-----------
This high quality machine translation is powered by: https:// geriatrictranslations.com/
Special Permission was given to upload the novel on WebNovel.
Geriatric Translations can be supported on patreon (https://www. patreon.com/geriatricvibes) where additional chapters can be enjoyed.
You can also join the Geriatric Translations Community on Discord to connect with other readers: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------
"Add another seal to the Caged Bird Seal! Combine the curse mark with the seal! Eliminate the possibility of being controlled by others!"
At this moment, Hyuga Hizashi's face lit up with excitement upon hearing this novel approach. Indeed, the Hyuga Branch Family had always been thinking about how to break the curse mark, never considering sealing it.
What did the Caged Bird resent the most? Wasn't it being controlled by the Main Family? If no one could control them, or if the Main Family could no longer control the Caged Bird, the problem would be solved.
Because the Caged Bird would be sealed, making it impossible to sense, naturally resolving their predicament.
This ingenious idea, solving the problem by making it non-existent, instantly opened a new door in Hyuga Hizashi's mind.
"Thank you, Lord Yoru. If this succeeds, the Hyuga Branch Family is willing to serve under Lord Orochimaru!"
At this moment, Hyuga Hizashi solemnly knelt down again, making a firm promise.
Seeing Hyuga Hizashi's decision, Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded, saying, "Senior Hizashi, you are too kind. In fact, Lord Orochimaru has long felt that the relationship between the Hyuga Main Family and the Branch Family is too cruel. Although he is cold to his enemies, he is very inclusive of his own people."
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru did not blush at all as he brought up his teacher again, feeling no guilt at all, but instead showing a sincere smile.
Hyuga Hizashi also calmed down, nodding, "The Hyuga Branch Family will always remember Lord Yoru's great kindness."
The Branch Family, once separated, wanted to stand firm in Konoha and even rebuild the Hyuga clan. They needed to leverage their position. The Hokage was out of the question, but what about the future Hokage?
The Hyuga Branch Family would do everything in their power to help Orochimaru become the Fifth Hokage. By then, they could take some resources from other clans, such as the Ino-Shika-Cho, and thus create another Hyuga clan.
"Senior Hizashi, this matter is of great importance. Please do not publicize it. I will inform you when there is progress in the research."
"Does Lord Yoru need anything? The Hyuga Branch Family will do our best." Hyuga Hizashi, having already decided to bet on Orochimaru, did not hesitate.
The Caged Bird was a problem that had to be solved; otherwise, even if the Hyuga Branch Family had the will, they would lack the power. This was a win-win situation.
Once the Caged Bird problem was resolved, Orochimaru would have the loyalty of the Hyuga Branch Family, a formidable force. In return, the Hyuga Branch Family would gain freedom.
"One is research funding. Since Senior Hizashi's arrival cannot avoid the attention of those with ulterior motives, especially those secretly watching the Uchiha, we can use the funding as an excuse to cover up."
Uchiha Yoru's calm and composed smile impressed Hyuga Hizashi even more. No wonder Lord Orochimaru entrusted most matters to this disciple, truly a master of strategy, with a mind as sharp as a razor.
"Of course, the most important thing is the Caged Bird Seal data."
But upon hearing this request, Hyuga Hizashi nodded firmly, "Lord Yoru, rest assured. The Caged Bird Seal data will be brought with the funding next time."
Cover! What could make Hyuga Hizashi come in person? Only the reason of secretly providing funds to Orochimaru.
However, Uchiha Yoru smiled upon hearing this. Despite his confidence, he knew that the Konoha leadership had already made their move, and the time of the incident was not far off.
Finally, Uchiha Yoru personally escorted Hyuga Hizashi out, maintaining a kind smile until the end.
But beneath that smile, there was a sense of urgency. Watching Hyuga Hizashi's figure disappear into the distance, Uchiha Yoru narrowed his eyes, gazing at the snowflakes falling from the sky.
With his changes, Orochimaru's influence had not diminished much, and many in the village were secretly wondering why the Fifth Hokage had not been discussed yet.
It seemed some were getting impatient. At this moment, Uchiha Yoru turned his head to look at the Hokage Rock of Konoha and sighed, "If there were a choice, a simple and powerful ninja might be much easier."
Snowflakes fell over Konoha, heralding the arrival of a new year. Everyone had grown a year older, and the children born during the Nine-Tails Incident were now three years old.
...
At sixteen, Uchiha Yoru had grown to about 1.8 meters tall. He had developed quickly recently, especially with his taijutsu training, making his muscles more defined. However, they were not the explosive muscles of the Land of Lightning but rather a streamlined, speed-oriented physique.
In the Police Force office, Uchiha Yoru smiled kindly as he returned to work after the New Year. After the new snow, the entire Konoha was filled with a fresh atmosphere.
Outside the Police Force office, Gekkou Hayate casually waved to Yūhi Kurenai, though they knew each other, neither knew the other's true identity.
At this moment, Yūhi Kurenai's face showed a forced smile, which made Gekkou Hayate frown. He then whispered, "Kurenai, I heard your father left a large debt. Are you okay?"
They were classmates, and compared to Gekkou Hayate, who came from a somewhat fallen ninja family but was still considered wealthy among civilians due to the valuable family techniques, Yūhi Kurenai was clearly an ordinary civilian. Apart from her striking appearance and exceptional ninja talent, she had little else.
Seeing her classmate Gekkou Hayate's concern, they were familiar with each other after so many years, but both remembered their ANBU missions and thus did not dare to reveal their true feelings, as ANBU mission confidentiality was paramount.
"Hayate, I'm fine."
It was clear that Yūhi Kurenai's sadness could not be hidden. What troubled her more was that ANBU had forced this persona on her. Her father could not possibly be a gambler, but for the mission, they had to make him a tragic figure with a large debt, causing her neighbors to distance themselves from her.
Seeing Kurenai's weary face, Gekkou Hayate's smile, tinged with a hint of anxiety, showed his concern. He wanted to help his classmate, especially since he had a crush on her, but his public identity was just a regular Chunin, and he could not produce the huge sum of money needed.
In the end, Gekkou Hayate opened his mouth but lacked the courage to reveal his ANBU identity, saying worriedly, "Kurenai, if you have any difficulties, just say so. My family has some assets."
In fact, Gekkou Hayate, who had always had a crush on Yūhi Kurenai, could not have been unaware of her situation. Yūhi Kurenai, upon seeing Hayate's subtle hint, frowned but then shook her head, "Hayate, I'm fine. I can handle it."
Borrowing money from a classmate to solve her debt problem? Not only was the amount unknown, but more importantly, this was a carefully crafted persona by ANBU to get close to her target. If Gekkou Hayate paid off her debt, she would be in real trouble.
"Kurenai." In the end, Gekkou Hayate opened his mouth but could not bring himself to say the words he wanted to help. He could only watch as Yūhi Kurenai, with a forced smile, walked into the office building, and he could only sigh in frustration.
Gekkou Hayate regretted his lack of courage and shook his head, unaware that his hesitation today would push his classmate into the abyss, or rather, that the ANBU mission would push Yūhi Kurenai into the abyss.
Sitting in his bright office, Uchiha Yoru habitually closed his eyes to rest, waiting for his assistant to bring the day's documents. He was not being lazy but conserving his energy for the tasks ahead.
In his courtyard, there were four Uchiha Yorus, or rather, Shadow Clones. One was calmly practicing sword techniques, while the other three were meditating to train their chakra nature transformation.
The Shadow Clone Jutsu is a B-rank technique, and its upgraded version, the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, is an A-rank technique. Both were created by the Second Hokage, a master of forbidden techniques.
This technique uses a large amount of chakra to create multiple shadow clones. The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu can create thousands of clones at once. Due to the intense chakra consumption, Tobirama Senju considered it dangerous for those without a large chakra reserve, potentially injuring or even killing them, and thus classified it as a forbidden technique, recording it in the Sealing Scroll.
This technique is also the most powerful non-elemental jutsu among the Hokage, capable of accelerating training. However, upon deeper understanding, Uchiha Yoru shook his head.
Shadow Clones can indeed accelerate training, but they also bring multiple times the fatigue. Without an extraordinary recovery ability, this technique would be unusable for training. This recovery ability refers to both physical and mental recovery.
Moreover, this technique is not as powerful as it seems. Shadow Clones practicing taijutsu cannot last long before dispersing, and the biggest challenge in training ninjutsu is chakra.
In the original series, Kakashi mentioned that he could only use the Lightning Blade four times a day during the Chunin Exams. The same principle applies: practicing ninjutsu requires releasing it, and shadow clones have limited chakra. After a few releases, they would be depleted and disperse.
Thus, the technique is not very useful for training. The best use is for chakra nature transformation, which consumes less chakra and does not harm the body. The shadow clone practicing sword techniques was carefully slicing through falling snowflakes, more focused on the speed and precision of the strikes.
And this was only possible with his current abnormal recovery ability, allowing him to create four shadow clones. As for the protagonist Naruto Uzumaki in the original series, he could train ninjutsu because he had a large chakra reserve and an extraordinary recovery ability.
Police Force.
"Lord Yoru, here are today's documents, and the ninja who returned from their mission and caused a disturbance at a bar last night need your approval."
Yūhi Kurenai skillfully handed over the prepared documents and files, her face showing signs of fatigue.
This did not escape Uchiha Yoru's keen observation, but he pretended not to notice, instead focusing on the documents that needed his approval.
"These three Genin caused a disturbance after returning from their mission, but considering they just finished a mission and were still on edge, let's be lenient. Tell them to compensate the bar owner and they can go home."
For ninja who committed minor offenses, especially those that did not cause significant harm, Uchiha Yoru chose to resolve the matter quietly, ensuring that the ninja were taken care of. Apologies and compensation were sufficient, and he prioritized the well-being of the ninja community.
Yūhi Kurenai, who seemed used to this, nodded slightly. Watching Uchiha Yoru approve and stamp the documents, she found herself more inclined to support the ninja, as a ninja herself.
Ninja were raised as tools from a young age, and their missions involved constant battles and hardships. Emotional issues were common, leading to frequent disturbances.
The village owed a lot to the ninja, and she hoped the village would show some leniency.
Coincidentally, the political signal Uchiha Yoru sent, representing Orochimaru, won him many supporters among the Three Great Ninja.
"There is still a surplus in the recent budget. We can appropriately reward the hardworking ninja, especially those with financial difficulties. Of course, rewards should be based on performance."
"The Land of Fire is gradually becoming peaceful, and prices are stabilizing, especially for food. Take this opportunity to buy more and remember to increase the share for the orphanages, as the children there also have a tough life."
Sitting at his desk, Uchiha Yoru effortlessly resolved tasks that other ninja found daunting and troublesome, demonstrating elite-level administrative efficiency in the ninja world.
After all, this world lacked specialized courses in administration, instead focusing on training children to become tool-like ninja. Most ninja found administration challenging, struggling to manage the fine details, which required constant experience and learning.
But Uchiha Yoru seemed naturally suited for this role. When Uchiha Shisui entered the open office and saw this familiar scene, he could not help but look at his night-brother with admiration.
These administrative tasks, which gave him headaches and left him struggling to please everyone, were handled effortlessly by his night-brother.
At this moment, he felt both admiration and reflection. No wonder Lord Orochimaru valued his night-brother so much. His administrative skills were unparalleled.
Tasks that usually left him frustrated and unable to please anyone were, in Uchiha Yoru's hands, handled to the satisfaction of all parties involved.
For example, in the case of the bar disturbance, business owners valued harmony. If the issue were pursued, it would lose ninja customers, and since ninja were connected, the loss would be significant.
Ninja were proud, and being released would make them realize their mistake and feel remorse. The Police Force gave them a way out, and they would be grateful. Compensation would be made, and both sides would reconcile. A savvy bar owner might even invite them for a drink, fostering a friendship and ensuring they would return as regular customers.
Thank you to 'Book Friend 20230119112157703' for the 300-point coin donation and 'Book Friend 20190927110853012' for the 100-point coin donation.
[Please follow! I'm in the Three Rivers Revival Contest, please follow!]
(End of Chapter)