Seeds of Distrust

"I hope you choose Orochimaru."

Uchiha Yama's voice drifted over slowly.

Uchiha Chen sat in his chair, raising his head to look at Uchiha Yama in surprise.

"Orochimaru?"

"That's right. If you want to avenge your father, choose Orochimaru," Uchiha Yama said in a low voice.

"Among Sarutobi Hiruzen's three disciples, Orochimaru is the one most likely to become the Fourth Hokage."

"Although Tsunade is the First Hokage's granddaughter, she is only a woman. Besides, she has no ambition to become Hokage."

"As for Jiraiya, he is nothing but a fool. He has the least hope of becoming Hokage. Orochimaru, however, is different. He perfectly inherited the Third Hokage's attainments in Ninjutsu. Of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mastery of the five elemental Ninjutsu, only Orochimaru truly inherited it."

"Although Orochimaru is a commoner, he is a true genius. Of the three disciples, Sarutobi Hiruzen likes Orochimaru the most."

"So, among the three of them, Orochimaru has the greatest chance of inheriting the position of Fourth Hokage."

"If you want revenge, then you must get close to Orochimaru and become his disciple. Then earn Orochimaru's trust and continuously gather intelligence on him for me."

"Only then will you have a chance to truly stand against Sarutobi Hiruzen and avenge your father, Uchiha Kagami."

"If you do well, the Uchiha Clan will fully support you in becoming Hokage. By then, Fugaku will be the Uchiha Clan's patriarch, and you will be Hokage. The two of you will support each other and bring glory to the Uchiha Clan. That is what I hope you will do."

Uchiha Chen narrowed his eyes. His face was flushed, and he looked deeply tempted.

Yet inwardly, Uchiha Chen was cursing wildly.

A spy?

Was he supposed to follow Uchiha Itachi's old path?

Uchiha Chen found it extremely troublesome.

All he had wanted before was to keep farming Ninja Points and steadily grow stronger.

But reality would not give him that much time.

A genius would be courted by every faction.

And Uchiha Chen was a newly risen genius, as well as the son of Uchiha Kagami, the Second Hokage's disciple.

The Third Hokage and the Uchiha Clan would immediately begin their contest.

Uchiha Chen would also have to choose a side at once.

Would it be the Hokage's side, the Uchiha Clan's side, or perhaps even Root's side?

The various factions were already eager to recruit him.

Uchiha Chen had no idea how much of Uchiha Yama's words were true.

But supporting him in becoming Hokage was the most absurd part. If he had truly been a six-year-old boy, he might have been fooled. Unfortunately, he was not.

If Uchiha Yama truly had that ability, he would definitely spare no effort to make his own son, Fugaku, Hokage.

And once Uchiha Chen had been used up, he would likely be discarded.

Still, Uchiha Yama truly deserved to be called a ninja who had survived the Warring States Period. His analysis and control of the situation far surpassed ordinary people.

Orochimaru really was currently the Third Hokage's ideal candidate for Hokage.

But the future was impossible to predict.

In the end, events would only unfold contrary to Uchiha Yama's expectations.

Orochimaru's cold nature and ambition caused the Third Hokage's favorite disciple to lose his chance of becoming Hokage.

Then Minato rose abruptly, completely extinguishing Orochimaru's hopes.

And what was most lamentable was that Jiraiya, the fool Uchiha Yama thought least of, was actually the one among the Three Sannin most likely to become Hokage.

It was only because Jiraiya was lazy by nature and unwilling to inherit the position of Hokage that he yielded it to Tsunade.

Orochimaru, whom everyone had favored most, ultimately defected. Jiraiya, whom everyone had favored least, had the best chance of becoming Hokage. Yet the one who ultimately took the position was Tsunade, who had mocked the Hokage as a fool.

That was why the future was impossible to predict.

Of the three, the person Uchiha Chen least wanted to become a disciple of was Orochimaru.

Setting aside Orochimaru's twisted personality, although Orochimaru was not yet interested in the Sharingan,

once Uncle Snake discovered the power of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, he would definitely be tempted.

Although Uncle Snake had both skills and knowledge and was indeed an excellent choice for a teacher, serving under someone like that was also the most unsettling.

Uchiha Chen revealed a troubled expression.

"What is it? Is there a problem?" Uchiha Yama asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, Lady Tsunade already spoke to me during the day and asked me to choose her as my instructor. Should I reject her tomorrow, Clan Head?" Uchiha Chen asked in a troubled tone.

Uchiha Yama was stunned.

"Tsunade?"

Uchiha Yama lightly tapped the table, and the atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

"It seems even the Princess of the Senju has taken a liking to our Uchiha Clan's genius boy." Uchiha Yama wore a gentle expression.

But hearing those words made Uchiha Chen's heart turn cold.

It seemed Uchiha Yama had developed killing intent toward him. "Do not reject Tsunade. Maintain a good relationship with Tsunade, and even with her younger brother Nawaki."

"Also, when you graduate, I will find a way to make you Orochimaru's disciple."

"Pretend tonight never happened. The Uchiha Clan will always be your support. Do not disappoint me, child." Uchiha Yama patted Uchiha Chen's shoulder.

"Go claim some Scrolls from the clan. Our Uchiha Clan cannot be compared with the Ninja Academy."

"Spend more time with my son Fugaku. The two of you will become good friends." Uchiha Yama laughed heartily and waved Uchiha Chen away.

Wearing a moved expression, Uchiha Chen slowly left the room.

After a while, a figure suddenly appeared in the room.

The figure knelt on one knee before the table—it was Vice Captain Uchiha Kan.

"What do you think?" Uchiha Yama asked.

"Uchiha Chen does not trust our words."

"It is only right that he does not trust us. What I said was half true and half false to begin with. The clan has always excluded him over the years and sent him off to a remote place. It is normal for him not to trust us. I simply did not expect Uchiha Chen to grow up even under such circumstances. As expected of Kagami's son."

"Then why did you still... Wouldn't it be better to have your subordinate take care of him sooner? After all, Uchiha Kagami's death is inseparable from us."

"Why suddenly treat him like this?"

"The Uchiha Clan may look glorious now. Put nicely, we control Konoha's security work. Put bluntly, we are dogs raised by Konoha."

"And we lack intelligence on Konoha High Command," Uchiha Yama explained.

"So, I need an intermediary. A spy. Uchiha Kagami's son will make a fine bridge. Sarutobi Hiruzen will trust him. After all, he is Uchiha Kagami's son."

"So we cannot kill him yet. He cannot escape my grasp. I have already discovered Uchiha Chen's weakness."

"And what we need is to plant a thorn in Uchiha Chen's heart. As long as he believes Sarutobi Hiruzen may be the murderer who killed his father, that will be enough. That thorn will create prejudice."

"Prejudice will breed distrust. Distrust will breed resentment. Sometimes, all it takes is a few small tricks."

"So, you know what to do now, right?"

"Yes, I understand."

Uchiha Kan slowly withdrew.

Uchiha Yama sat in his chair with his eyes closed.

In truth, there was one most important point he had not spoken aloud.

That was that Orochimaru would become a rival on Fugaku's path to becoming Hokage. Planting a nail beside him meant that as long as even the slightest piece of intelligence unfavorable to Orochimaru was uncovered, it would become a fatal stain on Orochimaru.

"Kagami, I never expected that even after your death, you could still help me so much. I will take good care of your son for you. Hahaha." Uchiha Yama's suppressed laughter echoed through the room.