A Clash of Ideas at the Summit

Orochimaru in the study seemed like a completely different person; he was practically a wise politician who had a clear understanding of the situation in Konoha.

Uchiha Yoru was secretly shocked. Yes, everyone had overlooked one point. How could someone who was a strong contender for Hokage not understand politics? You must know that the Fourth Hokage's failure to be elected was due to the Third Hokage's decision. Otherwise, the Fourth Hokage would not have fallen to Minato Namikaze so easily.

"The initiative has never been in our hands. After all, this is still the last peak period of the King. At this time, whoever dares to cross the King's bottom line is in the most danger."

As Orochimaru looked at the Scroll of Seals in his hand, a mocking smile appeared on his face. "Teacher, is this your choice? You've abandoned me once again. What will you do next? Will you transfer me away like last time, or something else?"

The first time, Orochimaru chose to remain silent and accept everything.

Thinking of this, Orochimaru suddenly revealed his unique and frightening smile again, his hoarse laughter echoing in the dimly lit study.

"Heh, although I, Orochimaru, am not the White Fang, I still have my own Nindo, and isn't this the very ninja way that you, teacher, tacitly allowed me to find the Nindo that has been buried in my heart for so long!"

Amidst the echoing hoarse laughter, Uchiha Yoru understood his master's meaning: all the political maneuvering he had employed was, frankly, a waste of time.

If the Third Hokage chooses to stand by and watch, his chances of winning are naturally higher. But if the Third Hokage steps forward, then the outcome is virtually unassailable.

The Third Hokage's decades of rule and his reputation for turning the tide and preserving the village during the Fourth Hokage's death are unshakeable.

The Third Hokage may seem like a benevolent old man, but he was always a dictator in politics! More importantly, his strength was terrifying; the Third Hokage, still at his peak, was an extremely formidable force.

It seems that in this distorted historical context of the Shinobi World, every leader is a political dictator. For example, wasn't the First Hokage one? His ideals of peace were something that even Madara Uchiha couldn't violate.

"What a perverted and distorted world!" Uchiha Yoruro smiled as he thought of this, but the glory and power brought by the Noble Houses also filled him with intoxication.

"Lord Yoru, your strength has improved rapidly, but unfortunately, you still lack a bit of refinement. However, if you were to refine your skills a little more, perhaps you would become the new windmill of this decaying village."

At this moment, Orochimaru spoke in a hoarse voice with an extremely perverse smile, as if he had seen some interesting toy, which made Uchiha Yoru's scalp tingle.

"Teacher." Before Uchiha Yoru could finish speaking, Orochimaru's hoarse laughter interrupted him.

"Lord Yoru, I've said it from the beginning: you have ambition in your eyes. Your inherent arrogance is different from other Uchiha. You've always seemed so confident, and at the same time, you have ambition! Although you hide it well, I can see that you enjoy everything that power brings you."

After Orochimaru bluntly exposed his disguise, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but smile. His usual fake smile slowly disappeared, replaced by a smile that was now tinged with arrogance and overbearing swagger.

"Teacher Orochimaru, what do you think the Shinobi World would be like if that supreme position were held by someone with immense power, who would dominate the Shinobi World, and who also possessed endless life?"

At this point, Uchiha Yoru suddenly paused, as if he had thought of something, and a playful smile appeared on his face as he continued, "At the same time, when there is only one village in this Shinobi World, when there is only one voice! Then wouldn't there be no brutal Shinobi World War? Wouldn't that make me, in effect, the savior of the Shinobi World?"

As Orochimaru listened to Uchiha Yoru's words, which revealed his undisguised ambition after he removed his disguise, the smile on Orochimaru's face grew wider and wider. Finally, he burst into a hoarse laugh in the dimly lit study.

"Hehe, I didn't expect you, Lord Yoru, to have such great ambitions, but!" As he said this, Orochimaru slowly narrowed his eyes, seemingly revealing a longing and a desire for the future.

"At that time, the Shinobi World will probably welcome a legendary Sage of Six Paths. No! Sages have all disappeared into the river of history; instead, it will welcome a true sage."

Looking at Orochimaru, Uchiha Yoru smiled, "No! It should be two sages, or rather, these two sages will create Shinobi World ruled by sages!"

The two immortals are referring to these two people, and they also say that these two people created the Shinobi World ruled by immortals. Doesn't that mean there are other immortals who live forever?

Thinking of this, Orochimaru's smile grew even more twisted, obsessive, and insane. "That's right, when there are many outcasts, then they are no longer outcasts."

Immortals who live forever are anomalies, but what if this anomaly is a powerful group? Then it becomes the orthodox one, and more interesting things will be born on its solitary path, and it will no longer be a terrifying anomaly in everyone's eyes.

Thinking of this, Orochimaru laughed hoarsely, and Uchiha Yoru also rarely revealed his true feelings.

"No one was born standing in the heavens, neither you nor I, not even the Sage of Six Paths. But this intolerable vacancy on the throne of heaven is about to end. From now on, it will be the two of us, teacher, standing at the top."

Beneath Uchiha Yoru's noble smile, Orochimaru also smiled; this was an ambitious man who shared the same goal as him.

Both of them pursued immortality, but the difference was that Uchiha Yoru wanted to rule the entire Shinobi World, while he wanted to have an endless lifespan and learn all the Ninjutsu in the world. At the same time, he also wanted to see how far his disciple would go and how much of a storm he would bring to the world.

A windmill! Perhaps when he succeeds, it won't just be a windmill blowing in Konoha, but a windmill blowing across the entire Shinobi World.

The pronouncements of these two madmen would likely have been dismissed as nonsense by anyone else—madmen, after all! After all, there's always a second one, but what about now? Nothing but their arrogant ambitions and a single direction.

But Orochimaru didn't see it that way. He believed that without ambition, there was no power, and power always followed ambition.

Immortality! Others might think it's nonsense, and even his teacher, the Shinobi Hero Hiruzen Sarutobi, would angrily denounce his unrealistic idea.

How outdated! That's what made him feel out of place with everyone; these people's thinking was too narrow-minded.

Before the advent of ninjas, would the Onmyoji and Samurai have known that the emergence of Chakra would bring about a revolution in the entire world? Did they foresee that Chakra and ninjas would replace them?

No!

This is a narrow-minded mindset. At this moment, Orochimaru laughed hoarsely, but hope appeared on his face. He was no longer alone on his path, and new people would join him in the future.

As the snow fell heavily, Konoha was peaceful, as if the war had come to an end.

The Hyuga Clan.

Inside the warm training room of the Main Family, muffled sounds emanated continuously. Those familiar with the place knew that these were the sounds of Gentle Fist clashing, though the sounds seemed to still be too immature.

The heir of the Main Family, amidst the falling snow, is just three years old.

Hinata Hyuga, at just three years old, was taught Gentle Fist by her biological father, Hyuga Hiashi, under strict family rules.

In the center of the field Hyuga Hiashi looked at his daughter's first training session, his eyes filled with disappointment, and at the same time, a deep sense of shame.

Hinata Hyuga immediately noticed his eldest daughter's poor aptitude after her first attempt at Gentle Fist. Actually, it wasn't that she was bad, but there was another child in the house whose aptitude completely overshadowed his daughter's.

Beside the indoor Training Ground, Hizashi Hyuga sat on the tatami mat, calmly watching the father and daughter on the Training Ground, who were also his older brother and niece. For some reason, he felt only irony at this scene.

"Listen carefully, Neji. You were born to protect Hinata, and to protect the Hyuga Family clan."

"Yes, Father."

The father's conversation was filled with indifference, while the child's was radiant with sunshine.

Neji Hyuga had just been branded Caged Bird with white bandages wrapped around his head, was unaware of his fate. His innocent white eyes gazed at the young figures training in the arena, and at that moment, young Neji revealed a pure smile.

Is this the eldest daughter of the Main Family that Father said he would protect?

However, Neji's innocent smile was seen as utterly ironic by Hizashi Hyuga. Turning back to look at the figures training on the field, he was immediately filled with dissatisfaction.

Why is it that my son, with such talent, is controlled by fate, cast into Caged Bird at such a young age, and my child doesn't even know it! Why should the Main Family's child, with such talent, enjoy the protection of the Branch Family! It's unfair!

Driven by years of resentment between the main Main Family and the Branch Family, Hizashi Hyuga his composure for the first time. Or rather, he could accept this fate, but he was filled with resentment towards his child!

The veins Byakugan bulged uncontrollably. Just then, Hyuga Hiashi, who was teaching Hinata Gentle Fist, suddenly froze and instantly appeared in front of his daughter.

There's a murderous aura about him!

Protecting his daughter, Hyuga Hiashi angrily formed Cursed Seal when he saw that it was his own younger brother. He roared, and screams filled the training room.

Even Hizashi Hyuga, who was known as Elite Jonin, clutched his head and screamed in agony when faced with the sudden corruption of the Caged Bird Seal. His mournful voice echoed throughout the room.

At the same time, it terrified two young children. One was Hinata Hyuga, who stared at everything with innocent Byakugan, filled with panic and having no idea what was happening.

The other was Neji Hyuga, who stared in horror at his father, who was usually so brave and great, now screaming in such a pathetic state.

"My head..."

"Father, what's wrong?!" Seeing his father clutching his head and screaming in agony, Neji Hyuga was filled with panic.

Just then, Hyuga Hiashi, who was forming Cursed Seal, walked over, his face indifferent. "Go back. I will forgive you, you shameless scoundrel, but only for today. You must never forget your destiny."

Beneath the indifferent voice, young Neji Hyuga's eyes filled with unfamiliarity. This uncle, who seemed like a complete stranger, controlled his father's fate. It seemed he understood something, but being so young, he couldn't yet tell himself the answer.

Hyuga Hiashi, however, turned away indifferently as he watched his younger brother wail in agony, as if it were a trivial matter, and left as if bestowing a favor.

Hyuga Hiashi left with Hinata Hyuga. One of the adults walked away indifferently, while the other clutched her head and screamed in agony. At that moment, it seemed as if a rift had formed between the two young figures.

Hinata Hyuga watched this scene in horror, Neji Hyuga gazed at his departing uncle, tears welling in his eyes. At this moment, he was no longer innocent.

"Father!" Hizashi Hyuga humiliated by the terror of Caged Bird, especially when he saw the worried look in his child's eyes. He was filled with pain, not ashamed of losing face in front of his child, but hating himself for ever having given birth to him.

No father wants his child to be bound by fate from a young age. Every father sees his child as the best, but it seems that his child's fate is to protect the Main Family.

"Neji! Help me back."

Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain in his mind, Hizashi Hyuga had never hated the Main Family so much, nor the Caged Bird so much! At the same time, the image of the Uchiha and those pale golden snake eyes flashed through his mind.

Orochimaru!

At this moment, Hizashi Hyuga was moved. With concern for his son Neji, the look in his eyes grew even more resolute. He could not let his son follow in his footsteps.

He was willing to give his life for the Main Family, but he didn't want his own children to do the same.

While Hyuga Hiashi remained expressionless after leaving, it was clear that he was filled with rage. He was furious that his younger brother had shown such murderous intent; didn't he know the consequences if the other Main Family discovered this?

He was furious! He knew about the feud between the Branch Family and the Main Family, but he also loved his younger brother. Although his way of protecting him was somewhat abnormal, it was the only way he could protect him.

He even began to despise his own daughter because of this incident, believing that it was his daughter's lack of talent that caused his younger brother to have such bad thoughts.

Young Hinata Hyuga was terrified and uneasy, unaware that she had been blamed for this incident. Hyuga Hiashi snorted coldly and returned to the mansion, while Hinata Hyuga was too frightened to approach and slowly walked out of the Hyuga mansion in the falling snow.

As snowflakes danced in the air, a young figure appeared in the snow—it was young Hinata Hyuga, her Byakugan seemingly filled with innocence.

"You're from the Hyuga Family? Show us your Byakugan. If you don't want to, don't look at us like that; those eyes are so creepy."

"Yeah, that's right, eyes like those are definitely monster's."

"Byakugan monster."

In the snow, three children were loudly mocking Hinata Hyuga. Perhaps they didn't understand, but they had already been taught this lesson by their parents.

Class distinctions have always existed. Since the young boy knew about Byakugan disdain, he still mocked them so recklessly. It can only be said that he was too young to understand the merits and demerits of Kekkei Genkai families, and how ignorant he was in his youth.

Starting today, I'll be changing to longer chapters of 4,000 words each. Also, the editor informed me today that we'll try again next week to try for the Sanjiang Award. I ask you all to read and support me on Monday and Tuesday. If we fail to make it to the Three Rivers Award, I'll just put it on the shelves directly.

Thank you to: 'Book Friend 20230119112157703' for the 200 coins, 'Zhangmu Yiyeqiu' for the 100 coins, and 'Hochfartd' for the 100 coins.