After everyone else had filed out of the conference room, Gisei Shiraishi and Orochimaru were the only ones left.
The two sat facing each other, sizing one another up in silence.
Gisei found it a bit difficult to speak first. The scene that had just unfolded must have provoked Orochimaru quite a bit. If the Sannin turned his embarrassment into anger, any attempt at communication would become incredibly difficult.
Orochimaru, however, had already regained his composure. He was not an ordinary person, after all, and a snake's adaptability was naturally stronger than a human's.
"Gisei-kun is truly a man who cannot be underestimated. You easily accomplished something I couldn't do."
Hearing Orochimaru's words, Gisei muttered inwardly: Is this mockery or praise?
Whatever, he'd just take it as praise.
Gisei smiled. "We just stand in different positions. If I were the one asking for support from the Third's side, the result would likely be the same."
"That's not necessarily true," Orochimaru said thoughtfully. "After the village's regular meeting ended, I heard you had a private conversation with the Nara clan head."
Gisei paused, genuinely puzzled. "And what does that represent?"
"I don't know what it represents either, only that Sensei seems to care about it very much."
Gisei stopped smiling. "I can't guess the Hokage's thoughts, nor do I want to. Orochimaru, since you have obtained my support now, some words need to be spoken openly."
"What do you mean?"
"Orochimaru, you should be clear about your current position," Gisei said, his tone meaningful. "Rather than saying we support you, it would be more accurate to say that I bowed my head to the village."
"The Third might like you more because of this matter, but what did you actually gain?"
Orochimaru looked stunned. "What exactly do you mean?"
Gisei extended a finger and wagged it slowly. "What you obtained is nothing but an illusion. The moment I go back on my word, these ninja clans will immediately abandon you. You should be very clear about this."
Orochimaru's expression turned ugly. "Do you really want to fall out with the village?"
"So what if we fall out? The Third is the Hokage; he doesn't dare to gamble. Orochimaru, you should also be aware of the Third's plan to weaken the ninja clans. Do you honestly think he has a chance of succeeding?"
"I don't know Sensei's plan, but I don't have high hopes for you guys."
Gisei nodded. "You finally told the truth. Daring to scheme against me shows you look down on me, thinking I will definitely lose in this struggle, right?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
"Actually, I don't have high hopes for myself either. But things depend on human effort. If I display a momentum that doesn't lose to the Hokage, what will you do?"
"Orochimaru, I advise you to be honest. I want to have a serious talk with you. Don't deceive me with lies."
After a moment of silence, Orochimaru said quietly, "Even if you win, I am still the Hokage's disciple."
The Hokage's disciple...
Sure enough, an Orochimaru who hasn't gone dark yet is boring as hell.
Gisei lost interest in continuing the conversation. He had already said this much; Orochimaru wasn't a fool and certainly knew his intentions.
He wanted to win Orochimaru over from the Third. If he could do that, coordinating from both inside and outside would make things very difficult for the Hokage. Unfortunately, the current Orochimaru was still trapped in boring master-disciple sentiments and had no real value.
Still, after thinking about it, Gisei decided to make one final effort.
"Orochimaru, if you want to become Hokage, you have to wait until the Third steps down. That will take at least twenty years. Can you really afford to wait that long?"
Orochimaru remained silent.
"If you get my true support, that time will be drastically shortened. The Third is a reasonable person; he won't let the village fall into civil strife."
Orochimaru suddenly spoke up. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want to genuinely cooperate with you."
"What exactly does this 'cooperation' mean?"
"It means pushing the Third out, and at the same time, helping you ascend to the position."
Orochimaru shot him a look of mockery. "Helping me ascend? Gisei-kun, those words don't sound like genuine cooperation."
He wasn't a fool who believed whatever Gisei said. The power of these ninja clans was almost entirely in Gisei's hands. If the boy went back on his word later, what could Orochimaru possibly do to him?
Gisei also knew Orochimaru wasn't that easy to fool and had prepared his argument long ago.
"Orochimaru, you also know the reason for the rupture in my relationship with the village's high-level officials. As long as the Third steps down, I have plenty of ways to take my revenge."
"Revenge?" Orochimaru sneered. "Danzo's intelligence was already given to you. I thought I'd get to watch a good show, but you didn't make a single move."
"Do you really want revenge?"
Gisei shook his head. "I have my own ways; there's no need to tell you everything. Also, you underestimate me too much."
"Do you really think I didn't know that was a trap set by Danzo?"
Orochimaru suddenly looked up, and Gisei's gaze sharpened instantly.
The two stared each other down, neither willing to yield.
"This is truly surprising. You couldn't even be kept in the dark about things even Sensei didn't know."
"I don't want to run in circles with you," Gisei said flatly. "As long as you cooperate with me, you can do whatever you like with the Hokage position or whatever else."
"I cannot trust you."
"Same here."
Orochimaru's expression was ugly. "Since that's the case, what else is there to say?"
Gisei smiled. "Without a foundation of trust, we can build one ourselves."
"What do you want me to do?"
"I need you to pass false intelligence to Danzo and lure him out of Konoha."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "You are planning to make a move on Danzo?"
"I don't have the intention of killing Danzo right now. I just want to teach him a lesson he'll remember forever."
Gisei stared at Orochimaru, a smile playing on his lips. "You should know that I do things with great purpose. You can betray Danzo, and of course, you can also betray me. Actually, it doesn't matter either way."
Orochimaru revealed a look of deep fatigue. Once again, he experienced what it meant to be powerless in front of Gisei Shiraishi.
Betraying Danzo meant he had to draw a clear line with the Third. Betraying Gisei meant that everything he had done these past few days was useless work.
Gisei naturally knew Orochimaru's current mood. Well, since he had the snake pinned down now, he didn't care about any potential leaks.
"Orochimaru, you once told me about unifying the ninja world. I felt that goal was too big, so I helped you change it to 'external expansion.' This news will likely spread throughout Konoha very soon."
Orochimaru couldn't sit still anymore. If this kind of news reached the Third's ears, a rift would inevitably form between him and his teacher.
He knew very well what kind of person the Third Hokage was.
"Are you threatening me?"
Gisei sneered. "You aren't worthy of me threatening you. I'm just telling you—whether you know or not doesn't change the reality."
Anger surged on Orochimaru's face. "You intend to create a fait accompli?"
Gisei shrugged, turning a blind eye to the Sannin's anger.
A gluttonous snake that wants to survive can only eat non-stop. As long as its belly doesn't burst, it can shed its skin and be reborn.