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

The commoners were dissatisfied with his ban on the sale of ninjutsu, but due to past favors, they only dared to complain in private; they would never speak of it in front of outsiders.

Furthermore, the Anbu received intelligence from his eldest son that Amegakure had been attacked by the Akatsuki, Hanzo of the Salamander was suspected to be dead, and Shimura Danzō, who had been in Amegakure, had also lost contact. Only a few Root members whose identities had been erased remained. This information was extracted from captured escapees from Amegakure.

Internal strife combined with external threats was exactly what gave the Third Hokage the biggest headache.

"The meeting will now begin."

The Third Hokage announced directly.

No matter how much of a headache it was, the work had to be finished.

It started with standard work reports: the borders, Anbu, Root, and the Military Police Force, in that order.

These were routine matters—a few spies captured, neighboring villages that had been acting restless being warned, the number of missions completed, internal changes in surrounding small nations, and so on; it was much like any other time.

The Third Hokage hesitated for a long time, ultimately deciding not to discuss the situation in Amegakure at this meeting, as the Uchiha Clan could not clear their association with Uchiha Madara, and the Akatsuki were inextricably linked to Uchiha Madara.

"Are there any other matters to report?"

As these words echoed, it was as if the horn of war had been sounded.

"Third Hokage, the Uchiha Clan is selling ninjutsu without authorization and exposing the secrets of Konoha. I suspect the Uchiha Clan has been bought off by other villages!"

"Ninjutsu is classified; it cannot be sold at will. Doing such a thing is undoubtedly digging their own grave!"

"I request that the Third Hokage punish the Uchiha Clan, permanently ban them from selling ninjutsu, and forbid them from obtaining new techniques from Konoha to prevent the Uchiha Clan from leaking them!"

Those shouting were mostly members of small and medium-sized clans. The Ino-Shika-Cho and other major clans remained silent, but not a single one of them offered a defense.

If they weren't afraid of being targeted by the Uchiha Clan, they might have joined in to kick them while they were down.

"Oh, is that so?"

"Fugaku, do you have anything to say?"

The Third Hokage wore a look of surprise, then looked at Fugaku with confusion.

It was as if he were hearing about this for the first time.

Even though he was the one who had issued the ban.

"Gin is in charge of this matter, so let him explain it."

Fugaku very directly yielded the stage to Uchiha Gin.

Uchiha Gin did not stand on ceremony and stepped directly into Fugaku's position.

"You say the Uchiha Clan is selling classified information?"

"These are clearly just ordinary ninjutsu, merely C-rank and D-rank, and they are all common elemental techniques of the five natures. What kind of secret is that?"

Uchiha Gin asked with a look of confusion.

"These techniques are used by the Konoha Mission Center to reward ninjas who complete dangerous missions. According to the intelligence gathered, over sixty percent of them match the techniques given as rewards!"

"The Uchiha are selling out the interests and secrets of Konoha. Is this not a transgression?"

Someone stood up and questioned him directly.

At the same time, they produced data, clearly having prepared it long in advance.

"?"

"Those ninjutsu in the Mission Center originally belonged to the Uchiha, and some belonged to the Senju."

"When Konoha was founded, the Uchiha Clan and the Senju reached an agreement to exchange ninjutsu, swapping all techniques below B-rank. These techniques belonged to the Uchiha and Senju from the very beginning."

"It should be said that Konoha has been using the ninjutsu provided by the Uchiha and Senju over the years to reward everyone for free. Now that the Uchiha Clan is simply taking them out to sell, what is wrong with that?"

Uchiha Gin's response left the room in dead silence.

The Uchiha would certainly never sell the truly troublesome ninjutsu; what they sold were the techniques of the Uchiha and Senju, along with some that the Uchiha had seized on the battlefield or copied.

Back then, the Sarutobi Clan was not even as strong as the Ino-Shika-Cho; if not for the Second Hokage and the Third Hokage becoming Hokage, they would have been nothing more than a medium-sized clan, let alone having a stockpile of ninjutsu.

It could be said that over half of the five-element ninjutsu currently in Konoha were supplied by the Senju and Uchiha.

This "since ancient times" answer left many in the room unable to argue for a moment.

"That is merely your Uchiha side of the story; it could be fake!"

The person speaking was from the Shimura Clan. Since their leader, Danzō, had been driven away, they hated the Uchiha. Now that they had found an opportunity, even if they couldn't find a reason, they had to step forward and lash out.

"The head of the Senju Clan, Lady Tsunade, should still be alive. Let's find her for a confrontation. If this is a lie, all the Uchiha Clan's ninjutsu will be unconditionally opened for everyone here to study. How about that?"

Uchiha Gin sneered and retorted directly.

If they had the guts to call Lady Tsunade back, let's see who would dare.

The commoners might not know the situation of the Senju, but didn't these high-ranking officials know?

Going to find Lady Tsunade—it would be a miracle if they didn't get beaten up.

The Third Hokage's eyes were gloomy. He saw that the Uchiha were well-prepared; it seemed this was something they had been striving to bring about.

Therefore, he had to stop it, and he signaled Nara Shikaku with his eyes.

Nara Shikaku sighed inwardly, but he still stood up.

"Captain Gin, this matter involves many complexities. Furthermore, these ninjutsu have been part of the mission rewards since the time of the First Hokage. Selling them now undoubtedly harms the village's interests."

"If ninjutsu can be bought with money, who will still put their heart and soul into completing missions in the future?"

Nara Shikaku did not resort to threats. Instead, he chose to play the victim, highlighting the hardships of Konoha and claiming he was acting for the greater good.

"Oh?"

"The Uchiha Clan is not selling ninjutsu for personal gain. The proceeds from these sales will be used to develop new Scientific Ninja Tool."

"As everyone saw a few days ago, the Root Organization leader Orochimaru used the latest cutting-edge Scientific Ninja Tool. Beyond using chakra to form defensive shields, it also possesses flight capabilities. The Uchiha Clan will not keep a single cent from these sales; every bit will be invested into the development of new Scientific Ninja Tool to lower production costs and add new functions."

"These new Scientific Ninja Tool can reduce ninja casualties and increase mobility. Money can literally be used to buy the lives of ninjas who would otherwise perish. The Uchiha Clan is selling these ninjutsu for the sake of Konoha."

"We are truly at an impasse. The village has no funds, and the Uchiha Clan has run out of money to provide. Salaries for next month are due soon, we are still short millions of ryo, and we need to maintain operations and purchase materials for a long time. We really have no other choice."

Uchiha Gin heard Nara Shikaku's words and found them incredibly familiar.

It was just like the experts in his past life saying, "If everyone can afford a house, who will still work hard?"

It was truly nauseating.

If these people were so capable, they should stop using ninjutsu in battle and stick to kunai and shuriken instead. Just like in the Three Great Ninja Wars, they should send their young clansmen and those newly graduated civilian Genin to the front lines as human bombs—then he would have nothing to say.

Thus, Uchiha Gin also began to play the victim. Everyone was doing this for Konoha, so you cannot say I am in the wrong.

"These Scientific Ninja Tool may have great value, but compared to the investment, the returns do not seem particularly high. Moreover, the future profits from these Scientific Ninja Tool will still be earned by the Uchiha Clan, won't they?"

Hyuga Hiashi spoke up.

He refused to be the first to stick his neck out. After Nara Shikaku stepped forward, he understood the intentions of Sarutobi Hiruzen and stood up as the second person. Most importantly, he felt the Hyuga Clan had to help in dealing with the Uchiha.

"Scientific Ninja Tool do indeed have practical value. According to intelligence obtained by the Root Organization, Kumogakure is also developing Scientific Ninja Tool internally, incorporating many high-tech features."

"Furthermore, selling ninjutsu serves another purpose besides raising funds."

It was Orochimaru who spoke. That voice was something most people would never forget once they had heard it.

Everyone looked at Orochimaru in surprise.

Although everyone knew this matter was related to Orochimaru, they had intentionally ignored it, focusing the conflict solely on the Uchiha Clan.

They had not expected Orochimaru to enter the fray himself. Could he not see that this was a mess?

"What other purpose could there be? It's just for money, disregarding the profits of Konoha!"

It was a member of the Shimura Clan who said this.

Even though their clan head was gone, he remained defiant because the Third Hokage had visited the Shimura Clan to appease them.

However, he had left without making any promises, merely telling them to go ahead and act boldly—though he offered no guarantees.

"This is data from the Three Great Ninja Wars: the mortality rate of civilian ninjas was ten times that of ninjas from established clans. The vast majority of deaths occurred due to a lack of experience, followed by the fact that they only had ninja tools to attack and could not counter the ninjutsu released by the enemy."

"In daily missions, the mortality rate of civilian ninjas is four times that of clan ninjas. The primary cause of death is insufficient strength, a lack of understanding of the opponent's ninjutsu, and the absence of appropriate ninjutsu for counterattacks."

Orochimaru produced a stack of papers, reciting the mortality rates of civilian ninjas as he spoke.

These words made many clan heads tense up.

Who didn't know these things? But what did it have to do with them?

If you are a commoner without a clan to back you up, that is your own fault!

Sarutobi Hiruzen, however, felt a sense of foreboding. It seemed... this was aimed at him!

"Next is another set of data: civilian ninjas who have mastered a few low-level ninjutsu have a survival rate more than double that of those who have not."

"Just a few low-level ninjutsu can double their survival rate."

Orochimaru's words left the crowd at a loss.

At the same time, some in the crowd began to show fervent interest.

By now, every clan member realized what Orochimaru was doing: opening up low-level ninjutsu to civilians.

"More than fifty percent of the ninjutsu I have the Uchiha Clan selling have already been mastered by surrounding small ninja villages, and eighty percent have already been mastered by the other four Great Ninja Villages. They are not classified information at all."

"But if civilian ninjas can master a few low-level ninjutsu, the casualty rate will drop by at least half. Ninjas who survive in battle possess greater potential and can increase the number of Jonin. At the same time, they can complete more missions, increasing Konoha's revenue."

"If the Uchiha are not allowed to sell these low-level ninjutsu, then I believe the difficulty of obtaining low-level ninjutsu as rewards from the mission center should be lowered. One should be able to receive this reward after completing a certain number of D-rank and C-rank missions."

Orochimaru finally stated his proposal.

The room fell completely silent.

They wanted to stop him, but they could not speak, because favoring civilian ninjas was the policy of the Third Hokage.

"If that is the case, the Uchiha Clan will cease the sale of ninjutsu. After all, this is for the benefit of Konoha."

Fugaku finally spoke at this moment.

His words made many people wish they could bite him to death.

"Orochimaru, I never thought you would be so concerned about Konoha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed very surprised.

However, the anger in his tone could not be concealed, and many people felt it.

"Of course, I am going all out to become the Hokage!"

Orochimaru smiled at his teacher, then stated these words with complete indifference.

In an instant, the pupils of many people present constricted violently.

If a brat like Naruto said such a thing, no one would care; they would only offer encouragement.

But when someone of Orochimaru's status said it, it was different; this was a genuine declaration of intent to seize the position of Hokage.

Not a single head of the great clans present dared to utter such words.

At this moment, Orochimaru was effectively the sole crown prince; if he said he wanted to be emperor, aside from someone like Zhu Yuanzhang, what emperor could tolerate it?

The crown prince was planning a rebellion!

"Hahaha!"

"I never imagined you harbored such grand ambitions."

"Then let us end this matter here. The Uchiha Clan is forbidden from using ninjutsu, while the difficulty of acquiring C-rank and D-rank ninjutsu will be lowered; they can be earned by completing C-rank and D-rank missions. I will discuss the specifics with the two Hokage Assistant officials."

"That is all for today."

After Sarutobi Hiruzen finished speaking, he stood up and left directly.

Since he could no longer stop the distribution of ninjutsu to commoners, he would at least ensure he didn't sell out the Uchiha Clan; doing this would at least earn him some reputation, and it wouldn't truly affect him much. However, it would be troublesome for those small and medium-sized clans, but he would leave that for Orochimaru, the culprit, to deal with!

He could not even control the cold expression on his face as he left, which many people noticed.

"The winds of change are coming!"

Many people harbored this thought in their hearts.

At the same time, some began to wonder whether they should support Orochimaru.