Plan

Elsewhere, Ryuchi Cave.

With a bang, Manda appeared out of thin air.

Orochimaru crawled out of Manda's mouth, soaked from head to toe. Manda said uneasily, "Why the hell did you summon me over there?!"

Back when Manda was still a small snake, he had once seen from afar a certain blue Susanoo fighting a wooden giant. That battle had left a huge shock on Manda's young heart.

As a result, Manda feared such enormous things.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Hehehe, Manda, I'll remember your hundred sacrifices."

With that, Orochimaru headed deeper into Ryuchi Cave.

Manda said, "Orochimaru, you can't go in!"

"Hehehe, it's not my first time here."

Three hours later.

Orochimaru emerged from the depths of Ryuchi Cave looking somewhat bedraggled. He had once again failed to learn Sage Mode.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Under the blood moon that night, Fugaku spoke to Itachi and Sasuke with a grim expression. "Itachi, Sasuke, Shisui sent word. Danzo is connected to Orochimaru. Danzo wants to kill Shisui—he's still after Shisui's eyes!"

Fugaku said, "I'll report this to the Third Hokage. Orochimaru is a rogue ninja. If Danzo is colluding with Orochimaru, then the Third Hokage may suppress Danzo!"

Sasuke said, "Father, you're being too naive. The Third Hokage won't suppress Danzo based on your word alone.

He'll only call it baseless rumors. Besides, how much faith does the Third Hokage have in anything we Uchiha say?"

"Then what should we do?"

Sasuke said viciously, "If we're doing this, we might as well go all the way and kill Danzo!

The forces behind the Third Hokage are nothing more than the Anbu, Root, the Hyuga Clan, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, the Inuzuka Clan, the Aburame Clan, and so on."

"Our Uchiha Police Force can more or less handle the Anbu and Root. But if the other clans stand with the Third Hokage, we won't be a match for them. Especially the Hyuga Clan—they've quietly developed for so many years, and their strength is unfathomable..."

Itachi nodded. "If there were some way to drive a wedge between the Third Hokage and the Hyuga Clan, then the Third Hokage would no longer have the nerve to keep persecuting the Uchiha!"

Somewhere deep down, Itachi's heart had already begun to lean toward the Uchiha.

Although he disliked the Uchiha Clan, his parents and younger brother were all part of it.

As long as the Uchiha and the village could reach a delicate balance, that would be enough.

The Konoha higher-ups would not dare put pressure on the Uchiha Clan, and the Uchiha Clan would gain some of its rightful authority.

Both sides could live in peace.

That was what Itachi most wanted to see.

However, there was still one issue: who could kill Danzo without a sound?

Fugaku and Itachi could both kill Danzo. The difficult part was killing him without anyone noticing.

Itachi voiced this idea.

Sasuke's eyes lit up. "I do have someone in mind, but he isn't here right now. We'll need to wait for a while!"

"And it's also simple to drive a wedge between the Hyuga Clan and the Third Hokage. All we need is for the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan to form a marriage alliance!"

Fugaku nodded. "You're right. Marriage is the most direct way for two clans to establish ties. But... who would it be?"

Sasuke eagerly volunteered. "Me, me, me! Father, go propose for me! Let me and Hinata of the Hyuga Clan enter a childhood betrothal!"

Itachi gave Sasuke a strange look. Sasuke's calculations were so loud that the beads of his abacus were practically bouncing into everyone's faces.

But Itachi did not expose him. Instead, he said, "Father, Sasuke's idea is quite good. Sasuke and Hinata are close in age, so arranging a childhood betrothal would indeed be suitable."

Fugaku said, "Good. In a few days, once I have prepared the betrothal gifts, I'll take Mikoto to the Hyuga Clan and propose to Hiashi."

Two days later.

Weekend, Hyuga Clan.

Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga were sitting together drinking tea.

Hizashi asked Hiashi, "Brother, what do you think Uchiha Fugaku has come to our Hyuga Clan for?"

Hiashi said, "I don't know."

Hizashi asked, "But Brother, at such a sensitive time, with the Uchiha Clan being suppressed by the Konoha higher-ups, should we really meet Fugaku?!"

Hiashi Hyuga and Hizashi Hyuga were brothers, but Hiashi belonged to the main branch while Hizashi belonged to the branch family. This meant that Hiashi held absolute authority within the Hyuga Clan.

Hiashi said, "Meet him. Why wouldn't we?

Don't forget—who founded Konoha!"

"It was founded by the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan. Back then, the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, and the Uchiha ancestor, Uchiha Madara, could suppress the entire ninja world by themselves. Now the Senju Clan has declined, with only one young girl, Tsunade, left in the entire clan. But the Uchiha are different. They are thriving, and perhaps another figure like Uchiha Madara will emerge. So we must not make enemies of the Uchiha Clan."

When Senju Hashirama was still alive, the other four great nations behaved as obediently as grandchildren.

Once Senju Hashirama died and that great Buddha was no longer there to suppress them, the Second Shinobi World War broke out soon afterward.

That was enough to prove that the strength of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara was no exaggeration. The two of them had ended the Warring States Period and ushered in the era of the five great shinobi villages.

The Uchiha Clan possessed enormous potential!

The Hyuga Clan did not want to offend them and even wished to build good relations with them. However, the Uchiha Clan's position within the village was very delicate now.

A moment later, Uchiha Fugaku arrived at the Hyuga Clan with Mikoto and Sasuke.

Fugaku had not brought Itachi.

At this critical juncture, the Uchiha Clan had to leave a Mangekyo behind to stand guard.

Sasuke stood obediently beside Fugaku. He glanced at his father, and Fugaku nodded, signaling for Sasuke to speak.

Sasuke got straight to the point. "Clan Head Hyuga, you should know that our Uchiha Clan has always been suppressed by the Konoha higher-ups, so we hope to receive the Hyuga Clan's assistance."

Hiashi Hyuga was somewhat surprised that a five-year-old child was the one speaking, and even more surprised that Sasuke had openly brought up the conflict with the village.

However, Hiashi Hyuga said, "Why should I help your Uchiha Clan?"

Sasuke said, "It's simple. The Third Hokage seeks absolute power. Because we Uchiha threaten his position, he has begun suppressing us. Right now, the Third Hokage still needs the support of your Hyuga Clan. But if he destroys the Uchiha Clan before long, Clan Head Hyuga, think about it—would your Hyuga Clan become the next Uchiha?"

Sasuke said quietly, "The Hyuga Clan may not have any intention of rebellion, but it possesses the strength to rebel. That alone is a crime!

But as long as the Hyuga Clan and our Uchiha Clan band together for warmth, the Konoha higher-ups will not dare touch anyone from either of our clans!"