This girl is truly beautiful!
With hair like a black waterfall, bright eyes, and white teeth, her temperament was gentle and elegant. Even someone like him, who had no personal interest in women, had to admit that this girl's appearance was quite high-class! Orochimaru tossed the other documents aside and carefully looked through this girl's file.
Uchiha Mikoto... Entered the academy at 5, graduated at 10, and promoted to Chunin at 12, which happened in the first half of this year. She is proficient in Shurikenjutsu, Fire Release, and Genjutsu. She has already awakened the Single-tomoe Sharingan. The reason for the awakening: her pet cat died... "Hmm, a typical Uchiha..."
The records described her as gentle, kind, considerate, and well-bred. She has many secret admirers, but currently has no clear romantic interest in any member of the opposite sex. Her father is a Jonin of the Uchiha Clan with a dove-ish stance, and her mother is an ordinary housewife. Putting down Uchiha Mikoto's file, Orochimaru picked up the documents of the others and looked through them.
"I have to say, the looks of this clan are truly outstanding."
Orochimaru clicked his tongue. Looking around, although the other targets were not as stunning as Uchiha Mikoto, they could all be called beautiful. The one with the lowest looks was merely mediocre, definitely not ugly. Putting down the documents in his hand, Orochimaru pondered for a moment. In the end, he decided to pay a visit to the Uchiha.
Although he could have used some underhanded schemes to facilitate a meeting between the target and Minato, like a 'hero saving the beauty' scenario, he ultimately decided against it after some thought. There were too many variables in doing that; it would be more appropriate to just find a reason to shove the person onto Minato. As for whether the two could develop feelings... joking aside, not to mention Minato's excellent qualities, he did not believe 10 years of close-proximity missions would not cause sparks to fly between them!
Besides seeking stability, there were also some issues on the Uchiha side that needed to be handled... Night fell, the sky as dark as spilled ink, and the Uchiha Clan grounds were silent.
Swoosh—
Orochimaru's figure quietly appeared in the courtyard of Uchiha Ken's home, silently gazing toward the room. Two seconds later, the sliding door from the Engawa to the living room was gently opened. Uchiha Ken frowned as he looked at this uninvited guest.
"Orochimaru..."
"Senior Ken, it has been a long time."
Orochimaru wore a faint smile: "Is it convenient to talk?"
Uchiha Ken's expression was a bit sour: "At this hour? Isn't that a bit rude?"
"That is a pity then, for I have come with plenty of sincerity," Orochimaru said indifferently.
Sincerity?
Uchiha Ken's brow twitched. After a brief hesitation, he turned on the living room lights: "Let us talk inside."
Soon, in the clean room, the two sat facing each other. Although Orochimaru had come uninvited and unannounced, considering his status as a Disciple of the Third Hokage and the current leader of Root, Uchiha Ken still observed proper etiquette and personally brewed a pot of tea. After pouring tea for Orochimaru, he rested his hands on his thighs and sat upright in a formal kneeling position.
"Can you speak now? Your Excellency's so-called sincerity..."
"Hehe, the hospitality and upbringing of a great clan are indeed high." Looking at the hot tea before him, Orochimaru smiled and said, "To be honest, I have come this time hoping to select some people for Root."
"Root?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Ken was stunned and almost laughed at Orochimaru: "To come to our Uchiha to pick people?" Root is a branch of Anbu, and Anbu is directly under the Hokage. Since the founding of the Village, the Uchiha have always been excluded from the Village's core power. Even Anbu recruitment does not consider the Uchiha, let alone a place like Root that involves the Village's core secrets. Thus, Uchiha Ken's first reaction to Orochimaru's words was: a trap! There is definitely some damn trickery here!
"What is wrong with picking people from the Uchiha?" Orochimaru seemed not to catch the underlying meaning and casually asked back, "Is the Uchiha not a part of Konoha?"
"Do not say such naive things. Since Your Excellency has taken over Root, you should naturally know that the higher-ups do not trust the Uchiha Clan, especially after Uchiha Setsuna's attempted Coup." Uchiha Ken shook his head: "And Your Excellency's late-night visit this time probably does not represent the Third Hokage's intention, does it?"
"It is my own intention, but rest assured, Senior, I am absolutely certain I can convince the Old Man." Orochimaru took a sip of tea and continued, "In addition, I think you might have some misunderstandings about the higher-ups. At least regarding the attitude toward the Uchiha, it is not entirely the higher-ups' problem. There are reasons within the Uchiha themselves, as well as factors left over from the Second Hokage's era."
"Please enlighten me, Your Excellency!" Uchiha Ken's expression turned solemn; he also wanted to hear Orochimaru's perspective. After all, the other party was in charge of Root, which to a large extent represented the Third Hokage's views.
"The Uchiha Clan is born for battle, and their personalities are inevitably somewhat arrogant. Logically, the most suitable stage for you should be places like the front lines or Anbu, but the Second Hokage specifically had you take over the work of the Police Force." Orochimaru laughed softly, "Hehehe... Having the arrogant Uchiha take on a job like the Police Force, which offends everyone, not only fueled the Uchiha's arrogance but also expanded the conflict between the Uchiha and the higher-ups into a conflict with the Village. It is a wonder you were able to do it so happily."
Uchiha Ken's eyelid twitched. To be honest, he really had not thought about it this way. But he had to admit, Orochimaru had a point! Did the Uchiha love the Village? Of course they did. When Madara wanted to leave the Village back then, no one was willing to go with him. They were also full of passion for their work in the Uchiha Police Force, unwilling to let any threat to the Village slide, but they offended many people because of it. And some young people in the clan, indeed as Orochimaru said, became increasingly arrogant and overbearing under the influence of the Police Force's power.
"Your Excellency means the Second Hokage did this intentionally?" The more Uchiha Ken thought about it, the uglier his expression became. The Uchiha Clan, including himself, all took pride in being able to join the Police Force. Now, with Orochimaru pointing it out, it made them look like fools who were sold out and were still helping the seller count the money.
"Calm down, Senior. If I had not taken over Root, I might have thought so too." Orochimaru said unhurriedly, "However, Root inherited the Second Hokage's research legacy. After reading the research documents he left behind, I can probably understand why he did it. Speaking of which, it is also related to the Uchiha themselves."
"I am all ears." Uchiha Ken listened intently; he also wanted to know the fundamental reason why the Uchiha Clan was being targeted.
"The thousand-year conflict between the Senju and Uchiha—I am sure you know more about it than I do, Senior. As the saying goes, the one who knows you best is always your enemy. The Second Hokage was exactly like that. According to records, he once conducted research on the Uchiha Clan. Of course, that was back in the Sengoku era." Orochimaru explained, "The Second Hokage once believed that the Senju Clan was rooted in love rather than technique, while the Uchiha valued power above all else."
"But in reality, that is not the case..."
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