The atmosphere was tense for a moment. Then, an elder from the Main family spoke,
"Orochimaru-sama, Hinata is our Hyuga clan's next generation Clan leader... candidate. Is there any other way?"
Hearing this, Hyuga Hiashi turned to look at the serious-faced Main family elder, his brow deeply furrowed.
He suddenly realized that not only was the village not on his side, but even his own clansmen were handing Orochimaru a reason to push harder.
These words clearly implied: sacrificing even a Hyuga Clan leader might be acceptable, let alone a candidate.
"Lord Hokage, Orochimaru-sama..."
Hyuga Hiashi, abandoning his usual weakness, spoke sharply and looked intently, resolutely saying,
"If the village is in danger, I would give my life without complaint, but Hinata is still just a child."
"Do not forget the First Hokage's original intention in establishing the village!"
Hearing Hiashi bring out such a big name, Danzo's eyes flashed sharply, and Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed softly, closing his eyes to avoid Hiashi's gaze.
The First Hokage could do it, but their abilities were limited.
When Orochimaru graduated from the ninja academy at the age of six and stepped onto the battlefield, wasn't he also a child? There is always helplessness between ideals and reality.
The same, all unavoidable measures.
"Heh heh heh... you've even brought out the First Hokage... if you keep talking, I don't know where it will lead."
Orochimaru licked his lips, looked at the stern and serious Hyuga Hiashi, and suddenly smiled, "I do have another way, but it's troublesome and disadvantageous to me..."
Hiashi said decisively, "As long as you tell us, my Hyuga clan will compensate you to the greatest extent."
Beside him, the Main family elder was displeased that he agreed so quickly, at least they should hear the conditions first.
"Compensate..."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and said directly, "I want your Hyuga clan to hand over all sealing techniques and barrier techniques."
Hiashi and the Main family elder's expressions changed, but then they heard him continue, "Don't worry, 'Caged Bird' and related techniques don't need to be made public." Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Behind them, Hyuga Hizashi was faintly disappointed, even though he understood the consequences of giving the family's secret techniques to outsiders.
"In addition, I want the Hyuga clan to fund the village's research into sealing techniques."
Orochimaru glanced at the two and said slowly, "If there are clansmen in your clan who want to learn sealing techniques, no matter their talent, you are not allowed to interfere."
Hyuga Hiashi and the Main family elder exchanged glances, wondering what Orochimaru was up to.
To deal with the threat of the masked man and for future goals, it was clear that the village would invest a lot of money in promoting sealing technique research.
This was a big project, and all the ninja clans would have to contribute manpower and resources. The Hyuga clan was no exception.
Now it was just an extra contribution, which was completely acceptable. In fact, responding to the village's call would even enhance the Hyuga clan's reputation.
So Hiashi paused and decisively agreed.
Orochimaru smiled slightly at this and didn't say any threatening words. No one dared to outwardly agree but secretly disobey him.
He made a hand seal, and a Shadow Clone appeared out of nowhere, with the same smile, and left the meeting room directly.
Meeting everyone's gaze, Orochimaru's lips curled slightly, "Don't be anxious, wait for the clone to return."...
The Third Hokage looked at Orochimaru with a puzzled expression, feeling more and more that he could not see through this student of his.
Orochimaru's demands were all beneficial to the village, and did no good to himself. What was he after?
Jiraiya seemed to grasp some of Orochimaru's thoughts.
First get funds from the Hyuga clan, then spend that money on the Hyuga Branch family. With such a move, the village could win over the Branch family without spending a penny.
That night, during the discussion, Orochimaru did not hide his aversion to the Hyuga Main family. This move should be another way to strike at them.
But was that all? Jiraiya felt the same concerns as his teacher.
The meeting room fell silent for a moment, as everyone exchanged glances, guessing Orochimaru's desires and the method he had not yet mentioned.
Suddenly, Tsunade spoke, "Orochimaru, you wouldn't have sent a Shadow Clone to kill those people from Kumogakure, would you?"
Everyone's expressions changed, and the more they thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
A quick and decisive solution was indeed a way to solve this matter, but if they wanted to protect the village's reputation, they would have to desperately smear Orochimaru and make him a scapegoat.
Even Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then couldn't help but smile, "That is also a good method, and can be used as a backup option."
Whoosh...
With the sound of wind breaking, Orochimaru's Shadow Clone quickly returned to the Hokage meeting room, and with him was a child whose face resembled Hiashi's and his brother's.
Everyone's gazes converged on the boy's eyes... a pair of Byakugan.
At this point, even those present who had never seen Hyuga Neji could not help but guess his identity.
In the meeting room, Hyuga Hizashi, who had been keeping a low profile and had almost no presence, instantly turned pale, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
He was not a very smart person, but at this moment, he instantly understood Orochimaru's plan.
With a snap, his teeth broke, and the pain was like a burning fire, with a mouthful of blood, but he could only clench his lips tightly, not allowing it to leak out.
Although everyone could see that this father's eyes were about to crack, and he was on the verge of collapse.
Hyuga Hiashi was stunned, but like the Main family elder, he almost immediately understood Orochimaru's method.
The Kumogakure mission's loss was substantial, and it had to be matched. In other words, someone had to be sacrificed.
Hiashi and Hizashi could not be sacrificed, as that would damage the village's reputation. The only option was to let a younger generation suffer, adjusting the incident to be one of carelessness.
But he had refused to sacrifice Hinata. Now Orochimaru had found a child who would not refuse and could not refuse.
"Tsk tsk... the story goes like this: Kumogakure coveted the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, so after signing an agreement with Konoha, the head of the mission, Guroya, sneaked into the Hyuga clan's compound, wanting to steal a Main family child..."
Orochimaru spoke slowly and clearly, and everyone listened intently,
"As a result, he immediately encountered a boy in the Hyuga compound. Guroya was overjoyed, but after checking, he found that this was just a Branch family child. In anger, he destroyed his Byakugan. Afterward, he succeeded, and he died, and the Hinata he captured survived..."
Orochimaru smiled, "And the destruction of a Branch family child's Byakugan is insignificant, at least not as important as the life of a peace envoy. The Hyuga clan didn't even make a fuss."
"But then, unexpectedly, although he was young, he had good talent and was soon accepted as a disciple."
"His teacher, that is, me, returned to the village after finishing Senjutsu training and was furious upon learning that his disciple's Byakugan had been destroyed."
"He disregarded the overall situation, he was unreasonable, and he wanted to put the village's interests and the peaceful relations between the two villages at risk!"
Orochimaru's face was full of strange smiles, as if the person he was talking about was not himself.
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