"Why had Danzo set his sights on Lan? Could it be the butterfly effect caused by my arrival..."
Ao thought in silence, faintly sensing that it had something to do with him.
That child was stubborn.
She had listened to him ever since she was little.
Even her parents could barely control her.
He refused to believe Lan had contacted Danzo on her own.
Danzo must have been secretly manipulating her, leading her to join Root and stray down the wrong path.
Back then, he had offended plenty of people in the village and the clan when he left with Orochimaru.
Ao had expected as much.
But Anko, Orochimaru's personal disciple, hadn't suffered any persecution.
His family were all on the fringes of the village, so they shouldn't be affected too badly.
That was why he had deliberately revealed his Wood Release Kekkei Genkai—to make the Uchiha and the other villagers wary of him.
He wanted them to hesitate before targeting his family, and not dare act too openly.
He had also spoken to Shisui, the future genius of the clan, ahead of time, to keep his family from being suppressed or plotted against by certain Uchiha.
He had shown Shisui goodwill.
Shisui was an upright person and wouldn't bully his fellow clan members. Given the help Ao had offered, Shisui should look after his family.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru's informants hidden in Konoha were keeping an eye on things. With safeguards from several sides, Ao hadn't been too worried about his family.
He hadn't expected Uchiha Lan to have been hiding so much. Only after becoming a Jonin and being targeted by both the village and the clan had her connection to Danzo come to light.
"But this might be an opportunity... Under Danzo's tutelage, could Lan awaken the Mangekyō?"
A