[Key Destiny-Node Figure Detected: Orochimaru.]
[Consume mental energy to simulate his various possible futures?]
"Yes," Sarutobi Hiruzen thought to himself.
...
The night grew deeper.
Sarutobi Hiruzen walked alone through the streets of Konoha.
He brought no guards, his figure blending into the night.
The air was cool, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.
He finally stopped in front of an ordinary two-story house.
This was Orochimaru's home.
The entire street was dark, except for this one house, where a faint light shone from a second-floor window.
It was quiet around the house, not a sound could be heard.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood for a moment, then raised his hand and knocked gently on the door.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
There was no response from within.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen could clearly sense a faint chakra signature inside the house.
The child was awake.
He didn't knock again, just stood quietly at the door, waiting.
After a long while, the faint sound of footsteps came from inside.
The door was pulled open a crack.
A pale, small hand gripped the edge of the door.
Through the gap, a pair of golden eyes warily watched the visitor outside.
Those eyes held none of the innocence a child should have, only a wariness and emptiness that didn't match his age.
When he saw clearly that the visitor was the new Third Hokage, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, which was then quickly covered by indifference.
"Lord Hokage."
The voice was soft and flat, betraying no emotion.
"May I come in and sit for a while?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was gentle.
The boy didn't answer, but simply pulled the door open wider, stepping aside to clear the way.
Sarutobi Hiruzen walked in.
A dusty, slightly musty smell hit him.
The lights were off inside; only moonlight shone in through the window, outlining the messy silhouettes of the furniture.
A thin layer of dust covered the floor, and on the table sat a half-eaten, cold rice ball.
This place didn't feel like a home, more like an abandoned warehouse.
The boy silently closed the door, with no intention of turning on the lights or speaking.
He just stood in the shadows, like a small statue, melting into the surrounding darkness.
He felt the Hokage's visit was a hypocritical act.
A special visit to a war orphan to show off the new Hokage's benevolence.
He had seen through it all and was tired of it.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen's next actions were something he couldn't understand.
This supreme ruler of Konoha didn't say a single word of comfort or encouragement.
He took off his Hokage robe, folded it neatly, and placed it to the side.
Then, he rolled up his sleeves, picked up a broom from the corner, and began to silently clean the room.
The broom rustled as it swept across the floor.
In the silent night, the sound was exceptionally clear.
Orochimaru just stood there, watching the Hokage's actions.
The Hokage swept the trash on the floor into the dustbin.
He used a cloth to wipe the dust from the table.
He saw him collect the scattered scrolls and books, organizing them one by one and stacking them on the bookshelf.
His movements were not fast, but they were meticulous.
It was as if he wasn't the Hokage, but just an ordinary neighbor who had come to help clean.
The wariness in Orochimaru's eyes did not lessen, but a hint of confusion was added.
He couldn't understand.
Sarutobi Hiruzen paid no mind to his gaze, focusing only on the task at hand.
His mind, however, had already sunk into the simulator in his head.
[Ignore Orochimaru?]
[Initiating future simulation...]
A blood-red scene unfolded in his mind.
[Scene 1: You are busy with official duties and only send someone to deliver the pension, paying no further attention to Orochimaru. He grows up alone in solitude and fear of death. The death of his parents is a wound in his heart that never heals.]
[Scene 2: Several years later, you take him as your student. During a mission, Tsunade's younger brother, Senju Nawaki, steps on an explosive tag and is blown to pieces. Orochimaru only manages to retrieve a piece of Nawaki's intestine. The fragility of life once again stimulates him deeply.]
[Scene 3: He becomes obsessed with eternal life, pouring all his talent into the research of forbidden jutsu. He begins experimenting on living people, seeking the truth of life, his hands stained with blood.]
[Scene 4: You discover his secret laboratory. After a painful choice, you decide to let him leave. You watch his retreating back, your heart feeling as if it's being cut by a knife, but you cannot bring yourself to stop him.]
[Scene 5: Decades later, the Konoha Crush Plan is launched. He returns, using the Reanimation Jutsu to summon the First and Second Hokage. Within the barrier, he uses the sword named Kusanagi to pierce your chest.]
[Conclusion: You died at the hands of your most beloved student, and Konoha suffers a devastating blow. Orochimaru's path also descends completely into an abyss from which there is no return.]
The simulation ended.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand, holding the cleaning cloth, paused in mid-air for a moment.
An icy chill rose from the bottom of his heart.
"Damn it..." he cursed inwardly.
No.
I absolutely cannot let him walk down that old path!
This child is not a born demon.
He is just a genius who saw too much death at a young age and had no one to guide him.
His tragedy stemmed from a sense of powerlessness against the loss of life, from a fear of death.
It's better to guide than to block.
What I need to do is not stop him from thinking, but to give him a correct path to walk.
Sarutobi Hiruzen put down the cloth. After tidying up the room, he walked over to the boy.
He didn't look down on him, but instead crouched down to be at eye level with the boy.
"I read the report on your parents' death."
His voice was very soft, but very clear.
Orochimaru's body stiffened imperceptibly.
"They were great heroes," Sarutobi Hiruzen continued.
"But the passing of life should not just leave a void; it should inspire in us a passion to protect life."
He took out a scroll from his robes and placed it on the table.
The scroll bore the sealing formula personally left by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
This was not a letter of condolence, nor was it money.
Orochimaru's gaze was drawn to the scroll.
Sarutobi Hiruzen reached out and gently opened the scroll.
As the scroll unrolled, it revealed dense manuscripts, depicting complex diagrams of the human meridian system and chakra flow.
A faint scent of ink drifted out.
"These are the preliminary theoretical manuscripts on medical ninjutsu left by Lord Second," Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice carried a guiding force.
"You have an extraordinary talent. Rather than immersing yourself in death, why not explore the mysteries of life?"
"Go to the Ninja Academy's library. Read every book on medicine, on cellular activity."
"Then, come find me."
Orochimaru's breathing stopped for a moment.
The mysteries of life.
These words, like a bolt of lightning, cut through all the fog and gloom in his heart.
All this time, he had been fearing death, rejecting death.
But he had never thought that he could understand life itself from another direction.
For the first time, a glimmer of light appeared in his empty, golden eyes.
It was a primal thirst for knowledge, for the unknown.
Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the change in his expression and knew he had made the right bet.
He said no more, and took out a small amulet tied with a red string from his robes.
The amulet was very old, its edges badly worn.
"This was a memento of your parents. I had the Anbu find it."
"Carry it with you, and their will shall be with you."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gently placed the amulet in Orochimaru's palm.
The amulet was cool to the touch, yet it seemed to carry a warm current that instantly spread throughout his body.
Orochimaru lowered his head, looking at the amulet in his palm.
He clenched it tightly.
His thin shoulders trembled slightly.
After a long time, he looked up and bowed his head to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
This was the first time tonight he had reacted on his own initiative.
...
Sarutobi Hiruzen left the house.
He didn't look back, but he could feel that gaze following him until he disappeared around the corner of the street.
Not long after he left.
From that long-silent house, a small figure rushed out, running desperately towards the Konoha Library.
In the night, his steps grew faster and faster.
Inside the Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat back down in his chair, looking at the moonlight outside the window, a sense of peace in his heart.
In his mind, the simulator's voice sounded again.
[Detecting deviation in key figure's destiny trajectory...]
['Konoha Crush Plan' trigger probability reduced by 10%.]
[Mission Rating: Perfect.]
[Distributing rewards...]
[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining Chakra Precise Control (Master Level)]
A profound feeling washed over his entire body.
Sarutobi Hiruzen could clearly feel that his control over every shred of chakra in his body had risen to a whole new level.
If it was manual control before, now it had been upgraded to a top-tier automatic.
Casting the same ninjutsu would consume less chakra, yet its power would be greater.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Although I don't know if I can change him completely, at least this gives him a path forward."
His gaze fell once more upon the list of orphans. His finger slid across it, finally stopping on another familiar name.
"Next up..."
"Jiraiya."
"You perverted fool, where are you messing around now?"