Gisei Shiraishi silently lowered his hand, feeling like a complete idiot.
Hmm... then again, maybe the real idiot was Orochimaru.
Even Gisei hadn't expected these clan heads to give Orochimaru so little respect. He could guess the reason, though; ultimately, it came down to Orochimaru's identity.
"Disciple of the Hokage" might sound high and mighty to some, but in reality, that's all it was—a title. Moreover, the people in this room represented clans that had been sidelined or ostracized by the Third Hokage.
Suddenly, a disciple of that very Hokage walks in seeking their support. What does that look like? A weasel paying respect to a chicken?
If Gisei hadn't done his absolute best to talk Orochimaru up beforehand, some of these people probably would have tried to throw him out by now.
As for the strained relationship with Konoha, it really wasn't an issue. Everyone knew the golden rule of politics: there are no eternal enemies.
Only interests are eternal.
As long as Gisei was willing to bow his head to the village, all their problems would vanish.
Furthermore, there really was no comparison between Gisei and Orochimaru in the eyes of these clans.
Orochimaru's status as the Hokage's student only scored points with the Hokage's own faction. Coming here was basically asking for trouble.
Gisei might have been irresponsible, but at least he came from a prestigious lineage. The Butterfly User clan's reputation in the village was second only to the Senju—even the Sarutobi clan couldn't compare to them.
Did they really think the names of those clan members carved on the Memorial Stone meant nothing?
A clan that could compete with the Second Hokage for leadership wasn't simple. The clan heads here knew that if Gisei dared to oppose the Third, he must have a trump card they didn't know about.
So, they didn't view immediate gains or losses as all that important.
Orochimaru trying to win them over with scraps handed down by the Third was simply insulting.
Gisei looked at the chaotic scene in the meeting room, his expression turning ugly.
He had indeed wanted to teach Orochimaru a lesson, but this lesson was getting a little too real. He didn't even dare to look at Orochimaru's face right now.
After thinking for a moment, Gisei leaned into Orochimaru's ear and whispered, "Wait for me outside. I'll have a good talk with them."
Orochimaru hadn't wanted to be here in the first place. Hearing this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He silently memorized the faces of everyone who had mocked him, then walked out without a word.
Watching Orochimaru push the door open and leave, Gisei sighed. He formed hand seals and cast a barrier technique to envelope the entire room.
Once that was done, he sat back down at the head of the table.
"You guys went too far. Orochimaru is the Hokage's disciple, after all, and he came with sincerity. If this gets back to the Third, it won't look good no matter how you spin it."
Anna Takemoto, who hadn't spoken until now, finally opened her mouth. "What exactly is your game? Orochimaru belongs to the Hokage's faction. Suddenly seeking our support looks suspicious no matter how you look at it."
Aonobu Kawai jumped in. "And you actually support him. Can't you see he has ulterior motives?"
"Ulterior motives aside, everything he brought was practically a handout from the Third. What is the Third trying to say with this?"
"Does he really think he can manipulate us just by using Orochimaru? He looks down on us too much."
Gisei listened to their complaints, rubbing his forehead to clear his mind.
"Why do I support Orochimaru? Isn't it because you guys have been nagging me to ease relations with the Third? Yes, Orochimaru has ulterior motives; I just made a small transaction with him."
"Of course, I don't mean to sell everyone out. Let me be clear: the Third and Danzo probably already want me dead."
"The Third letting Orochimaru come here is likely just preparation. If I really die, you'll have to turn to someone, and Orochimaru is the alternative choice the Third is offering you. Think of it as the Third planning for a rainy day."
"As for my own plans, I won't tell you guys yet. You'll all know when the time comes."
Gisei paused for a moment before continuing. "Although Orochimaru is just a pawn being pushed by others, I still want to continue cooperating with him for now. So, I hope everyone can give him a little face when he comes back in."
Aonobu asked, "They already want to kill you, yet you still want to hide your plan? Are you really not afraid of death?"
Gisei gave a bitter smile. "There's no other way. With our current strength, we have absolutely no chance of winning if we confront the Third head-on. Since you support me, I have to be worthy of that support."
"Besides, almost all the current mess was caused by me. Naturally, I have to solve it myself."
Gisei fell silent.
The meeting room quieted down again.
Anna suddenly broke the silence. "Since they want to kill you, we can do the same to them."
Gisei hurriedly interrupted, "Don't be impulsive. The Third isn't certain he can kill me either, so he doesn't dare to be too aggressive with us. As long as I survive this, he can't touch us."
Aonobu wanted to argue, but after glancing around the room, he caught Anna's eye and winked.
Anna forced herself to stay quiet.
The atmosphere in the room became heavy and depressing. Gisei scratched his head and laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
"Everyone, don't worry about my safety. I've never had much of a sense of responsibility since I was young, and I'm terrified of dying. I won't do anything I'm not sure about."
"I want to keep working with Orochimaru, preferably until the war breaks out. Please bear with me until then."
Someone suddenly asked, "What use is Orochimaru anyway? I don't think he's necessary."
Gisei replied meaningfully, "A pawn isn't necessarily unable to become a player. The key depends on how he chooses to move."
After releasing the barrier, Gisei called Orochimaru back in.
This time, almost no one objected.
Seeing the change in atmosphere, Orochimaru sized up Gisei without batting an eyelid.
This was the first time he truly took Gisei Shiraishi seriously.
Previously, he thought Gisei was just a guy with a good background, but now he realized there was something genuinely frightening about him.
It didn't make sense. Orochimaru pursed his lips, silently re-evaluating everything he knew about Gisei.
They had been desk mates for two years, and he hadn't seen anything unique in him. "Mediocre" was the only word he had for Gisei back then.
It wasn't until the graduation exam that he felt Gisei had the qualifications to be mentioned in the same breath as himself.
Then Gisei entered the hospital, and until now, Orochimaru hadn't understood why.
Recalling what Gisei had said to him back then, a strange glint flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.
This guy definitely had some kind of talent he didn't know about.
This talent allowed him to survive until today, and even when facing a master like the Hokage, he didn't lose ground.
Orochimaru suddenly felt a strong curiosity about Gisei as a person. His tongue unconsciously extended, licking the corner of his mouth before quickly retracting.
Once a snake sets its sights on prey, it absolutely will not give up easily.