I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ascending to the Moon in Ten Years Chapter 50

At the doorway, the two of them could already hear Jiraiya's wailing.

Having grown accustomed to a life of leisure over the past few years, Jiraiya simply could not stand being cooped up in this cramped room, endlessly reviewing documents.

He had begged Sarutobi Hiruzen several times to bring out the Crystal Ball so he could peek at the women's bathhouse, only to be refused each time, leading him to curse the old man under his breath for hogging all the fun.

"Knock, knock!"

After Uchiha Gin knocked, the voice of Sarutobi Hiruzen soon drifted from within.

"Come in."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice rang out.

The two opened the door and walked straight in. Jiraiya had naturally sensed their presence outside long ago. Seeing that they were from the Uchiha Clan, Jiraiya remained as he was, sprawled lazily in his chair without a shred of decorum.

"Has the candidate for the pursuit mission been selected?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen asked directly.

As his gaze fell upon the two, he paid special attention to their expressions.

He had wanted to see if they would show any strange reactions upon finding Jiraiya there, but there was nothing—just poker faces.

His intentions were clear: he supported Jiraiya as the next Hokage, yet the Uchiha seemed to be making no moves. However, a spy from the Uchiha Clan had recently tried to report information to him, only to be silenced by the Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu, which left Sarutobi Hiruzen deeply concerned.

Fortunately, Fugaku had only told the vast majority of the clansmen that they were being injected with a serum to strengthen their bodies, revealing nothing about the First Hokage Cells.

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that the Uchiha Clan had too many actions beyond his control, eventually deciding to join forces with Uchiha Madara. Just as Fugaku had suspected, his first requirement was to eliminate Uchiha Gin before moving to slaughter the entire Uchiha Clan.

He dared not make a move until Uchiha Gin was removed, or perhaps he deemed it not worth the risk.

After all, as the Hokage of Konoha, he had to consider the interests of the entire village. Although his own interests represented those of Konoha, he had to weigh the whole. He would only strike if he were certain that removing this "organ" from his body would not result in death; if the risk of death was high and the procedure would leave him severely wounded or dead, he would certainly not target that organ.

"As a wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan, I shall pursue Uchiha Shisui. After all, only a Mangekyō can contend with a Mangekyō."

Uchiha Gin's words were arrogant.

Jiraiya, standing to the side, was somewhat surprised; their previous interactions had not suggested that Uchiha Gin was such a flamboyant person.

"Are you going alone?"

"Then the Anbu will also dispatch two squads to follow. One Anbu squad will be responsible for gathering intelligence in Amegakure, while the other will assist you in dealing with the rogue ninja Uchiha Shisui."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had not expected things to go so smoothly, nor that Uchiha Gin would be the only one stepping forward.

He felt something was amiss, but he assumed that Uchiha Shisui was indeed a member of the Uchiha Clan, rather than suspecting that Uchiha Gin had learned of their plans.

This was a cognitive error caused by the asymmetry of information between the two sides.

"I apologize for the trouble, Third Hokage."

"Because of a rogue ninja from the Uchiha Clan, we have caused so much trouble for Konoha."

Fugaku, for his part, remained as subservient as ever.

Sarutobi Hiruzen offered a few words of comfort in return, and for a moment, the atmosphere between them seemed quite harmonious.

After Fugaku and Uchiha Gin departed, Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Jiraiya: "Do you think the current Uchiha are still worthy of trust?"

"The Uchiha's desire for expansion is something even the commoners in the village can sense."

"This rogue ninja, Uchiha Shisui, is likely an insurance policy the Uchiha Clan has taken out for themselves, but it also proves that the Uchiha do not wish to turn against Konoha."

Jiraiya gave his assessment based on the available intelligence.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.

It was a pity that there were too many wolves and too little meat; rather than letting the Uchiha Clan become a ravenous wolf, it was better to turn them into meat, which would better alleviate the internal conflicts of Konoha and provide opportunities for the new generation to grow.

He had not informed Jiraiya about his alliance with Uchiha Madara.

He would bear the darkness of Konoha himself. He hoped to completely resolve the threat of the Uchiha before Jiraiya took office, handing over a stable Konoha to him!

"Can the village really not coexist with the Uchiha?"

Suddenly, however, Jiraiya asked.

Sarutobi Hiruzen froze, his brow furrowing as he looked at Jiraiya.

"The interests of the Uchiha have already diverged from the interests of the entire village. This is the choice of the people."

After a moment of silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke.

Having tasted the meat of the Senju Clan, the other families in Konoha had long since become spoiled, and Sarutobi Hiruzen stood where he was because of their support; thus, he could not betray their interests.

Jiraiya said nothing more, and the Hokage's office fell into silence.

That night, Uchiha Gin met with Orochimaru and informed him that he would be leaving the village for a while.

"The Third Hokage is about to make his move," Orochimaru said calmly.

At the same time, his hands remained busy, gathering natural energy and sealing it into a scroll.

"While I am away, keep a close eye on the situation."

Uchiha Gin spoke.

He and Orochimaru were partners, not superior and subordinate, so he could not issue orders to Orochimaru; he could only inform him and let him make his own choice.

"Root has been completely ostracized from Konoha. They are only responsible for stealing intelligence from other ninja villages and performing some unspeakable assassinations."

"However, I share the same judgment as Clan Leader Fugaku: as long as you remain safe, the Uchiha Clan in the village will not face any trouble."

Orochimaru said.

At the same time, he bundled up five scrolls sealed with natural energy and handed them to Uchiha Gin.

"Aside from the village, there is also that Uchiha Madara."

"If things go smoothly this time, I will bring you back one or two White Zetsu."

Uchiha Gin stated his target of concern while making a promise to Orochimaru.

Since they were rarely going out together, he had to stir up some trouble!

"If you can, catch a few more!"

Orochimaru's eyes lit up.

The Root members under his command, as well as his subordinates in the outside world, could not find the White Zetsu that Uchiha Gin spoke of, which frustrated him. But this time, he should be able to get his hands on some for a proper dissection.

Uchiha Gin took the scrolls sealed with natural energy and agreed.

He then went home to prepare, ready to leave Konoha and cause a stir. He had to bring all his equipment and could not leave a single gem from his stock behind.

Early the next morning, Uchiha Gin saw two Anbu squads waiting at the gates of Konoha and left the village directly with them.

At nine o'clock that same morning, Fugaku summoned everyone from the Military Police Force.

"There are suspected spies from other ninja villages targeting the Scientific Ninja Tool manufacturing plans of the Ninja Tool Development Department. They may resort to violent means."

"Starting today, Konoha is under twenty-four-hour martial law. If you encounter any resisting enemies, use signal flares to notify others before counterattacking. Any suspicious individuals acting improperly are to be arrested immediately!"

"Summon all Uchiha clansmen who have awakened their Sharingan and are currently resting to join the patrol and protection efforts."

Fugaku spoke sternly to all members of the Military Police Force.

If Uchiha Gin was going to make a name for the Uchiha Clan outside of Konoha, then inside the village, he would make Konoha recall the strength of the Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha Clan at this moment was arguably even more powerful than the Uchiha Clan during the Warring States period, excluding Uchiha Madara.

He, Fugaku, would also rise up!

"Yes!"

Although they did not know what had happened, the members of the Uchiha Clan responded loudly.

Hyuga Himon was stunned, sensing that troublesome things were about to happen.

After leaving the Military Police Force, he immediately went to notify his own clan leader and the Third Hokage.

"?"

"What is the Uchiha Clan trying to do!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen wore an expression of shock and anger.

He wanted to curse; the spies from various villages had been intercepted by the Anbu recently, and now that the spies were mostly dealt with, the Uchiha Clan was pulling this stunt?

"Could it be that the Uchiha Clan knows what I am planning?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was clouded with uncertainty.

He felt that the opportunity, which previously had a seventy percent chance of success, now seemed to have less than a thirty percent success rate.

At the same time, the vast majority of families within Konoha felt that a storm was brewing, and the atmosphere everywhere was tense and uneasy.

Chapter 66: Danzo, Obito, I Win Twice? VS Obito! [Two-in-One]

Shisui and Biwa Juzo headed toward Iwagakure to capture the Four-Tails Jinchuriki.

"Uchiha Madara made this arrangement; he doesn't seem to trust Uchiha Shisui. Aren't they on the same side?"

Konan asked Nagato with confusion.

Not long ago, Obito had asked Nagato to arrange for Shisui's team to go on a mission, preferably to another country.

"No need to pay attention to it; as long as they execute the mission to capture the Tailed Beast, that is enough."

Nagato did not care about this.

He did not trust anyone except Konan.

Therefore, as long as these people completed the tasks he assigned, he would not concern himself with extraneous matters.

Konan nodded and did not say much more, though she always believed that Uchiha Madara was a dangerous figure; the other party definitely had ulterior motives!

Uchiha Gin followed the Anbu toward the Land of Rain. He had been prepared to try absorbing natural energy, but now he had no opportunity.

After all, once he left the Uchiha compound, there was no safe place, leaving him no chance to practice something that required total concentration to perceive and absorb natural energy.

However, Uchiha Gin did not have a massive demand for raw energy at the moment. He carried twenty gems stored with magic power; besides being able to throw them as a means of attack, he could also absorb the magic power within the gems to replenish himself.

Along the way, other than informing him about some information regarding the mission target, Shisui, at the very beginning, the Anbu did not say another word.

Kakashi was not among the Anbu; they were all strangers.

"I cannot follow their route entirely; the destination must have traps prepared for me."

As he neared the border of the Land of Fire, Uchiha Gin decided against continuing to follow the path set by these Anbu.

To charge into a trap knowing it was there was either simple-minded or just plain stupid.

Although Uchiha Gin believed his strength was formidable, that did not mean he could guard against every possible attack.

Between Might Guy's Eight Inner Gates, Sarutobi pulling out the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, and the sheer numerical advantage of being swarmed, it was entirely possible for Uchiha Gin to be worn down to death.

"Your speed is too slow. I'll head out first; you lot better catch up quickly."

Uchiha Gin, who had been trailing behind the Anbu, spoke up suddenly.

"?"

The two Anbu squads thought their plan had been exposed, but when they turned around, they saw Uchiha Gin rip the grey cloak off his body.

Then, pale purple wings unfolded from Uchiha Gin's back, spanning exactly the length of two outstretched arms.

Under their shocked gazes, Uchiha Gin took flight, breaking through the canopy of the forest and ascending directly to an altitude of several dozen meters.

"Captain, what do we do!"

These Anbu were all aware of the mission's objective: to join forces with Shimura Danzō and execute Uchiha Gin.

But now the enemy was flying, and they could not.

"Is that the newly developed Chakra Armor!"

"One squad follow behind him, the other go contact Lord Sarutobi Sunset!"

The person in charge of this operation felt a headache coming on as he looked at the Chakra Armor on Uchiha Gin.

Although this item had already made quite a name for itself in Konoha, it had not yet gone on sale and was previously only a prototype; they had not expected Uchiha Gin to be wearing it this time.