Shisui! This is all for the Uchiha!

Inside the tent, the uniquely hoarse laughter of Orochimaru echoed. To Uchiha Yoru's ears, it no longer sounded sinister or terrifying—instead, it was filled with pleasant notes.

Ugh—

A retching sound followed, and from Orochimaru's mouth slithered a snake dripping with saliva. The snake then gagged and spat out a scroll, soaked and slimy with mucus.

When he saw that scroll, Uchiha Yoru's face flushed with excitement. Orochimaru, having retracted the long snake, licked the corner of his mouth and chuckled. "Yoru, your teacher has high hopes for your talent."

The scroll unfurled, revealing a list of names. He spotted Orochimaru's name, and the last one was Mitarashi Anko.

The Summoning Beast scroll of Ryūchi Cave!

At that moment, Uchiha Yoru took a deep breath, suppressing his exhilaration, and replied respectfully, "Yes! Teacher Orochimaru, Uchiha Yoru will not let you down."

Or rather, the Uchiha Clan would not let him down, since the relationship between them was more political than anything.

For Orochimaru, the financial backing from Konoha's Premier Noble Clan was a godsend. It allowed his research lab, which had been slowed by funding issues, to resume normal operations.

And the meaning behind Uchiha Yoru's address of "teacher" had shifted. Before, it was because he was in the same squad as Anko, and Orochimaru was their squad leader. Yoru had used the term to curry favor. But this time, "teacher" signified a master-disciple bond—a political alliance of mutual benefit. Before Orochimaru defected, if you wanted to thrive in Konoha, you needed Political Acumen.

A kunai sliced his finger, and he wrote his name on the Summoning Beast scroll, finishing with his palm print. Orochimaru smiled.

"Yoru, it seems you're quite clever, knowing how to leverage your advantages."

Orochimaru's shrewd eyes seemed to see through everything. Uchiha Yoru looked up without hiding anything, replying with a respectful smile. "Teacher Orochimaru, isn't the Uchiha Clan's willingness to provide full logistical support what matters most?"

The implication was clear: Teacher Orochimaru, what you urgently need now is ample funding for research. Does it matter who provides it?

Even if Orochimaru already suspected something, he got what he needed. The rest was the Uchiha Clan's own business.

Hearing this, Orochimaru smiled. He was curious about his new disciple's abilities—not just his talent in ninjutsu, but his mind. It seemed less like a simple ninja's thinking and more like the Political Mind of a major clan.

"So, my disciple, can the Uchiha elites on the front lines follow your commands?"

To Orochimaru, who it was didn't matter—only the benefits he gained mattered.

Uchiha Yoru was inwardly startled. So Orochimaru had already caught wind of something—like the fact that, alongside the massive financial backing, the clan had given him another task: to fully assist the Uchiha Clan's genius, Uchiha Itachi, in becoming Orochimaru's disciple.

That was right. Uchiha Yoru had used the clan's resources to pave his own path.

"Teacher Orochimaru, rest assured. The Uchiha Clan is willing to follow your orders!"

Uchiha Yoru bowed respectfully, pledging his and the clan's loyalty, while silently thinking: As long as someone from the Uchiha Clan becomes Orochimaru's disciple, it doesn't matter who specifically.

The rice was already cooked. That five-year-old Uchiha Itachi had no chance now.

In the original timeline, the Uchiha Clan couldn't establish a connection with Orochimaru, so this partnership never materialized. This time, he had used his knowledge of the Wood Style ninja Yamato to forge the link. It was a bit of a bluff, but that didn't matter anymore—what mattered was that he had succeeded.

Watching Uchiha Yoru, Orochimaru let out a hoarse laugh. He had no interest in the infighting and power struggles of the great clans. He got what he wanted, and that was enough.

"Heh, this scroll of research data, I'll trouble the Uchiha elites to handle it. When you return, go find Anko. She'll teach you some Snake Style Ninjutsu."

Orochimaru casually handed over a scroll. Uchiha Yoru took it with a grin. He had succeeded! Now he was truly Orochimaru's disciple, and he could even milk his own clan for resources first.

"Teacher Orochimaru, don't worry. I'll go inform Shisui right away."

With that, Uchiha Yoru excitedly took his leave. At this point, Orochimaru wasn't obsessed with the Sharingan yet—he was only interested in Eternal Life. Yoru was still safe.

More importantly, he only had a One Tomoe Sharingan. If Orochimaru wanted a test subject from the Uchiha Clan, he'd need at least a Three Tomoe. Besides, Yoru still had value.

In the original story, even though Orochimaru was an early big bad, he had charisma and tolerance. As long as you had value, your flaws didn't matter—his magnanimity was vast.

The clearest example was Sasuke Uchiha, who spoke to him rudely. But Orochimaru never got angry. As long as you were useful, nothing else mattered.

Now, he had successfully become Orochimaru's disciple for two reasons: the Uchiha Clan's allegiance and his own talent. Even if that talent was temporarily bought with money, who else would know?

When he returned to the Uchiha tent, Shisui was still there.

"Brother Yoru."

Shisui smiled when he saw him. Though he surpassed Uchiha Yoru in strength, he fell far short in other areas—especially regarding the Uchiha Clan's future. Lost and uncertain, he had finally seen a beam of light.

Uchiha Yoru entered with a hesitant, troubled look on his face. He then glanced around meaningfully. Shisui immediately spoke in a low voice, "Everyone, set up a perimeter alert."

Sure enough, faint rustling came from the tent's surroundings. The Uchiha Clan's awkward position had even affected the front lines—their tent was isolated, a clear sign of their ostracization.

The Uchiha Clan was being isolated.

"Brother Yoru, the perimeter is secure, and there's a barrier. We're safe."

After confirming everything was in place, Shisui frowned and looked at Uchiha Yoru with suspicion. "Brother Yoru, what's wrong?"

Uchiha Yoru gave a bitter smile and shook his head with a sigh. "Shisui, the clan's task was to wait for the Son of the Clan Head, Uchiha Itachi, to arrive. With his talent and my discreet probing, we'd see if he could become Orochimaru's disciple."

When Shisui heard this, his brow furrowed. He knew about this plan, but why bring it up now? Could it be—

"Brother Yoru, did you run into some trouble?"

The honest Uchiha Shisui was full of worry. The Uchiha Clan's situation was too dire. They had finally managed to connect with the future Fifth Hokage—they couldn't afford to lose this chance.

Seeing Shisui's concerned face, Uchiha Yoru sighed inwardly. Shisui, I'm doing this for the clan, for the Uchiha.

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