Protector

Arrogant.

Extreme.

Radical.

If these personality traits are combined with genuine ability, such a person will never be able to endure being wronged.

After the Nine-Tails Incident, the ones who wanted to find the mastermind behind the scenes even more than the village were the Uchiha. Like those with a germaphobia, they wanted to clear their names more than anyone else.

Unfortunately, the culprit did not give them a chance and left not a single trace behind.

Objectively, they were bound to bear the suspicion of having caused the disaster, being discussed, doubted, and pointed at.

With the pride of the Uchiha clan, how could they possibly accept this?

This was not the will of one person; it was the will of the entire clan.

Under these circumstances, Orochimaru was very confident that they would accept the village's war commission.

To work hard without reward, ignoring substantive benefits just to prove something—this is not the way a clan survives.

But the Uchiha clan could truly do it; they were out of their minds.

Yes, they are the Uchiha, after all!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was slightly startled upon hearing this, his tense expression relaxing a little, but soon he thought of another problem, "Who will lead the Uchiha?"

Orochimaru licked his lips and grinned, "You can send Jiraiya; he has the seniority and the ability."

Before Jiraiya, who was standing to the side, could speak, the Third Hokage flatly rejected the idea, "No, Jiraiya cannot do something like this."

Although this strategy was an open plot, it was truly vicious and not exactly subtle; it could not be hidden from those with keen eyes.

If Jiraiya did it, it would tarnish his reputation.

At this moment, a figure flashed through the mind of Hiruzen Sarutobi, someone he would entrust with a heavy responsibility at a time like this.

"If I don't let Jiraiya do it, are you suggesting I let Danzo go?"

Orochimaru smiled, his expression somewhat mocking, "Don't forget what just happened in the conference room."

Would the Uchiha clan listen to someone who had just dumped filth on them?

If they were capable of such flexibility, they wouldn't have agreed to this war commission in the first place.

This was a false proposition.

Hiruzen Sarutobi realized the implication, and looking at his disciple, he said in a deep voice, "This was your goal from the very beginning—to lead the Uchiha clan into war. Orochimaru, what exactly is your objective?"

Facing the Third Hokage's interrogation, Orochimaru smiled and continued, "Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura are already old; their strength is at best that of elite jonin. They cannot hold their ground against the Uchiha.

My objective doesn't matter, but, old man, if you don't choose me, are you going to go yourself?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

Personally, he would rather have Danzo take the blame.

Having cooperated for so many years, he knew what Danzo wanted, and he was confident he could keep Danzo in check.

But regarding the disciple before him, the Third Hokage had to admit that the more Orochimaru grew, the more unfathomable he became.

Not long ago, Orochimaru gave the impression that he was someone who would leave the village and break free from all constraints once the time was right.

But recently, he had suddenly started caring about the village again, which made people worry about whether he had ulterior motives.

"Old man, actually, it's fine for Orochimaru to have his own ideas; there's no need to make a fuss."

Seeing the atmosphere in the conference room turn stiff again, Jiraiya began to smooth things over, "Orochimaru, state your purpose. As long as you don't do anything to harm the village, neither I nor the old man will stop you."

Orochimaru smiled, "Old man, I guarantee that what I do will only be for the benefit of the village."

The sinister smile looked malicious, but the stone in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart settled slightly.

To say he trusted him completely would be too much, but his intuition as a master told him that, at this moment, Orochimaru was not lying.

"By the way, Jiraiya, you should be the one taking care of Minato's child now."

Orochimaru grinned and said, "While you're at it, help me look after a child; you've seen him before."

"Oh, you mean that somewhat dull child?"

Jiraiya recalled the small boy who trained with Guy and Kakashi, "No problem, leave that to me."

"You need to value that child and pay attention to his safety."

Orochimaru chuckled, "That child named Yamato, he can use Wood Release."

Upon hearing this, both the Third Hokage and Jiraiya were shocked, "He is..."

Orochimaru interrupted them, "It's not what you think. He is not a descendant of the First Hokage; he is the result of the research Danzo and I conducted on First Hokage Cells."

The Third Hokage's expression changed drastically, "Orochimaru, you..."

"Don't be so angry; this happened a long time ago. I only just found out about this child's existence and took him back from Danzo."

Ignoring the Third Hokage's anger, Orochimaru continued, "I have read the early research records on First Hokage Cells. You were aware of this experiment, old man, but you shut it down because it cost too many lives.

Later, Danzo restarted the experiment in private, which is how I had the opportunity to get involved."

Under Jiraiya's inexplicable gaze, the Third Hokage could no longer keep his composure and slowly sat back down in his chair.

"This child is very important; he is a contingency plan for when the Nine-Tails loses control in the future, so train him well."

"Also, be careful of Danzo."

After saying this, Orochimaru stood up and strode away, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth as he stepped through the door.

Heh... with the old man acting as a restraint, Danzo would have no chance at all to command the ninja army.

Although Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were mediocre, at least they didn't have many selfish motives and wouldn't intentionally cause trouble.

In a residence not far from the Hokage Office Building.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."

Yamato controlled the rhythm of his breathing while clearing the weeds in the courtyard.

This was Orochimaru's house in Konoha, and currently, it was Yamato's place to stay in the village.

It hadn't been lived in for a long time; compared to this place, Orochimaru spent more time in his laboratory and on the battlefield, to the point where the yard was overgrown with weeds and the walls were dilapidated.

But Yamato was very satisfied. When he was in the Root laboratory, he mostly saw gray-yellow earthen ceilings, and it was hard to even see the sky, let alone own a house with a courtyard.

He had to hurry and clean up the residence so he wouldn't have to squeeze into Guy's small room for his next training session.

Thinking of his two new friends, the corners of Yamato's mouth curled up slightly.

"Swish..."

After a sound of wind being broken, a figure appeared in the courtyard.

Upon seeing who it was, Yamato immediately stood up and bowed, "Lord Orochimaru."

"Heh, well done. You've repaired it quite nicely."

Orochimaru looked around, a hint of nostalgia appearing in his eyes, but it quickly vanished, replaced by his signature smile—cold and dangerous.

He looked Yamato up and down, and this scrutinizing gaze made Yamato subconsciously tense his body.

"Yamato, you've been living quite happily lately, haven't you?"

Yamato felt a chill in his heart.

Orochimaru licked his lips, "Don't be afraid; I'm not accusing you of anything."

Although the expression wasn't obvious, this boy had much more vitality than when he was first sent out from Root.

The reason wasn't hard to guess: the change in environment and the enrichment of his interpersonal relationships.

"I have some things to attend to recently, so I've asked the old man and Jiraiya to look after you for a while."

Orochimaru placed a hand on Yamato's slightly tense shoulder and whispered, "Think clearly about what you can say and what you cannot."

"Yes," Yamato quickly responded.

"Aside from the periodic collection of your cells, I have no intention of disrupting your current life."

Orochimaru patted the boy's shoulder, "Don't make things difficult for me."

Yamato knelt on one knee, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

He certainly wouldn't betray Orochimaru, even if he was about to be surrounded by the Hokage and another of the Sannin.

The eleven-year-old boy knew very well that those standing in the light could not protect him, but Orochimaru could.

Reached 100 recommendation votes, that's a small achievement.