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Extra Chapter: On Every 50 powerstone
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"Have you heard? Orochimaru actually came back."
"Which Orochimaru?"
"Are you stupid? The Orochimaru who was one of the Legendary Sannin alongside the Hokage! The village's missing-nin! He was personally brought back by the Hokage's Advisor and even went to the Hokage's office."
"Was he captured by the Advisor?"
Kazuki and Orochimaru swaggered into Konoha without hiding anything from anyone. As a result, news of Orochimaru's return spread quickly and widely.
Kazuki actually managed to bring Orochimaru back?
When the news broke out, many were shocked. People couldn't help but wonder—how did Kazuki find Orochimaru, and how did he convince him to return? The manner of his return was also unusual. They had just walked back openly, without any precautions. It didn't feel like capturing a rogue ninja; it was more like bringing back a shinobi who had been away from the village for too long.
While everyone was still puzzled, the Hokage's office released an official announcement regarding Orochimaru. His written self-criticism was even printed and posted on the bulletin board.
"So, all those things Orochimaru did to harm the village's interests were actually forced by Danzo?"
"Danzo really was a piece of work!!"
"Duh, think about it—Orochimaru was the Third Hokage's disciple. Who else would dare treat him like that? Shimura Danzo took advantage of Orochimaru's desire to conduct experiments, lured him step by step, pulled him to his side, and then forced him."
Just as Kazuki had said, Danzo was already dead. Shifting the blame onto a dead man was absolutely foolproof. The Third Hokage also took some of the blame, but did that even matter?
You're just a retired old man—surely you don't care if your reputation gets even worse, right?
Besides, since you're not even in the village, making you shoulder some blame isn't a big deal.
By the time you return to Konoha, everything will already be set in stone. Even if you're furious, there's nothing you can do about it.
Orochimaru played the victim card masterfully, and with the Hokage's office vouching for him, the villagers gradually came to believe that Orochimaru had truly reformed and returned to Konoha.
As for those dark experiments Orochimaru conducted? Wasn't that all Danzo's doing?
What? Orochimaru experimented on villagers?
Danzo was the one who captured them. Danzo demanded it, and Orochimaru had no right to refuse.
When the Third Hokage eventually returned to the village and read Orochimaru's self-criticism, he'd probably turn green with rage.
Too bad he wasn't in Konoha right now.
In truth, Orochimaru's self-criticism wasn't entirely wrong.
The materials—even the human subjects—used in the experiments were all procured by Danzo's Root operatives. Orochimaru was only responsible for the lab work. That alone was enough to pin the blame squarely on Danzo.
Since he was the "Shadow", he might as well keep carrying that burden in death.
The villagers' reaction to Orochimaru's return shifted from disbelief to sympathy, and eventually, acceptance.
After all, he was one of the Legendary Sannin, a man who had contributed greatly to the village. Should he really be condemned forever just because of Danzo?
Moreover, the Hokage's office had guaranteed that Orochimaru had completely reformed and would never engage in dark experiments again. What was there to worry about?
If anything, they should be happy—the village had just regained another powerful shinobi.
After Kazuki dispatched a few people to steer public opinion, everything began moving in a positive direction.
Orochimaru's new lab was quickly set up.
There were plenty of suitable locations available, and with the large amount of equipment confiscated from Root, it was the perfect setup for Orochimaru. Once everything was properly arranged, a brand-new laboratory was ready.
"Not bad. Danzo might've been a terrible person, but he had good taste in equipment. This should be enough, right?"
Kazuki strolled around the lab with his hands behind his back, nodding in satisfaction.
Many of the instruments seized from Root had been gathering dust in storage, but now they finally had a purpose.
Danzo had truly gone all out—spending the village's money without a care.
Every piece of equipment was top-of-the-line, and even years later, they remained cutting-edge, fully capable of meeting Orochimaru's experimental needs.
The makeshift labs Orochimaru had set up outside the village couldn't compare—he simply hadn't had the funds to splurge like this.
Seeing all this equipment, Orochimaru's eyes gleamed.
With these tools, his experiments would become much smoother.
"Kakashi, I'll give you a choice now. Either ask Orochimaru to help you transplant an eye that's perfectly compatible with you, or I'll arrange for a three-tomoe Sharingan from the Uchiha clan."
Kazuki wasn't being stingy. If Kakashi was still accustomed to fighting with a Sharingan, transplanting one for him wouldn't be an issue.
The Uchiha had plenty in storage, and as one of their elders, Kazuki had no problem taking one out for Kakashi.
"A Sharingan?"
Kakashi touched the eye still hidden beneath his forehead protector. After a moment of thought, he shook his head.
"Advisor, I don't need a Sharingan. I just want an eye that suits me."
Over the past while, Kakashi had given it serious thought. Without the Sharingan draining his chakra, he had focused more on Hatake Saber techniques, and his swordsmanship had grown sharper. His combat endurance had also improved.
The Hatake clan had never been known for abundant chakra, and the Sharingan's strain had forced Kakashi to meticulously calculate his reserves in every battle.
Now, that struggle had eased.
Without the Sharingan's burden, he could fight freely.
His chakra pool was still small, but at least he no longer had to count every drop.
"Very well. The Hatake Saber technique flourished under your father's hand. I don't believe you'll be any lesser than him—I have high hopes for you."
Patting Kakashi's shoulder, Kazuki turned to Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, can you handle this?"
"Leave it to me. Though it'll take some time."
Orochimaru smirked confidently.
If it were just a simple eye transplant, he could perform the surgery immediately.
But crafting a perfectly compatible eye required a bit more time.
"Then, Kakashi, please lie down on the operating table. I'll need to extract a few samples from you."
"..."
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