Chapter 301: Suspicions

The Hokage's office has changed a lot. Perfect order immediately caught my eye. Most recently, Naruto took care of the useless trash and threw away most of the furniture, replacing it to his liking.

Against the wall, directly below the portraits of past Kage, was a large leather sofa and a small coffee table, with a couple of armchairs on either side. The corners of the room were now lined with pots of small bonsai trees, giving the place a cozy feel. The scroll cabinet was replenished with new copies from the vault. In his spare time, Naruto studied them. Next to the main table he was now sitting at was a large white board, hidden by a sheet. On the table itself, as before, there was a monitor and a keyboard.

Everything is pretty neat and very minimalistic.

Now this place really looked like the Hokage's office. At least he now had a place, both for work and for his women. Especially when you consider that the closet right at the entrance, in addition to hangers for his change of clothes, also got departments for various women's underwear.

- Hmm...

After contemplating the surroundings, Orochimaru gleaned some information.

- Interesting.

His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"Looks like I'm here for a reason?

He got straight to the point, knowing full well that most likely Naruto wouldn't give him an answer to his question about his changes. Although, to be precise, Orochimaru rather wanted to understand how deep these changes were before embarking on leading questions. Besides, it would be a lie to say that he was not interested in the reason for his arrival. Naruto made it very clear that he didn't just want to see him, he also wanted to talk in private. This said a lot. In the past, this naive boy was not like that, but now he behaved mysteriously and damn interestingly! In this case, it was worth starting with the main questions before drawing conclusions.

Orochimaru was excellent at collecting information and never let his own opinion and feelings dictate objective conclusions to him. That was what made him different from someone like Shikamaru or Sai. Over the years, the Sannin became quite reserved and no longer succumbed to arrogance. Although, he still could not get rid of the innate desire to know everything in the world.

The meeting of these two turned out to be strange ... The atmosphere around seemed normal only at first glance. They were perfectly aware of every word and the consequences of any answers and questions. It can be said that in that brief moment, they were probing each other in an attempt to gain a leading position.

"How interesting!"

This struck Orochimaru very much, even though he didn't show it directly. Whereas Naruto just enjoyed the tension, the clash of eyes, and the hundreds of attempts to figure out what was on his opponent's mind. They seemed to be fighting, but with little to no obvious signs of battle.

The Hokage did not languish with an answer, and after a slight grin, he finally said:

"I want you to return to Konoha and head the Science Department."

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- What? Are you... Are you serious? Orochimaru was surprised by this unexpected offer! He could expect anything, but definitely not this!

Naruto knew that questions in this case would untie Orochimaru's hands. For this reason, it is necessary to act clearly and to the point. In the case of a classic dialogue, the one who asks the questions might seem to be the leader, but in this situation, this is not entirely true. If you allow this treacherous snake to answer for itself, then he will be able to draw more conclusions and ask counter questions, thus gaining access to additional information. He should get as much as the Hokage sees fit. You can't deviate from the topic.

"That's right, you heard right.

It was all too obvious to Naruto. But, he still couldn't do anything about what would follow from his laconic reply. This is the law of dialogue - everyone will receive their share of knowledge. Especially when he was about to offer Orochimaru a deal. You'll have to pay the price. The main thing is to keep everything under control. However, he was not afraid of this, because he completely strengthened his position, and even the Sannin was not able to shake it. Now he was standing in front of him, and not vice versa. That was the strength of the position. In addition, his subsequent questions will follow the correct path of this conversation. No unnecessary information - everything is clearly in one direction that is necessary for one person and beneficial for the other side.

After such a calm answer, Orochimaru could not contain his emotions, and even stopped smirking:

"Returned to Konoha?" Headed the Science Department? What do I hear... The Seventh Hokage is offering a former enemy and traitor something like that? You called me for such a joke? It's very funny!

Naruto smiled calmly and explained:

"I know it sounds too unexpected, especially considering you're still under surveillance. But, as for me, it's time to put an end to these games. Orochimaru, you're not the kind of person you can easily control. I am aware of your activities in the Hidden Sound, Yamato is clearly not a hindrance to you, - he paused, catching Sanin's interest, and then began to speak:

"Due to the upcoming challenges for Konoha and the world in particular, I think your talents and abilities are better developed in Konoha. I want to cooperate with you and provide enough funds and materials for research.

Orochimaru was getting more and more surprised as Naruto continued.

"Unlike past Hokage, I have rethought a lot and I don't think it's right to ignore the merits of such talents as you. Of course, I still do not approve of experiments on living people, and even more so on comrades. But, I can also reasonably assess the situation. If the Hidden Sand had allowed Sasori to develop at the time, then with his research into Living Puppets, they would have been able to pose a huge threat to us. Sometimes it is necessary to sacrifice something and in times of war to use the bodies of our enemies for experiments is a completely justified measure. If not for the passive policy of my predecessors, it is quite possible that the Uchiha and Senju would still be alive. Although, of course, it is worth clarifying that among them there were enough rude fools like Danzo, who were ready to kill even their own ... This is an unacceptable shame.

"What's going on here... Is this some kind of test?"

After listening to this rather long and cold speech, Orochimaru frowned, but immediately after that, his face smoothed out.

"Strange... I doubt it could have been controlled. But it's very suspicious."

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