Uchiha's Hidden Dragon and Crouching Tiger

Uchiha Compound, Naka Shrine.

Inside the dim stone chamber, Uchiha Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Uchiha Setsuna sat side by side.

Looking at the two of them, Uchiha Yoru could not help muttering inwardly, Could this be some strange family tradition? Did they like holding discussions in gloomy secret chambers?

"Yoru, the clan remembers the glory your contributions have brought us."

After serving up a bowl of empty praise, Uchiha Yoru put on an excited expression and nodded solemnly. "Clan Head, Elder, for the proud Uchiha."

If you're serving empty praise, then naturally I have to play along. As the ancestors of his previous life had said, when you lacked the strength to change everything, you had to learn to blend in.

"Yoru, why has the village summoned Orochimaru back this time?"

Sure enough, the ever-proud Uchiha Clan had not inherited the Hokage Faction's gift for speeches. A few words of feel-good platitudes, and they were done, getting straight to business. That was also what Uchiha Yoru appreciated most about them. Still, he did not agree with it. Once he had a voice within the clan, he would definitely have to study the Third Hokage's speeches more.

Uchiha Fugaku and Elder Setsuna both turned questioning gazes toward him. At that moment, Uchiha Yoru could no longer afford to let his thoughts wander. He immediately said respectfully in a low voice, "Clan Head, Elder, the situation doesn't look too optimistic."

"What happened?"

Both Fugaku and Elder Setsuna showed grave expressions. Given the Uchiha's current circumstances, they had practically been ostracized by the entire village. They had finally managed to establish a connection with Orochimaru, and they did not want anything to happen to it.

Uchiha Yoru let out a faint sigh and began explaining.

"Clan Head, Elder, Teacher Orochimaru has always wanted to become the Fifth Hokage. But this reassignment from the Front Line is clearly an attempt to steal his credit and reap the rewards. Teacher even hinted in private that some people in the village do not want to see him become Hokage."

"I specifically asked Teacher Orochimaru about it. It would have been one thing if he became a Hokage without any foundation, but now that Teacher Orochimaru has built up his own base, once he becomes Hokage, the village's interests will have to be redistributed."

As Uchiha Yoru spoke the latter half, he frowned as though he did not understand it himself. Yet when his words reached Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Setsuna's ears, their expressions changed drastically. They understood exactly what he meant.

Elder Setsuna could not help but curse, "Just as I thought! The Sarutobi Clan is making moves. Hiruzen Sarutobi simply cannot bear to let go of the interests already in his hands."

"Elder, don't act rashly." Though Fugaku thought the same, he was still more restrained and could not help trying to dissuade the elder beside him.

However, as a representative of the hawks, how could Elder Setsuna submit so easily? He immediately sneered coldly in displeasure.

"Fugaku, haven't you seen it clearly yet? The village's interests have only just been divided up. Once a new Fifth Hokage appears, it will inevitably mean the rise of a new power, and the interests of every clan in the village will have to be touched. They don't want that—especially Hiruzen Sarutobi. He is clearly clinging to power."

Seeing Elder Setsuna's look of utter disdain for Hiruzen Sarutobi, Clan Head Fugaku merely shook his head and sighed. He did not know how to persuade him either, so he turned to Uchiha Yoru and changed the subject, raising another question.

"Yoru, do you know what arrangements have been made for Orochimaru after his return to the village?"

That was the key issue. What was Cold Lord Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, going to do? They could not simply leave him in the village as a mascot, could they?

Elder Setsuna was drawn in as well. This time, Uchiha Yoru truly sighed from the bottom of his heart. Orochimaru had indeed told him through his summoning beast, and that was precisely why he both sighed and admired them.

The Hokage Faction's political acumen was truly impressive. He had only understood this political angle because he had the perspective of five thousand years of history from his previous life. Yet how long had the Shinobi World existed? How many generations had the Five Great Nations even lasted?

These political methods had truly been developed bit by bit through experience.

"Clan Head, Elder, Teacher Orochimaru is now part of Root. He said he is to carry out a top-secret S-rank mission."

As he said this, Uchiha Yoru raised his head and looked at Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Setsuna. Before they could ask further, he put on an expression that placed the clan's interests above all else and spoke in a deep voice of this top-secret mission.

"Root plans to restart the Wood Release Project, along with another human experimentation project. I do not yet know the specifics. I only caught Teacher's attention because I have some medical ninjutsu skill."

After hearing this, Fugaku and Elder Setsuna reacted differently. Fugaku secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as long as it was not some major operation. Elder Setsuna, however, seemed to think of something and snorted coldly in displeasure.

"They're restarting the Wood Release human experimentation project? What is the village trying to do? Isn't it obvious? They are clearly guarding against us Uchiha. Wood Release can suppress tailed beasts, and it is also a powerful weapon against us Uchiha."

It had to be said, when it came to hostility toward the village, this hawkish elder was truly unmatched.

Yet Uchiha Yoru secretly shook his head and sighed inwardly. The Uchiha had always remained outside the center of power. How could they possess the foresight gained from the Hokage Faction's years of political struggle?

This was clearly meant to sideline Orochimaru. A top-secret mission not only suited Orochimaru's tastes, but could also defuse the coming political crisis.

There would be no need to select a Fifth Hokage. The interests of the village's upper ranks would all remain protected, and everything could stay just as it was. How wonderful.

But no one could have imagined that this attempt to sideline him might cause Orochimaru to lose all hope in Konoha. Or perhaps he would only truly give up when the events that ignited everything finally occurred.

"Clan Head, Great Elder, according to the information I uncovered, the village's Wood Release Project had already succeeded once by accident several years ago. That is why it is being restarted this time."

"What?!"

The moment Uchiha Yoru revealed this intelligence, Fugaku and Elder Setsuna's faces changed dramatically in shock. Wood Release! Fugaku might not fully understand it, but Elder Setsuna knew very well what a terrifying existence it was.

The village had actually succeeded? And they were going to restart it!

At that moment, Elder Setsuna's countless grievances instantly vanished, replaced by deep fear. Wood Release! Only those eyes could contend with it. Before the Uchiha possessed those eyes, they absolutely could not clash with Konoha again.

"Clan Head, Great Elder, Teacher Orochimaru said that although the previous experiment had only accidentally succeeded in one case, the odds are much higher this time. At most, within two years, as long as we give him our full support, Teacher Orochimaru will be able to contend for the position of Hokage with this tremendous achievement."

Naturally, Uchiha Yoru had thought up those words himself, but they sounded different to Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Setsuna. Even as they were shocked, looks of realization appeared on their faces.

That was right! If Orochimaru succeeded a few more times, then with several Wood Style Ninjas under his command, no one would be able to stop him from contending for the position of Hokage. Their eyes immediately filled with fervor. They could not stop the Wood Release Project, but they could attach themselves to the future Hokage.

Wasn't the Uchiha's current goal to restore mutual trust with Konoha? Who cared about Wood Release? Besides, they could not control it anyway.

What they did not know was that this so-called Wood Release was merely a watered-down version. Forget the Mangekyo—even the Three Tomoe could face it head-on. (In the original work, Sasuke's Three Tomoe easily defeated Yamato.)

Wood Release! Those two words echoed through the minds of Uchiha Clan Head Fugaku and Elder Setsuna. Only after a long while did they digest the news, though the shock in their hearts remained difficult to suppress. Had the village gone mad? Clearly not. Then there was only one other possibility: Konoha had made breakthrough progress with Wood Release.

Watching the clan head and elder fill in the blanks on their own, Uchiha Yoru took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Clan Head, Elder, although the village has restarted the Wood Release Project, the funds allocated due to Konoha's unrest are far from sufficient."

The moment Uchiha Yoru said this, Elder Setsuna was the first to react. He sneered coldly. "Good! Good! The Third Hokage truly has quite the plan."

Not only was Uchiha Yoru confused now, even Clan Head Fugaku looked puzzled. Elder Setsuna looked at the two of them and sneered, "Is there even a need to ask? What research project is not measured in years? If the Wood Release Project were so easy to develop, there would not have been only one test subject that appeared by accident after all these years. Even with one already in existence, Orochimaru would need at least several years to achieve breakthrough progress, not to mention the current lack of funding."

"The Third Hokage, the Sarutobi Clan, and the current upper ranks are all trying to stall. Isn't the shortage of funds precisely a way to delay Orochimaru's path to becoming Hokage?"

At that moment, Elder Setsuna directly transformed into a Great Wise Man on par with the Hidden Dragon and Crouching Tiger, revealing a disdainful sneer. "What a despicable tactic—dragging things out for several years. And in the next few years, Orochimaru will likely keep a low profile because of his research. Time is the strongest weapon. By then, will Cold Lord Orochimaru still have the prestige he does now?"

Elder Setsuna seemed to have seen through everything. The Hokage's faction simply could not bear to let go of the power in their hands and was doing everything it could to delay Orochimaru's ascent to Hokage.

After hearing this, Clan Head Fugaku showed a look of realization. His expression turned solemn as he nodded. "The Elder is right. But this is also an opportunity for our Uchiha."

At that, Fugaku and Elder Setsuna exchanged glances and both broke into smiles. Perhaps it was not a good thing for Orochimaru, but for the Uchiha, it was a good thing. Wasn't this an opportunity delivered right to their doorstep?

They had been worrying that their relationship with Orochimaru was not close enough and that the favor they had done him was not substantial enough. Now, their chance had come.

"Yoru! The clan will fully fund Orochimaru's research."

At that moment, the two of them made their decision without hesitation. With such a wonderful opportunity before them, no one would let it slip away easily.

Seeing those two Great Wise Men, Uchiha Yoruro immediately revealed an excited expression and solemnly nodded. "Clan Head! Elder! For the glory of the Uchiha, I, Uchiha Yoruro, will stand unwaveringly behind Teacher Orochimaru."

After the clan's secret meeting ended, Uchiha Yoruro had officially entered the Uchiha's center of power and helped determine the clan's future direction. As for how following Orochimaru would lead to a bad ending? It should be said that following the Uchiha led to bad endings as well.

Not to mention the Uchiha—countless clans in Konoha wanted to latch onto Orochimaru. Even though Orochimaru now faced the danger of being sidelined, he was still a prized prospect in everyone's eyes.

Konoha's higher-ups were all old now. How much longer could they remain in power? Orochimaru, meanwhile, was in his prime, while the new generation had yet to grow up. At the very least, for the next five years, the only people in the village qualified to compete for the position of Fifth Hokage were the Sannin.

The Sannin! Jiraiya was wild and uninhibited, while Tsunade had gone far from home. Not to mention that during the competition for Fourth Hokage, both of them had chosen to withdraw. Now, more than a year later, no one could rival Orochimaru in popularity.

As for the higher-ups' delaying tactics, it was merely a matter of time. Thus, countless people were trying every possible way to get on Orochimaru's good side.

After returning to the luxurious house the clan had assigned him, Uchiha Yoruro narrowed his eyes and considered his plans for the next two years. By his calculations, Itachi was six this year, seven next year, and by the time Itachi awakened his Sharingan at eight, it would roughly be when Teacher Orochimaru defected.

[Host: Uchiha Yoruro (One Tomoe)]

[Chakra Amount: Elite Chunin]

[Chakra Nature: Fire (LV3), Lightning (LV4)]

[Swordsmanship (Taijutsu): LV4, Medical Ninjutsu LV4]

[Gold Coins: 21.35 million]

Looking at his status panel, Uchiha Yoruro immediately showed a melancholy expression. He had worked so hard for half a year and taken such enormous risks, playing both sides, yet he had only gained this little. How shameful.

These gold coins were enough to evolve his Sharingan into Three Tomoe, but so what? Evolving it to Three Tomoe would at most push his physique and chakra to the level of a Special Jonin, and that would take time. More importantly, would the overly rapid evolution of his Sharingan provoke certain people's greed?

After all, his identity was highly sensitive now. There were certainly people in Konoha who wanted something to happen to the Uchiha, who had grown close to Orochimaru—especially Danzō, lurking in the shadows.

At that thought, Uchiha Yoruro could not help but ponder quietly. "Ninjas rely on intelligence. My Medical Ninjutsu, which suddenly emerged out of nowhere, can still be glossed over for now. Before Teacher Orochimaru defects, I should avoid evolving my Sharingan as much as possible—or at most, reach Two Tomoe. That means I must become a Jonin within these two years, perhaps even an Elite Jonin. Only then will I have a real voice within the clan."

Orochimaru would defect in two years. If he remained at this level of strength, he would truly become an abandoned pawn. But if he possessed sufficient strength and handled things properly, he might not be unable to receive and inherit part of Orochimaru's legacy.

After all, in the original story, Orochimaru had been gone from Konoha for ten years, yet even then, members of the new generation like Mizuki still worshipped him. That showed just how great Orochimaru's influence was. And how could someone capable of competing for the Hokage position lack a group of followers? That was his legacy.

Once Orochimaru defected, those followers would be the first to suffer. But with the Uchiha as his backing, he naturally had nothing to fear. What about everyone else, though?

At that thought, Uchiha Yoruro smiled. "Perhaps I should properly improve my strength over the next two years. Or rather, become a fairly talented genius in Teacher's eyes—but I must not show too much talent in Kekkei Genkai."

[A four-thousand-word chapter is here. Updated early—please support.]

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