Chapter 112 – Fugaku's Confidence
At the same time—
Uchiha Clan Compound
Reception Room, Fugaku's Residence
Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi had brought the conflict into the open, Orochimaru could no longer pretend nothing had happened.
So he brought Kazane and Might Duy with him to Uchiha Fugaku's residence.
Though Might Duy appeared simple-minded and humble, that didn't mean he was clueless. He simply lived by the code of an honest man, never overthinking and always accepting whatever life threw at him.
But when it came time to choose sides, he was very clear on where he stood.
After all his years of hard work in the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi had never helped him—not even once. His family had always struggled, and even affording a new pair of weighted gear was a hardship.
But with Orochimaru—thanks to Kazane—he finally came to recognize his own strength.
More importantly, it was Orochimaru who had shown him true respect—something Duy had never felt in his life as a "eternal Genin" whom others looked down on.
And thanks to Orochimaru's expertise in human physiology, he had even designed a custom training regimen for Duy, allowing his long-stagnant strength to grow again.
(At this point, Might Duy is a Chūnin by default, while Might Guy is already a Jōnin. Considering that Guy lost his father at a young age and given their family's dedication to hard work, it's likely that Duy's own training methods weren't particularly effective in his earlier years.) Author's note, kinda rare so I added it.
All this made Duy's loyalty clear—between Sarutobi and Orochimaru, he firmly chose Orochimaru.
Even if he didn't, everyone else would've just assumed he belonged to Orochimaru's faction anyway.
—
At this point, Uchiha Fugaku had already informed Kazane of everything that had transpired during the council meeting.
"Kazane… what do you plan to do?"
Even Orochimaru—who had long valued his teacher-student bond with Hiruzen—was now thoroughly angered by Sarutobi's cold-heartedness.
Kazane was a strategic asset to the village. Even if it were for the sake of peace, sacrificing a powerful shinobi like him was unacceptable.
And to do so under the pretense of protecting the village? The very person their enemies dreamed of eliminating would instead be killed by his own allies? It was beyond absurd.
So, Orochimaru resolved to respect Kazane's decision. Even if Kazane wanted to openly rebel against the village, he would support him.
Truthfully, Kazane had long suspected that Hiruzen would eventually move against him. His existence alone posed a threat to them.
He was simply too strong. His power had already disrupted the balance of influence, and Sarutobi and Danzo probably dreamed of eliminating him in their sleep.
But Kazane had never taken them seriously. After all, no amount of schemes could stand against absolute power.
Still, he hadn't expected them to use this as the excuse.
Sacrificing a village shinobi for the sake of peace? Was that really something a Hokage should be doing?
This move had backed him into a corner. Today's council meeting made it clear—Hiruzen no longer held absolute control over Konoha.
Especially after everything that happened, most of the Jōnin weren't fools. If Hiruzen could sacrifice Kazane today, then tomorrow, he could sacrifice any one of them.
Yet one thing puzzled Kazane: how could they dare move against him so brazenly? Did they think he wouldn't retaliate?
Or had they found something—or someone—to rely on, something that made them confident they could actually defeat him?
But in the current shinobi world, there should be no one capable of taking him on. Could it be… Uchiha Madara?
Kazane quickly dismissed the thought. No way it was Madara. Obito was still bouncing around the village like nothing, and Old Man Madara was probably still hiding somewhere, agonizing over where to find a suitable puppet.
And just recently, Kazane had seen Nagato's Rinnegan while in the Land of Rain.
With how immature Nagato's strength still was, he couldn't possibly use Rinne Rebirth yet.
That old man was probably still lying in a cave somewhere, barely clinging to life through tubes and machines.
So what could it be? Could it be… Reaper Death Seal?
Yes—that had to be it!
Only this kind of unreasonable forbidden jutsu could give them the confidence to confront him.
Once activated, as long as it caught its target, the Reaper could forcibly rip their soul out.
Kazane had no intention of letting that disgusting technique be tested on him. Only something that broken could give them this kind of delusional confidence.
The three others in the room didn't interrupt him, seeing Kazane deep in thought. They simply waited silently while he considered everything.
Kazane finally looked up, seeing all three of them clearly waiting for his answer. He turned to Orochimaru and asked:
"Orochimaru-sensei, are you ready to stand against the Hokage?"
Kazane needed to be certain—could Orochimaru truly harden his heart against the teacher he once admired?
"He may be my teacher, but you are my student. And if he's already made his move against you… then I have no choice but to strike back."
Though Orochimaru held some sentimentality for their former bond, that didn't mean he could tolerate Hiruzen's repeated treachery.
If his teacher no longer honored their relationship—no longer saw him as a student—then Orochimaru would no longer hesitate.
He couldn't hesitate. Not anymore.
He was no longer acting alone. Behind him now stood over ten thousand ninja, along with supporters like Kazane and Uchiha Fugaku.
"In that case, things become much simpler."
"Orochimaru-sensei, we don't need to engage them directly. What the Hokage did at today's meeting already works in our favor. I doubt any clan can tolerate a village leader who casually sacrifices their own."
"The Hokage's misstep has already helped us take the most important step. What you need to do now, sensei, is visit the major clans one by one—unite the village's strength, and pressure the Hokage to step down."
"Once you become the Fourth Hokage, we'll settle accounts with them properly."
Kazane didn't mention his deeper thoughts. He had no way of explaining how he knew about the Reaper Death Seal technique.
What was he supposed to say?
"Oh, I read your teammate's doujin in my previous life"?
…
Of course Orochimaru had already considered this plan. But it meant Kazane would have to endure a great deal of injustice.
And Orochimaru wasn't the kind of person to let his own suffer in silence. Now that Hiruzen had acted, there needed to be a decisive response. Only the victor had the right to show mercy.
"Sensei, when's the next Five Kage Summit?"
But before Orochimaru could respond, Kazane spoke up again.
"In five days. I'm certain Hiruzen plans to hand you over to the three great ninja villages at that summit."
The quiet Uchiha Fugaku, who had been seated at the table, finally spoke.
Though the Uchiha clan was widely disliked in the village, they were still Konoha's largest clan. With their numbers came a vast network of intelligence.
Information that might be hidden from the average person was still within their reach.
This was also why, despite not having any current top-tier combatants, the Uchiha could still collaborate with Orochimaru on equal footing—rather than being mere subordinates.
That… was their confidence.
Complete version available at P@treon, Zynos