"Does dying erase all the mistakes someone made?"
Tsunade replied calmly, "Or does death just wipe away all their crimes?"
"Old man, Danzo was your comrade, but Orochimaru was your student, someone you raised and trained with your own hands. Are you saying Danzo was more important than him?"
Technically, the Third Hokage had three students.
He didn't pay much attention to Tsunade—after all, Uzumaki Mito was still around at the time and handled her education personally.
Jiraiya… well, to be honest, he didn't get much attention either.
Because the person the Third Hokage valued the most was always Orochimaru.
You could tell just by the fact that Orochimaru always had access to any Ninjutsu-related books he wanted.
That alone showed how much the Third Hokage spoiled him.
Orochimaru was from a civilian family, and his parents had died.
For an ordinary kid in that situation, just graduating from the Ninja Academy would have been an achievement.
But Orochimaru? He kept rising higher and higher, his grades so good they were almost terrifying.
Compared to him, Minato wasn't even worth mentioning.
When Orochimaru graduated, Minato was still grinning like an airhead.
When Orochimaru became a Genin, Minato was just an ordinary student.
When Orochimaru became a Chunin, Minato hadn't even graduated.
When Orochimaru became a Special Jonin… well, by that time, Minato had finally graduated.
And he had also caught the Third Hokage's eye and was chosen by Jiraiya as his student.
Jiraiya might act like a carefree fool on the surface, but deep down, he was actually very insecure.
And that insecurity came from Orochimaru.
Orochimaru was simply too talented as a child.
Even Jiraiya and Tsunade had to admit they couldn't compare.
Why was Orochimaru able to climb so high?
Because the Third Hokage supported him every step of the way.
If he wanted books, he could read as many as he liked—the only worry was whether he'd get bored.
If he wanted to learn Ninjutsu…
"This is even simpler. If your teacher has one thing, it's a ton of ninjutsu."
That's why Tsunade often complained that Orochimaru was the real personal disciple of the Third Hokage, while she and Jiraiya were just picked up along the way.
"That's not what I meant. My feelings toward Orochimaru… Ahem!"
Noticing Tsunade's unhappy expression, the Third Hokage quickly corrected himself.
"I mean, Danzo did commit a lot of crimes, but he was still part of the village's higher-ups and made significant contributions in the past. Now that he's dead, I don't think we should keep tarnishing his name."
"Cut the nonsense."
Tsunade slapped the table in frustration.
"I'm still dealing with the mess you all left behind. Don't give me that. Plenty of people have contributed to the village—it's not just Danzo.
If it weren't to make Orochimaru's return smoother and help the villagers accept him without too much resistance, do you think I'd even bring up Danzo?"
This was Yan's idea, but Tsunade took responsibility for it herself.
She didn't want the hatred between Yan and the Third Hokage to deepen any further.
She was genuinely worried that one day, the old man would lose his temper and go after Yan in a fit of rage.
"I don't even want to talk about that man!!!"
Seeing Tsunade completely lose her patience, the Third Hokage fell silent.
Logically speaking, what she was doing aligned with his usual approach.
As always, everything was for the village.
Letting Orochimaru return was far more important than Danzo's reputation taking another hit.
Danzo was dead anyway—how much worse could things get for him?
What really mattered was bringing Orochimaru back without issues.
After all, he was one of the legendary Sannin, someone who had done countless things for the village and had a high reputation both in Konoha and the ninja world.
Even though he had suffered a heavy loss to Yan, no one could deny Orochimaru's strength.
Having all three Sannin back would make Konoha, which was currently weak, significantly stronger.
"Fine. As long as Orochimaru can return without too much resistance, then it's worth it."
With a sigh, the Third Hokage made his choice.
All for the village.
At this point, that was the only thing he could tell himself.
But the words, which once felt so noble and righteous, now just felt ironic.
"Still, can Orochimaru really settle down in the village? I'm worried that…"
He knew his student's nature all too well.
The Third Hokage feared that Orochimaru would pretend to be loyal on the surface while secretly stirring up trouble.
"As long as Yan is in the village, Orochimaru won't dare make a move. You can rest easy on that."
Compared to the ever-disappointing Third Hokage, Tsunade now fully trusted Yan.
Not to mention, their relationship had long since crossed the boundaries of superior and subordinate.
What made it awkward for Tsunade was that if anyone found out, she wouldn't even know how to explain it.
She could tell that the Third Hokage had a lot of questions on his mind.
Tsunade said,
"Old man, the village can't handle any more chaos. I hope you understand my position.
After all, you played a big part in getting the village into this mess. I don't want to see anything targeting anyone anymore.
I'll talk to Yan myself. I believe he cares about the bigger picture.
He won't cause trouble for you or the Sarutobi clan in the future, and I hope you and your family can also put the village first."
"I will."
Unwilling?
So what? Compared to all of Konoha, his personal grievances with Yan meant nothing.
Right now, he had no leverage to go against Yan or the Uchiha.
At this point, just making sure Yan and the Uchiha didn't come after him was already a victory.
Not everyone is like Danzo—having a knife at their throat and still trying to make trouble for others.
"Mhm, that's good."
Tsunade's expression softened. She then explained why Yan went to find Orochimaru.
"Yan promised Kakashi he would get him a suitable eye transplant, so he needed Orochimaru's help.
Unfortunately for Orochimaru, he was once caught in Yan's genjutsu, which damaged his soul. Because of that, Yan can track him down no matter where he hides."
"That's also why I believe Orochimaru won't cause trouble again. I trust Yan, so I also trust that Orochimaru won't act recklessly as long as he can't break free from Yan's control."
"...."
What a terrifying dojutsu.
The Third Hokage had mixed feelings about all of this.
"Old man, that's enough about Orochimaru. Now let's talk about the Sarutobi clan."
"I'll warn them!!"
The moment his clan was mentioned, the Third Hokage's already gloomy face turned even darker.
Damn it, trying to force me out while I'm not around?
Are they asking for death?!
Tsunade didn't care about the Sarutobi clan's antics, but the Third Hokage couldn't just ignore it.
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