Hiruzen Sarutobi Let His Guard Down

Sarutobi Clan

"The teacher has never held a grudge against you, Master."

Looking at Uchiha Yoru before him, Hiruzen Sarutobi, beneath his kind face, inwardly cursed the little rascal. Orochimaru hadn't misjudged him this time, actually taking in such an extraordinary disciple who managed his forces so well.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Uchiha Yoru endured the stench, maintaining a respectful demeanor that betrayed no impoliteness.

"This is a gift that Teacher Orochimaru and the clan leader asked me to bring."

He couldn't come to see the Hokage empty-handed, not to mention that countless eyes were watching him from the shadows, and he needed something from him this time. As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's money is bound to be grateful."

The Sarutobi Clan was Noble Houses family, and they had seen all sorts of valuable gifts, so it was nothing new to them. A smile appeared on Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face, and a hint of relief flashed through his heart. As for the Uchiha, it didn't matter. After all, Orochimaru was his disciple, so it was naturally gratifying that he could send a gift.

"Hehe, it's good that Orochimaru doesn't blame me. After all, I did it all for Konoha."

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi habitually looked at Uchiha Yoruro with that benevolent smile and began to coax him, "Yoru, you're still young. A ninja's strength isn't about learning powerful Ninjutsu, but about their heart. Go back and persuade your teacher, tell Orochimaru, don't let him go astray."

Don't be fooled by the Hokage's benevolent smile and think he's easy to talk to. You have to judge him by appearances. In his eyes, his Will of Fire is absolutely unquestionable. You could say he inherited the First Hokage's ideology and is a dictator.

In the eyes of the Third Hokage, Orochimaru would have been much better off being honest Hokage. If he wanted to inherit the Hokage position, he could have slowly handed over the power without any changes. He could have left his legacy to the successor. Instead, he insisted on starting anew and gathering a group of forces, which was bound to cause turmoil. Furthermore, his political philosophy was so extreme.

"Don't worry, Master, I will definitely give Teacher Orochimaru a good talking-to when I get back."

Uchiha Yoru spoke respectfully, while the Third Hokage secretly shook his head in his heart. This kid is truly a good prospect, but it's a pity he was born into the Uchiha Clan. With that thick skin, he might really inherit everything Orochimaru has in the future.

"Did you visit all the major families in the village before you came?"

Even though he had already heard the news from the Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi pretended not to know and asked with a puzzled look. Seeing Uchiha Yoru finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally gotten to the key point. This old fox dared not let his guard down for a moment.

"Yes, I paid visits to the various families on the teacher's orders."

As the Third Hokage watched, Uchiha Yoru nodded obediently, feigning excitement as he said, "Hokage, Teacher Orochimaru was ordered to carry out a secret research mission, but the village is in dire need of reconstruction after the war, and funds are scarce. His research has been halted, and he has no choice but to borrow from various clans."

"Among them, the Uchiha and Hyuga clans have selflessly dedicated themselves to the development of the village... All of this is for Konoha, but there is still a huge funding gap. Since Teacher Orochimaru couldn't step in, I stepped in on his behalf to visit various clans to raise research funds. Once the village is stable, the village will allocate funds to repay these loans to the various clans."

Good heavens! Even though the Third Hokage had been in power for many years, this was the first time he had ever seen a way to raise funds. They were actually using the village's name, claiming that the village was currently in trouble and that once the village recovered, the funds would naturally be used to make up for the shortfall and repay the debt.

That doesn't seem to be a problem. Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage suddenly realized that this made sense. He pondered to himself, "It seems Danzo too far, being so strict with the money. However, given Orochimaru's personality, he probably wouldn't be so shameless as to ask for money."

Thinking of this, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, felt a pang of guilt. After all, Orochimaru was his disciple, and he hadn't chosen his own disciple when he was the Fourth Hokage, and now Orochimaru was the one he was looking for.

"Sigh, how much research funding does Orochimaru still need? My Sarutobi Clan still has some resources."

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already realized that Orochimaru was heartbroken and had given up on the position of Hokage. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let his disciple cause such trouble. He considered it a way of making amends.

"Thank you for Hokage-sama kindness, Teacher Orochimaru will surely be moved when he finds out."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yoru quickly adopted a "strike while the iron is hot" approach, excitedly praising the other party and then using their influence to make them feel even more guilty.

"Thank you for your generosity, Hokage-sama. When I get back, I'll definitely tell my teacher how much the Third Hokage cared for him. Oh, and my teacher said the research funding is still short by one billion."

The first half of the sentence had initially made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel somewhat guilty and gratified, but the last sentence made his eyes widen in surprise, and he exclaimed, "How much did you say?"

Seeing the Third Hokage's shocked expression, as if he hadn't heard clearly, Uchiha Yoru scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "Ten billion! Our Uchiha Clan has already covered most of the research funding for our teacher, and the Hyuga has also selflessly contributed a lot, so the shortfall isn't that big."

Good heavens, at this moment Hiruzen Sarutobi almost flipped the table. His eyes widened. Ten billion? Do you think it's ten thousand taels? He may be old, but he's not stupid. Ten billion? What the hell are you researching?

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi eating people, Uchiha Yoru lowered his head and sighed with a look of shame, "Teacher Orochimaru travels between three experimental bases every day. As for what he's researching, he says it's classified, but it's very expensive."

Three research bases?

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a look of shock. Then, as if remembering something, a surge of anger rose within him. Damn it! Danzo, how many Forbidden Techniques did you give Orochimaru to research?

Although he was the Hokage, he was only in charge of the general direction and couldn't possibly be in charge of everything. He only knew that Danzo given Orochimaru some information about Forbidden Technique for him to study, but he never expected that it would go to such an extreme.

"One billion! Even I can't spare that much right now."

At this moment Hiruzen Sarutobi anger followed by helplessness. One was his good friend Danzo, what could he do? That guy must have abused his power for personal gain again, allowing Orochimaru to conduct research probably for his own selfish desires. The other was his disciple. There was nothing he could do. Right now, he just wanted to sign a peace treaty with the Land of Lightning as soon as possible, and then settle accounts with Danzo slowly.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's helpless expression, Uchiha Yoru also sighed helplessly, seemingly worried about his teacher Orochimaru.

"The professor's research funding gap is too large. Before coming here, he specifically instructed us to raise funds and then establish a new research base near the Land of Water to facilitate better research."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi changed drastically, a complex look appearing on his face. "Orochimaru, are you also disappointed with the village? Are you going to follow Jiraiya and Tsunade's example and choose to remain outside the village?"

Well, it's all good. Once the village is settled, you will understand my good intentions in the future.

"The Sarutobi Clan truly cannot spare ten billion. How about this?" Looking at Uchiha Yoru's youthful face, Hiruzen Sarutobi his head and said, "I will allocate five hundred million to you first, to be given to Orochimaru. Consider this as a contribution to the village. I will make up the remaining five hundred million slowly after Orochimaru establishes a base in the Land of Water."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yoru's heart pounded, and he was visibly shocked, exclaiming inwardly, "Holy crap! The Mangekyo is in my grasp!"

Five hundred million is almost enough to give the Sarutobi Clan a hard time, but Hiruzen Sarutobi still felt a little guilty. After all, for doing this, Orochimaru would not only lose his chance to compete for the Fifth Hokage, but also suffer damage to his reputation. Oh well, let's just consider it compensation.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was careless and focused all his attention on signing a peace treaty with the Land of Lightning. As a result, he was unaware that Danzo had caused him a huge problem this time.

As Sarutobi Uchiha Yoru stepped out of the Sarutobi residence, his relaxed smile betrayed a hint of fatigue. His back was soaked with sweat. The Third Hokage 'Chakra at this time was terrifyingly oppressive; even Orochimaru before his peak couldn't match it.

However, looking down at the Ninjutsu scroll in his palm, Uchiha Yoruro a relaxed smile, "The Third Hokage's Shuriken: Shadow Clone Jutsu, this time I've come out ahead."

Today, Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat guilty, so he didn't scheme too much, otherwise it wouldn't have been so easy. Before leaving, he even gave him a Ninjutsu scroll, which was also Ninjutsu created by the Third Hokage.

The Shuriken: Shadow Clone Jutsu A-Rank Ninjutsu. It was used by the Third Hokage during the Chunin Ninja Exams when he fought against the First and Second Hokage. It is extremely powerful and contains all of the Third Hokage's experience, making it the most valuable technique.

"Is this supposed to shut up Youyou's mouth?" With a self-deprecating laugh, Uchiha Yoru held the Ninjutsu scroll in his palm. After walking for a while, a slow smile appeared on his lips before he put the scroll away.

By now, the spies in the shadows should have already seen this Ninjutsu scroll, hehe.

Is this a signal from the Third Hokage? Is he preparing to ease tensions with the Uchiha Clan? Or is he doing it out of respect for his student, Orochimaru?

Tonight, countless people will probably start to have doubts. After all, only a few high-ranking officials and the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans know about the Third Hokage's decision. Everyone else is still observing, and Orochimaru's chances of winning are still considered high at this time.

As the sun set, Uchiha Yoru's figure disappeared into the Sarutobi Clan's territory. But tonight would be a sleepless night for all the major clans. After leaving the Sarutobi Clan with the Ninjutsu scrolls, countless clans immediately considered countless possibilities and began to hurriedly raise funds. Tomorrow! Tomorrow, all the funds must be delivered.

Uchiha Yoru's simple methods naturally did not escape Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, or perhaps this was his compensation; without the Third Hokage's tacit approval, how could this have happened?

Ninjutsu isn't important; what matters is the Third Hokage's attitude.

The Uchiha Clan.

As soon as Uchiha Yoru returned to the Uchiha Compound, someone was already waiting for him.

Naka Shrine.

In the dimly lit secret room, Uchiha Fugaku and Elder Setsuna sat solemnly in a row, while Uchiha Yoru sat opposite them, looking exhausted.

"Night, today's actions are a bit too big."

Uchiha Yoru is no longer just an ordinary ninja; he represents a certain identity, the Uchiha and Orochimaru. Every move he makes is watched by countless people.

Looking at the clan leader and elders, Uchiha Yoru feigned exhaustion, rubbing his forehead and sighing, "Clan leader, elders, it seems the situation is not good. This time, the Land of Lightning has come to negotiate, but the reputation of Shin'nosuke Sarutobi is almost universally known within the village. It seems this is not a good start."

They had already sensed this when news came from the front lines shortly after the New Year that the Land of Lightning was preparing for peace talks. After all, with Shin'nosuke Sarutobi's reputation being publicized everywhere, no one was a fool.

"Hmph, Old Monkey Sarutobi is probably trying to pave the way for his son, but that's not enough. Becoming the Kage of the Five Great Villages is also crucial."

Elder Setsuna, Uchiha Fugaku frowned and said in a deep voice, "Shinnosuke- nosuke may seem to have considerable Prestige, but Jōnin know that the credit for the frontline battles belongs to Orochimaru, so he's not worth worrying about."

One is the clan leader and the other is an elder, but they truly live up to their Uchiha reputation, still so proud even now. Looking at the two of them Uchiha Yoru sighed inwardly. However, he was no longer the person who needed to bow his head in front of the clan leader and elders.

"Clan leader, elders, Teacher Orochimaru is about to retaliate!"

These words immediately made Fugaku and Elder Chen's expressions turn serious. Finally! Is this Cold Lord going to officially begin vying for the Hokage position? However, what he said next filled them with shock.

"Teacher Orochimaru intends to completely bring the Hyuga Branch Family under his command, therefore a suitable place to live is needed." Uchiha Yoru paused here, looking solemnly at the clan head and elders, and said in a deep voice, "The Uchiha has now been relegated to the edge of the village, and the allocated land is just right to accommodate the Hyuga Branch Family."

"The Hyuga Branch Family!" The two were filled with shock. Elder Setsuna was even more shocked and blurted out, "Could it be! Could it be that Orochimaru has dealt with the Caged Bird of the Branch Family?"

Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but gasp in shock, saying, "If Orochimaru solves the Caged Bird of the Hyuga Branch Family, then the power of the Branch Family combined with our Uchiha will be enough to form a new force."

If the Caged Bird of the Branch Family is truly resolved, then the Hyuga Branch Family will be different from the rest of them. They will be Orochimaru's direct subordinates, and their fates will be intertwined.

Good heavens! At this moment Uchiha Fugaku and Elder Setsuna exchanged a glance and both revealed a surge of excitement and fervor.

Thanks for your support, brothers. Because the standards for fanfiction have been raised, and the Sanjiang (a Chinese fanfiction platform) rankings have been affected, I hope that any brothers in the groups can help promote it. I would be extremely grateful.