Orochimaru's Defection

When Yusuke mentioned the "Trolley Problem," Itachi shook his head to show he'd never heard of it.

(A special note: there are trains in the Naruto world!!)

"Five people are tied to a railway track. On a branch line, one person is tied to the tracks. Just then, a train comes hurtling toward them, and you're holding the lever that can change its course."

"Would you pull the lever and trade one person's life for the lives of those five?"

Yusuke slowly explained the famous "Trolley Problem" from his previous life.

Although Itachi hadn't answered yet, Yusuke already had a good idea what he would choose.

Itachi thought for a moment, then replied, "I'd pull the lever!"

Yusuke nodded and continued, "What if there were five people, each with a failing organ—heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—and they could all survive if they received healthy replacements? Then a healthy person happened to come along."

"Would you kill that healthy person and give his healthy heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys to those five people?"

Hearing Yusuke's question, Itachi shook his head. "I wouldn't."

As soon as he'd answered, Itachi noticed Yusuke's half-smiling expression. He felt as if he understood what Yusuke was getting at, but still couldn't quite grasp the key point.

"Sensei, these two questions have made me even less sure of what I should choose." Itachi's gaze grew clouded.

"A life's value can't be measured by numbers alone. You have no right to take one person's life to save five others!" Yusuke said slowly.

"Likewise, the conflict between the village and the clan shouldn't be settled by sacrificing the clan just because the village is larger."

"The clan isn't necessarily wrong, and the village isn't necessarily right."

"If the village's policy toward the Uchiha Clan is wrong to begin with, should we still compromise?"

Faced with Yusuke's question, Itachi didn't know how to answer. After a moment of silence, he asked, "But Shisui said clan loyalty was narrow-minded! What would happen to the village if every clan in Konoha acted selfishly and refused to consider it?"

Hearing Itachi's words, Yusuke gave a cold laugh.

"Calling it narrow-minded is just Shisui measuring its value by numbers alone!"

"If clan loyalty is narrow-minded from the village's perspective, then isn't putting the village above all else narrow-minded from the perspective of the entire Ninja World?"

"If one day sacrificing Konoha could save the other four great ninja villages, would you do it?"

"I believe you're a smart boy. You'll figure out what we truly ought to protect! Know where you stand, and don't disappoint the people who truly care about you!"

"I'm not asking you to choose between the village and the clan. I'm asking you to think it through. Don't assume the clan should naturally be sacrificed for the village just because the village stands above it."

Having said all he needed to, Yusuke patted Itachi on the shoulder and stood up to leave. He left Itachi behind, still wrestling with his thoughts.

Yusuke didn't see Itachi for the next few days.

By then, all of Yusuke's students had built a solid foundation. They no longer needed him to guide them every step of the way as they had at first, so they stopped training together at a fixed time and place.

Yusuke had turned Kabuto into a science-obsessed nerd, always immersed in developing and experimenting with ninjutsu. Izumi, who idolized her older brother, had followed Yusuke's example and bought herself a katana. She'd begun training in Uchiha Style Kenjutsu.

At the Uchiha Clan's training ground, Izumi finished a set of sword forms and looked at Yusuke expectantly. "Brother, how's my swordsmanship now?"

"Not bad. You're already at Chunin level," Yusuke said with a nod.

Hearing that, Izumi protested, "What? I'm only at Chunin level?"

"You're getting ahead of yourself, girl. You haven't even learned to walk properly, and you want to fly?" Yusuke shook his head with a laugh.

Just then, Itachi arrived at the training ground and walked over to them.

Seeing the clarity and resolve in Itachi's eyes, Yusuke knew he'd figured things out.

"Sensei, I've thought through what you told me a few days ago," Itachi said seriously, meeting Yusuke's gaze.

"Then what are you going to do?" Yusuke asked.

"I'll train hard and become strong enough to change the clan and the village."

"If I don't have that kind of talent, I'll still do everything I can to protect the clan and the people important to me!"

Itachi spoke with conviction.

As he finished, his eyes turned toward Izumi.

It was the first time Itachi had looked at her with such an indescribable gaze. Izumi lowered her head shyly, her cheeks turning pink.

"That's my student. Itachi, I believe you can do it!" Yusuke was deeply pleased.

Yusuke still couldn't quite figure out what Itachi was thinking. He'd wanted to talk with him about the village and the clan, but had never found the right opportunity.

Now that Itachi had let go of the dangerous idea of sacrificing the clan for the village, Yusuke felt as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders.

He left Itachi to continue practicing swordsmanship with Izumi and returned to his laboratory. He and Uchiha Fugaku had specially requested the lab in the clan compound for Yusuke and Kabuto to use.

Ever since he and Orochimaru had completed the "Yin-Yang Cursed Seal," Yusuke had been considering how to develop the "Reverse Yin-Yang Cursed Seal," a seal specifically designed to contain Yang Release Chakra.

The Yin-Yang Cursed Seal used Hashirama Cells as its foundation, harnessing their powerful Yang Release to contain Yin Release. By the same logic, the Reverse Yin-Yang Cursed Seal would need a material with powerful Yin Release as its foundation, in order to contain Yang Release.

"If Hashirama's cells represent the pinnacle of Yang Release, what material would represent the pinnacle of Yin Release?"

"Could it be a fragment of Madara's soul? Where am I supposed to get one of those?"

Though he had a theoretical approach, Yusuke still had no idea what material could embody Yin Release at its peak.

He and Kabuto had run all kinds of experiments, but hadn't found a suitable solution. They'd developed several cursed seals, but none could contain Yang Release Chakra at the level of a Tailed Beast.

Another two months passed in a flash. While Yusuke was busy developing cursed seals, a major incident struck Konoha: Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, defected from the village!

In this life, Orochimaru had Yusuke as a fellow scholar with whom he could exchange ideas about ninjutsu. As a result, he was considerably stronger than his original counterpart.

Not only had he avoided being injured by the Third Hokage's explosive-tag ambush, he'd also badly wounded Jiraiya, another of the Sannin, while making his escape.

After recovering from his injuries, Jiraiya ignored the Third Hokage's pleas for him to stay and resolutely left the village to track down Orochimaru, hoping to bring him back.

By then, all three Sannin had left Konoha, and the era of the Konoha Sannin had officially come to an end!

Not long afterward, Konoha High Command received an invitation from its ally, Sunagakure.

The Hokage Office, the Third Hokage's office.

Yusuke and another Konoha Jonin, Hayama, stood before the Third Hokage's desk, listening to the details of their upcoming mission.

"Sunagakure has sent a letter inviting Konoha to take part in its Chunin Ninja Exams."

"As strategic allies, we should send a few teams to participate. It'll maintain the friendly relations between our villages and give our Genin a chance to show what they can do."

The Third Hokage spoke slowly as he looked at Yusuke and Hayama.

Hayama was a veteran elite Jonin from Konoha. He wore his hair in a ponytail and had a scar above his right lip. He specialized in Konoha Style Kenjutsu.

Calm and meticulous, he had an exceptional talent for command. He'd already been active on the battlefield during the Second Shinobi World War and had earned many merits for Konoha.

"This time, we've selected six elite Genin from Konoha and formed two teams. I'd like you both to serve as their supervising Jonin and lead them to Sunagakure for the Chunin Ninja Exams."

"Hayama, Yusuke, you're both among the best of our Jonin. You can also offer these elite Genin plenty of guidance and help them achieve good results in the exams."

When the Third Hokage finished, Hayama and Yusuke immediately accepted the assignment, promising to carry it out.

The Third Hokage had originally planned to send the young Jonin Yusuke and Kakashi to Sunagakure and let them make an impression. With the village at its weakest, showing the other villages Konoha's rising stars could serve as a deterrent.

Unfortunately, Kakashi's father, the White Fang, had a serious grudge against Sunagakure, making Kakashi unsuitable for the mission. The Third Hokage had no choice but to assign another Jonin in his place.

"Third Hokage-sama, which Genin have been selected for the Chunin Ninja Exams?" Yusuke asked.

Yusuke already knew about the mission in advance. His student Itachi had been selected as one of the Genin taking part in the exams.

What he hadn't expected was to be chosen as one of the supervising Jonin leading them to Sunagakure.

The Third Hokage quietly gave his assistant a few instructions. The assistant soon brought the six Genin into the office.

Yusuke glanced over them and recognized most of their faces. He didn't know the brown-haired girl, but the others were all characters with names and roles in the original story.

After entering, the six Genin each gave a brief introduction. They were Gekko Hayate, Uzuki Yugao, Mizuki, Kurama Naki, Mitaraishi Anko, and Uchiha Itachi.

The Kurama Clan was a Konoha bloodline clan particularly skilled in genjutsu. The girl had probably been selected because she excelled in that area.

What surprised Yusuke, though, was that the useless Mizuki had made the cut. Had the butterfly effect of his transmigration somehow made Mizuki stronger?

The six Genin were all young. Itachi had only just turned seven, while the oldest, Mizuki, was just thirteen. At the moment, all of them except Anko looked excited.

Because of Orochimaru's defection, Anko wasn't as lively as she'd been when Yusuke had seen her before. Her face was gloomy.

After Orochimaru defected, Anko had been detained. She'd been interrogated repeatedly, and only regained her freedom after they confirmed she had no connection to him. But she'd gone from a rising star to an ordinary Genin.

The fact that the person she trusted and admired most, Orochimaru, had abandoned her and defected from Konoha alone had dealt her a heavy blow. She still hadn't been able to get over it.

Looking at the six Genin lined up before him, the Third Hokage spoke slowly to Hayama and Yusuke. "They're all among the best of the Genin. You may choose freely and form two teams."

Having said that, the Third Hokage left the rest to the two Jonin.

Hayama looked at the six Genin, then said to Yusuke, "These kids all seem to admire you. Why don't you choose first? That way they won't complain about me later."

Yusuke had already made a name for himself at a young age and was considered a talented ninja throughout the Ninja World. All the Genin except Anko, who kept her head down, looked at him with some degree of admiration.

Yusuke smiled. "Senior Hayama, you're making me feel unworthy of the compliment."

"But since you're so gracious, I'll accept your offer."