"I'm sorry, Minato. You've barely taken office, and my clan is already itching to make trouble for you…"
"No—if we're assigning blame, then I'm the one who failed to take a hard enough stance at the negotiating table. I bear responsibility for not bringing Shisui back… and for not getting Hyūga Sei back either…"
Watching Minato's sincerity—so earnest it didn't feel like an act—Fugaku let out a bitter smile and shook his head, half-mocking himself.
"If you insist on saying that, then I'm the one who should shoulder the most responsibility, Minato. I'm the clan head who watched Shisui get taken… We've all fought Kaguya Ren and lost. There's no need for this back-and-forth politeness."
"We still have to be careful," Minato said, shaking his head. He thanked Mikoto as she set down the tea, then continued, "This problem won't be solved anytime soon. If we can't stabilize everyone's emotions, we'll only invite outside enemies to take advantage."
"Yes… but some people just don't understand that," Fugaku said, staring into the pale green of his tea, his voice heavy. "The hawks know we can't take Shisui back by force. But they must keep up a hardline posture to maintain their standing in the clan."
"They're even abusing the Military Police's authority—arresting Hyūga clansmen whose opinions don't align with theirs."
"The situation is already bad enough… and instead of drawing closer to the Hyūga—who share the same pain—they're pushing them further into conflict."
"What about the more moderate voices?" Minato asked in a low, steady tone. "Can't you rely on them?"
"It's impossible," Fugaku replied with a slow shake of his head. "Those outside the hawks aren't as loud, but they're just as unwilling to accept the Sharingan falling into another village's hands."
"The Uchiha are proud. At best, they'll stay silent. But they will never openly support abandoning Shisui."
"Then you'll need to keep a closer eye on the Police Force," Minato sighed, rising to his feet. His expression had turned grave. "People in the village already resent the Military Police being an Uchiha preserve."
"If you let them continue abusing their authority just to posture, Fugaku… then even if we have a good relationship, I can still make the decision to dismantle the Police Force."
"I'll… do my best," Fugaku answered, seated on the sofa, his expression complicated.
"Sorry to disturb you, Fugaku. Mikoto," Minato nodded to them both and turned toward the door.
But before he could leave the living room, he froze—at the same time as Fugaku.
The reason was simple.
At that very moment, an ANBU from the Yamanaka clan at Hiruzen's side used the Mind Transmission Technique to broadcast a message to every shinobi of Special Jōnin rank and above across the village.
Orochimaru had defected.
"…Orochimaru… defected?"
Minato's mind went blank for a heartbeat.
Before coming to the Uchiha district, he'd already suspected Orochimaru—after all, Shikaku had mentioned "materials involving someone troublesome," and Orochimaru was the one who had always been closest to Danzō.
But even so… he never imagined that with Hiruzen personally stepping in, Orochimaru would still be driven to the point of outright defection.
That was one of the Sannin. Hiruzen's own disciple. The jōnin with the most high-difficulty missions completed in the entire village.
At a time like this.
The Leaf had only just begun to settle after the war. Now the undercurrents would rise again—sharper, darker, hungrier.
Minato met Fugaku's eyes. They both knew the voice in their heads hadn't been imagination.
Minato spoke without hesitation.
"Fugaku—Leaf's defenses and mobilization are in your hands. I have to return immediately."
"When you draft the pursuit plan," Fugaku said, voice tightening, "make sure you include the Uchiha."
"Of course."
With a flash of Flying Thunder God, Minato vanished from Fugaku and Mikoto's sight.
Fugaku's earlier dejection was gone in an instant. He moved with brisk efficiency, donned his jōnin uniform, and began gathering every Uchiha jōnin who could be deployed.
…
While the entire Leaf churned in panic at the earthshaking news of Orochimaru's defection, Orochimaru himself did something uncharacteristically quiet.
He slipped back into a less-public laboratory and began calmly sorting through the research he'd accumulated over the years.
He wasn't worried about whether he could escape the village.
He'd worn the title of "Sannin" for too long, lived too many missions, cultivated too many routes. No simple "seal the village" order would ever block all his exits—not when his hands had been building doors for years.
Even if the Third Hokage pursued him… even if Jiraiya appeared…
Orochimaru had absolute confidence he could leave.
The only thing left to consider was which path he would take after he did.
"If I build my own village… I head north. If I vanish and watch the tides… I go south. If I seize a small country's rule and act in the shadows… I go west. If I chase my dream… I go east…"
He sealed his precious documents into scrolls as he weighed each option's cost and benefit, turning possibilities like scalpels in his mind.
When everything of value in the laboratory had been packed and fed into the belly of a summoned snake, he tapped a finger against his palm.
Decision made.
"…I'll establish my own village first," Orochimaru murmured. "Meeting a partner as a homeless dog is… unbecoming."
"A village leader can't call himself a Kage, but at least he won't arrive as a servant from the start."
With the choice settled, he used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, letting the gale wreck the instruments and tear the lab into ruin.
Then he opened the door to leave the village that no longer had room for him.
And stopped.
Because standing outside—crying so hard she could barely breathe—was a girl.
"O-Orochimaru-sama…"
Mitarashi Anko lifted her tear-stained face, sobbing through swollen eyes. Facing Orochimaru's cold, razor-edged gaze, her voice came out broken and thick.
"They… they said you… you defected… that you're a traitor… a terrible person…"
"I… I didn't believe it… so I… I came here. I waited. I thought… if you didn't betray us… then today, or tomorrow… you'd come back to check your experiments…"
"I… I waited… and you came… thank goodness…"
Orochimaru narrowed those golden, serpent-slit eyes. His voice was calm—and merciless.
"Oh? So you waited here because you believed I hadn't defected?"
"N-no… not that…"
Anko shook her head hard, tears and snot streaking messily with the motion. Yet her voice, somehow, grew steadier.
"I came… to find you."
"I just wanted to know… to you… do I still have value? Do I still mean anything?"
"If I still have… even a little… usefulness…"
"Then… can you not leave me behind?"
A thin smile touched Orochimaru's lips.
"A clever way to phrase it, Anko."
He bent down, pinched her chin between his fingers, and stared into her eyes.
"You've decided to remain loyal to me, haven't you?"
Anko stopped her sobbing and nodded hard.
"Then I'll give you a task."
"Before anyone notices you, leave the village. Head east. Keep going until you reach the small country called Wave."
"Meet the man there—the one who claims he's willing to give me shelter."
"Go. Fast as you can. If you can reach him… then you still have value to me."
"Do you understand?"
"Wave…" Anko sniffed, wiping at her face, and nodded again—fierce, stubborn.
"I'll get there. I'll meet him for you, Orochimaru-sama."
"Good."
"Then let me pay part of your reward… now."
Orochimaru's neck snapped forward like a striking snake.
Before Anko could even react, he bit down at her throat—leaving behind a searing mark shaped like three tomoe.
"O-Orochimaru… sama… it's hot… it hurts…"
She clutched her neck and dropped to her knees, voice shattering into gasps as she endured the agony of his "gift."
Orochimaru didn't even look back.
"Take my token… and go meet Kaguya Ren."
He left her on the cold floor behind him—writhing, trembling, convulsing like a small animal with venom flooding its arteries.
"Only if you live long enough to see him… will you have the right to stay by my side."
"If you die under this imperfect Heaven Curse Mark…"
"Then die as a 'hero' who resisted the rogue shinobi Orochimaru, and let the Leaf carve your name onto the Memorial Stone."
"Either way is better than rotting away in other people's scorn and prejudice…"
"…beside that decaying old man, until you decay with him."
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