The next day, at dawn.
In the courtyard, steady breathing sounds echoed.
"Hoo…"
"Inhale…"
"Hoo…"
…
Every now and then, the wind in the yard would change direction. The branches and leaves of the big tree were sometimes pulled, sometimes blown.
This continued until noon when the alarm inside the house rang.
Only then did Orochimaru remove his weights, stop his training, and go inside to wash off the sweat.
"It's almost time. Fugaku should be sending someone soon."
Orochimaru changed into a clean ninja outfit, sat on the stone bench in the courtyard, waiting while checking his training progress.
Thanks to the Yamato-brand gene serum, his body had gained a lot of vitality, and his physical training progress looked great. The breathing technique, "The State of Normal," which he could barely maintain before, no longer needed any special effort.
"Too bad, relying on the breathing method alone makes the strengthening process way too slow, even with added weights."
Orochimaru rubbed his chin. "Looks like I need to push Jiraiya to speed up his training."
Sage techniques and breathing methods are both ways of using natural energy. If he could find a way to make them work together…
"Knock, knock, knock…"
The knocking on the door cut off Orochimaru's thoughts.
"Orochimaru-sama, it's me." The voice was Uchiha Fugaku's.
"Fugaku? He came himself?"
Orochimaru looked surprised. "Makes sense. Family matters won't let him sit still."
Since the Uchiha leader was being so respectful, there was no need to put on airs.
Orochimaru leaped lightly over the yard wall. "Good, your timing is perfect."
In fact, he had been waiting by the door for quite a while.
Uchiha Fugaku nodded slightly and went straight to the point. "Orochimaru-sama, do you have any way to solve the Uchiha problem?"
"No rush. Let's walk and talk."
Orochimaru pointed toward the Uchiha district and started walking. Fugaku hesitated a bit, then had no choice but to follow.
…
They didn't use any ninja moves like running or jumping but walked down the street like normal people.
Along the way, passersby and shopkeepers couldn't help but look at them, whispering and talking among themselves.
After all, whether it was Orochimaru of the "Legendary Three," or Uchiha Fugaku, the captain of the police force, both were big names in the village. Seeing them suddenly together was sure to spark curiosity.
Especially since both of them currently had bad reputations in the village.
Orochimaru's face stayed calm. Fugaku also kept a straight face, but judging by the slight change in his expression, he couldn't completely ignore the stares.
"Clan Leader Fugaku, honestly, it's easy to suppress the Uchiha issue. All it takes is the Third or another high-up to publicly guarantee it. But…"
Orochimaru glanced around, and the noise around them dropped a notch. "Just like now—you can suppress things on the surface, but not in people's hearts."
Fugaku's face darkened a little. That was exactly what he was worried about.
Because of their personality, most Uchiha clan members had always been distant from the villagers and Chunin, and their relationship had been bad for a long time. Now, with the Nine-Tails attack suspicion, it was like pouring salt on the wound.
"But the Uchiha have an opportunity now."
Orochimaru said bluntly, "Kumogakure is getting restless. Soon, they'll definitely go to war with Konohagakure."
"Kumogakure?"
Fugaku was shocked at first. When he realized the key point, a flash of joy crossed his eyes, but he quickly hid it and his look returned to calm.
"Indeed, this is a good opportunity."
Protecting the village and earning merit on the battlefield—that's the core value of a ninja. As long as you do that, no one can criticize you.
Now, the village's higher-ups have taken heavy losses. If the Uchiha can turn things around, they might even rise to a higher position.
"Clan leader Fugaku, I know what you're thinking."
Orochimaru gave a slight cold smile. "If this was before the Nine-Tails attack, that might have worked. But now, think carefully—why is the village facing war? And why is it that only your Uchiha can gain glory on the battlefield?"
Fugaku's heart trembled.
During the Nine-Tails attack, many ninjas in the village were slaughtered, but the Uchiha survived intact. And now, if they take advantage of the war with the Cloud Village to earn merit and boost their status, the clan will only look even more suspicious.
Not just that—if their life-risking effort goes unrecognized, and they are blamed instead, the clansmen will be furious. Who knows what might happen then.
"I was thinking too simply."
Fugaku spoke with a stiff tone. "I wonder what plan you have, Orochimaru-sama."
"It's very simple."
Orochimaru said calmly, "The point of the Uchiha joining the war isn't how much credit you get, but how much you lose."
Fugaku blinked, confused at first, then his expression slowly changed.
He ignored the other man's status and power, his anger surging.
"What a vicious plan! You want the Uchiha to die on purpose?!"
"That's not what I mean."
Orochimaru didn't care about Fugaku's attitude. He spoke slowly, "Because I will also be on the battlefield, taking on the most dangerous enemy."
"If your clan suffers heavy losses, I won't escape either. I'll make sure to control the scale of the damage."
"That's still not acceptable!"
Fugaku spoke firmly, "I'm the head of the Uchiha. How could I work with an outsider to harm my own clan?"
"Fugaku, you—"
Orochimaru was about to continue when a security squad walked straight toward them. Judging by their faces, they weren't here just to greet the clan leader.
Fugaku put on a stern face again and asked the man in front, "Jinsuke, what happened?"
"Clan leader, we already cleared the ruins, but the village still hasn't sent craftsmen for rebuilding."
Uchiha Jinsuke looked angry. "I went to talk to the people in charge, but they keep passing the responsibility back and forth. No one will assign workers."
"Yeah, some even said our district is being moved, so working there now is a waste of time."
"Clan leader, are we really going to move?"
"…"
Some in the squad had heard rumors from that Hokage meeting—because of suspicion after the Nine-Tails attack, they wanted to push the Uchiha to the edge of the village.
It was just gossip at first, but now, with this happening, doubt spread. One by one, they looked shocked and angry.
Fugaku stayed silent, unsure how to answer.
At that moment, Orochimaru suddenly spoke up. "Move? The village won't force the Uchiha to move, and the Third Hokage hasn't given such an order."
"Go back and tell them exactly what I just said."
"This… yes, Orochimaru… Orochimaru-sama."
Uchiha Jinsuke froze for a second before nodding, like he had only just noticed Orochimaru standing there.