Unwilling to Accept

The next day, just before dawn.

A rhythmic breathing sound echoed through the courtyard.

"Ha..."

"In..."

"Ha..."

Every so often, the wind in the courtyard changed direction. The branches and leaves of the big tree were sometimes drawn toward him, sometimes blown away.

This continued until noon, when the alarm clock rang inside the house.

Only then did Orochimaru remove his weighted gear, stop training, and return indoors to wash the sweat from his body.

"It's nearly time. Fugaku should be sending someone over."

Orochimaru changed into a clean set of shinobi clothes and sat on a stone stool in the courtyard. As he waited for his visitor, he checked on his training progress.

Thanks to the Yamato-brand Genetic Serum, his body had gained a great deal of vitality, and his physical training was progressing remarkably well. He had previously struggled to maintain Total Concentration Constant through his Breathing Technique, but now he no longer needed to consciously control it.

"It's a shame that relying on the Breathing Technique alone strengthens the body far too slowly, even with added weights."

Orochimaru rubbed his chin. "Looks like I'll have to give Jiraiya's training progress a nudge."

Senjutsu and the Breathing Technique were both, at their core, ways of using Natural Energy. If he could find a way to make them complement each other...

"Knock, knock, knock..."

A series of knocks interrupted Orochimaru's thoughts.

"Lord Orochimaru, it's me." The voice belonged to Fugaku Uchiha.

"Fugaku came in person?"

Orochimaru looked surprised. "Then again, he must be anxious about his clan's affairs."

Since the Uchiha were being so respectful, there was no need for him to put on airs.

Orochimaru sprang lightly over to the entrance of the residence. "Good. You came right on time."

In truth, he had been waiting at the door for quite a while.

Fugaku Uchiha gave a slight nod and got straight to the point. "Lord Orochimaru, do you have any way to resolve the Uchiha problem?"

"No need to rush. Let's talk as we walk."

Orochimaru pointed toward the Uchiha Clan Compound and started walking. Fugaku Uchiha paused for a moment, then followed.

The two didn't travel like shinobi, running and leaping, but strolled down the street like ordinary people.

All along the way, passersby and shopkeepers stared at them, whispering and speculating.

After all, whether it was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, or Fugaku Uchiha, the captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, both were famous shinobi in the village. Seeing them walking together out of the blue was bound to make people curious.

Especially since both of them had a bad reputation in the village at the moment.

Orochimaru remained unfazed. Fugaku wore a stern expression too, but the slight tension in his face showed he couldn't simply ignore the stares.

"Clan Leader Fugaku, the Uchiha problem would be easy to put to rest. The Third Hokage or another senior official could simply vouch for you, but..."

Orochimaru glanced around, and the volume of the whispers immediately dropped. "As you can see, you can suppress what's on the surface, but not what's in people's hearts."

Fugaku's expression darkened. That was exactly what worried him.

Because of their temperaments, the Uchiha had always kept their distance from the village's shinobi and civilians. Relations between them had long been strained, and now the suspicion surrounding the Nine-Tails Incident had only made matters worse.

"However, the Uchiha have an opportunity now."

Orochimaru spoke plainly. "Kumogakure is itching for a fight. A war with Konoha is sure to break out soon."

"Kumogakure?"

Fugaku was startled at first. Once he understood the implications, a glimmer of delight flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, his gaze returning to its usual calm.

"That's true. This is a good opportunity."

Defending the village and earning merit on the battlefield were central to a shinobi's worth. If they did that, others would find it much harder to criticize them.

The village's upper and middle ranks had suffered heavy losses. If the Uchiha could turn the tide, perhaps their clan could rise even higher.

"Clan Leader Fugaku, I know what you're thinking."

Orochimaru gave a faint, cold smile. "Before the Nine-Tails Incident, that approach might have worked. But now, think carefully: why is the village facing a war, and why would only your Uchiha be able to distinguish yourselves on the battlefield?"

Fugaku's heart gave a jolt.

During the Nine-Tails Incident, shinobi throughout the village had been slaughtered, while the Uchiha had come through unscathed. If the Uchiha seized the chance to earn merit and improve their standing in a war against Kumogakure, it would only deepen suspicions about the clan.

And that wasn't all. If their clan members risked their lives for the village, only to have their achievements dismissed and be criticized instead, they would be furious. It was hard to imagine what might happen then.

"I hadn't thought it through."

Fugaku's voice sounded somewhat hoarse. "What do you propose, Lord Orochimaru?"

"It's simple."

Orochimaru spoke unhurriedly. "If the Uchiha take part in the war, what matters isn't how much merit they earn, but how much they lose."

Fugaku blinked, not understanding at first. Then his expression slowly changed.

He forgot the other man's power and status, and his anger flared.

"What a vicious heart, what a cruel scheme. You want to send the Uchiha to their deaths?"

"I never said that."

Orochimaru paid no attention to Fugaku's attitude. He spoke deliberately, word by word. "I'll be taking part in the fighting too, and I'll be responsible for the most dangerous enemy."

"If your clan suffers heavy losses, I won't escape unscathed either. I'll carefully control how many casualties there are."

"That's still unacceptable!"

Fugaku Uchiha spoke with righteous indignation. "I'm the leader of the Uchiha Clan. How could I join forces with an outsider to undermine my own clan?"

"Clan Leader Fugaku, you..."

Orochimaru was about to continue when a squad from the Konoha Military Police Force headed straight toward them. From their expressions, it didn't look as if they had merely come to greet their clan leader.

Fugaku's face turned stern again. He asked the clan member at the head of the group, "Shinsuke, what happened?"

"Clan Leader, we've already cleared away the ruins, but the village still hasn't assigned any workers to rebuild the compound."

Shinsuke Uchiha looked indignant. "I went to speak with the person in charge, but they kept passing the buck and wouldn't assign anyone."

"That's right. Some of them even said our compound is going to be moved, and that sending workers there now would be a waste of effort."

"Clan Leader, are we really going to have to relocate?"

Some members of the Konoha Military Police Force had also heard rumors about the Hokage's meeting, saying that because of the suspicion surrounding the Nine-Tails Incident, the Uchiha would be driven to the edge of the village.

It had been nothing more than hearsay, but when something like this happened, it was hard not to grow suspicious. One by one, they became shocked and furious.

Faced with his clan members' questions, Fugaku remained silent, unsure how to respond.

At that moment, Orochimaru cut in. "Relocate? The village won't force the Uchiha to move. The Third Hokage never gave such an order."

"Go back and tell them exactly what I said."

"Uh... yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Shinsuke Uchiha hesitated before nodding. It was as though he had only just noticed Orochimaru.

Thanks to "Zhuoluo C Yang" and "枠泶" for the donations.