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Uchiha Clan Territory, Naka Shrine.
In the dimly lit stone chamber, Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, and Elder Sarada Uchiha sat side by side.
Seeing the two of them, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but mutter to himself, 'Is this some kind of family tradition? They like to hold discussions in dimly lit secret rooms?'
"Yoru, the clan remembers the glory you have brought us with your contributions."
First, a dose of motivational talk, and Uchiha Yoru feigned an excited expression, nodding solemnly, "Clan Head, Elder, for the proud Uchiha."
You give me motivational talk, and I'll follow suit. As the saying goes, when you can't change everything, you must learn to fit in.
"Yoru, what is the village's purpose in recalling Orochimaru?"
Sure enough, the proud Uchiha clan didn't inherit the Hokage's skill in giving speeches. After a few motivational words, they got straight to business, which Uchiha Yoru appreciated the most. However, he didn't agree with this approach and decided to learn more about the Third Hokage's oratory skills once he had more influence in the clan.
Both Uchiha Fugaku and Elder Sarada looked at him with questioning eyes. At this moment, Uchiha Yoru couldn't afford to be distracted and respectfully said in a serious tone, "Clan Head, Elder, the situation is not very optimistic."
"What's the matter?"
At this moment, both Fugaku and Elder Sarada showed a serious expression. They knew that the Uchiha clan was being marginalized by the entire village. They had finally established a connection with Orochimaru and didn't want anything to go wrong.
Uchiha Yoru sighed deeply and began to explain.
"Clan Head, Elder, Orochimaru-sensei has always wanted to become the Fifth Hokage. But this recent front-line transfer is clearly an attempt to steal his credit. Orochimaru-sensei has even hinted that some people in the village don't want him to become Hokage."
"I specifically asked Orochimaru-sensei about it. If Orochimaru-sensei were a Hokage with no foundation, it would be fine. But now, with his current base of support, if he becomes Hokage, the village's interests will need to be restructured."
When Uchiha Yoru said this, he frowned as if he didn't understand, but the expressions on the faces of Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Sarada changed dramatically. They were very clear about the implications.
Elder Sarada couldn't help but curse, "As expected, the Sarutobi clan is restless. Hiruzen Sarutobi is unwilling to let go of the benefits he has in his hands."
"Elder, don't be impulsive," Fugaku, who shared the same thoughts but was more restrained, advised the elder.
However, as a representative of the hawk faction, Elder Sarada wouldn't back down so easily and sneered.
"Fugaku, haven't you seen through it yet? The village's interests have just been reallocated. Once a new Fifth Hokage is appointed, it will represent the rise of a new force, which will inevitably affect the interests of various clans in the village. They don't want this, especially Hiruzen Sarutobi, who is clearly greedy for power."
Seeing Elder Sarada's disdain for Hiruzen Sarutobi, Clan Head Fugaku sighed, not knowing how to persuade him. He then turned to Uchiha Yoru and changed the subject, asking another question.
"Yoru, do you know what plans the village has for Orochimaru after his return?"
This was the key issue. What would the Sannin Orochimaru be doing? He couldn't just be a mascot in the village, right?
Elder Sarada was also drawn in. At this moment, Uchiha Yoru truly sighed deeply, as Orochimaru had indeed told him through his summoning animal. This was the reason for his sigh and admiration.
The political skills of the Hokage lineage were truly impressive. From his perspective, standing on the shoulders of thousands of years of history, he could see the political angles, but how long had this ninja world existed? How many generations had the Five Great Nations been around? These political tactics were truly refined over time.
"Clan Head, Elder, Orochimaru-sensei is now part of the Root organization and is assigned to carry out a top-secret S-class mission."
As he said this, Uchiha Yoru looked up at Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Sarada. Before they could ask more, he put on a serious expression and began to explain the top-secret mission.
"The Root organization plans to restart the Wood Release experiment and another human experiment. I don't know the specifics yet, but I have some medical ninjutsu skills, which is why Orochimaru-sensei chose me."
After hearing this, Fugaku and Elder Sarada had different reactions. Fugaku secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as long as it wasn't a major operation. However, Elder Sarada seemed to think of something and sneered.
"Restarting the Wood Release human experiment, what is the village planning? Isn't it obvious? This is clearly to guard against us Uchiha. Wood Release can counter Tailed Beasts and is also a powerful weapon against us Uchiha."
Indeed, the hawk faction elder had a deep-seated distrust of the village.
However, Uchiha Yoru shook his head and sighed inwardly. The Uchiha clan was still on the fringes of the power center. How could they have the foresight of the Hokage, who had been honed by years of political maneuvering?
This was clearly a plan to sideline Orochimaru. A top-secret mission suited Orochimaru's tastes and could also resolve the impending political crisis.
There was no need to select a new Fifth Hokage, and the interests of the village's top brass would be protected. Everything would remain the same, which was good.
However, no one could have predicted that this sidelining might make Orochimaru completely lose faith in Konoha, or that when everything exploded, it would be the moment Orochimaru lost all hope.
"Clan Head, Elder, based on the information I gathered, the village's Wood Release experiment was unexpectedly successful several years ago, which is why they are restarting it now."
"What!"
When Uchiha Yoru revealed this information, Fugaku and Elder Sarada were shocked, their faces changing dramatically. Wood Release! Fugaku might not fully understand, but Elder Sarada was well aware of its terrifying nature.
The village had succeeded, and they were restarting the project!
At this moment, Elder Sarada's countless grievances instantly vanished, replaced by a deep sense of fear. Wood Release! Only a certain pair of eyes could counter it. Before the Uchiha clan had those eyes, they must not conflict with Konoha again.
"Clan Head, Elder, Orochimaru-sensei said that although the previous experiment was an accidental success, this time the chances are high. With our full support, it will take at most two years. By then, Orochimaru-sensei, with this great achievement, will be a strong contender for the Hokage position."
This statement was Uchiha Yoru's own idea, but it had a different impact on Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Sarada. They were shocked and then enlightened.
Indeed! If Orochimaru succeeded a few more times, he would be unstoppable with a few Wood Release users. Their eyes were filled with excitement. They couldn't stop the Wood Release project, but they could ally with the future Hokage.
The Uchiha clan's goal was to rebuild trust with Konoha. Who cared about Wood Release? Besides, they couldn't control it anyway.
However, they didn't know that this so-called Wood Release was a castrated version. Even a Three-Tomoe Sharingan could counter it, let alone a Mangekyou Sharingan. (In the original story, Sasuke's Three-Tomoe Sharingan easily defeated Yamato.)
The words 'Wood Release' echoed in the minds of Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Sarada. After a long moment, they digested the information, still unable to hide their shock. Was the village crazy? Clearly not. The other possibility was that Konoha had made a breakthrough in Wood Release.
Seeing the Clan Head and Elder's self-imposed assumptions, Uchiha Yoru took a deep breath and said, "Clan Head, Elder, although the village has restarted the Wood Release project, due to Konoha's instability, the funding is far from sufficient."
With these words, Elder Sarada was the quickest to react, sneering, "Good! Good! The Third has a brilliant plan."
At this moment, not only was Uchiha Yoru confused, but even Clan Head Fugaku looked puzzled. Elder Sarada looked at the two of them and sneered, "Is there any doubt? Research is measured in years. If the Wood Release project were easy, there wouldn't have been only one accidental success over the years. Even with that one success, it would take Orochimaru several years to make a breakthrough, let alone with insufficient funding."
"The Third and the current leadership are delaying the plan. Insufficient funding is a way to delay Orochimaru's path to becoming Hokage."
At this moment, Elder Sarada seemed to see through everything. The Hokage leadership was unwilling to let go of their power and was doing everything to delay Orochimaru's rise.
Clan Head Fugaku also looked enlightened, nodding solemnly, "Elder, you're right. But this is also an opportunity for us Uchiha."
At this point, Fugaku and Elder Sarada exchanged glances and smiled. While it might not be good for Orochimaru, it was a great opportunity for the Uchiha. This was a chance they couldn't miss.
They were worried about not being close enough to Orochimaru or not having done enough favors for him, but now the opportunity was here.
"Yoru! The clan will provide Orochimaru with full funding for his research."
At this moment, they made a firm decision. Such a great opportunity, no one would let it slip away.
Uchiha Yoru, seeing the two wise elders, showed an excited expression and nodded solemnly, "Clan Head! Elder! For the glory of the Uchiha, I, Uchiha Yoru, will stand firmly behind Orochimaru-sensei."
The secret meeting ended, and Uchiha Yoru had finally entered the Uchiha power center, determining the future direction of the Uchiha clan. As for the bad outcome of being associated with Orochimaru? It could be said that being associated with the Uchiha wouldn't end well either.
Not just the Uchiha, but many clans in Konoha wanted to connect with Orochimaru. Even though Orochimaru was facing the risk of being sidelined, he was still a hot commodity.
The current leadership of Konoha was aging. How long could they remain in power? Orochimaru was in his prime, and the new generation hadn't grown up yet. At least for the next five years, the only qualified candidates for the Fifth Hokage were the Sannin.
Sannin! Jiraiya was carefree, and Tsunade had left the village. During the Fourth Hokage selection, both had chosen to withdraw. Now, a year later, no one could match Orochimaru in popularity.
The leadership's delay tactics were just a matter of time. Therefore, many people were trying to connect with Orochimaru.
...
Returning to the luxurious house assigned to him, Uchiha Yoru squinted his eyes, thinking about his plans for the next two years. According to his calculations, Sasuke was six years old now, would be seven next year, and would open his Sharingan at eight, which was around the time Orochimaru would defect.
[Host: Uchiha Yoru (One-Tomoe)]
[Chakra Capacity: Elite Chunin]
[Chakra Affinities: Fire (LV3), Lightning (LV4)]
[Ninjutsu: Swordsmanship (Taijutsu) LV4, Medical Ninjutsu LV4]
[Gold: 21,350,000]
Looking at his stats, Uchiha Yoru felt a sense of melancholy. He had worked hard for half a year, taking risks on both sides, and only gained this much. He felt ashamed.
This amount of gold was enough to evolve his Sharingan to a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, but what good was that? Evolving to a Three-Tomoe Sharingan would only push his physical abilities and chakra to the Special Jounin level, and it would take time. More importantly, would the rapid evolution of his Sharingan attract greed from others?
After all, his current identity was very sensitive. There were definitely people in Konoha who hoped that the Uchiha clan, which was close to Orochimaru, would run into trouble, especially the hidden Danzo.
Thinking about this, Uchiha Yoru muttered to himself, "Ninjas rely on information. For now, my sudden medical ninjutsu skills can fool them, but I should avoid evolving my Sharingan before Orochimaru defects. At most, I should evolve to a Two-Tomoe Sharingan. I must become a Jounin, even an elite Jounin, within the next two years to have a real say in the clan."
Two years from now, Orochimaru would defect. If he remained at his current strength, he would truly be a disposable pawn. But if he had some strength and acted wisely, he might inherit some of Orochimaru's legacy.
In the original story, even after ten years of defection, Orochimaru still had admirers in Konoha, such as Mizuki. This showed how significant Orochimaru's influence was. And as someone who could compete for Hokage, Orochimaru must have had a group of loyal followers, which was part of his legacy.
When Orochimaru defected, these followers would be the first to suffer. But with the Uchiha clan as his backing, he had nothing to fear. What about the others?
Thinking about this, Uchiha Yoru smiled, "Perhaps I need to improve my strength over the next two years. I should become a promising genius in Orochimaru-sensei's eyes, but not too much in terms of bloodline abilities."
[Thank you for the 4,000-word chapter! Early update, please support!]
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(End of Chapter)