The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked at the enraged Danzo and the expressionless Orochimaru, feeling a headache coming on.
"Are you really going to let Orochimaru hollow out the Root?" Danzo slammed his cane against the ground forcefully, his chest heaving in anger as he roared.
"I only took a few research materials, nothing more. Besides, keeping those things in the Root's hands is a complete waste," Orochimaru retorted, ignoring Danzo's murderous gaze and meeting his hostility head-on.
"Orochimaru! Show some respect to the Hokage's advisors! Danzo is, after all, a comrade of your teacher and has made great contributions to the village!" A voice rebuked from the doorway as the two village advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, stepped inside.
"Hiruzen, Danzo may have made mistakes, but your punishment shouldn't be to empty out his Root," Homura said as he positioned himself in front of Danzo.
"That's not true. I only took materials that weren't even being used and two people I needed. All of this is within the authority given to me by sensei. The Root's overall strength hasn't been affected at all," Orochimaru countered.
"Hiruzen, even while the village's economy is improving, we simply can't afford the establishment and investment needed for a new department," Koharu advised, avoiding a direct confrontation with Orochimaru.
"Yes, a new department requires training new talent and ninja, along with various other necessary investments. This is a long-term commitment. The village must consider its future carefully, right?" Homura echoed Koharu's concerns.
"What are your thoughts then?" The Third looked at the three standing together, then glanced at the stoic Orochimaru, his tone turning serious.
"Keep things as they are. It's better for Orochimaru to continue working with the Root," Homura suggested.
"You know as well as we do, Hiruzen, that those experiments aren't suitable to be exposed to the public. A new department would draw everyone's attention in the village. At that point, a lot of things won't be kept secret anymore," Koharu added from another angle.
Hearing the advisors' words, Danzo's lips unconsciously curled into a slight smile. Just as he knew Hiruzen well, these two who had spent countless years by Hiruzen's side also understood him deeply. They knew how to shake Hiruzen's resolve.
As expected, the Third's expression showed a hint of hesitation at Koharu's words. He felt more powerless with each passing day, the decisiveness of his youth slowly eroding away.
He had long surpassed the average lifespan for a ninja in the shadow of constant war. Among the Kage, only the elderly Onoki of Iwagakure was older than him.
At this point, all he wanted was for the village to develop peacefully and without turmoil. Koharu's words had undeniably struck a chord in him.
"Isn't that even more reason to set things right?" Seeing the hesitation in his teacher's eyes, Orochimaru's gaze flickered with disappointment. He spoke up proactively, "It's precisely because the Root operates so coldly and without restraint that all these tragedies have occurred! The establishment of the Technology Development Department is to set up rules and reduce unnecessary sacrifices in the village. Only in this way can we prevent tragedies from happening again and again."
Danzo suddenly turned to look at Orochimaru, the one who had just spoken.
"Root is cold and ruthless?"
He did admit that much! But who had been in charge of the Wood Release and other experiments? It was always you, Orochimaru! Even if there were mistakes on my end, can you, Orochimaru, really call yourself a good person?
You're just as cruel and unfeeling toward those test subjects. How could you say such things?
Are you still the Orochimaru I used to know?
"Orochimaru!" Mitokado Homura frowned. This text is hosted at novel·fire.net
"Advisor Homura, all of this happened because of the man next to you—Danzo! He targeted my student. Did he ever care about the village, about me, about the Nara clan, or even about my teacher?"
Orochimaru's voice was cold as he interrupted Homura before he could speak further.
"I recall that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were the ones who strongly supported Hiruzen-sensei in stabilizing the village, right? If that's the case, how about I invite advisor Akimichi Torifu to join the discussion?"
Mitokado Homura was left speechless by Orochimaru's words and gave Danzo a glare, silently cursing his extreme methods.
Danzo, who had only intended to use Kagetsu as a slight threat to make Orochimaru behave and focus more on his research to at least show some results, now had an even darker expression. He hadn't expected such a trivial matter to escalate into such a huge mess.
If only he had sent a Jonin from Root back then...
"Enough." The Third Hokage finally made up his mind. He decisively ended the argument with an authority reminiscent of his former self. "I've agreed to Orochimaru and Shikakichi's request regarding personnel transfers and the establishment of the Technology Development Department."
When the Hokage started concluding matters, the two advisors could only stay silent. However, in the next moment, the Third Hokage did offer them some consolation to save face.
"But the village's current finances aren't sufficient to support the establishment of a new department. Aside from an initial fund allocation, the Technology Development Department will have to secure its own funding for the time being," the Third Hokage added.
"Hmph!" Danzo snorted coldly, not getting the outcome he desired. He turned and left the Hokage's office, leaning on his cane, feeling humiliated. At the same time, the fire in his heart to claim that position burned fiercer than ever.
Seeing Danzo leave, both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu sighed, choosing not to speak further.
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