The night was clear, with the bright moon hanging high.
Inside the Hokage's office, another meeting was about to begin.
The participants hadn't changed much: the Hokage's group of advisors, the heads of the major clans, and the two famous but powerless "Sannin."
Compared to the last meeting, the mood this time was much better.
The Uchiha's suspicion in the Nine-Tails incident was mostly cleared, and the fierce attack from Kumogakure had been repelled. With no internal or external threats, the village could enjoy a period of peace.
Some of the clan heads who arrived early were still chatting and laughing before the meeting began, with topics ranging from teaching their children to business deals.
Of course, the names that came up most were the ones who shone brightest in the battle against Kumogakure—Orochimaru and the Uchiha.
Orochimaru hadn't arrived yet, so naturally the talk leaned toward Fugaku, who was present.
From time to time, some clan heads cast complicated looks at Fugaku—some with admiration, some with respect, and some with a gaze like he was a fool.
After all, that was the Mangekyo Sharingan, the same as the First Hokage's rival.
For Shisui to have such power at a young age, with unlimited potential ahead—only for it all to end in "sacrifice"?
To go that far just to clear suspicion—it was too much.
Everyone had their own thoughts, but on one point, they all agreed: that night, the one who controlled the Nine-Tails was definitely not the Uchiha as a clan. At most, it was an individual's doing.
That in itself was good news.
Although the Uchiha were targeted and suspected after the Nine-Tails attack, feeling wronged, the ninjas who doubted them didn't feel good either. They didn't want to live with constant suspicion of their comrades.
Enemies should be killed. Comrades should support each other. Nothing was more painful than not knowing who was friend or foe.
On the battlefield, there was no time for endless analysis. Simple, black-and-white thinking was the clearest and most reassuring.
And that was what made it easier for these shinobi, who lived on the edge of life and death, to accept one another.
Of course, inside the village, when everyone had the luxury of peace, no one was willing to give up their share of benefits.
Fugaku understood this well. But for him and for the Uchiha, this was already a very good position to be in.
Treated equally, the Uchiha clan had entered a new chapter in Konoha.
Thinking of this, Fugaku, usually so stern, allowed himself a reserved smile.
After the Senju clan dissolved following the village's founding, under equal conditions, what clan could possibly outmatch the Uchiha?
The Hyuga? Just a bunch of guard dogs. Do they really think they can compare to the Sharingan?
Besides…
Fugaku's eyes shifted to an empty seat by the long table, his hand resting on the scroll at his waist.
He was already itching to spend his money.
"Clack..."
The door swung open. The one Fugaku had been waiting for strode in with his usual smile.
"Sorry, I'm late."
With that, Orochimaru calmly took the first seat to the left of the Hokage, the spot saved for him, and greeted Jiraiya with some interest.
He was indeed late—but not just for this meeting.
By tradition, before the full council of clan heads, there was always a smaller meeting, just for the Hokage's circle—basically the Hokage's advisory team, sometimes with Jiraiya included.
Last time, Orochimaru hadn't even been invited. This time, he was invited, but didn't go.
He didn't need to guess why they wanted him there. Since he was never going to agree, why waste time listening?
Of course, disputes were unavoidable, but ignoring them and letting them stew was a good way to put them in their place.
Still, since he would need something from the old man later, Orochimaru didn't use his victory against Kumogakure as an excuse to flatly refuse the summons. Instead, he gave a proper reason, letting the Hokage keep face.
Anko—his student—had collapsed during training and was still unconscious.
Whether it was true or not didn't matter. The key was showing respect by giving a reason. And with Anbu confirming that Mitarashi Anko really was unconscious, the excuse held up.
The Third Hokage had nothing more to say.
In Konoha, the unspoken rule was, "my student is my student, but my student's student has nothing to do with me." Still, technically speaking, Anko was Sarutobi's grand-student. That made it hard for him to push further, so he let Orochimaru's excuse pass.
With Orochimaru seated, the meeting officially began. Everyone straightened up and dropped their earlier casual air.
The one presenting Konoha's plans for the future was, as always, Danzo.
His thinking had always been sharp. If he couldn't be Hokage for now, he'd at least enjoy the taste of it through chances like this.
No one dared to look down on him for it. In the recent war with Kumogakure, he had stationed his Root forces at Konoha's outpost toward the Land of Earth, which made Iwagakure back off from taking advantage. His contribution wasn't small.
As soon as he began speaking, the room fell silent, with only his low, gravelly voice filling the air.
This meeting was just a continuation of the last. Other than the Uchiha clan being allowed to repair their homes in place rather than relocate, little had changed.
But Danzo still repeated everything in detail, dragging out what should have been a short meeting until the moon was high before it finally ended.
The clan heads got up to leave, grumbling in their hearts but showing no displeasure on their faces.
It wasn't just fear of Danzo—since the village was at peace, small annoyances like this weren't worth fussing over.
When they had all left, only six people remained in the wide Hokage office.
That was when the real meeting began.
"Heh… why are you all looking at me?"
Meeting their stares, Orochimaru glanced around, then looked away. Just like during the meeting, his eyes returned to Jiraiya at his side.
If his guess was right, Jiraiya had already started training in Breathing Techniques—and had even made some progress.
Tsk, tsk, tsk… how irritating.
Orochimaru licked his lips. At the moment, without Genie forcing it, he still couldn't enter Demon Slayer Mark mode on his own.
Yet Jiraiya, who came to Breathing later, had gotten ahead of him.
Of course, Orochimaru knew Jiraiya had long since mastered Senjutsu, giving him a strong base for training. Even so, he couldn't help but feel annoyed.
Seeing Orochimaru still acting like this, Utatane Koharu frowned and snapped, "Orochimaru, stop pretending you don't know why you're here! You should know very well!"
"In the end, this is all about Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan."
Orochimaru chuckled, pulling a small nutrient tank from a scroll in his robe and setting it on the table without hesitation.
"My dear elders, here. Do as you wish. I won't stop you."
"On the contrary, I'll even spread the word for you throughout Konoha."
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