When?
Orochimaru sat rigidly in his chair, his body frozen in place, maintaining the posture of his right hand being pressed against the hilt of the Kusanagi Sword. He did not move at all.
However, when he looked at Tanaka, the usual chilling gaze of his snake-like pupils—enough to make anyone shudder with just a glance—was now filled with astonishment.
The moment Tanaka spoke, everyone in the meeting room snapped back to reality. Their gazes followed the source of the voice.
And then, they witnessed an astonishing scene.
The Kusanagi Sword, which had been pinned to the wall just a moment ago, had disappeared.
In front of Orochimaru, a figure had suddenly appeared. And in the Sannin's hand, there was now a Kusanagi Sword—no, more precisely, the sword's hilt was pressed against Orochimaru's palm, interrupting his summoning technique.
Without making a sound, someone had taken the Kusanagi Sword right in front of Orochimaru, then appeared before him before he could finish his summoning, and used his own sword to block his technique.
This series of lightning-fast actions was completed by Tanaka in an instant. And not a single person in the room had been able to keep up with his speed.
Fugaku? No chance.
The Ino-Shika-Chō trio? No chance.
The Three Sannin? Still no chance.
In other words, if this had been a battle instead of a contest for the sword, Orochimaru would have likely lost an arm.
If it were my grandfather, he could achieve such godlike speed. But his Flying Thunder God requires marking a seal in advance to serve as a spatial coordinate.
But this brat—I didn't see him place any such markings.
Could it be that his space-time ninjutsu is even superior?
Tsunade stared deeply at Tanaka, the shock in her heart as overwhelming as a tidal wave, impossible to suppress.
The rumors were true. He really developed his own space-time ninjutsu.
Jiraiya's face was filled with astonishment as he took a deep breath, replaying every frame of Tanaka's sword-snatching feat in his mind.
But he found nothing.
There was absolutely no sign of any Flying Thunder God markings.
In other words, the technique Tanaka used was not the Flying Thunder God, nor did it match any known space-time ninjutsu in the shinobi world.
Ohohoho! You've truly opened my eyes. I've had the pleasure of witnessing your abilities.
After a brief moment of shock, Orochimaru regained his composure. Instead of being enraged by his failure to seize the sword, he broke into a wide grin, looking ecstatic:
"As per our agreement, since you retrieved the Kusanagi Sword first, it now belongs to you."
Perhaps because Tanaka's technique had exceeded even his expectations, Orochimaru did not go back on his word. Instead, after taking back the Kusanagi Sword, he pulled out a sheath from the scroll where the sword had been stored. Sliding the sword into its sheath, he handed both to Tanaka.
A bonus gift. No tricks.
And as if to prove his sincerity, he then opened his mouth and spat out a small fireball, burning the scroll in his hand to ashes.
"I've already severed my summoning contract with the Kusanagi Sword," he said calmly, without a hint of regret, as if he were giving away an ordinary kunai instead of one of the legendary weapons of the ninja world.
"Then, thank you, Orochimaru-sama."
Seeing that the Snake Sannin could play fair and accept defeat, Tanaka gained a new level of respect for him.
The Kusanagi Sword was one of the most revered weapons in the ninja world, yet even after suffering a loss in front of everyone, Orochimaru still honored his word. If this had been Danzō, things would have played out very differently.
Even if Danzō had no choice but to hand over the Kusanagi Sword in front of witnesses, he would have undoubtedly sent his ANBU operatives that very night—either to pressure, manipulate, or outright kill for the sword.
But from Orochimaru, Tanaka sensed no killing intent, no anger, no resentment. He genuinely handed over the Kusanagi Sword willingly.
"You obtained this sword with your own ability, so there's no need to thank me. If you had been a step slower, I would have reclaimed it without hesitation," Orochimaru said, shaking his head.
After all, he still had another Kusanagi Sword in his possession. Compared to the one he had just lost, his personal Kusanagi Sword was the one he truly wielded.
To him, using a sword that was little more than a collector's item to achieve his own goals was hardly a loss. It wasn't even a true giveaway, so there was no reason for him to be upset.
Hearing this, Tanaka simply nodded slightly and said no more.
It aligned perfectly with Orochimaru's personality.
To him, people fell into two categories—those with value and those without. His attitude toward them was entirely different.
Just look at Sasuke. He wasn't just a student to Orochimaru, he was practically being raised like a son.
---
Hiruzen had just witnessed everything that transpired in the meeting room through his crystal ball.
"Minato," he said, withdrawing his gaze from the crystal ball and turning to the blond-haired man beside him. "What do you think of his technique? I'd like to hear your opinion."
Minato, who had also witnessed Tanaka's incredible speed through the crystal ball, pondered carefully before answering.
"Hokage-sama, first and foremost, the godlike speed that he just displayed is undoubtedly the result of a space-time ninjutsu. That much is certain."
"Second, unlike the Flying Thunder God, his technique does not require a pre-placed seal. He can teleport instantly to any location he desires without any external markings."
"If it turns out that his space-time ninjutsu can also perform long-range teleportation like the Flying Thunder God, then in every aspect, his technique would surpass that of the Second Hokage."
Minato replayed every frame of Tanaka's movements in his mind, analyzing each detail before giving his assessment.
"Stronger than your improved version of the Flying Thunder God?" Hiruzen's eyes narrowed at this revelation.
After all, Minato was the only Konoha ninja, aside from the Second Hokage, to have mastered the Flying Thunder God—and he had even refined and improved upon it.
In terms of both talent and mastery over space-time ninjutsu, Minato had even surpassed Tobirama.
And yet, everything he was saying implied that Tanaka had surpassed even him.
"Yes," Minato admitted without hesitation.
"Even if his technique cannot achieve the same long-range teleportation as the Flying Thunder God, in terms of short-range teleportation, it is undoubtedly superior to mine."
His tone was calm and sincere—completely honest in his assessment.
This was who he was.
It was precisely this straightforwardness and integrity that made Hiruzen entrust Minato with great responsibility, and why, when choosing between Orochimaru and Minato for the role of Fourth Hokage, he had chosen Minato without hesitation.