The mastermind behind the Nine Tails' attack?
An Uchiha possibly wounding Orochimaru?
Mangekyou Sharingan?
So much was hidden in just a few words from Orochimaru.
If the villagers knew all this…
Just imagining the outcome made Fugaku shiver inside.
This news must never spread.
Fugaku's eyes turned sharp, and his gaze at Orochimaru grew dangerous.
As long as he killed him, as long as he silenced this only witness…
Orochimaru met Fugaku's murderous look with a calm face, still smiling.
That unshaken composure made Fugaku's heart skip, and a drop of cold sweat ran down his forehead.
Killing one of the Sannin would bring consequences no less than the Nine Tails' attack last night. How could he even think of such a thing?
What Orochimaru said might not even be true. But if he killed him, the clan would truly be thrown into the fire.
After a long silence, Fugaku finally spoke, his voice heavy,
"Orochimaru-sama… is what you said true?"
Orochimaru rubbed his chin, his eyes playful.
"That question is a little beneath the head of a clan."
"Does it matter if it's true or not? If I want it to be true, then it is. The Third Hokage has already stirred up public opinion. He won't deny me now and slap himself in the face. Changing his words would be the worst thing a leader could do."
"What you should be asking is why I'm helping the Uchiha hide this, what I want out of it, and what price you'll have to pay to keep me quiet."
Fugaku opened his mouth, unsure how to respond to Orochimaru's taunts and questions.
He had come here thinking, 'The Nine Tails' attack wasn't the work of the Uchiha.'
Meeting Orochimaru was supposed to help him find out more about the real mastermind, so he could use it to clear the rumors and wash away the clan's suspicion.
No one expected that when the lid was lifted, inside it really was a jar of crap.
The news Orochimaru revealed was just too shocking. Fugaku wasn't mentally prepared at all. For a moment, he was stuck in the middle, not knowing what to do.
"Orochimaru" shook his head. This Uchiha Fugaku really wasn't cut out to be a clan leader.
He had a serious and firm face, but just a few words were enough to throw him off track.
Compared to being a leader, he was more suited to be led by others.
"Clan leader Fugaku, why are you silent?"
"Could it be that after hearing there's another clansman with the Mangekyou, you're too happy to speak?"
"Orochimaru's" tone carried hidden meaning. "To fight me, to wound me badly, having such a clansman is indeed exciting."
"Isn't that right, clan leader Fugaku?"
Fugaku's heart jolted, and he quickly denied it, "Please don't say such things, Orochimaru-sama. Uchiha doesn't have such a clansman."
A clansman with the Mangekyou Sharingan was indeed a huge fighting force, enough to raise the clan's standing in the village.
But the one who controlled the Nine-Tails and caused so many deaths, even leading to the death of the Fourth Hokage, was already the village's enemy.
Getting involved with such a dangerous rogue brought no benefits at all.
"I ask that Orochimaru-sama not share this information with the village."
Fugaku bowed deeply. "This isn't only for Uchiha, but also for the village."
No matter Orochimaru's reasons, what mattered now was covering this up quickly.
"Orochimaru" nodded. "Alright, no problem. I'll agree to that."
Fugaku stayed bent in his bow, waiting for Orochimaru's next demand.
But the words that came next made him freeze in shock, and he couldn't help but straighten up.
Meeting Fugaku's stunned eyes, "Orochimaru" calmly said,
"You didn't mishear. I have no demands. Even if you didn't come tonight, I would've kept this secret."
"But will it really end just like this?"
"When the Nine-Tails rampaged, how do you explain the tomoe in those eyes?"
"If your rogue Uchiha shows up again, then what?"
"This isn't something you can cover up just because you want to."
"Go back and think carefully!"
"..."
Fugaku clenched his fists, his face looking even worse than when he came. He dragged his heavy steps as he left the ward.
...
"I thought you were going to ask for a sky-high price."
Orochimaru was a little surprised. By now, how could he not see that the Uchiha were Genie's new backers?
"Looking further ahead, you've only just started, huh."
Genie smiled. "Taking advantage of someone's crisis might get what you want, but it'll sour the relationship. Right now, we're not short on money, so we don't need to use such extreme methods. Besides, this injury wasn't really caused by an Uchiha rogue."
Orochimaru shook his head. "But the way you talk makes me feel like even if it's fake, you can make it sound real."
Genie smiled faintly. "I don't have the power to make words reality, at most I just make use of gaps in information."
Kakashi and Guy, the Third Hokage and Danzo, Uchiha Fugaku.
Among them, the Third Hokage might learn the truth from Kakashi and Guy and believe it, but Fugaku would not. Even if he knew, he wouldn't believe.
After all, in this scheme, Fugaku gave nothing real besides a bit of goodwill.
From his perspective, if Orochimaru deceived him, then he should've lost something.
Understanding the key to why the trick worked, Orochimaru licked his lips with some emotion.
Even though Genie hadn't hidden it, and he had seen everything from start to finish, if Genie hadn't explained, he still wouldn't know what Genie was really aiming for.
The human heart and human nature are even more complicated than forbidden jutsu.
Orochimaru put away the curiosity on his face and didn't ask Genie to explain more.
Genie's way would no doubt give him the most benefit, but Orochimaru didn't like it much.
…
The next day, at noon.
Orochimaru walked out of Konoha's central hospital openly and without hiding.
Villagers and ninjas alike—whether they had admired or feared Orochimaru before—felt a wave of relief when they heard the news.
Compared to someone who could take lives at any time, a cold and gloomy aura was nothing.
In fact, Orochimaru's strong and awe-inspiring power gave them a sense of safety.
It was kind of like Stockholm syndrome.
At this moment, if Orochimaru really wanted to compete for the Hokage seat, his chances wouldn't be small.
The shift in the village's mood didn't escape Danzo. He knew things were turning bad.
So, when Orochimaru returned to his house in the village, a few Root ninjas had already delivered the conditions they had agreed on before.
Orochimaru sat at his desk, flipping through research records on the First Hokage's cells.
The records clearly weren't complete—at the very least, the methods used on Danzo weren't shown here. But even so, with this data, he could save a lot of time and energy.
So, Orochimaru read them carefully.
In front of the desk stood a short boy, still at the age of youthful energy, but with empty eyes.