Uchiha, After All

Orochimaru countered, "Why can't we act now?"

After the Nine-Tails Incident, the village had suffered devastating losses among its mid- and upper-level shinobi. The Fourth Hokage and his wife had both died. Although the Nine-Tails hadn't been lost, it would take more than a decade for the new Jinchuriki to become combat-ready. It was the equivalent of losing two Kage Level fighters, not to mention the unrest among the villagers and the crisis of trust with the Uchiha.

It was safe to say that, since the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha had never been weaker.

Kumogakure had shown considerable restraint by not launching a decisive, full-scale assault.

Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brow, wrinkles deepening into furrows across his face.

The war with Kumogakure that was about to break out didn't worry the Third Hokage. Even if another Shinobi World War erupted, Konoha could handle it.

On paper, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure combined still couldn't match Konoha's strength.

The problem he had to face was how to deploy those forces and make them fight to the death.

That was the most difficult part.

Hiruzen raised his head and looked at Jiraiya, who stood before him with a furrowed brow, and Orochimaru, who wore a sinister smile. He sighed inwardly.

Even his disciples, whom he regarded as his own children, each had their own ideas and couldn't be made to follow his wishes completely. The rest of the village was no different.

The older Hiruzen got, the more he understood: shinobi could be used as tools, but in the end, they weren't tools.

"Old Man, looks like you've already made up your mind."

Orochimaru ignored the complicated look in the Third Hokage's eyes and grinned. "So here's the question: what are you going to do with the Uchiha Clan in the war against Kumogakure?"

It was a difficult problem. Hiruzen frowned.

As one of Konoha's two great dojutsu clans, the Uchiha were an indispensable force for the village. They would inevitably be sent to the battlefield this time.

The Konoha Military Police Force was responsible for protecting Konoha, and its members wouldn't be directly called up unless the fighting reached the village gates. But the village could still issue wartime missions and draw elite Uchiha from the force.

That was no different from the other clans. Their members might hold various positions in the village during peacetime, but once they joined a squad, they had to follow the village leadership during a shinobi war.

Squads were indeed a means of diminishing the clans' presence, but it was undeniable that they balanced out each shinobi's weaknesses and greatly improved their chances of survival.

The question now was this: if the blame for the Nine-Tails Incident was pinned on the Uchiha, would the elite members of the Military Police Force still accept wartime missions when Kumogakure attacked?

The Third Hokage fell silent.

If they openly broke with the Uchiha, the clan would no longer care about its reputation in the village, leaving the leadership no choice but to assign them missions by force.

If they deliberately sent the Uchiha on dangerous missions, then once their losses reached a certain point, the clan would use that as an excuse to refuse further assignments. The other clans wouldn't stand by and watch, either; their interests aligned with the Uchiha's on this matter.

But if the Uchiha were given missions with a high chance of survival, the other clans would resent it. And after the war, the Uchiha who opposed the Hokage's faction would remain largely intact, planting the seeds of future trouble for Konoha.

A normal assignment? There had never been such a thing. The Uchiha Clan's strength was plain to see, just like the Sannin in the Second Shinobi World War and Minato and his wife in the Third. In wartime, the capable had to shoulder more.

Thinking this over, the Third Hokage sighed. No matter what, Orochimaru had indeed spared the village its later dilemma. Nothing had been set in stone yet, so there was still room to maneuver over the Uchiha.

From the village's perspective, its leadership did need to shoulder the villagers' resentment over the Nine-Tails Incident.

But there could have been a better way to handle it.

Hiruzen fixed his gaze on Orochimaru and demanded, "Why didn't you bring this information to me sooner?"

Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru too. He'd received the information yesterday, so there had been no reason he couldn't hand it over. Bringing it out only now could mean one thing: Orochimaru had an ulterior motive.

Orochimaru didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "How do you plan to deal with the suspicion hanging over the Uchiha since the Nine-Tails Incident? Pretend nothing happened?"

"You should know that even if the Uchiha take wartime missions as usual, they still won't clear their names."

Hiruzen and Jiraiya's expressions darkened.

The accusation could neither be proven nor disproven. The judgment depended entirely on people's hearts.

Those capable of thinking rationally were always in the minority, especially when they'd just lost family and friends.

In the wake of the Nine-Tails Incident, the village leadership could only bear the blame for being incompetent. Someone had to take the fall.

No one else could shoulder that blame, even if they wanted to.

Hiruzen took a deep breath and said gravely, "Orochimaru, stop keeping us in suspense. Tell us your plan."

"It's simple."

Orochimaru licked his lips. "Make the Uchiha Military Police Force the main force and have them intercept Kumogakure's surprise attack."

"Impossible!"

The Third Hokage's expression changed abruptly. He immediately thought of the policies the Second Hokage had enacted to keep the Uchiha in check and flatly rejected the idea.

Kumogakure's attack was only a temporary crisis. But removing the restraints on the Uchiha would plant a grave threat to Konoha's future.

Because of the deep impression Madara Uchiha had left behind, every member of the Second Hokage Tobirama's faction—including the Third Hokage and Danzo—was, in their own way, a twisted Uchiha admirer.

Even before the Nine-Tails Incident, when the village was far stronger than the Uchiha, those twisted Uchiha admirers hadn't let down their guard. There was even less reason to now.

Perhaps realizing that he'd overreacted, the Third Hokage gave a light cough.

"This won't work. If the Uchiha lead the defense and successfully repel Kumogakure, it will only strengthen their standing.

"As long as suspicion still hangs over them, this will deepen the rift between the Uchiha and the villagers."

After all, the war would end, and merits would be rewarded afterward.

"Old Man, I think you've misunderstood one thing."

Orochimaru explained calmly, "Making the Uchiha the main force means having the Military Police Force face Kumogakure on the front line, with the rest of the Konoha Shinobi Army positioned behind them."

The Third Hokage frowned. "You want me to watch them get slaughtered?"

"Not exactly."

Orochimaru gave a strange smile, baring two rows of chilling teeth.

"Once they're dead—once enough of them have died, enough for you to feel the loss, enough for the shinobi in the village to realize the Nine-Tails Incident couldn't possibly have been an Uchiha conspiracy—that's when you can stop."

The Third Hokage fell silent. Jiraiya stared in shock. Both of them were astonished by the cruelty of Orochimaru's plan.

But they had to admit, it was the most advantageous approach for the village. It accomplished several things at once: clearing the Uchiha's name, reducing the threat they posed, and resolving the crisis of trust between the clan and the village. Afterward, the Uchiha would become more integrated into the village.

But...

The Third Hokage looked up and stared at Orochimaru. "How can you be sure the Uchiha will agree?"

"Heh. They're Uchiha. Why wouldn't they agree?"

Orochimaru sounded genuinely surprised. "I thought you understood the Uchiha, Old Man."

As he spoke, Orochimaru tapped his temple and grinned. "There's something wrong with their heads!"

Thanks to Changqing1040 for the 1,500 Qidian coins.