He couldn't kill Danzo just yet.
What would it look like if the Scapegoat King of Konoha died at his hands before he had even caused any real trouble?
Gisei was still counting on Danzo to stir up a war and then drag that war out indefinitely.
As for his hatred toward Danzo? Well, as long as his plan succeeded, he would be more than happy to appreciate Danzo's expression then.
Danzo, the man who always claimed everything was "for the sake of Konoha"—what kind of ugly expression would he reveal when Konoha was gone, his clan was gone, and he had nothing left?
Just thinking about it made Gisei look forward to it. Striking at the heart was the only truly satisfying revenge.
But that was for later. Since the Orochimaru before him had access to Danzo's intelligence, it meant Orochimaru already had value to be exploited.
The Third Hokage was currently genuinely grooming Orochimaru as his successor, which made things interesting.
"Tell me his information first."
Orochimaru pulled a piece of paper from his chest and handed it over. "This is his base."
After reading it, Gisei burned the paper to ash.
"Orochimaru, I believe in your sincerity, but I'm curious. How did you get the idea of becoming Hokage?"
Orochimaru paused for a moment, seemingly surprised, and asked back, "As the Hokage's disciple, why can't I have the ambition to become Hokage?"
"You're serious?"
"Do you think I'm joking?"
Gisei smacked his lips. Orochimaru, before he turned dark and creepy, was honestly a bit boring.
But Orochimaru had given him Danzo's information without hesitation, which seemed to indicate his true nature was already starting to show. He had come prepared; he must have been eyeing Gisei for a long time.
"Orochimaru, the Third probably didn't ask you to do this. It's not good to have a hidden agenda. What if the Third finds out?"
"It doesn't matter if he knows. He has no way to convince you, but I do."
Orochimaru laughed softly. "This is already your only choice. Besides, you shouldn't dislike me, and as it happens, I don't dislike you either."
"We have a foundation for mutual trust, being contemporaries and former desk mates."
"If I become Hokage, with the support from my teacher and your support, Konoha will become strong rapidly. Even defeating the other ninja villages to unify the world wouldn't be a dream."
Even unifying the world was on the table. Looking at the excited Orochimaru, Gisei really couldn't bear to dampen his spirits.
"Orochimaru, let's be practical. What benefit do I get? Others are expecting me to become Hokage. If I suddenly turn around to support you, I have to give them a solid explanation."
Saying this with a smile, Gisei stared intently at Orochimaru.
He was genuinely curious about where Orochimaru's confidence came from. Wanting a snake to swallow an elephant—wasn't he afraid his stomach would burst?
"Anything you can think of, I can get my hands on."
"Even the forbidden techniques on the village's Scroll of Seals?"
Orochimaru's expression turned ugly for a second, but in the end, he nodded.
Gisei's pupils contracted slightly. Did the current Orochimaru really have that kind of pull? Or was Orochimaru just a pawn the Third was using to keep him stable?
Regardless, Gisei felt this was a golden opportunity.
An opportunity to access the village's forbidden techniques.
His current strength was decent, but he was far from invincible. He didn't lack chakra, he didn't lack ninjutsu, and he didn't even lack regular forbidden techniques. What he lacked were the truly broken, game-changing forbidden techniques.
For example, the Flying Thunder God. He was almost certain he could learn it, and perhaps his clansmen could too.
Because the butterfly larvae naturally carried spatial formulas, those who raised them were subtly influenced and almost all had the potential to learn space-time ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God.
"Orochimaru, I can trust you, but you have to rely on yourself to get the support of the other ninja clans."
Orochimaru smiled confidently. "Those clans only support you because they want you to fight for their interests. I can do better than you; they have no reason not to support me."
Gisei sneered inwardly, really wanting to make Orochimaru face reality.
For a guy from a commoner background to get the recognition of the ninja clan leaders was simply a pipe dream.
Class barriers were sturdier than castle walls. Smashing your head against them would result in nothing but bloodshed.
People who weren't born into ninja clans found it very hard to understand the arrogance clans held toward commoners, just like how the Senju could ignore most other clans.
Perhaps the future Orochimaru, with the title of Sannin, could awe these clans, but the current Orochimaru—who was still just a young snake—had absolutely zero chance.
Well, Gisei didn't intend to point this out.
How could life be without pain? The pain of hitting a wall would surely make Orochimaru face reality. This could be considered indirectly helping him grow.
"It's best that you have this confidence. I will arrange for them to meet you. Tell me the Third's conditions."
Orochimaru beamed. "Teacher absolutely will not allow any ninja clan to set up something like a 'Longevity Monument,' and the children of your Butterfly User Clan must attend the Ninja Academy."
Gisei rolled his eyes. "The Longevity Monument can be skipped, but I insist on the clan school."
Orochimaru looked thoughtful. "I can understand you wanting to cultivate your own trusted aides, but there are only a few children in your clan. Is it really worth building a school for that?"
"That is my business. Also, I want Danzo to stop all actions targeting the Butterfly Users. At the same time, the Third must increase our clan's mission quota and provide financial assistance."
Orochimaru nodded. "Is that all?"
Gisei glanced at him. "Only when you achieve these will we have a foundation for cooperation."
Orochimaru laughed and extended his wandering hand toward him. "Happy cooperation."
Gisei smiled back and shook his hand. "Happy cooperation."
After Orochimaru left, Gisei fell into deep thought.
He hadn't intended to cooperate with Orochimaru, but the promise Orochimaru gave had moved him.
However, did the current Orochimaru really have that kind of capability? Gisei was skeptical; there was a high probability it was all at the Third's instruction.
But if it really was at the Third's instruction... thinking of the intel on Danzo that Orochimaru had just handed over, Gisei sucked in a breath of cold air.
The Third selling out Danzo?
Impossible...
Could the information be a trap?
If he went to kill Danzo, they would only need to ambush him beforehand, and they could kill him without even needing a legitimate excuse.
Well, even though it was impossible for him to succeed anyway...
This kind of insidious method didn't look like the Third's style at all. Instead, it looked extremely like Danzo's style.
If it was Danzo playing tricks behind the scenes...
Using Gisei's hatred to lure the snake out of its hole, killing him, and then leaving no evidence...
Gisei's eyelids twitched wildly. If it weren't for the fact that he didn't want to kill Danzo yet, he might have very likely fallen into the pit.
When that guy Danzo got ruthless, he could even sell himself out as bait. His operations were simply next-level.
Truly worthy of the Konoha Scapegoat King, the man who dedicated everything to the village. In terms of schemes and plots, I proclaim you the strongest!
After figuring it out, Gisei understood why Orochimaru was so capable.
With Danzo backing him from the shadows, he could get anything he wanted.
Gisei snorted coldly, deciding to play a good game with Danzo.
Perhaps in terms of judging people and situations, he couldn't compare to those old foxes who had become spirits. But when it came to dirty methods? Gisei had plenty.