Trading Kou for Teacher Orochimaru

Konoha Frontline Camp.

Orochimaru extended his crimson tongue, eyeing the other man with an utterly perverse gaze, his pupils brimming with excitement, as if to say this wasn't enough—spill the Uchiha's secrets, let him see what they really were. As for threats? Heh, that had never crossed his mind.

Threatening a Sannin? Wasn't he afraid the man would turn around and ally with Danzo and the entire village against the Uchiha? No one was a fool.

Seeing Orochimaru's interest piqued, Uchiha Yoruro inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he knew the direction this world was heading; with future intelligence in hand, he wasn't worried about failing to string the man along.

"According to reliable intel, one of Lord Orochimaru's Wood Release Experiment Subjects managed to survive and even awakened the Kekkei Genkai. He's currently in Root, codename 'Kou.'"

After laying this out, Uchiha Yoruro felt a swell of smug satisfaction. He refused to believe that Orochimaru, who had studied every scrap of Konoha's data, wouldn't grasp the true power of Wood Style. Now that he knew Wood Style had resurfaced in the world, and had slipped through his fingers, wouldn't he be stunned?

Trading information he had no use for—just knowledge he happened to possess—for benefits, now that was a deal worth making. As for exposing the future Wood Style ninja Yamato, what did that have to do with him? If you knew the future, you naturally maximized your own gains.

Sure enough, when Orochimaru heard that one of his old experiment subjects had survived and awakened Wood Style, his expression shifted. But he suppressed the tremor in his heart in an instant, lifting his head to study the Uchiha before him with keen interest.

"Heh, it seems Uchiha intelligence isn't as crude as I imagined—they can even dig up Root's secrets."

Orochimaru couldn't deny his shock. Root's ninja were almost all bound by the Curse Mark of the Tongue. When it came to information security in the shinobi world, Root ranked among the top. Yet these Uchiha had managed to get a foothold inside.

It wasn't that the Uchiha lacked the strength—as Konoha's premier clan, their power was undeniable. But this was intelligence, not combat ability.

Just as Uchiha Yoruro had anticipated, Orochimaru credited it all to the Uchiha clan. After all, there was no way a mere One Tomoe chunin like him could pull this off—even a Three Tomoe Elite Jonin would be stretching it.

"Heh, Lord Yoru, you're quite impressive. Others only see you using your looks to get close to Anko and achieve your goals, while most eyes are on the other Uchiha elite squad. But they don't realize you're the clan's true confidant."

A full smile spread across Orochimaru's face as he pieced it together. The Yoru before him was a trusted insider of the Uchiha clan. His strength was mediocre, but that made him perfect for passing intelligence.

On the surface, he used his appearance to approach his disciple Anko for some ulterior motive, but in truth, he was directly relaying information to him. A feint to the east, a strike to the west—the Uchiha played this hand masterfully. It even delighted him a little. He had truly underestimated them.

"Then, Lord Yoru, you'll form a squad with Anko tomorrow. It'll be a good fit."

With his hoarse laugh, Orochimaru decided to get closer to the Uchiha clan first, to see how much unexpected intelligence they could offer and how many surprises they'd bring.

Hearing Orochimaru's arrangement, Uchiha Yoruro flashed a professional smile, inwardly cheering that his goal was finally achieved. As long as he could quickly get his hands on the one million the elder had promised him, he'd be one step closer to his plan.

"Thank you, Lord Orochimaru. That intelligence was discovered by chance. It seems even the Third Hokage doesn't know about it, and this matter was investigated under the Fourth Hokage's secret orders."

Uchiha Yoruro nodded gratefully, then promptly shifted the blame. The Fourth Hokage was already in the Shinigami's belly—Orochimaru had no way to verify it. In short, it had nothing to do with him; he was just a messenger. Orochimaru had better ensure the safety of this line.

Hearing this, Orochimaru's expression cleared. So that was it. No wonder. Now everything made sense.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had only been in office for a year, but he was still the Hokage. Naturally, he had to engage in power struggles. And this was the first time in Konoha's—or even the village system's—history that two Hokage existed simultaneously.

Usually, the predecessor either died in battle before the successor took over. That wasn't the case here. The Third Hokage was still alive, not dead in combat, so he naturally retained some authority—namely, his direct ANBU.

(In the anime, someone during the Nine-Tails Night clearly shouted, 'It's the Third's ANBU,' implying the Fourth also had his own ANBU.)

So Minato needed to cultivate his own people. But training took too long; a faster method was to recruit allies. The ostracized Uchiha were the perfect targets.

Thinking this over, Orochimaru couldn't help but sigh. No wonder Minato had been so close to Fugaku back then, and even the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and Mikoto Uchiha were tight. That brat had grown into a qualified politician. He had underestimated him all along.

As the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze stood at the center of power, making it easier for him to uncover certain intel, especially with his elusive Flying Thunder God technique.

At this thought, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. Minato had discovered the existence of a Wood Style ninja but lacked the forces to investigate further. The Uchiha became the perfect choice—logical and reasonable.

If Uchiha Yoruro knew what Orochimaru was deducing, he'd probably give him a big thumbs-up. Yes! Exactly! That's what you think!

"Lord Orochimaru, the Uchiha Clan will do everything in their power to help you become the Fifth Hokage."

In that moment, Uchiha Yoruro expressed his loyalty with a reverent, fervent look, and Orochimaru let out his signature hoarse laugh.

"Heh, Lord Yoru, Anko is my student. This squad will be under my direct command."

Hearing this, Uchiha Yoruro's face lit up with excitement. He immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle and shouted, "Teacher Orochimaru!"

Forget about saving face, and never mind that Orochimaru would eventually defect. The immediate benefits were what mattered. Besides, Orochimaru defected because of human experimentation. If a reckoning ever came, countless ninja had supported him—there was safety in numbers.

Moreover, he had the Uchiha clan behind him. Based on his estimates, Orochimaru wouldn't defect for at least two more years. Since he couldn't stop it, he might as well profit from it.

Stop it? Orochimaru had no interest in the Uchiha now only because he hadn't yet tasted the Mangekyo's wrath. If he actually became Hokage, well, the Uchiha might not be wiped out, but they'd definitely become regulars in Orochimaru's lab.

So he wouldn't stop it. Instead, he'd milk this for all it was worth. Otherwise, when would he ever scrape together enough gold to buy a Mangekyo?

As for when Orochimaru would defect, that was easy to deduce. Uchiha Yoruro sneered inwardly. The Fourth had just died, and the borders were in turmoil. Anyone with eyes could see that once the border situation stabilized, it would be time to elect the Fifth Hokage.

The border instability would last at least a year or so. And Orochimaru's defection wasn't just Danzo's fault—it was political.

Danzo, as long as he still wanted to be Hokage, wouldn't want a young upstart like Orochimaru taking power. On the other hand, there was the Third Hokage's political bloc. Even if Sarutobi didn't want it, the Sarutobi Clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho, and other families, driven by self-interest, would silently accept it.

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