Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

Amid cheers, the Konoha ninja made way for Orochimaru as he departed.

Their hearts were filled with hope for a better future.

Orochimaru did not go home or to his laboratory, but instead returned to the house where he lived when he was young, or rather, when he was a child.

Since he officially became a genin at the age of 12, this house on the outskirts of Konoha Village has been abandoned.

He returned here, looked at the dilapidated house in silence for a long time, and then began to tidy up the room himself.

When Yamanaka Hatsukyu finished dealing with all the spoils of war and arranged for the four thousand ninjas to disband and rest, he arrived at the house, only to find that Orochimaru had already cleaned it up.

He looked at the mountain peak and said, "From now on, this will be my place of residence."

Even from a great distance, Yamanaka Hatsukyu clearly sensed Orochimaru's sorrow and thus knew that Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi had broken off relations.

He entered, silently closed the door, and asked, "Orochimaru-sensei, is this a secret?"

"You've fallen out with the Third Hokage. Although he won't dare to openly attack us, he will definitely mobilize the Anbu to monitor us, and he might even try to assassinate us."

"If it's not safe here, you won't be able to sleep peacefully anymore."

Orochimaru pulled out a tea set and tossed it to Yamanaka Hatsukyu, saying, "Break me a cup of tea."

Yamanaka Chujiu said "Oh" and placed the tea set on the stone table in the courtyard.

He first used Water Release ninjutsu to clean the teaware, then used Water Release to fill the teapot with water, and used Fire Release to heat the teapot until the water boiled.

Finally, he took out a bag of tea leaves from his pocket, poured them into the teapot, and slowly brewed the tea.

A moment later, Orochimaru drank the fragrant green tea, a satisfied glint in his golden snake eyes.

Then he replied, "This is my home, the place where I've lived with my parents since I was a child."

"Although I moved away later, I still practice here every time I learn sealing techniques and barriers."

"Over time, the barriers and seals surrounding this courtyard have accumulated to the point that I myself can't even count them all. It's one of the safest places in Konoha Village."

So don't worry.

"Furthermore, while my teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would not tolerate me threatening his and the Sarutobi clan's power, he would not violate his own morals and immediately take action to suppress us."

"Of course, even if he really does make a move, I'm not afraid of him."

He paused, then continued, "Chu Jiu, I know you're good at thinking three steps ahead. What are your plans for us going forward?"

Yamanaka Chuku nodded: "I do have a plan, Orochimaru-sensei."

"Your reputation is currently very high, and the Konoha ninjas are practically fanatics, but that's not enough to justify you taking action against the Third Hokage."

"In other words, we cannot attack Hiruzen Sarutobi proactively, but we are entitled to disregard the Third Hokage and proactively do anything that benefits Konoha Village."

Orochimaru's eyes lit up: "You managed to find an angle to attack from here, that's truly admirable."

"What exactly are some things I can do?"

Yamanaka Hatsukyu said, "The first and most urgent task is to command the Konoha ninja on the eastern front to defeat Kirigakure and bring complete peace to Konoha."

Orochimaru blurted out instinctively, "Sarutobi-sensei wouldn't allow me to go..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence and looked at Yamanaka Chuku with a smile.

"Oh ho ho ho, I actually forgot about it as soon as I turned my head. You said I now have the right to ignore the Hokage's orders and do whatever I want."

"That's right."

Yamanaka Chukyu confidently stated, "Kumogakure has surrendered, and the northern front has become completely quiet. However, I have just learned that Shimura Danzo, the commander of the eastern front, has yet to return."

"Nearly 10,000 Konoha ninjas lost unified command and were forced to retreat under the continuous attacks of Kirigakure ninjas, making the situation unprecedentedly dire."

"Hiruzen Sarutobi was busy suppressing Danzo Shimura and currying favor with the Cloud Village ninjas. Now he is only focused on maintaining his power and has completely ignored the Eastern Front battlefield."

"We will show the Konoha ninja with our actions that Orochimaru can defeat the enemy that the Third Hokage feared, and that Orochimaru can end the war that the Third Hokage couldn't afford to deal with cleanly and decisively."

"The Third Hokage relentlessly promoted peace, forcing Konoha ninjas to pay with their lives, yet they couldn't obtain it. Orochimaru, however, led them to achieve peace through fair and square means!"

Orochimaru, stirred up by Yamanaka Hatsukyu, felt a long-lost surge of excitement.

An excited glint flashed in his eyes: "You mean, we'll lead four thousand elite Konoha ninja, ignoring the Third Hokage's obstruction, and go directly to the eastern front to take over command?"

Yamanaka Chujiu nodded, a confident smile on his lips: "Once we reach the eastern front, we will surely achieve even greater feats."

"Defeating the Hidden Mist ninjas would be a piece of cake, and even reaching the Land of Water wouldn't be impossible."

"If we force Kirigakure to surrender again, Orochimaru-sensei, your reputation in Konoha will reach new heights, putting even more pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi."

Orochimaru nodded and said, "Your idea is excellent."

"Actually, the forces on Konoha's eastern front are very strong. Even with the dense network of rivers and lakes that would allow Kirigakure ninjas to exert their strength, they shouldn't have been forced into such a sorry state."

"Even if I went there myself, I was confident I could defeat the Hidden Mist ninja."

"If you come with me, marching into the Land of Water and forcing Kirigakure to surrender shouldn't be too difficult."

Yamanaka Chujiu nodded and said, "I am indeed confident."

Orochimaru was very satisfied and said, "Then gather four thousand Konoha ninja and prepare to go to the eastern front."

Yamazaku said, "Hmm, I have a suggestion."

Orochimaru: "You speak."

Yamanaka Hatsukyuu said, "Since we have enough troops, why bother gathering four thousand ninjas to go together?"

"Eight hundred, eight hundred ninjas will be enough!"

Orochimaru: "?"

Yamanaka Hatsukyu explained, "The four thousand ninjas on the northern front are elite, but they have been fighting for a long time and urgently need rest, to reunite with their families, and to relieve the psychological pressure of war."

"Carefully selected Konoha ninjas who are the most fervent, have no family burdens, have no weaknesses, and are only interested in making contributions and fighting, are enough to bolster your reputation, teacher."

"I believe that the Konoha ninja on the eastern front will be willing to follow us when they see Orochimaru-sensei."

"You must command them directly, and not let them be separated by the four thousand Konoha ninja, in order to win them all over to our side."

"In addition, I have tasks to assign to the remaining Konoha ninja."

Orochimaru thought about it and accepted Yamanaka Hatsukyu's suggestion.

Without asking what the remaining Konoha ninja were to do, he simply ordered, "Go and make the arrangements. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, teacher!"

Yamanaka Chukyu turned and left to select the most elite ninjas.

Orochimaru sat on the stone bench, picked up his teacup, took a sip, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind.