I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ascending to the Moon in Ten Years Chapter 3

After hesitating for a long time, Shisui chose to answer honestly.

After all, Uchiha Gin had always given him the impression that he was deeply concerned about the relationship between the clan and the village.

"There are misunderstandings between the village and the clan. I will strive to mediate them and bring both sides to a reconciliation."

Shisui looked at Uchiha Gin and spoke earnestly.

At this moment, he believed that Uchiha Gin had come to win him over. The clan head had attempted such things before, but he trusted Uchiha Gin more than the clan head because he felt that over the past three years, Uchiha Gin had become much calmer and was not like those paranoid members of the clan.

Therefore, he wanted to win Uchiha Gin over. Although Uchiha Gin's status had declined following the death of the Great Elder, he still held a certain amount of influence within the Great Elder's faction and could garner the support of many clansmen.

This would be of great help in easing the relationship between Konoha and the clan.

"Have you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

Uchiha Gin's sudden inquiry left Shisui at a loss.

It was not the topic he had envisioned they would discuss next.

But immediately, his pupils constricted, for he saw the skeletal structure of the Susanoo manifesting around Uchiha Gin. Although the color was different from his own, this was a unique dōjutsu that could only be mastered after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.

And those pupil patterns, distinct from the Three Tomoe, undoubtedly proved it.

"Gin, you!"

Shisui was shocked; he had not expected Uchiha Gin to have awakened the Mangekyō.

He himself had only just awakened it, and he was still hesitating over whether to report this matter to the Hokage. After all, his ability was far too terrifying; the power to rewrite the thoughts of others was a dangerous one.

Uchiha Gin did not answer, merely watching Shisui.

After a moment of silence, Shisui chose to be candid. Since Uchiha Gin had openly revealed that he possessed the Mangekyō, Shisui was not prepared to hide his own.

He activated his Sharingan, the Three Tomoe rapidly spinning into the pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Did you know I had awakened the Mangekyō?"

Shisui asked curiously.

After all, he had only just mastered this power.

It was a power he had awakened suddenly upon losing an extremely important comrade.

"Just a guess."

"What do you think are the chances of the Uchiha Clan and the current Konoha coexisting?"

Uchiha Gin did not elaborate, answering simply. He was merely probing, as he did not know exactly when Shisui had awakened the Mangekyō, though it should have been recently.

Uchiha Gin then asked Shisui directly.

Shisui was about to speak, wanting to say that as long as both sides worked together, it could certainly be achieved.

"I asked the clan head this same question today."

But Uchiha Gin spoke first.

Hearing this, Shisui retracted what he was about to say, his mind racing as he pondered what Uchiha Gin truly meant.

"I believe that there is a conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha. As long as that conflict is resolved, both sides can coexist peacefully."

Shisui answered earnestly.

He truly believed this.

"Do you know what that conflict is?"

Although Shisui's answer was similar to that of Fugaku, Shisui was only thirteen and had been brainwashed by the Will of Fire that had emerged over these years, so Uchiha Gin felt no disgust toward him.

"The Konoha high-ups believe... that the Nine-Tails Incident was caused by someone within the Uchiha Clan, which also led to the death of the Fourth Hokage."

Shisui stated his perspective.

After all, many people at the time had seen the Three Tomoe Sharingan in the eyes of the Nine-Tails; the Uchiha Clan could certainly not escape involvement.

"That is one reason, but there is another, more important reason."

Uchiha Gin did not deny this, as it was indeed done by someone from the Uchiha Clan.

But there was another, more significant reason.

"What is it?"

Shisui's tone was somewhat urgent.

Clearly, he wanted to know this matter so he could find a way to resolve it.

"It is power."

"The power of the Military Police Force held by the Uchiha Clan is something the Third Hokage desperately wants to obtain. After all, among the five great villages, only Konoha has such a special department. It can be said that it occupies one-third of the power in Konoha."

Uchiha Gin pointed directly to the core of the issue.

The Military Police Force was established by the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara, with one side managing external affairs and the other managing internal affairs!

The intention at the time was to reduce the casualties of the Uchiha Clan, as it was known that the Uchiha were a highly emotional clan; the loss of precious people would lead to emotional changes and the awakening of the Sharingan.

At the same time, it was very likely they would head toward paranoia, such as Obito.

By the time of the Second Hokage, he had confirmed the existence of this matter through his research. He did not move against the Military Police Force, primarily to avoid undermining his elder brother's decision, and secondarily because he believed this arrangement could resolve the troubles with the Uchiha Clan. At the same time, the Second Hokage did not believe the Uchiha Clan could stir up any major trouble under his control.

However, by the time of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the situation had deteriorated. There were too many external threats, and the sudden internal crisis of the Nine-Tails Incident led to the death of the Fourth Hokage.

Therefore, he could no longer tolerate the Uchiha Clan, who posed a significant risk of rebellion, holding such important power as the Military Police Force. He wanted to seize it for himself, but the Uchiha naturally could not agree. Fugaku was a saint, not a fool; he had no such intentions and possessed his own bottom line.

But Uchiha Gin believed there was another reason: Uchiha Madara, played by Obito, had placed too much pressure on Sarutobi Hiruzen. After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen had witnessed the existence of Uchiha Madara.

He knew that if Uchiha Madara were to truly return, many in the current Uchiha Clan might follow him. If that happened, Konoha would truly be unable to resist or suppress them. This was a situation Sarutobi Hiruzen absolutely could not allow to happen, which was why he continuously suppressed the Uchiha, isolated them, and eventually even orchestrated their extermination!

Chapter 5: Shisui's Awakening

"Huh?"

After listening, Shisui seemed to understand something, yet it remained unclear.

"Do not resist. I will use genjutsu to explain this to you in greater detail."

Seeing Shisui like this, Uchiha Gin knew he had not grasped the real reason, so he prepared to use an extremely advanced and convenient virtual illusion to let Shisui experience and understand the specific causes firsthand.

Shisui did not refuse. Although such an act was extremely dangerous for a ninja—as abandoning resistance to another's genjutsu meant the opponent could kill him at any moment—Shisui trusted Uchiha Gin.

The genjutsu lasted for about a minute, but the content conveyed to Shisui could not possibly be explained in words within a minute.

"How could this be? How could the Third Hokage be such a person?"

Waking from the genjutsu, Shisui fell into a state of existential doubt.

Uchiha Gin had listed various data in great detail. When the First Hokage was in power, he established Konoha and created its entire framework.

When the Second Hokage was in power, he perfected the Anbu, the Ninja Academy, and the various systems of Konoha as they existed today. The Military Police Force was also established during this period to prevent the Uchiha Clan from going berserk due to the deaths of their loved ones.

And when the Third Hokage was in power, aside from his participation in all Three Great Ninja Wars, his main contribution was spreading the Will of Fire. There had been almost no changes within the village; all its resources had been poured into war.

This included the decline of the Senju Clan. Perhaps a few members were still clinging to life, but compared to their peak, it was a world of difference. If not for Tsunade, one could say the Senju Clan had been wiped out from the ninja world.

"Although he did not personally issue the orders for many things, he is the leader of Konoha. Without his tacit approval, such things could never have happened."

Uchiha Gin's tone was cold.

Because from the outside, Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared to be a good man.

Many things were done by the advisors, not decided by the Third Hokage.

But that was exactly what made Sarutobi Hiruzen so repulsive.

"These..."

Shisui's mind was in chaos.

Everything he had envisioned had shattered after experiencing the genjutsu just now.

If the Third Hokage was truly such a person—a selfish man who bled the Senju Clan dry and plotted to seize their legacy to strengthen the Sarutobi Clan—then the Uchiha Clan might never have had a chance at reconciliation with Konoha, or even a chance to ease tensions!

"You should know the name Naruto Uzumaki."

Uchiha Gin continued.

Shisui nodded.

While it was considered classified, many in the village knew about it.

Ordinary villagers had been warned not to speak of the fact that Naruto Uzumaki was the Nine-Tails Demon Fox.

"He is the child of the Fourth Hokage."

Uchiha Gin continued.

Shisui frowned, hesitating; it was clear he did not know this.

"The Nine-Tails is more powerful than the other eight tailed beasts; it is not something an ordinary person can become a jinchuriki for."

"The first jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails was the wife of the First Hokage, from the Uzumaki Clan, named Mito Uzumaki. The second jinchuriki, the previous one, was the wife of the Fourth Hokage, named Kushina Uzumaki. The Uzumaki Clan possesses special traits; their vitality and chakra reserves are the best in the ninja world. Only such a body can withstand the erosion of the Nine-Tails' chakra!"

"The extermination of the Uzumaki Clan also had the Third Hokage's fingerprints all over it, though there is no need to dwell on that. The most important evidence that this child, Naruto Uzumaki, is the child of the Fourth Hokage is his yellow hair, which comes from the Fourth Hokage, the Yellow Flash. Furthermore, the surname Uzumaki comes from the princess of the Uzumaki Clan, Kushina."

Uchiha Gin broke it down for Shisui.

Shisui was shocked; clearly, he had not known so many secrets.

But it was normal not to know. After all, ninjas were raised as tools. In Konoha, aside from the heads of these few clans, ordinary people knew very little. Information was strictly controlled; they were purely tool-people.

"So, this child named Naruto Uzumaki—his parents gave their lives to protect Konoha, sealing the Nine-Tails into their own child with their final breaths. And what this child received in return was the hatred of the entire Konoha village and a monthly living allowance that was barely enough to survive."

"This is the treatment the Third Hokage gave to the son of a hero!"

"Don't talk to me about how he would be hunted down if others knew he was the descendant of the Fourth Hokage. Are jinchuriki not hunted by other villages anyway?"

"The entire village knows Naruto is the Nine-Tails jinchuriki!"

Uchiha Gin felt a surge of anger as he spoke of this.

Is this something a human being could do?

Shisui fell silent; clearly, he also believed such things should not have happened.

At the same time, he could not understand why the Third Hokage would treat the child of a hero so harshly. Most importantly, his living conditions were far too meager. For a child who had essentially saved Konoha, this was simply too much!

"I didn't call you here to make you pick a side, but simply to tell you more of the truth so you aren't blinded by the so-called Will of Fire."

"The village was named Konoha because of the First Hokage's Wood Style, and it is called the Hokage because that fire originated from the Uchiha Clan's Fire Style. The Will of Fire is nothing but utter nonsense!"

Uchiha Gin said in conclusion.

He didn't expect to persuade Shisui directly; he only wanted to clear the kid's head a little so he wouldn't fall for every trick in the book.

"Gin... thank you!"

Shisui knelt down with great respect, pressing his forehead firmly against the ground in a full kowtow.

He was genuinely grateful to Uchiha Gin. He couldn't imagine the consequences if he had continued down his previous path without knowing these facts.

"While the Uchiha Clan isn't exactly clean either, compared to those high-ranking officials in Konoha, we are like pure white lotuses."

"Also, this is a forbidden technique of the Uchiha Clan. Learn it, and you'll have an extra ace up your sleeve."

Uchiha Gin took out a scroll and handed it to Shisui.

The scroll contained the Izanagi. When Danzo ambushed Shisui, it was this very forbidden technique he relied upon.

Since Konoha had already mastered this, Uchiha Gin felt there was no longer a need for the clan to keep such strict control over it.

As a high-ranking member of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Gin naturally possessed these forbidden techniques. The Izanami was somewhat dangerous, but the Izanagi didn't require such strict restrictions.

Shisui was deeply moved, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say, his mind a chaotic mess.

After finishing his heart-to-heart with Shisui, Uchiha Gin prepared to begin his operations the next day.

Before leaving, Shisui forgot to ask for the clan leader's response, and Uchiha Gin didn't mention it either. Fugaku could be left to his own devices; he served as a firewall. If things escalated, he could be pushed forward to ease tensions and stall for time against the high-ranking officials of Konoha.

"First, create chaos to distract everyone's attention. It's much easier to get things done in murky waters."

Uchiha Gin looked at the full moon in the night sky, contemplating his next moves, and steeled his resolve.