radiothebook Chapter 4 Night Visit to Orochimaru
Chapter 4 Night Visit to Orochimaru
[Key figure at a pivotal moment in life detected: Orochimaru.]
[Does this consume mental energy to simulate various possible future scenarios?]
"Yes."
Hiruzen Sarutobi silently recited in his heart.
……
The night was darker.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked alone on the streets of Konoha.
He had no guards with him, and his figure blended into the night.
The air was slightly cool, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.
He eventually stopped in front of an ordinary two-story building.
This is Orochimaru's house.
The whole street was dark, except for this one house, where a faint candlelight shone from the second-floor window.
It was very quiet around the house; you couldn't hear a sound.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood there for a moment, then raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.
thump.
thump.
thump.
There was no response from inside the door.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi could clearly sense a faint chakra reaction inside the room.
The child is awake.
He didn't knock again, but just stood quietly at the door waiting.
After a long while, a soft footstep sound came from inside the door.
The door was pulled open a crack.
A pale, thin hand gripped the edge of the door.
Through the crack, a pair of golden eyes watched the person entering the door warily.
Those eyes lacked the innocence a child should have; instead, they held a wariness inappropriate for their age, and an emptiness.
When he saw that the person who came was the new Third Hokage, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by indifference.
"Lord Hokage."
The voice was very soft and flat, revealing no emotion.
"May I come in and sit down?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was gentle.
The boy didn't answer, but simply opened the door wider and stepped aside to make way.
Hiruzen Sarutobi went inside.
A musty, dusty smell wafted over.
There were no candles lit in the room; only moonlight shone through the window, outlining the messy furniture.
A thin layer of dust covered the floor, and a half-eaten, now-cold rice ball sat on the table.
This place doesn't feel like a home; it's more like an abandoned warehouse.
The boy silently closed the door, making no attempt to light a candle or say a word.
He stood in the shadows, like a small statue, blending into the surrounding darkness.
I think the arrival of Naruto was a hypocritical show.
To demonstrate the new Hokage's benevolence, he made a special trip to comfort a war orphan.
He saw through it all and was tired of it all.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's next move left him somewhat puzzled.
The highest ruler of Konoha did not offer a single word of comfort or encouragement.
He took off the Hokage's robe, folded it neatly, and placed it aside.
Then, he rolled up his sleeves, picked up the broom in the corner, and began to silently clean the room.
The broom swept across the floor, making a rustling sound.
In the quiet night, the sound was exceptionally clear.
Orochimaru stood there, watching the Hokage's actions.
The Hokage swept the trash on the ground into the trash can.
Wipe the dust off the table with a cloth.
I saw him carefully organizing the scrolls and books scattered everywhere, stacking them on the bookshelf.
He wasn't fast, but he was very focused.
It was as if he wasn't the Hokage, but just an ordinary neighbor who came to help with the cleaning.
Orochimaru's wariness did not lessen, but a hint of confusion appeared in his eyes.
He didn't understand.
Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored his gaze and focused on what he was doing.
His mind, however, had already sunk into the simulator in his mind.
Should we ignore Orochimaru?
[Start the future simulation...]
A blood-red scene unfolded in my mind.
[Scene 1: Due to your busy schedule, you only sent someone to deliver the compensation money and didn't pay much attention to Orochimaru. He grew up alone in loneliness and fear of death. The deaths of his parents are a wound in his heart that can never heal.]
[Scene Two: Years later, you take him as your apprentice. During a mission, Tsunade's younger brother, Senju Nawaki, steps on an explosive tag and is blown to pieces. Orochimaru only manages to retrieve a piece of Nawaki's intestines. The fragility of life deeply affects him once again.]
[Scene 3: He became obsessed with immortality, pouring all his talent into forbidden arts research. He began experimenting on living people, searching for the true meaning of life, his hands stained with blood.]
Scene 4: You discover his secret laboratory. After a painful decision, you choose to let him go. Watching his retreating figure, your heart aches, but you can't bring yourself to do it.
[Scene 5: Decades later, the Konoha Crush plan is launched. He returns, using the Impure World Reincarnation technique to summon the First and Second Hokage. Within the barrier, he pierces your chest with the sword named Kusanagi.]
[The ending: You died at the hands of your most beloved disciple, and Konoha suffered a devastating blow. Orochimaru's path also slid completely into an abyss of no return.]
The simulation has ended.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand, holding the rag, paused for a moment in mid-air.
A chilling coldness rose from the bottom of my heart.
"Holy crap..."
He cursed inwardly.
No.
We absolutely cannot let him follow the same path!
This child was not born a demon.
He was just a genius who had witnessed too much death in his childhood, yet had no one to guide him.
His tragedy stemmed from his sense of powerlessness in the face of death and his fear of death.
It's better to guide than to block.
What I need to do is not to stop him from thinking, but to give him the right path to follow.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the rag, cleaned the room, and walked up to the boy.
Instead of looking down at him, he squatted down to be at eye level with the boy.
"I have seen your parents' death reports."
His voice was soft, yet clear.
Orochimaru's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
"They are great heroes."
Hiruzen Sarutobi continued.
"But the passing of life should not leave only emptiness; it should inspire our passion to protect life."
He took a scroll from his pocket and placed it on the table.
The scroll contains a sealing technique personally left by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
This is not a letter of condolence, nor is it money.
Orochimaru's gaze was drawn to the scroll.
Hiruzen Sarutobi reached out and gently opened the scroll.
The scroll was unrolled, revealing densely packed manuscripts depicting intricate diagrams of the human body's meridians and chakra flow.
A faint scent of ink wafted through the air.
"This is a basic theoretical manuscript about medical ninjutsu left behind by the Second Hokage."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried a guiding power.
"You are exceptionally gifted; instead of dwelling on death, you should explore the mysteries of life."
"Go to the ninja school library and read all the books about medicine and cell activity."
"Then, come find me."
Orochimaru's breathing stopped for a moment.
The mystery of life.
These five words, like a bolt of lightning, cleaved through all the fog and gloom in his heart.
He has always been afraid of death and repulsed by it.
But I never thought that I could understand life itself from another perspective.
For the first time, a glimmer of light appeared in his empty golden eyes.
It is a most instinctive desire for knowledge and for the unknown.
Seeing the change in his expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he had made the right bet.
He didn't say anything more, and took out a small amulet from his pocket, strung with a red string.
The amulet is very old, with badly worn edges.
"These are your parents' belongings. I had the Dark Guard find them."
"With it, their will will be with you."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gently placed the amulet in Orochimaru's palm.
The amulet felt cool to the touch, yet it seemed to carry a warm current that instantly spread throughout my body.
Orochimaru lowered his head and looked at the amulet in his palm.
He gripped it tightly.
His thin shoulders trembled slightly.
After a long while, he raised his head and bowed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
This was the first time he had taken the initiative to react that evening.
……
Hiruzen Sarutobi left the house.
He didn't turn around, but he could feel that gaze following him until he disappeared around the street corner.
Shortly after he left.
From that long-silent house, a small, thin figure rushed out and ran headlong toward the Konoha Library.
As the night deepened, his pace quickened.
Inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat back down in his chair, gazing at the moonlight outside the window, a sense of peace settling over him.
The simulator's voice echoed in my mind once more.
[A shift in the fate of a key figure has been detected...]
The probability of triggering the "Konoha Crush Plan" has been reduced by 10%.
[Mission Rating: Perfect.]
[Rewards are being distributed...]
[Congratulations, host, you have acquired Precise Chakra Manipulation (Master Level)]
A mysterious feeling surged through my entire body.
Hiruzen Sarutobi could clearly feel that his control over every bit of chakra within his body had been elevated to a completely new level.
If it used to be a manual transmission, now it has been upgraded to a top-of-the-line automatic transmission.
Releasing the same ninjutsu consumes less energy but has greater power.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Although we don't know if it can completely change things, at least it will give him a way forward."
His gaze returned to the list of orphans, his finger tracing its path until it finally settled on another familiar name.
"Next……"
"Jiraiya".
"You lecherous idiot, where are you gallivanting off to now?"