Some Other People

Something this huge had happened, so the Hokage naturally could not pretend not to see it.

Konoha's war machine began operating with terrifying efficiency under the force of its fury. Countless contact points were uprooted, and countless spy ninjas were interrogated before being sent to laboratories as human test subjects.

There was no point expecting Konoha or the other ninja villages to be particularly humane. Their scientific and medical standards had basically been built by forcibly piling up human lives. And no one showed much pity or sympathy toward ninjas from other villages.

The ninja world was not affluent enough to leave room for humanity. Stories about sparing enemies usually appeared in cautionary tales. Perhaps things might improve somewhat after the next generation's next generation was born, but in the current world, using every possible means to strike at other nations' ninja villages was simply normal.

While this sweeping investigation was in full swing, internal reviews were also proceeding in an orderly fashion. When the Third Hokage truly set to work, he was extremely efficient.

Some jonin with questionable conduct or suspected ties to the enemy were dug out, while other ninjas who might pose problems were rounded up and detained.

Sosuke Aizen was specifically reassigned and kept out of the matter, without taking part in any of the reviews.

The Third Hokage actually understood everything and had his own judgment. He knew perfectly well that this most likely had nothing to do with Aizen. If Aizen wanted to give something away, there was no need to make such a huge affair out of it.

After all, as its creator and the person with the most contact with civilians, he could have simply handed the sealing scroll to any random spy, and that would have been that, wouldn't it? Therefore, Sosuke Aizen could be trusted. The logic was not airtight, but it was enough when it came to Aizen.

Even the Sannin were subjected to internal investigation and reassignment, though not to a great extent. Jiraiya, meanwhile, was sent to directly protect—or perhaps guard—Sosuke Aizen. As a man who truly believed in the Will of Fire and fanatically followed the Mount Myōboku toad sages' search for the Child of Prophecy, Jiraiya was still relatively trusted.

By comparison, the two clever ones—the founder of Medical Ninja practices, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, developer of countless ninjutsu and tactics—were not so fortunate.

As everyone knew, fools did not lie, but clever people could become heretics if they thought too much. Such clever people often noticed many things from the smallest clues that they should not have noticed, and then made different choices.

That was unacceptable to the village. So inspections often targeted those clever people. Of course, the Uchiha Clan drew even more attention. That clan had always produced all sorts of strange people; every now and then, one might get worked up and become a super rogue ninja, or cause some other problem. That was only to be expected.

Yet another move against the Uchiha naturally provoked their resistance. What should have been a simple investigation once again escalated into a serious confrontation between the two sides. The Uchiha ninja resisted this kind of investigation, claiming it sullied the Uchiha Clan's honor, only to be shut down with, "Your ancestors weren't much better," leaving them with nowhere to vent their anger.

There had been no progress in finding the enemy, but the conflict between the Uchiha and the village had escalated once again. With several founding clans stirring the waters and returning ninjas beginning to pick sides, all of Konoha had turned into a complete mess.

And Sosuke Aizen, who was responsible for managing these relationships, had entered a state of semi-isolation for closed-door development. In just a few days, the overall atmosphere began to deteriorate rapidly.

The ninjas' oppression naturally spread down to the lower levels. The tavern had become sparse as well, with only a few figures silently eating their food.

At a time like this, it was best not to say too much. One look at the red-eyed Uchiha patrolling the streets with fury written across their faces, along with the ninjas from various clans nearby, was enough to tell anyone that loudly voicing shocking opinions now would definitely end badly.

There was, however, one small exception. In a private room on the top floor of the tavern, Konoha's Princess Tsunade was casually eating and chatting with her friend Orochimaru.

Watching the tense scene outside, Tsunade could not help sighing.

"Ha... They're all companions from the same village who should be able to trust each other, yet they have to take things this far. I really don't know what everyone's thinking."

"Because everyone's position and interests are different, their views naturally differ as well."

Orochimaru, with his scholarly air, slowly ate a piece of tofu. He glanced at the Uchiha ninja and spoke softly.

"Some believe the village is one whole. Some believe the village is made up of clans. Others believe the village is made up of individuals. Everyone sees things from a different angle, so naturally they act differently."

"Those who believe clans make up the village will work to strengthen their clans and try to gain more say for them within the ninja village. Thus, their actions will target the ninja of other, more prosperous clans. That is a decision made from their position."

"Those who believe the village is made up of individuals will be keen on improving their own abilities and climbing to higher positions, even if it means fighting other ninjas. Those who believe the village is one whole, meanwhile, tend to be conservative and inactive. Since this is an internal dispute within the village, they will only try to smooth things over rather than step forward."

"Finite lifespans facing infinite desires will ultimately turn out like this."

Watching the Uchiha ninja and ninja from other clans grappling in a corner, Orochimaru shook his head and said nothing more.

Ever since the Second Hokage, policies targeting the Uchiha had gradually become political correctness in Konoha. Claims that the Uchiha did not integrate into the village were actually a false proposition.

Anyone with eyes could see that the Uchiha could not—and had to not—integrate into the village. Konoha was the world's number one ninja village, with almost no external individual enemies left. Under such circumstances, if it was not to fall apart, it needed an enemy.

That enemy did not have to be external. It could even be internal. Because Konoha had already become the strongest in the world, many things could not be done openly, nor could more benefits be forcibly consolidated. From the perspective of clans and individuals, the Uchiha were therefore a perfect target.

The Mangekyo Sharingan, arrogance, pride, calling themselves the greatest clan, disrespect toward the Hokage. Though there were reasons behind every single one of these things, they still made the best enemy.

They had their flaws, but none were fatal, and everything could be kept under control. Whenever some major incident occurred, pushing the Uchiha forward would surely draw a wave of fire, allowing everyone else to get through it safely while only the Uchiha stewed in silence.

As for the Uchiha rebelling or becoming Hokage, that was really just a joke. What would they rebel for? Just to turn things around and become the masters? The sane Elders of the great clans in the ninja villages all considered that impossible. The Uchiha were not utterly insane extremists, so why would they do that?

Though the Uchiha were a bit slow in the head, somewhat extreme in their actions, and had taken countless blames, they were still one of the village's great clans. The police force belonged to them. It was only natural that they should shoulder some blame.

Some clan or individual had to be the village fool, so why couldn't it be the Uchiha? The Senju Clan had integrated into the village so thoroughly that even their surname had disappeared. Why couldn't the Uchiha be the fool?

Although many clans were old families that had existed since Konoha's founding, deep down, they all had more or less a little darkness in their hearts when facing the Uchiha.

It was just that many of them had probably never considered that the Uchiha were, in fact, a clan made up of mentally extreme people.

When they said they wanted to rebel, there was a good chance they were not lying. They might genuinely believe it.

"I don't know why everyone has to be like this. Why can't they just be like the Senju Clan and directly integrate into the village?"

"And let their surnames gradually cease to exist as the price, living like commoners?"

"Hm? What's wrong with that?"

Tsunade, sipping her drink, froze at Orochimaru's gentle question.

"I think it's pretty good. The village is us, and we are the village. There are no disagreements or struggles. Everyone belongs to the village."

"That may be true for you. But in terms of a people's continuation—especially the continuation of a narrow-minded lineage—nothing could be worse. In a sense, their lives would be completely cut off under such a system. That is something they absolutely cannot accept."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that a population and a clan are the continuation of life. If you make them disappear, it is more or less the same as killing them outright."

In the end, it was still a matter of insufficient lifespans. If people truly lived forever, how could this even be considered a problem? If a clan disappeared, they could simply reproduce it.

Orochimaru felt that he had seen the essence of the problem.

Unfortunately, Danzo had hurriedly left for some unknown reason, and Orochimaru had no way to begin researching it.

Though it had started well, being abruptly cut off like this left Orochimaru with an agonizing itch under his skin. His craving had clearly been stirred up, yet he was being denied any release—how unbearable.

So Orochimaru eventually sought out this friend who had changed somewhat, deciding to speak frankly.

"You've found some leads regarding Dan, haven't you?"

"...Huh? Huh?!"

"Don't make that face. Aside from Jiraiya, everyone else has probably noticed too."

"!!!"

"Why are you the one acting so surprised? Did you take all of us for fools?"

Watching Tsunade stare in stunned disbelief, Orochimaru rubbed his brow helplessly. He could not help feeling that his companions all seemed to have some issues with their intelligence.