Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

In a dark room at an unknown location, a figure sat reading intelligence reports.

As the person read, they murmured to themselves, answering their own questions. It was a chilling sight that would make anyone uneasy.

"Orochimaru-sama, two of our hideouts in the Land of Fire have been cleared out by Konoha," Kabuto reported, sounding surprised.

"Ah, yes, but they were just abandoned hideouts anyway. If they've been destroyed, so be it," Orochimaru said in his usual eerie tone, speaking through the same body.

The same body producing two distinctly different voices only highlighted how different Orochimaru and Kabuto's mannerisms were.

"Still, I'm curious. How did Konoha manage to find those two hideouts?" Orochimaru licked his lips, his eyes glinting with interest.

After all, both hideouts had been not only well-hidden but also located on inconspicuous, "uninhabited" islands. Under normal circumstances, they would be nearly impossible to discover unless someone deliberately leaked the information.

"Perhaps someone from inside defected and informed Konoha," Kabuto suggested. He, too, thought the discovery of both hideouts couldn't just be coincidence. One might be, but two in quick succession suggested something more deliberate.

"Hmm, it doesn't matter. Besides, it seems my old friend has given me a little surprise." Orochimaru smirked as he examined part of the intelligence report, written in bloodstains.

"Orochimaru-sama, can we trust Danzo from Konoha?" Kabuto asked, referencing the part of the report where Danzo proposed an alliance against Natsuro.

"Of course we can trust him. The moment Natsuro was recognized as the candidate for the Sixth Hokage, Danzo became our most loyal ally," Orochimaru said, licking his lips again, as though savoring the irony.

"I see…" Kabuto reached up instinctively to adjust his glasses, only to stop midway, this body didn't need glasses. He was reminded of Orochimaru's failed Living Corpse Reincarnation attempt, which had resulted in their current shared body.

Although the technique itself had succeeded, allowing them to switch bodies, their souls hadn't fully separated and were now intertwined. It was a complicated state that even Orochimaru found frustrating, as anything involving souls was perilously delicate. One misstep could result in complete annihilation.

As a result, Orochimaru had reluctantly accepted his current predicament of sharing a body with Kabuto.

"Heh, that old fox won't give up on the Hokage position so easily," Orochimaru muttered, his expression turning cold. He vividly remembered the knife Danzo had stabbed into his back during the Hokage election, sending him plummeting into despair.

The memory was as fresh as ever.

"And now, it seems that old man is trying to replicate the White Fang incident, inadvertently helping Natsuro instead. How foolish. Does he really think Tsunade would handle things the same way as the Third? And Natsuro isn't the White Fang, he won't seek his own death as a solution. Truly foolish," Orochimaru sneered with disdain.

At the same time, he was a little surprised by Tsunade's decision. Even as her former comrade, he hadn't expected her to make such a choice.

Does she truly not care about the Hokage position at all?

"But why would Danzo choose to ally with us now? He's been searching for us for quite some time, it seems," Kabuto asked, puzzled.

"It's simple, he's run out of ways to deal with Natsuro. The man's influence is already too strong, and with Tsunade's cooperation, ordinary smear tactics are useless against him now," Orochimaru replied, laughing mockingly.

"If Danzo wants to become the Sixth Hokage, his only option is to eliminate Natsuro. But taking down someone with the Flying Thunder God Technique isn't something Danzo can accomplish alone. He needs allies, and among the people he knows, I'm probably the one with the most methods at my disposal."

"I see. So, Orochimaru-sama, should we cooperate with Danzo?" Kabuto asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't we? This is an excellent opportunity to take down that insufferable brat," Orochimaru said coldly.

"Do you already have a plan to deal with Natsuro?" Kabuto asked in surprise. Despite sharing a body, he hadn't caught any hint of a strategy.

"Of course not," Orochimaru scoffed, a shadow flickering in his eyes. Even he found the unrestricted use of the Flying Thunder God Technique extremely troublesome.

"Then why cooperate?" Kabuto pressed, confused.

"We don't need to have a plan. We just need Danzo to think we do," Orochimaru replied, glancing at the moonlight outside. "And besides, if we can't handle him, there are others who might be able to. You know who I mean... That organization."

"But didn't you already leave that organization?" Kabuto frowned.

"Heh. There are no permanent enemies. Leaving doesn't mean we can't work together. As long as their goal remains the Tailed Beasts, they can't avoid the Nine-Tails. And the Nine-Tails carries Natsuro's Flying Thunder God mark. What do you think they'll do when they hear this?"

"As expected of Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto couldn't help but praise him. Although their memories since merging were shared, Orochimaru's past experiences and information were not.

Now Kabuto understood.

The Akatsuki would never allow any interference with the Nine-Tails. Since Naruto carried Natsuro's Flying Thunder God mark, they would inevitably clash with him, whether during the capture of the Nine-Tails or afterward.

Natsuro's mastery of the Flying Thunder God made him a slippery target, ensuring the Akatsuki would have no choice but to deal with him. Cooperation, then, was inevitable.

"But what about the Land of Earth?" Kabuto asked.

"I agreed to cooperate. I never said we'd act immediately. The preparations here are nearly complete and it would be a shame to waste them," Orochimaru said casually.

"It's just a pity… If I had another year or two, or if Kimimaro were still around, we might have had a chance to kill Onoki, that old fossil. Without him, the backbone of Iwagakure would crumble. What a shame…"

Orochimaru fell into thought, wondering if Natsuro could survive against the Akatsuki.

If Natsuro truly managed to survive those monsters, Orochimaru would be curious to see how far someone without a Kekkei Genkai could go.

If he succeeded, would it mean Orochimaru's own lifelong pursuit was flawed?

Of course, Orochimaru didn't believe there was anything wrong with his quest for immortality or the pinnacle of ninjutsu. But if Natsuro could achieve such heights, then perhaps Orochimaru wouldn't need to cling so tightly to Kekkei Genkai.

As long as he lived long enough and mastered all ninjutsu, he believed he could achieve anything Natsuro could.

For now, however, Orochimaru found himself genuinely hoping Natsuro would survive the Akatsuki.

That would make things interesting.

"Orochimaru-sama, how should we reply to Danzo?" Kabuto asked.

"Heh. Leave it to me," Orochimaru said, revealing a peculiar smile as he picked up a pen and paper.

Though he had agreed to cooperate, he couldn't resist the urge to extract a bit more benefit and perhaps annoy Danzo while he was at it.

Imagining Danzo's reaction to his reply, Orochimaru's cold smile widened.

....

Danzo held the letter in his hand, his face dark and stormy. The veins on his hand bulged as he gripped the letter tightly. After reading every word on the paper, he furiously flung it to the ground.

But no matter how much anger he poured into the act, it was just a piece of paper—it made no sound and lay there motionless.

"Orochimaru! How dare you!!"

Danzo was livid. The demands in the letter were utterly outrageous, like a lion asking for its prey while taking advantage of a fire!

After a long while, Danzo bent down to pick up the letter, his expression flickering between anger and thoughtfulness.

The conditions were harsh, but if he became Hokage, those terms wouldn't seem so burdensome anymore.

Slowly, a smile crept across Danzo's face. When Natsuro is dead, why would I bother fulfilling those promises to Orochimaru?

He didn't believe Orochimaru would risk exposing their arrangement, so all he needed to do was pay the upfront costs.

Even so, Danzo felt a pang of pain as he looked at the list of demands.

What Danzo didn't know was that Orochimaru never expected him to meet the excessive terms. Those demands were made solely to irritate Danzo. Orochimaru knew Danzo's nature all too well.

If Danzo ever discovered this, he'd likely be spitting blood in rage.

The next moment, the letter in Danzo's hand crumbled into dust and disappeared into the air. His eyes gleamed with cold malice.

"Natsuro! You've forced me into this. You stand in my way, trying to take the Hokage position that rightfully belongs to me. For that, you must die!"

As for the letter's mention that the plan might take years, Danzo wasn't concerned. He had already waited this long, what were a few more years?

With Hashirama's cells sustaining him, Danzo was confident he could last for many more years. He could afford to wait.

.....

Natsuro, of course, was unaware of these dark machinations. At that moment, he was deeply engrossed in absorbing natural energy from a vein of it beneath a lake. This vein, however, was only about half the size of the previous one he had encountered.

By the time he was finished, the vein wouldn't just appear to be exhausted, it would truly be drained dry by him alone.

In truth, Natsuro hadn't ignored the threat of Danzo entirely. However, ever since the failed attempt to sabotage Tsunade's return, Danzo had remained quiet, taking no further action.

No matter how much Natsuro despised Danzo, he couldn't justify causing trouble without reason, it would only hurt his standing in Konoha and disrupt his own future plans.

Even if he knew about Danzo's schemes, Natsuro likely wouldn't care.

After all, this was a world where strength ruled supreme.

However, one particular event did pique his curiosity, something that never happened in the original story.

Konoha Year 65.

Iwagakure suffered a devastating attack by Orochimaru, leaving the village heavily damaged.

Check out the patreon and get 53 chapters in advance

Currently on Chapter 242 - The First Hokage's Cells and Transition of Power