Whether the Kumogakure Village group knew what the Hyuga main family was planning or not, you can imagine they would act completely clueless.
Konoha couldn't possibly ask the Kumogakure Village group about it. There was no trust between them at all.
And whether to go ahead with the plan depended on whether the Hyuga main family cared about Hyuga Hizashi as a bargaining chip, and whether they could bear him dying for nothing.
According to Orochimaru's guess, the Hyuga main family probably didn't care. Losing one Hyuga Hizashi wouldn't affect the Hyuga clan much, and wouldn't harm their status in Konoha.
But the fact that they were 'tricked by the Kumogakure Village group, causing Hyuga Hizashi to die for nothing' was itself very shameful.
And this was clearly something the Hyuga main family couldn't accept.
Orochimaru had heard the Genie tell a story about 'Kongming angering Zhou Dudu three times' until he died of anger.
Was that 'Dudu,' the commander of a warlord army, really so petty? Orochimaru didn't think so.
What he really couldn't accept was probably that these three humiliating experiences were widely known.
In other words, that guy named Kongming was good at manipulating public opinion and controlling the narrative.
And this was the same principle for the Hyuga clan. The two ninja villages were enemies anyway, and Kumogakure would definitely publicize it widely.
Unfortunately, there weren't any exceptionally talented people in this generation of the Hyuga main family. Otherwise, they might have been stimulated by 'having their reputation ruined' to develop a new eye technique, just like the Sage of Six Paths did back then.
Jiraiya hadn't heard these stories, but he could tell that Orochimaru's plan made good use of the distrust between the two sides. It was simple but effective.
But that wasn't all Jiraiya wanted. What troubled him wasn't just saving Hizashi's life.
So he asked, "What should we do after that? Just let those Kumogakure people brag?"
"We'll talk about what to do after that later. Let me keep you in suspense for now."
Orochimaru smiled, patted Jiraiya on the shoulder, and said, "I didn't want to interfere in this matter. You asked me to, so I took action."
"So, no matter what I do later, you have to support me, understand?"
"I think you knew from the beginning that my methods are different from others."
Jiraiya brushed Orochimaru's hand off his shoulder, frowned, and nodded.
He did know.
But compared to watching Hyuga Hizashi die, he'd rather see Orochimaru's cruel and vicious methods.
"Oh right, next time there's a meeting to discuss this, let Tsunade go too. Remember to convince her to side with us."
Orochimaru seemed to think of something interesting, and a smile stretched across his face.
...
The Hyuga clan grounds.
Inside the spacious indoor training area, Hyuga Neji stood barefoot on the tatami mats, punching, kicking... performing the Gentle Fist stances with every movement precise, shouting 'huh huh ha hey' nonstop.
Neji's mother knelt properly to the side, watching Neji. Seeing his little face covered in sweat, her eyes showed both joy and deep regret.
In the ninja world, being young was never a problem. Orochimaru was only 6 years old when he graduated from the ninja academy and went to the battlefield to kill enemies.
Neji was undoubtedly a genius in the Hyuga clan.
Neji's mother was witnessing her son's step-by-step growth and was very proud of it, but at the same time she deeply hated this talent.
Being a genius, a genius in the Hyuga branch family, was not a good thing. So-called geniuses only lead to tragedy.
Having shared a bed for so many years, how could she not know her husband's worries?
More than ten years ago, Hyuga Hizashi was also a genius in the clan.
Was Hizashi's fate going to be repeated on Neji?
Thinking of this, Neji's mother sighed softly.
"Mother, what's wrong?" At some point, little Neji had come to her, his clothes soaked with sweat.
No matter how talented he was, he was still young, and his bones hadn't fully developed. Just practicing the stances was enough to exhaust his energy.
Fortunately, children have a lot of energy, and even with the frequent breaks, the training time wasn't short.
"Nothing's wrong."
Neji's mother shook her head, wet a towel with clean water, and gently wiped the sweat from Neji's body.
Neji closed his eyes, letting his mother take care of him, a comfortable and peaceful expression on his face.
Looking at Neji's innocent and naive expression, Neji's mother's heart trembled. She suddenly stopped, her hand clutching the towel, and tears streamed down her face.
The fate Neji would face was even crueler than Hizashi's.
Having shared a bed, how could she not know what Hizashi was doing, what Hizashi was going to do?
"Mother, why are you crying..."
Neji opened his eyes, saw the tears on his mother's face, and panicked, feeling a little lost.
No matter how much he acted like a little adult when he was serious, he was still a child.
Neji's mother wiped the tears from her face and forced a smile. "It's nothing... I'm just happy to see little Neji working so hard."
"Really?" Little Neji trusted his mother, but instinctively, he felt that something was wrong.
If she was happy, why did she smile so sadly?
"It's true."
Neji's mother said with a smile, but the tears in her eyes wouldn't stop.
She didn't have her husband's outstanding talent, she was just a powerless woman. No matter how anxious she was, she couldn't resist the village or the clan.
Now she could only watch her husband die for the sake of clan honor, that silly thing.
Whoosh...
Suddenly, the sliding wooden door opened, and the setting sun cast a person's shadow into the room, projecting a darkness that enveloped the mother and son.
Looking at the cold face hidden in the shadows, Neji's mother was shocked. She wiped her face and hurriedly stood up.
"Orochimaru-sama, you're early. I'm sorry, I'll go prepare tea."
"No need."
Orochimaru glanced at the tear stains on Neji's mother's face and shook his head. "I have something to discuss with Neji. It's best if you're present too."
While Orochimaru was speaking, Neji stood up straight, a serious expression on his little face.
Although it hadn't been officially decided, he knew that the person his father was somewhat afraid of would be his teacher from now on, so he didn't dare to be rude in any way.
"Looks like I came at a bad time, disturbing you."
"Not at all, not at all..."
Neji's mother was respectful to Orochimaru to the point of being fearful, not just because of the Hidden Leaf Village's legendary Sannin's prestige in the village, but also because of the suffocating feeling he gave off.
Before, she could feel that he was a dangerous beast, but now, there was no feeling at all, as if she was facing some indescribable being.
Terror spread uncontrollably in her heart.
But if such a person could speak up for Hizashi, could he save his life?
Watching Orochimaru sit down next to Neji, Neji's mother hesitated.
Seeming to see what she was thinking, Orochimaru smiled eerily.
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