Chapter 33.1- Gamer of the Desert

“So, what do you want?” The Old man asked as he relaxed in his seat. If my perception had not been so high, I’d have been hard pressed to see the minute twitch of his lips or in his cheeks that told of the immense pain he must be going through right now.

After the fight yesterday, Hiruzen had only been able to remain standing long enough to invite Anbu to escort me to a hotel room, most likely so I would be too far to see what happened next. Of course, that was a thorough underestimation of my senses and range. I sensed it the moment when he collapsed to the floor once he was sure that I was some distance away.

Fighting and beating Orochimaru to an inch of his life had taken a lot out of the old man, obviously, and when they finally got him the health care he needed, it was clear the man did not have long for this world. Not if he were to remain an active Ninja at least. That was why I’d spent the entire night watching the Konoha medic nin as they went through surgery after surgery to fix the myriad of injuries he’d suffered and the general wear and tear from pushing a body like his so far to keep up with relatively young S-rank monsters. Especially when two of those monsters had endless regeneration and practically infinite chakra to toss around.

The fact that they were even capable of keeping him alive was worthy of praise, and it was why I ignored all the other pressing things that I could have done instead and focused on the Konoha medical nin team. The entire ninja world knew and recognised that Konoha had the best medical nina, the best medical techniques, and the best tools in the world. Tsunade had revolutionised and changed the entire industry and practice and as I watched them carry on business with the kind of efficiency and smoothness that only Chiyo in Suna could even dream of matching.

We had only one doctor on that level. They had what looked to be dozens. Fuck. If life could be more unfair. I watched and did my best to commit everything I saw and sensed to memory and prepare to replicate it to teach Chiyo and the medical nin back home. If Hiruzen and the Konoha doctors were going to give me an unknowing front row seat to their best practices, then who was I to refuse. What it did mean though was that my original reason for watching the process was forced to be scrapped at the end. Sneaking a seal or something on Hiruzen’s person while he’d be unconscious and unable to do notice was one objective that I’d hatched once he collapsed, but with the level of detail and care the medical nin were putting into their work, and their visible level of skill, I was reluctant to risk it. Getting caught would just set me back with nothing to gain for it.

“We already came to an agreement, did we not?” I asked him, leaning back into my own seat as well.

“Don’t play games, boy. I haven’t the patience for it. Yesterday, you fought off an S-ranked missing nin, the Tsuchikage himself and the reincarnated corpses of the first two Hokage. Far above and beyond what anyone would expect from any form of alliance. So the question becomes, what do you want? Or are you just an insane child drunk on his own power and seeking more and more tests until you eventually meet the one that kills you. Would fit, I guess. If you’re going to take inspiration from the Hozuki’s clan hydrification then might as well add the Kaguya’s bloodlust and insanity to it. Kami knows they’d intermarried enough times.” He said, looking irritated at me, and as the seconds wore on, I could see some of that irritation turn inwards as he realised that he’d broken the facade of the genial old man, quite thoroughly. I guess for all the superhuman feats of Ninja, having half your kidney and a whole lung replaced in the same night didn’t leave one in much of a mood for political discourse.

So, I decided to humour him. “Fine. I guess the answer is a bit of a mixture of both. The fights yesterday were a good way to measure my own capacity. To see where I measured in the wider ninja world, and the answer was heartwarming to say the least. But it was not everything. I want to maintain my alliance with Konoha. Not just allies of opportunity, but true ones. Brothers in arms. Comrades. Suna and Konoha, working together to usher to shinobi world to an unprecedented age. Hashirama and Madara shook hands and the world changed. Why don’t we do the same?”

“To what end?” He asked, covering up his shock well, but nothing beyond my capacity to detect.

“Peace. True peace in our time.”

“A noble goal, but an impossible one. You think even together, we’d have the power.”
“Yes. Yes I do. Iwa is basically a non-factor. They’ve lost their Kage, his heir, one of their most promising Jounin and their entire explosion corps in one fell swoop. Kumo will not keep us both at bay and Kiri is a mess that anyone with the time would pacify with ease. This is the time. Together we’d have it all at our fingertips.”

“It would be war.”

“One to end all the others.” I riposted.

“That rhetoric, I’ve heard it a million times. Never from anyone whose war ended up ending anything beyond the lives of thousands and the hope for peace” A voice spoke out suddenly, and only Gamer’s mind prevented me from jumping in shock or acting startled.

I simply turned towards the Toad Sage like I knew he’d always been leaning against that window, while internally freaking out trying to figure out how he fooled my senses so thoroughly. “Mine will be different. I’ll make sure of it” I said to him.

“You will, won’t you? Pretty sure they’ve all said those exact words as well. How different will it be when the world burns around you as you chase dominance? When the mothers wail as their children are killed by angry shinobi. When the…”

“Jiraiya, that’s enough.” That was the first time I heard Hiruzen raise his voice. The previously soft tone was gone,and replaced with a hard look in his eyes that quickly fell apart as he nearly collapsed into a coughing fit. I made it like I didn’t notice. Ignored it, but I could see Jiraiya itching to go to his Sensei’s side. Only something like village pride and the desire to not show weakness before a possible enemy kage had him hesitating.

But still, I took the time Hiruzen’s coughing gave me for what it was- an opportunity. Jiraiya being here changed things. I’d wondered as to his whereabouts during the invasion as I doubted that he’d just dedicated himself solely to fighting off giant snakes at the walls of Konoha. Part of me hoped he’d died. A small part, yes. The rest of me was just happy to see one of my favourite characters in the flesh. White long mane, flashy clothes and a fierce expression on his face as he regarded me.

He thought me a mad man, and I could not truly blame him. I’d think myself mad too if I heard the things I’d said. I ached to run to me and tell him it was a ll a lie. A smokescreen to cloak my true intentions. After all, how could I tell Hiruzen that the goal was not to save his village, but to save enough of it so I could bleed it dry in a long war with the rest of the world and then swoop in at the end to take all the heads and declare myself God-emperor of everything from this side of the continent to the next.

Sure, I didn’t have much reason for wanting what I did. No reason beyond the fact that I didn’t know if I could achieve it and that made me curious. In terms of long term goals, beyond annihilating the akatsuki, I had zilch, nada, zero. Nothing that drove me forwards. Sure, I enjoyed ruling Suna. Being responsible for so many lives must have been something the average person would have been scared of, shied away from. Not me though. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the tedium of rulership. Pax romana. That was what I wanted for the elemental nations. I would never die, not truly. No. But I still wanted to be spoken of in even greater terms than Hashirama and Madara themselves. Let the world quake at my name and let it all crumble and fall until only I remained at the top.

A/N; I have class now, so I have to go. I’m so sorry this went so long without an update. Thank you guys for sticking around. Those who’ve been around for longer know how my health can act up and betray me at the worst of times so I truly appreciate every bit of support. I’m feeling much stronger now and just raring to go. Expect more tomorrow!