Orochimaru

I was the top student of this class, Sarutobi Enju was second, and Utsuki Ruri's talent was also above average. Her assessment results ranked within the top five of this elite class. Judging by her current performance, she was no worse than Konoha's future Elite Jonin, such as Aburame Shino and Akimichi Chōza, who would one day shine brilliantly.

With a lineup like this, paired with Orochimaru, it could only have been deliberately arranged by the Third Hokage.

That made sense. As the Third Hokage's son, Sarutobi Enju's teacher and teammates were matters the Third Hokage could not possibly neglect to oversee personally.

And I had joined this squad, becoming Sarutobi Enju's teammate and Orochimaru's student.

That meant I had not only entered the Third Hokage's field of view, but had also become part of the Hokage Faction.

Was he planning to groom me into someone like Uchiha Shisui? And he'd handed me directly to Orochimaru for training...

Perhaps that was a good thing?

The conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the Hokage Faction had first surfaced during Tobirama Senju's era.

During the First Hokage's time, no one besides Madara dared cause trouble. Hashirama Senju was broad-minded enough that he held no prejudice toward the Uchiha Clan.

Tobirama Senju, on the other hand, harbored considerable prejudice. He handed the Uchiha the Konoha Military Police Force, a department with substantial authority, turning it into a cage that trapped them and guarding against them in every way. Yet he had the strength to suppress those contradictions and prevent them from escalating.

Then Tobirama Senju died, and Kagami Uchiha—the bridge he had left behind to facilitate communication between the Uchiha and Konoha's upper ranks—followed soon after, dying young.

From that point on, the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha gradually deepened bit by bit.

If Kagami Uchiha had not died, and the Uchiha Clan had always had an elder serving in Konoha's upper ranks, then twenty years later in the original timeline, the conflict between the two sides would not have grown so severe.

At the very least, once it erupted, a tragedy like the Night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall would not have occurred.

Perhaps in the original timeline, the Third Hokage had entrusted Obito to Minato Namikaze because he intended to cultivate that talented but simple-minded, hot-blooded Uchiha into the next Kagami Uchiha. After Uchiha Obito came Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.

It was only because of Madara, Danzo's meddling, and the fact that Obito and Itachi were both insane that it all fell apart.

If even one of those people had been more normal, the tragedy would never have happened.

But now...

I seemed to have become someone filling that same role. And although the conflict between the two sides had gradually begun to surface in the years since Kagami Uchiha's death, it was still only a budding issue—at a stage where it was relatively easy to suppress and resolve, not yet irreconcilable.

The scene from yesterday, when he had met the Great Elder, suddenly surfaced in Uchiha Gen's mind.

If the perceptive people within the Uchiha Clan learned that he had become Orochimaru's student and entered the Hokage Faction, what would they do?

Would they be as shortsighted as Uchiha Fugaku, treating him merely as a tool for gathering intelligence? Or would they try to see him as someone who could enter the upper echelons of the Hokage Faction and fight for power and status?

And what about the Third Hokage?

Since I had already entered his field of view, he would surely want to see whether he could control me with the so-called Will of Fire.

That was highly likely, given the examples of Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.

If that was the case, then since he wanted to cultivate me into a useful chess piece, he would have to shape me into someone with a certain degree of strength and influence within the Uchiha Clan.

In other words, before my growth made the Third Hokage feel threatened, he might not mind using the Hokage's authority to give me some resources and speed up my development.

But the reality of it would have to wait until after I met Orochimaru.

At least for now, this seemed like a good thing.

As Uchiha Gen analyzed his situation and weighed the pros and cons based on the information he knew, time quietly passed.

Once the class assignments were complete, a middle-aged female jonin soon appeared at the door and led away this generation's Ino-Shika-Cho.

She was Sarutobi Biwako, the Third Hokage's wife. The Sarutobi Clan had deep ties with the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans and had witnessed the alliance between them. When the previous generation of Ino-Shika-Cho inherited their positions as clan heads, it had been the Third Hokage's father, the renowned Sarutobi Sasuke, who acted as witness. For this generation, Hiruzen Sarutobi would certainly witness it personally when the time came. If there were a next generation, then in the original timeline, it would be Asuma who served as witness.

However, during wartime, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no time as Hokage to serve as anyone's squad-leading jonin. Still, the Sarutobi Clan would certainly send out a jonin of sufficient standing.

Sarutobi Biwako was a capable jonin herself, and as the Third Hokage's wife, her status made her the perfect fit when the Third Hokage was not taking the role himself.

One Konoha jonin after another entered the classroom and took away the students assigned to their classes. Soon, a long-haired young man with pale skin, a cold face, and a green jonin flak jacket appeared at the door.

"Sarutobi Enju, Uchiha Gen, Utsuki Ruri. You three, come with me."

The slightly hoarse voice entered their ears. Uchiha Gen and the other two immediately rose to their feet and followed Orochimaru.

A few minutes later, near Konoha's gates.

"Orochimaru-sensei, are we...?"

Watching Konoha's gates draw nearer and nearer, Sarutobi Enju hesitantly spoke.

"I have not permitted you to call me sensei. At least, not yet. A squad-leading jonin has the authority to send newly graduated genin back."

Orochimaru stopped a short distance from the gates, turned around, and studied the three newly graduated genin with his golden eyes.

"Life is fragile. It may be full of vitality one moment, then in the next, lie on the ground without a trace of life. The weaker one is, the more true that becomes. If you lack sufficient talent, strength, capacity, and wisdom to protect yourselves, then you are destined to die on the battlefield. There is no need for me to take in students like that. Whether you are the Hokage's son or grandson, there is no need to risk your lives as ninja. You can simply stay safely at home. There will be no danger there."

Orochimaru's tone was calm and his gaze cool, but his words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.

A flicker of understanding rose in Uchiha Gen's heart.

It seemed Nawaki's death, his beloved student's death two or three years ago, had affected Orochimaru deeply.

Even though this Snake Uncle had not yet gone dark, he had already gained many insights into life. For a long time afterward, that had made him unwilling to accept students.

Unless he acknowledged them—acknowledged that their lives were not so fragile—only then would they qualify to become his disciples.

"Orochimaru-sama, how do you know we lack that kind of talent? We have the determination to do anything!"

Utsuki Ruri looked at Orochimaru with unwavering eyes.