it would be a good thing for the future of Konoha.
Otherwise, every time there was a ninja world war, Konoha had to fight against three or four villages alone, without a truly strong and reliable ally. That was just too harsh.
"What do you need us to do?"
Koharu asked directly.
From her understanding of Orochimaru, since he invited them here and was so polite, there must be something difficult he wanted them to do.
And this was probably something they could hardly refuse.
Instead of beating around the bush, it was better to ask straight and agree.
Although the two of them were a little unhappy about their powers being reduced, with the Third Hokage's clear example of stepping down cleanly, they had no reason to complain.
Besides helping Orochimaru stabilize the upper ranks at the start and allowing him to place his men to control the village's operations, the Third Hokage almost never appeared in the Hokage Tower again.
He had now made the Ninja Academy his new office.
Every day was just between his home and the school.
As long as it didn't harm the village's interests, he would never interfere with Orochimaru's political affairs.
"Konoha needs two respected and honorable people to stay long-term in the Hidden Sand Village," Orochimaru said, spreading his hands.
"They will act as a bridge for communication between Konoha and the Sand's top leaders. I believe the best candidates in the village right now are the two elders."
Koharu and Homura looked at each other, both seeing the expected expression in the other's eyes.
"No problem. When do we leave?" Homura asked.
"There is still some time. You can decide which people to take and select some kids from the Ninja Academy to go with you to the Sand Village."
Orochimaru was a little surprised by their straightforwardness, but he quickly hid it and spoke more gently.
He gave them relaxed conditions, letting them choose the people to bring and the students who would go to the Sand Village for further training.
Most likely, the children sent to the Sand Village to learn puppetry would come from civilian families, because children from ninja clans usually have their own clan traditions, and their parents wouldn't want them to be away from the clan for a long time.
"Just let us know when the time comes. We'll happen to be there, and we can catch up with Chiyo and her brother," said Koharu as she turned around.
"We know, Orochimaru, that you feel we're a nuisance and that we affect your governance, but the advisor's job is to help the Hokage by filling in the gaps and keeping the village stable.
As long as it benefits the village, we old folks are willing to do our best.
Like Danzo — even though his reputation has fallen, and his personality isn't fit for Hokage, he still loved the village.
At least he did what the Third Hokage couldn't do, and what others hoped someone would do. He was like a good sword!
When the Third Hokage became Hokage, Danzo helped him secure the position and kept many enemies away from the village."
Mito Monen seriously said this to Orochimaru as she left.
"Tomorrow, tell Baki from the Sand Village everything," Orochimaru said after the two Konoha elders left, rubbing his forehead while looking at Kagetsu.
"I will," Kagetsu nodded.
"By the way, Kushina is about to give birth. How is your spirit stone making going?"
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