Ling vaguely understood the Third Hokage's intention, but this was something Ling was happy to see happen.
A Hokage's disciple has security, and at critical moments, he can even assassinate his master; all transmigrators say it's good.
"Hehe, it's good that you agree, but I'm usually busy and find it hard to spare time to teach you; you'll need to learn on your own."
The Third Hokage pulled out a scroll from somewhere and threw it directly to Uchiha Ling.
"These are scrolls for some Ninjutsu; try to learn them yourself or ask Tsunade and others."
The Third Hokage knew that a genius like Ling didn't need guidance to succeed, which made things easier for him, especially with war imminent.
"Thank you, Teacher. I will study hard and not bring shame to you."
Ling put away the scroll, a happy smile on her face, as she had again scammed some Ninjutsu, likely including some of the Third's combination Ninjutsu.
"By the way, Ling, was the one you fought today Orochimaru's snake?"
The Third Hokage remembered the large snake-shaped pit left in the Death Forest; it was clearly the work of a behemoth.
"Ah, no, I don't know about that either. I only know it suddenly burrowed out from underground and attacked me, so I had no choice but to resist."
Ling feigned ignorance, not knowing how to explain the origin of the giant snake, so she could only let Orochimaru take the blame.
"Mm, I see. Keep this matter a secret. You can go back and study first."
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe, lost in thought, wondering if it was indeed Orochimaru's doing, but he believed it was highly likely.
Just yesterday, Orochimaru had bid him farewell, saying he was going to complete a mission and then head directly to the Land of Rivers; perhaps this was just Orochimaru's ploy to deceive them.
So what was his purpose in attacking Ling? The Third Hokage pondered, unable to understand. He knew Orochimaru was secretly colluding with Danzo behind his back.
But with a major war imminent and the need for manpower, he had to abandon the idea of pursuing the matter. As he aged, he became increasingly soft-hearted.
The Third Hokage came back to his senses and found Ling looking at him with concern, then he smiled kindly.
"Is there anything else, Ling?" Hiruzen Sarutobi knew his newly accepted disciple was concerned about him, and his heart felt warm.
"Nothing else. Teacher, please take care of your health, because you are Konoha's pillar. Konoha cannot lose you."
Ling spoke with complete sincerity. Konoha was indeed facing a siege from four great nations, and it truly needed the Third Hokage to hold things together.
"Hahaha, for the growth of new sprouts, the burning of fallen leaves also has meaning."
The Third Hokage never forgot to promote his fire will, but on the whole, the Third Hokage was worthy of the title of Hokage.
"Then I'll take my leave. Teacher, don't work too late."
Ling knew the Hokage probably had to work overtime, seeing how miserable Kakashi and Naruto looked when they became Hokage.
The Third Hokage, by delegating authority to three Hokage assistants, was indeed relatively more relaxed, but he also had to bear the corresponding hidden dangers of power sharing.
The Third Hokage was not very good at balancing power; it was entirely him and Danzo competing, while Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu played no role at all.
The Third Hokage's success was due to his soft-heartedness, and his failure was also due to his soft-heartedness. Because he found it difficult to control all of Konoha's power, he delegated it. Even though Danzo tried to assassinate him multiple times, he never dealt with Danzo.
This ultimately led to Danzo becoming too powerful to control, having already hollowed out the great tree that was Konoha.
Because of his soft-heartedness, he let Orochimaru go, which led to his own death at the hands of his disciple.
On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, Orochimaru, with some of his subordinates, was rapidly heading towards a secret location in the Land of Rivers.
"Lord Orochimaru, we are twenty li from the rendezvous point. There are no ambushes within five li."
A sensory Ninja closed his eyes, fully sensing the surroundings, then reported to Orochimaru.
"Full speed ahead." Orochimaru thought about this transaction with the Hidden Sand Village and couldn't help but excitedly lick his lips.
To obtain information about the Third Kazekage's whereabouts from Orochimaru, Ebizo brought Sunagakure Anbu, carrying eighty million ryo worth of sand gold.
This was all thanks to Rasa, the current Kazekage's proxy. He had painstakingly panned for gold in the desert for over a month to accumulate this sand gold.
In reality, he did not wish for the Third Kazekage to return, as he was not yet certain to become the Fourth Kazekage. He still had a rival, Pakura, who balanced him.
If the Third Kazekage returned, unexpected changes might occur, but he had to feign devotion to the Third Kazekage.
Ebizo had already arrived in the Land of Rivers with the Anbu, but since the transaction location was chosen by Orochimaru, they were now anxiously waiting.
Ling would never have thought that Orochimaru would betray the Third Kazekage's information for money, when delaying time was clearly the best option.
However, ever since Orochimaru realized he was unlikely to become Hokage, he became even more active in his research into experiments and Immortality.
Due to the Third Hokage and Danzo limiting his experimental funds, Orochimaru was now increasingly dissatisfied with the Third Hokage's restrictions on him.
That's why he thought of using this information to make a good profit, which was better than giving it to Lord Third for free.
Orochimaru quickly arrived at the chosen location in the Land of Rivers, then, after checking the surroundings for ambushes, he used a summoning snake to tell Ebizo the location, and then summoned back from Ebizo's side.
Although Ebizo was anxious, he did not rush directly but took various detours and conducted careful reconnaissance.
In the Land of Rivers, on the banks of an unnamed river, Orochimaru and Ebizo faced each other across the river, both wary of the other.
"Orochimaru, where did you get the information about the Third Kazekage?"
Ebizo's greatest fear was that the Third Kazekage had been captured by Konoha and would become a bargaining chip to threaten the Hidden Sand Village.
"Hehe, that's none of your concern. You can only blame your Anbu for being useless and failing to find the Third Kazekage's whereabouts."
Orochimaru naturally didn't hold back, starting with a taunt that made the Hidden Sand Village's Anbu members restless.
"Hmph! Here's the sand gold you wanted. How can I confirm if your information is true or false?"
Ebizo took out a huge sealing scroll and placed it on the ground. Although he had judged whether Orochimaru truly had the information, it was ultimately decided in a meeting that he should come.
"Hehe, there's nothing you can do if you don't believe me. Then I'll go back now. I'm sure Iwagakure will be very interested."
Orochimaru's lips curled into a malicious smile; he was determined to get this information fee.
"You! Hmph, I hope you don't deceive me, or my Hidden Sand Village's Anbu will pursue you relentlessly until death."
Ebizo had no choice but to agree. After a threat, he directly handed over the sealing scroll.
"*Slurp*, hehe, once my subordinates finish counting, I will naturally present the information."
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