I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ten Years to Ascend the Moon

Uchiha Gin would not care even if he knew.

After all, he never intended to hide anything from Konoha from the very beginning. He let Sarutobi Hiruzen's people infiltrate openly, barely even putting up any defenses. Several times, it was actually Sarutobi Hiruzen's men who discovered suspicious individuals and arranged for the Anbu to investigate.

Uchiha Gin's current plan was to continue investing money into research and conduct it in broad daylight.

As long as it wasn't against the rules, Konoha couldn't take action. If Konoha tried to sneakily obtain the data to start their own projects, then Uchiha Gin would stop following the rules as well. He would follow suit and steal the profit-making methods of other clans. Many things within Konoha were monopolized and off-limits to others, much like the Military Police Force; without the Uchiha's permission, even the Hokage couldn't interfere, as these were rules established by the First Hokage and the Second Hokage.

The Scientific Ninja Tool that Uchiha was researching now was just like that—it was like a patent on Blue Star. If you didn't follow the rules, then we would start acting recklessly too.

Furthermore, the Scientific Ninja Tool wasn't prepared for Uchiha Gin himself, but rather to find a way for the Uchiha Clan to survive in the future by becoming arms dealers, and incidentally, to support Orochimaru in becoming Hokage. Therefore, he wasn't afraid of Sarutobi Hiruzen planting personnel; he actually hoped he would send more elites to work for him.

As long as he remained in control of the specific affairs, that was all that mattered.

Chapter 45 Shisui: I am a ninja of Konoha!

"So, I cannot possess the Eternal Mangekyo!"

Shisui and Obito were currently facing each other in the forest.

Ever since Obito ran off last time, he had rested for three days before coming to find Shisui again.

He had come to determine Shisui's goal. If Shisui wouldn't hinder him, he would try to recruit him and make him work for him.

After they met, Shisui attacked immediately. Obito stopped him and then proceeded to list a bunch of reasons, which were essentially excuses for his decline in strength. Moreover, Obito hadn't used his full power last time; it was just that it was difficult to maneuver in such a cramped room.

If they were in an open space, Obito's win rate would be much higher. He could find plenty of cover to ambush people, and Shisui would basically have no way to win.

Obito's Kamui intangibility was a cheat, just like Uchiha Gin's precognition.

When Obito learned that Shisui wanted greater strength to stop the hostility between the Konoha high-ups and the Uchiha, he stated directly that it was impossible for Shisui to obtain Uchiha Gin's Mangekyo to turn his own eyes into an Eternal Mangekyo.

"That's right!"

"Only the Mangekyo Sharingan between brothers can awaken the Eternal Mangekyo!"

Obito said with absolute certainty.

Uchiha Madara had held almost nothing back from Obito. Aside from the schemes involving Rin and the fact that his own "accident" was arranged by Madara, he had told Obito everything else.

He truly treated Obito as his own successor, molding a paranoid version of himself—a version of himself that wanted to realize the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Therefore, aside from raw power, Obito was practically Uchiha Madara himself!

"Is that the only way!"

Shisui frowned, looking extremely dissatisfied.

Obito continued to speak.

"Obsessing over the peace of a single village is too shallow."

"Akatsuki is an organization I control from the shadows, and its goal is the safety of the entire ninja world!"

"Back then, the First Hokage disagreed with my opinion of uniting the ninja world to stop the wars, which led to the current outcome. After he died, the other ninja villages immediately launched a war against the Land of Fire!"

"However, because my body has weakened and my strength has dropped significantly, I had to change into a new body. Without my former power to suppress others, I can only rely on the strength of more people to bring peace to the entire ninja world!"

As Obito spoke, he spread his arms wide.

His voice was incredibly passionate and stirring, as if everything he said were true.

The goal of the Akatsuki organization had always been to collect the nine Tailed Beast, use them as a nuclear deterrent, and force all nations to maintain peace.

Very few people actually knew about the Infinite Tsukuyomi; at the very least, Nagato and Konan did not know. Now, Obito was using this goal to fool Shisui, hoping to invite him to join Akatsuki.

This kind of hypocritical, realistic peace could not last long. Only the Infinite Tsukuyomi could achieve eternal peace and allow everyone to live in a perfect world!

"?"

"What do the other ninja villages have to do with me?"

"I am a ninja of Konoha!"

Shisui's answer caused Obito to freeze instantly.

This was not what he had expected.

He had originally thought the other party would be a person with grand ambitions, but he was just a guy who only cared about Konoha.

Heh, just like me!

This answer actually made Obito feel that it was much more reasonable.

After all, there weren't that many people who would think for the sake of the entire ninja world; everyone was just looking out for themselves!

"You are a missing-nin; isn't it a bit out of character for you to say such things?"

"However, if you are willing to work for me and complete my goal, I can help you stop the conflict between the Uchiha and the Konoha high-ups. How about it?"

Obito formally extended an invitation to Shisui.

Clearly, Obito valued Shisui's strength, as he knew the power of Mangekyo ocular techniques—after all, he had been hit by the other party's technique himself.

Most importantly, the Mangekyo Sharingan was highly effective at suppressing Tailed Beast. After dealing with the Jinchuriki, it was a very effective means to stably control the Tailed Beast.

When he wasn't personally stepping in, Shisui could play a huge role. This was the reason why Obito was willing to recruit Shisui.

"The Nine-Tails Incident you orchestrated failed, and if you show your face, the Konoha high-ups will only target the Uchiha even more!"

Shisui's eyes were guarded, his face etched with distrust.

He spoke these words according to his true thoughts; he genuinely did not believe him.

"Hmph, as long as there is sufficient external pressure, even if they want to engage in infighting, they won't dare to."

"The goal of the Akatsuki is to collect the nine Tailed Beast, and through the power of the Tailed Beast, bring peace to the ninja world. If anyone refuses to listen, we will use the power of the Tailed Beast to make them calm down!"

"Back then, Hashirama trusted these ninja villages too much, distributing the Tailed Beast to them. It was useless. Such beasts only exert their greatest deterrent effect when gathered together!"

Obito let out a cold snort before revealing his plan.

He disclosed his public goals to Shisui.

Upon hearing these words, Shisui's pupils contracted instantly.

Clearly, he believed this matter to be true, and the Nine-Tails Incident further proved it: this Uchiha Madara and the mercenary organization known as the Akatsuki were indeed aiming to collect the Tailed Beast!

He had not expected to learn such core secrets so quickly.

The peripheral members of the Akatsuki knew nothing of this; they only knew the Akatsuki as a mercenary organization that took any profitable job—war, assassination, protection—never suspecting that the Akatsuki was striving for peace in the ninja world.

"So, you want to use the power of the Tailed Beast to intimidate Konoha, provide Konoha with a new external enemy, and force the Konoha leadership to stop targeting the Uchiha Clan and focus entirely on the Akatsuki?"

Shisui continued to play his part.

The fact that Uchiha Madara had designs on the Tailed Beast needed to be reported to the village urgently.

"Heh, there is no need for that. As long as I am alive and lurking in the shadows, the people of Konoha will not dare to lay a hand on the Uchiha Clan."

"But after those two fools, Hashirama and Tobirama, died, the Senju Clan began to wither. So you must understand, as long as I am alive, that brat Sarutobi Hiruzen will not dare to truly strike against the Uchiha!"

Obito spoke with immense arrogance.

Shisui only accepted half of this answer, as he trusted Uchiha Gin's judgment more.

If the Konoha leadership had the strength to wipe out the Uchiha Clan within Konoha, or if this Uchiha Madara hiding in the shadows could do it, the Konoha leadership would have struck without hesitation.

However, Shisui did not continue to press Obito on this point.

He knew the other party was likely running out of patience; if he did not join the Akatsuki, this Uchiha Madara would immediately strike with full force to kill him.

"I hope you keep your word!"

"I will not take missions that harm Konoha or the Uchiha, but I will show no mercy when dealing with ninjas from other villages."

Shisui's show of submission finally made Obito heave a sigh of relief.

After all, he felt that taking down Shisui would not be an easy task and would certainly require a significant expenditure of energy.

He had brought over a hundred White Zetsu this time specifically to prevent Shisui from using his Body Flicker Technique to escape his sight, arranging for the White Zetsu to lurk in the shadows to lock onto Shisui's position.

"Of course!"

"I am the strongest in Uchiha history; there is no need for me to deceive a junior like you."

Obito was fully immersed in his role.

However, Shisui did not believe a single word he said!

Chapter 46: Danzo's New Alliance, Hanzo!

Danzo, accompanied by a few of his trusted subordinates, infiltrated Amegakure and made contact with the men of Hanzo of the Salamander.

After undergoing rigorous inspections, Danzo was finally able to meet Hanzo of the Salamander.

"A rogue ninja from Konoha actually comes to find me. What is it, Danzo?"

In the dim room, a curtain separated Hanzo and Danzo. When Hanzo's voice came through, it was very low.

Hanzo had no interest in seeing this former ally, as Danzo had lost his position as Hokage Assistant and had become a rogue ninja.

Had it not been for their past history, he would have had no interest in meeting Danzo at all.

"Being a rogue ninja is merely a smokescreen. In private, I am still a ninja of Konoha; there are simply some things that are not suitable to be done in Konoha."

Danzo was extremely displeased.

He did not want to be a rogue ninja; he believed his will to become Hokage was second to none.

Therefore, he never admitted to being a rogue, viewing himself as someone working for Konoha from the outside. Furthermore, Konoha had not sent anyone to assassinate him; those who attacked him were merely bounty hunters who had found him after seeing the bounties on the Black Market.

Members of the Uchiha Clan who could leave Konoha were at most at the Two-Tomoe level and posed no threat to him. As long as it wasn't Uchiha Gin hunting him, he could remain safe in the ninja world.

However, there was now the addition of the rogue Uchiha Shisui, who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. He suspected that the other party might be a smokescreen intentionally released by the Uchiha Clan to hunt him down.

"Is that so?"

"So, what do you want with me?"

Hanzo had no interest in chatting with Danzo here.

Even if Danzo were sent by Konoha, his status had plummeted, and he held no value to him.

In his view, Danzo had likely been ousted by the factional struggles within Konoha, or as the rumors suggested, the Uchiha Clan had forced him out.

After all, this guy was no saint; Hanzo knew that well, having nearly been sabotaged by him several times.

"The organization called the Akatsuki—do you remember them?"

Danzo asked directly.

After all, it was he who had suggested that Hanzo wipe out the organization known as Akatsuki.

This burden did not fall entirely on him; the organization called Akatsuki had indeed threatened Hanzo's position, otherwise, Hanzo would never have taken action.

On the surface, it had nothing to do with Danzo, but now that Akatsuki had reappeared and was linked to Uchiha Madara, the ones most anxious, besides Konoha, were Hanzo. If he hadn't failed to finish them off properly back then due to his own carelessness, there wouldn't be so much trouble now.

"What is it?"

"The members of Akatsuki have been mostly dealt with, and their leader was killed by my scheme. Although two remnants remain, one of them was severely wounded by a forbidden jutsu and lost the use of his legs, making him no threat at all, and the other is a woman, also a weakling."

Speaking of this organization, Hanzo still had deep memories.

Especially Nagato's final outburst and the monster he summoned, which had caused him heavy losses and cost him many elite subordinates.

However, he still believed that Akatsuki had been crippled; after all, only a cripple and a woman had escaped, while everyone else was dead.

"This organization has been re-established. Have you not heard the rumors?"

Danzo asked, puzzled.

He felt that Hanzo no longer possessed his former sharpness, having lost that aura of an ambitious hero, appearing more like the leader of a minor ninja village.

"Hmm, I have heard something to that effect, but they are a mercenary organization now and do not appear in the Land of Rain. Since they have no impact on me, I did not pursue it."

"So, what exactly is the matter?"

Hanzo asked with some impatience.

Although he was known as the Demigod of the Shinobi World, the many intense wars had taken a toll on his body. Furthermore, his reliance on poison had inevitably affected his health, causing his strength to decline significantly.

Otherwise, he would not have remained hidden in Amegakure for so long without showing his face, nor would he have kept Amegakure from intervening too much during the Three Great Ninja Wars, choosing instead to remain a bystander.

Benefiting from the reputation left over from the Second Great Ninja War, the three surrounding Great Shinobi Villages did not use Amegakure as a battlefield, allowing the village to pass through that period in peace.