Orochimaru asked back, "And why not now?"
After the Nine-Tails attack, many mid- and high-level ninja had died, the Fourth Hokage and his wife were both gone. Even though the Nine-Tails wasn't lost, it would take the new jinchuriki more than ten years to become useful in battle. That was like losing two kage-level fighters. On top of that, the village's morale was shaky, and there was already a trust crisis with the Uchiha.
Right now was the Leaf's weakest moment since the Third Ninja War.
The fact that Kumogakure hadn't struck immediately already showed they were being cautious.
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned deeply, the wrinkles on his face pressing together.
The war with Kumogakure didn't worry the Third Hokage. Even if it grew into another great ninja war, the Leaf could still handle it.
On paper, the Sand, the Cloud, and the Stone together still weren't stronger than the Leaf.
The real problem was how to send these forces to the battlefield and make sure they would fight with their full strength.
That was the hardest part.
Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his head, looking at Jiraiya, who was frowning in silence, and Orochimaru, who was smiling coldly. He sighed in his heart.
Even his closest students had their own ideas and wouldn't fully follow his will, let alone the rest of the village.
The older Sarutobi grew, the more he understood: ninjas could be used as tools, but they were not just tools.
"Old man, it seems you already have a plan."
Orochimaru ignored the Third's complicated look and grinned. "So here's the real question. In this war with Kumogakure, what will you do with the Uchiha clan?"
It was a tough question. The Third frowned.
As one of the two great eye clans of the Leaf, the Uchiha were an irreplaceable force. They would surely be sent to the battlefield.
The Police Force's job was to guard the village, and unless the war reached the gates, they wouldn't be directly drafted. But missions could still be assigned, and elite Uchiha from the Police Force could be pulled out.
In this, they were the same as other clans. Members might hold different posts in the village, but once they joined squads, they had to follow the village leadership during wartime.
Squads were indeed a way to weaken the clans' influence, but it was also true that they combined strengths and raised survival chances for shinobi.
Now the problem was: if the blame for the Nine-Tails attack was put on the Uchiha, would the Police Force elites still willingly take on war missions when the Cloud attacked?
The Third stayed silent.
If ties were broken completely, the Uchiha would no longer care about their reputation in the village. They could only be forced to go.
If they were purposely sent on dangerous missions and suffered heavy losses, the Uchiha would use that as an excuse to refuse more tasks, and other clans wouldn't sit by either. Their interests aligned with the Uchiha in that.
But if the Uchiha were given only safe missions, not only would other clans complain, but it would also let the Uchiha—who opposed the Hokage faction—come out of the war nearly intact. That would plant hidden danger for the Leaf after the war.
Normal assignments? There had never been "normal" assignments. The Uchiha's power was clear to all. In the Second War, it was the three Sannin; in the Third, it was Minato and his wife. In war, those who could fight had to take on more.
Thinking of this, the Third sighed. No matter what, Orochimaru had at least stopped the village from being stuck later. The matter wasn't set in stone yet—there was still room to adjust things with the Uchiha.
Looking at the bigger picture, the village leaders should indeed bear the anger of the villagers after the Nine-Tails attack.
But… it could have been handled better.
The Third fixed his eyes on Orochimaru and asked, "Why didn't you bring this information, and these words, out earlier?"
Jiraiya also looked at Orochimaru. The intel they got yesterday should have been shared right away. Since Orochimaru only brought it up now, it could only mean he had other plans in mind.
Orochimaru didn't answer that question. Instead, he asked, "During the Nine-Tails attack, how do you plan to deal with the suspicion on the Uchiha clan? Just pretend nothing happened?"
"You should know, even if the Uchiha keep doing missions like before, that suspicion won't go away."
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya's faces grew grim.
It couldn't be proven true, and it couldn't be proven false. In the end, how people judged would come down to what was in their hearts.
Only a small number could stay calm and think clearly, and right now, many had just lost family and friends.
After the Nine-Tails attack, the village leadership already looked incompetent. Someone had to take the blame.
But others in the village couldn't bear that burden, even if they wanted to.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Orochimaru, stop beating around the bush. Tell us your plan."
"It's very simple."
Orochimaru licked his lips. "Use the Uchiha Police Force as the main fighting force and have them face Kumogakure's surprise attack."
"That's impossible!"
The Third Hokage's face changed instantly. The first thing that came to his mind was the Second Hokage's policy of limiting the Uchiha, and he immediately rejected the idea.
Kumogakure's attack was just a temporary crisis. If they removed the chains on the Uchiha now, it would plant a huge danger for Konoha's future.
Everyone who followed Tobirama's line, ever since Madara Uchiha left such a deep mark, had been deeply wary of the clan—Hiruzen and Danzo included.
Even before the Nine-Tails attack, when the village was far stronger than the Uchiha, that wariness never faded. Now it was even worse.
Realizing he had lost his composure, the Third coughed lightly and said,
"This won't work. If the Uchiha lead the defense and succeed against Kumogakure, their influence will only grow.
Before their suspicion is cleared, that will only worsen their conflict with the villagers."
After all, the war would end, and when it did, credit and rewards would follow.
"Old man, you seem to have misunderstood something."
Orochimaru spoke slowly. "When I say 'led by the Uchiha,' I mean the Police Force goes to the front line to face Kumogakure, while the rest of the Konoha shinobi set up defenses behind them."
The Third Hokage frowned. "You want me to just watch them die?"
"Not exactly."
Orochimaru gave a twisted smile, showing two rows of sharp teeth.
"Once enough of them die—enough that you start to feel pity, enough that the chunin in the village believe the Nine-Tails wasn't some Uchiha plot—then we can stop."
The Third Hokage went silent. Jiraiya was dumbfounded. Both of them were shocked at how ruthless Orochimaru's plan was.
But they couldn't deny it was the most useful option for the village. It solved many problems at once: cleared the suspicion from the Uchiha, lowered their threat, rebuilt trust between them and the village, and afterwards the clan would be more integrated into Konoha.
But still…
The Third Hokage raised his head, staring at Orochimaru. "How can you be so sure the Uchiha will agree?"
"Heh, they're the Uchiha. Why wouldn't they agree?"
Orochimaru actually looked a little surprised. "Old man, I thought you knew the Uchiha well."
Then he tapped his forehead and smiled. "They're crazy in the head!"