Naruto Birdcage

Orochimaru's facial features were somewhat sharp, with pale white skin and long black hair casually draped around him.

At a glance, he appeared to be a dark and ominous person, making it hard to feel any warmth toward him.

"You're just like Rin!" Anko said, annoyed.

"Lord Orochimaru, please don't be angry, Makoto.. he..."

Anko started, trying to explain on Makoto's behalf.

"Anko." Orochimaru interrupted, cutting off her defense.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the things I asked you to pick up from the hospital yesterday?"

"Mm!"

"Go back today and get more for me."

"Okay!" Anko nodded instinctively, but then hesitated.

"Should I go now?"

"Mm."

Anko gave Makoto a suspicious glance, her small face filled with concern.

She thought to herself, what if this guy makes Lord Orochimaru angry again?

"Are you worried about how I'll treat your friend?"

Orochimaru's voice broke the silence.

"No, I'll go now!"

Anko quickly ran out, thinking she could just hurry and return.

The room was now left with only Makoto and Orochimaru.

The living room was sparsely furnished, and Orochimaru walked over to a chair and sat down.

The yard looked a bit old, with fallen leaves piling up under the trees.

A breeze blew into the living room, and Makoto didn't feel comfortable—rather, it gave a sense of coldness.

Makoto knew what he was doing, but there was still some pressure in facing such a person.

"Who is the person behind you?"

"Lord Orochimaru, what are you saying?"

"Sending me such a big gift, what does he want from me?"

"I don't quite understand what Lord Orochimaru means."

Orochimaru studied the young man in front of him and then said.

"I can turn on you quickly. If you don't keep your word, I might not keep mine next second."

Makoto still shook his head.

"Lord Orochimaru must have misunderstood something."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his piercing gaze intensifying the pressure on Makoto.

He then asked, "You said Minato will be the next Hokage?"

Makoto responded, "It's not what I said, it's what everyone in the village thinks."

After saying that, Makoto looked at Orochimaru with a surprised and doubtful expression.

"Could it be that Lord Orochimaru also wants to become Hokage?"

Makoto's repeated denials had made Orochimaru somewhat suspicious, but in this moment, Orochimaru finally realized that the young man in front of him was playing a game with him.

He didn't immediately get angry.

In fact, someone daring to play such a trick in front of him both surprised and amused him.

Makoto continued.

"The Hokage is someone who brings hope to the villagers, someone who is surrounded by countless rays of light."

Orochimaru sneered, "You think I can't become Hokage?"

Makoto didn't answer his question.

Instead, he began speaking about something unrelated:

"I suddenly thought of a story.

I wonder if Lord Orochimaru would be interested in hearing it."

Orochimaru's gaze shifted slightly as he wondered to himself if this little brat had been sent by the Hyuga clan to test him.

But who could it be from the Hyuga clan...?

"Tell me," he said.

Makoto slowly began to speak.

"Once upon a time, there was a kingdom, and the old king wanted to pass on his throne to one of his two sons."

"…"

"The elder son was extraordinarily gifted, with unmatched strength, inheriting all of the king's power, but he was arrogant and prideful, and he lacked the people's support. His only concern was how to become stronger."

"The younger son, although weaker in strength, was very attentive to the lives of the people, often helping them solve various difficulties, earning great respect among the common folk."

"Lord Orochimaru, who do you think the king should pass the throne to?"

Orochimaru sneered coldly.

"If the eldest son were truly that strong, he shouldn't be so foolishly waiting for the throne to come to him."

It seemed he already understood that the younger son would inherit the throne from the king, and he realized that the two characters in the story were stand-ins for himself and Minato.

So, he directly avoided answering Makoto's question.

Makoto continued.

"But the old king is still alive, and his strength is no weaker.

Plus, there are so many nobles in the kingdom who all favor the younger son.

On the other hand, the elder son is all alone, and his power doesn't seem to be at the level where he can fight against everything."

"The elder son always thought that as long as his strength was strong enough, he could win the throne with his own power.

But in the end, the younger son ascended to the throne with the support of the people and drove the elder son out of the kingdom.

The elder son wanted revenge, but the people of the kingdom all stood in front of the new king."

"Lord Orochimaru, what do you think the elder son should do at this point?"

Orochimaru remained silent, his face cold.

"Of course, there is another way." Makoto continued.

"That would be for the elder son to kneel before the younger son and support him as the new king.

In that case, the powerful elder son could become the general of the kingdom, which would also be a fine story, wouldn't it?"

"The story is finished, Lord Orochimaru." Makoto said.

Orochimaru's gaze locked onto Makoto, and he said.

"Aren't you afraid of death?"

Makoto, hearing this, looked genuinely surprised and replied.

"Lord Orochimaru, you don't plan to kill me, do you?"

Orochimaru: "…"

At this moment, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. Is this brat usually this brave?

Normally, everyone who sees me is full of both respect and fear.

But this guy seems to treat my killing intent as if it doesn't exist.

What exactly makes him so fearless?

"But if you want to become Hokage, how could you kill your own comrades from the village?" Makoto continued.

"Not killing you means I can become Hokage?" Orochimaru sneered coldly.

His words were somewhat taken out of context.

Makoto chuckled lightly.

"Lord Orochimaru, if you don't kill me, I can find a way to help you become Hokage."

"With just you?" Orochimaru sneered, but as he recalled the little brat's actions earlier, his mind began to race.

This kid...

"Why are you doing this?" Orochimaru asked.

Makoto paused for a moment, then calmly looked at Orochimaru and said,

"Lord Orochimaru, do you understand what's going on with my eyes?"

Eyes...

Orochimaru had heard from Anko about this anomaly from the Hyuga clan.

At first, he found it quite interesting.

A outsider had acquired the Sharingan, and now someone from the Hyuga clan had been given normal eyes instead of the Byakugan.

"I'm just a branch family member. If I were to be given the Byakugan again, it would mean the head family would place the Caged Bird Seal on me once more."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru instantly understood everything, including the matter of the Byakugan information being relayed to him through Anko.

This brat had no one backing him, it had always been just him. After going in such a big circle, was it all for this one thing?

A weak person, hopping around in front of him, just to attract his attention and seek his protection?

If he had revealed his true identity and pledged allegiance to him from the start, Orochimaru would have thought this brat was incredibly arrogant and foolish.

But now, it seemed this brat was indeed very arrogant!

"Why did you think I would accept those Byakugan?" Orochimaru suddenly asked.

"Because the elder son is proud and arrogant, there's nothing he wouldn't dare to do." Makoto responded

"You've already mentioned the elder son's fate. As for me, a person who lacks the people's support, I might as well just wait for Minato to take over as Hokage." Orochimaru said.

Makoto said, "That was just a story, a story I made up. Stories have logic, and only with logic can they be somewhat convincing. Reality, on the other hand, is far more magical and illogical."

"Besides the position of Hokage, those Byakugan… Lord Orochimaru, you probably have no way to get your hands on them, right?"

Orochimaru's thoughts stirred slightly.

He wanted to become Hokage because the position would bring him many conveniences.

But things like the Byakugan were what he was truly passionate about.

Makoto had indeed given him a reason that was hard to refuse.

The Hyuga clan's strict control over the Byakugan made Orochimaru curious about its power, but at the same time, he was helpless.

After hearing what Makoto had said from Anko, he knew there was a possibility it was a trap, yet he still took action.

Orochimaru pondered for a long while before slowly saying, "First, tell me your method."

Saying this also meant that he had somewhat acknowledged Makoto.

"Since it's wartime, why should Lord Orochimaru stay at home?"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Are you asking me to compete with Minato to see who kills more enemies?"

Makoto responded, "Lord Orochimaru only needs to demonstrate the ability to turn the tide, and that should be enough."

End of chapter

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