how different would the leaf be if orochimaru never did the research he did and staye

[Lord Hokage Madara Uchiha]

I think the 3rd would still be alive and maybe orochimaru would of been the 5th hokage what do yall think

 

[~Anubis~]

yah sarutobi might still be alive but i doubt orochimaru would become the fifth

 

[Richard Lucifer]

Orochimaru was destined to go evil, it's like Manifest Destiny.

 

[NarutoX28]

It's hard to say because even if Orochimaru never did his research, there's the possibility and that he'd still betray Konoha considering Konoha placed his parents in a position where they were forced to die. Because that wouldn't be prevented, Orochimaru would potentially betray the village eventually.

 

[SenseiSama]

Orochimaru never held a grudge against the village but he betrayed Konoha due to his desire to learn forbidden jutsu. His desire came from the deep psychological impact the death of his parents had on him so there was no way to prevent him becoming an enemy of the village.

You could say he was "destined" to break Konoha law due to the power hunger he gained from being a prodigy with high ambition. His persistence was compared to a snake and basically his will never changed since he was a child.

Even after Sasuke and Itachi changed his view on life his curiosity and thirst for knowledge were never quenched because the permanent scar the death of his parents left on him was responsible for shaping his will.

Also, despite being a villain his role in Naruto fulfilling the prophecy was instrumental, without him Sasuke would never have achieved his full potential and Naruto would not have aimed to become as strong as he could be.