I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 82 Everything is under the Third Hokage's nose

At the base, in a dark, secluded chamber.

The head of the secret service left with a smile, satisfied with his political deal, leaving only three people in the secret room.

After watching the head of the secret service leave, Koharu Utatane frowned and said in a deep voice, "This woman is too obsessed with power."

Perhaps after the outsiders left, the three of them also dropped their pretenses, after all, they had been companions since childhood.

Mitomon Homura shook his head and sighed, "It's not wrong to be obsessed with power, but I'm afraid that Sarutobi Shinnosuke's strength and achievements will not be enough to convince the public in the end."

They have decided to abandon Orochimaru. After all, they cannot control Orochimaru, and once he comes to power, he will rearrange the interest groups representing Konoha, plunging Konoha into turmoil again. On the contrary, if Sarutobi Shinnosuke comes to power, things will remain the same. People their age prefer stability to challenges.

More importantly, Konoha had just suffered three major battles and was now facing the Nine-Tails disaster. At this time, Konoha desperately needed to recuperate.

"Hmph, with the Third Hokage around, it won't matter much if Shinnosuke Sarutobi almost dies."

At this moment, Danzo was secretly hoping for a weakness in the new Hokage, so that he could add fuel to the fire and directly damage the new Hokage's reputation. If he planned it properly, he might have a chance.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke is much easier to deal with than Orochimaru; in fact, he already has several plans in mind.

On the contrary, if he continued to support Orochimaru, he would not only face the exclusion of his old friends, but also the hostility of various forces in the old Konoha. It should be noted that his Root was considered an old power.

Who would step forward to help outsiders fight against their own forces?

The other two were unaware of Shimura Danzo's scheme, but Utatane Koharu, seemingly lost in thought, frowned and said, "Danzo, the forbidden technique left by our master is incomplete, but it's far too dangerous."

While the criticism was that this forbidden technique was too dangerous, it was more accurate to say it was too cruel. Shimura Danzo sneered upon hearing this, "Orochimaru isn't as concerned with his reputation as White Fang. The White Fang incident can't be repeated, but if you still want to damage Orochimaru's reputation, what do you suggest we do without drastic measures?"

The position of Hokage requires someone who is recognized by most Jonin. Back then, they used this opportunity to undermine White Fang's prestige, which is similar to the current situation. At that time, the ninja world was in turmoil, and once Konoha experienced a change of power between the old and new, it was easy for unrest to occur, making it easy for others to take advantage of the situation.

This led to the attack on White Fang's reputation, which escalated rapidly. Of course, they never expected White Fang to commit suicide, as this was a taboo subject for them.

White Fang's personality is too rigid, unlike someone like Orochimaru, whose ruthless and decisive nature only draws criticism from some people. Therefore, they are relieved this time.

Mitomon Homura shook his head slightly and sighed, "The two forbidden techniques that the teacher hasn't finished will probably require a lot of live experiments. We need to be careful with the dosage. The White Fang incident must not be repeated."

It's possible to damage Orochimaru's reputation and deprive him of his chance to become Hokage, but the White Fang bloodshed incident absolutely cannot occur, otherwise the loss to the village would be too great.

White Fang has always been a lesson for their superiors. In their political struggles, they never considered the possibility of White Fang's sacrifice. After all, they are politicians who act out of self-interest, not ninjas ready to fight.

A Kage-level powerhouse who has completely lost the right to inherit the Hokage position can maximize his benefits by staying in Konoha.

Seeing his two friends bring up the White Fang incident again, Shimura Danzo couldn't help but frown and say in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Orochimaru's personality is not like White Fang's."

What kind of person is Orochimaru? Thinking of this, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged a glance and then smiled with relief.

Orochimaru is ruthless and has earned his reputation as the "Cold Lord" through his actions. He doesn't care about other people's opinions, which makes him better than White Fang in this respect.

However, although they all thought Orochimaru was cold-blooded and profit-driven, they never considered the possibility that he was insane.

After all, immortality! That idea was utter nonsense, and no one could have imagined that Orochimaru would later become such a mad and twisted being. This explains the Third Hokage's utter disbelief and shock when he saw Orochimaru's female face during the Chunin Exams in the original story.

Impure World Reincarnation, an imperfect ninjutsu. All they knew was that it was a forbidden technique developed by their teacher, the Second Hokage. Legend has it that it was a forbidden technique developed by an evil Onmyoji and ninja during the Warring States period, but it was not perfected and was subsequently destroyed by the combined forces of the Uchiha and Senju clans.

The information about this ninjutsu subsequently fell into the hands of the Senju clan. Given the nature of the Uchiha clan, how could they possibly be interested in it? (Analysis of why Madara Uchiha knew about this ninjutsu, providing a plausible explanation.)

Later, after the First Hokage passed away, the Second Hokage rediscovered this forbidden technique and began researching it. However, just as he started his research, something happened in the Land of Lightning, and the forbidden technique was sealed away after that.

"After handing over the information on the forbidden technique, Impure World Reincarnation, keep a close eye on it. You must have solid evidence."

Koharu Tsurugi frowned and spoke in a deep voice. All three of them naturally understood what this meant. This kind of forbidden technique could not avoid human experimentation, and on a large scale at that. Eventually, it would be exposed.

Therefore, they need solid evidence. To strike a snake, one must hit its vital spot and destroy Orochimaru's prestige with a single, decisive blow, making him ineligible for the Hokage position. Then, under duress, they can simply exile him to the border, just like Jiraiya and Tsunade did.

……

Inside the Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage, with a pipe dangling from his mouth, puffed away. In front of him stood Nara Shikaku of the Nara clan, who was also his strategist.

"Shikaku, the head of the Anbu has gone to Root, along with Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado."

The Third Hokage lowered his head and spoke in a hoarse voice. As the Hokage of Konoha Village, and having governed for so many years, how could he possibly keep the village's every move hidden from his eyes, let alone the movements of the higher-ups?

Nara Shikaku, head bowed, was also deeply troubled upon hearing this. Being caught up in the struggle for the Hokage's succession was a difficult situation.

Seemingly sensing Nara Shikaku's predicament, the Third Hokage sighed with melancholy, "Orochimaru has gone astray. If we let him continue like this, Konoha will face another upheaval."

Back then, he stood against all odds to support Minato Namikaze because he saw that Minato had almost no backing. Once he became Hokage, he could slowly hand over the power to his original team, ensuring a peaceful and stable transition of power in Konoha.

More importantly, Minato Namikaze's Will of Fire ideology was almost identical to his own, unlike Orochimaru's, and completely contrary to his political beliefs.

Therefore, this is his choice. Now he has encountered this problem again. Konoha had just experienced the Third Shinobi World War and could not withstand any more turmoil. Now, things are even worse.

The Third Hokage's true intention was never Orochimaru's research. You have to understand that Orochimaru's base was so large and had so many resources to consume, how could it possibly escape the Hokage's eyes? Besides, wasn't the Second Hokage always doing human research?

Even during his reign, he devised a Wood Release plan, which ultimately ended in disastrous failure. But at least it proves one thing: human research, while taboo, is merely something that cannot be done openly. Which major ninja village doesn't engage in it? How did these powerful medical ninjutsu and various forbidden techniques come about?

Looking at the original work, it's clear that while the Third Hokage may have had his own selfish motives, given the growth of the Sarutobi clan, his feelings for Konoha were absolutely genuine, and above all interests. However, his political ideology was too domineering; he believed that only his Will of Fire could stabilize the village, and everything else was wrong.

The application to Sanjiang Publishing House failed. I've discussed it with the editor, and it will be available next week. The exact day will depend on whether we can get a recommendation. Don't worry! I'll update frequently after it's published!

I'm not discouraged, and I don't need any consolation. The results of this book are pretty good for me. Keep it up!

(End of this chapter)