I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ten Years to Reach the Moon Chapter 10

Uchiha must have their own Hokage.

Orochimaru was no fool; he wouldn't jump into the fray blindly. He demanded that the Uchiha show sincerity, at the very least by standing openly and completely on his side.

Uchiha Gin told Orochimaru to wait, while simultaneously advising him to clean up his own tracks and start recruiting his own forces.

As one of the Sannin, Orochimaru held significant prestige in Konoha. With the other two Sannin absent, the highly favored Hatake Sakumo having committed suicide, and the Fourth Hokage Minato dead, there was effectively no one left to compete with him. The only obstacles remaining were the four disciples of the Second Hokage.

Orochimaru left shortly after. Tonight's negotiations had given him more confidence, and he decided that once the Uchiha made their move, he would officially enter the race for the position of Hokage!

At the same time, Orochimaru offered a gesture of sincerity, providing some introductory research materials on science and a few ninjutsu scrolls as a simple down payment.

Sarutobi Hiruzen probably won't be able to sleep tonight. Nearly fifty Uchiha capable of using Izanagi might just be enough to topple Konoha.

Orochimaru has taken the bait. Once I obtain the proper First Hokage cells and have these Three Tomoe clansmen use them, a direct confrontation won't be an issue.

Uchiha Gin felt the pressure lift significantly.

Although he knew these actions would make the Konoha leadership hate the Uchiha even more, it would also make them more timid and hesitant.

He needed time. The longer he dragged this out, the more advantageous it would be for him. After all, he was still developing and hadn't reached his Six-Item Build yet, but Konoha had no further opportunities to grow stronger, so his advantage would only continue to widen!

Now, I suppose I am one of the chess players in this world. The world to come should become quite interesting.

Uchiha Gin waited for the day he would finally meet Obito.

Am I the ruler of this world? [Tiger-Skin Mask]

When that time came, Uchiha Gin would play the confession song from Detective Conan while Obito knelt on the ground weeping!

After Shisui left, the four elders, including Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat motionless in their seats.

"Uchiha!!"

Danzo's voice was hoarse, filled with undisguised killing intent.

At the same time, a sense of urgency gripped his heart, as his subordinates had informed him of the information he had hidden regarding the attack on Konoha by Uchiha Madara.

Among the final words left by this Uchiha Madara, one sentence had been suppressed by Root.

That sentence was: "Hashirama's power is not something you can covet; only I am worthy of possessing the power of the Senju!"

Clearly, his research into the First Hokage cells had been discovered by an outsider, which put immense pressure on Danzo.

"The Uchiha are already guarding against us and are even making preparations for battle."

Mitokado Homura felt a splitting headache.

Konoha could not afford internal strife right now, as they had to remain vigilant against the other four Great Shinobi Villages.

If they could mobilize the entire Konoha force to deal with the Uchiha, there would naturally be no pressure, but that was impossible. After the Nine-Tails Incident, the vast majority of their combat power had been sent to the borders; they simply lacked the absolute strength to suppress the Uchiha.

"So, Uchiha Gin is not the person who attacked Konoha. Does his Mangekyō Sharingan have any connection to Uchiha Madara?"

Utatane Koharu raised the question.

What they feared most was that the Uchiha clan had colluded with Uchiha Madara.

"It shouldn't be. His Mangekyō Sharingan must have been awakened recently. If that person really were Uchiha Madara, he wouldn't have disregarded the Uchiha clan during the Nine-Tails Incident."

"According to Anbu investigations, the person who attacked the Root base is likely related to an organization called Akatsuki. They wear the same attire."

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen was furious, he had not lost his reason.

The Anbu investigation had not stopped for a single moment, and Danzo dared not hide anything; after all, it concerned Uchiha Madara, so the members of Root were cooperating fully.

However, nothing was revealed regarding the human experimentation within the Root organization, and before Uchiha Gin's shadow clone self-destructed, he had left behind some words.

"This is only the beginning. Hashirama, Konoha, wait for my revenge!"

These were the words left by Uchiha Gin's shadow clone before detonating all its chakra.

"I said long ago that we should have eliminated the Uchiha first! Now, with internal strife and external threats, we can't make a move!"

Danzo said, seething with rage.

His stance had always been to exterminate the Uchiha clan. There had actually been an opportunity after the Nine-Tails Incident, but Sarutobi Hiruzen had stopped him several times.

"Taking action now would only leave Konoha severely crippled!"

"By then, besides the Uchiha Madara hiding in the shadows, there are the four other Shinobi Villages. Konoha would fall apart, or even be destroyed!"

"We will slow down the suppression of the Uchiha clan for now. Use a policy of appeasement, and at the same time, win over the doves of the Uchiha clan to show Konoha's goodwill."

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and issued the order.

Clearly, it was no longer suitable to use force against the Uchiha. If things went wrong, the Uchiha might truly explode and drag Konoha into the abyss.

"Hiruzen!"

Danzo was shocked, clearly unable to accept such a thing.

The evil Uchiha deserve to be wiped out!

"This is an order from the Hokage."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a cold expression.

It seems I need to let Danzo cool off a bit, and at the same time, I must figure out the Uchiha clan's intentions. If they truly intend to act, I will never show mercy!

The next day.

While patrolling, members of the Military Police Force could clearly feel that the prying eyes in the shadows had diminished significantly.

At the same time, the civilians were no longer as hostile as before; they dared not whisper behind their backs, and the gazes they cast were filled with trepidation.

This change made them feel quite pleased.

The various major clans were surprised that the suppression of the Uchiha by the Konoha high command, which they had anticipated, did not occur.

After all, yesterday, that old fossil of the Uchiha clan had cursed the Konoha high command to their faces in front of many people, including his own clan leader, Fugaku.

Yet, nothing happened today, which was clearly beyond their expectations.

The targeting of the Uchiha had been happening subtly ever since the Nine-Tails Incident. Although there were no explicit orders, all the major clans had been executing it with a tacit understanding.

"The next few tasks will take some time, but the most expensive part is over, so I can take some shortcuts."

Uchiha Gin looked at the new tasks in his system after completing the Mystic Eyes task, feeling no great pressure.

[Task: Familiar - One cannot do everything personally. A servant who will not betray you will help you work and lighten the burden on the magus. *Use parts of your own body or modify existing life forms to possess a familiar of your own.]

[Task: Strong Body - As a magus, how can you possess a weak body? New-generation magi all possess powerful close-combat abilities. Weaklings are not fit to be magi. *Temper your body!]

[Task: Mystic Code - A Mystic Code is extremely important to a magus. Create a Mystic Code that belongs to you!]

These three tasks were advanced tasks for a magus. The previous Mystic Eyes task had been the most difficult, but Uchiha Gin felt it provided the greatest improvement, which was why he had completed it first.

The Strong Body task was a long-term mission; reaching a certain level would grant rewards and expand his new Magic Circuits.

The other two required time and money to resolve, as well as time to learn the manufacturing process.

Uchiha Gin was now just waiting for the tasks to be completed so he could gain preliminary control over the power of the Second Magic and head directly to a parallel world to download new skills.

"I didn't expect the clan leader to visit in person today. Is there something urgent?"

Uchiha Gin set down the gemstone he had just taken out and looked up toward the courtyard, where Fugaku's figure had appeared.

"Gin, what exactly is your goal?"

"I want to confirm that this time, you are serious."

Fugaku officially treated Uchiha Gin as an important figure. Previously, he had thought Uchiha Gin was too young, but now he sensed that Uchiha Gin had a brain.

Moreover, he could no longer let things continue like this. He knew nothing of what was happening and was completely unable to control the situation.

"The Uchiha must have their own Hokage."

Uchiha Gin looked at Fugaku and said with a smile.

"?"

"Huh?"

Fugaku argued with Uchiha Gin at his home for a long time.

He believed that Uchiha Gin's method of deterrence was sufficient—to make Konoha fear them so they wouldn't dare to act, and that peaceful coexistence was best.

But one sentence from Uchiha Gin silenced him.

"If Konoha has the chance, they will wipe out the Uchiha without hesitation."

Fugaku did not doubt the truth of Uchiha Gin's words.

After all, since the Nine-Tails Incident, Konoha's intentions had been laid bare. Even if they didn't wipe out the Uchiha, they would completely suppress them, and he could not accept such a thing happening.

"Orochimaru is the Third Hokage's disciple. Is it really useful for us to support him?"

Fugaku asked again.

"So, who else can we choose right now?"

"Do you want to be the Hokage?"

"No..."

Uchiha Gin's counter-question made Fugaku not dare to answer at all.

If the Uchiha were to fight for the Hokage position, then a war would truly begin.

"Clan leader, give me your answer: is it Konoha's Uchiha, or the Uchiha's Konoha?"

Amidst Fugaku's silence, Uchiha Gin suddenly asked.

Hearing this question, Fugaku froze for a moment, then looked straight into Uchiha Gin's eyes.

He could feel that this answer was of great importance.

An incorrect answer could very well affect the future of the Uchiha.

Two options: Konoha or the Uchiha.

Which comes first?

Reflecting on the experiences of these past years, it wasn't as if everything had been bad, but... Fugaku's gaze turned resolute.

"The Uchiha's Konoha."

Fugaku answered.

He no longer wanted to live in constant fear every day.

His conversation with Uchiha Gin had solidified his inner resolve.

Although he was a dove, the Uchiha would always be above Konoha.

If Uchiha Gin knew Fugaku's thoughts, he would certainly add one thing: except for his sons!

"I believe in you."

"Then let's wait for this month's Konoha meeting. As for persuading the clansmen to concede on the Military Police Force, that will be handled by you, Clan Head. I will take care of the Orochimaru side of things," Uchiha Gin finally revealed a hint of kindness as he spoke.

The plan discussed previously had been finalized: sacrifice a portion of the Military Police Force's authority to gain the possibility of Orochimaru becoming a Hokage candidate.

At the same time, they would secure permission for the Uchiha to freely conduct commercial activities within the village.

Over these years, the Uchiha clan could be said to have been restricted by many regulations, allowed only to serve as members of the Military Police Force, with almost all other pursuits forbidden.

Even their commercial activities were limited to within the clan grounds; there wasn't a single Uchiha clan shop outside.

"This is a troublesome matter, but leave it to me."

Fugaku nodded.