**Chapter 15: Concealment**

Linton purposely revealed that he wasn't a member of the Uchiha clan to increase his bargaining power. He had a general idea of why Orochimaru sought him out—it was because of his "techniques." Orochimaru couldn't refuse the technology that allowed a non-Uchiha to perfectly use the Sharingan. Linton intended to use this as leverage, fearing that Orochimaru wouldn't fully protect him otherwise.

Yes, Orochimaru might already possess the ability to transplant the Sharingan, but perfect transplantation was another matter entirely. The most important difference lay in the ability to turn the Sharingan on and off. Uchiha clan members could freely control this, turning off their Sharingan when not in use, which conserved chakra. In contrast, transplanted Sharingan remained active, constantly draining chakra and causing significant harm to the body, as seen with Kakashi in the original story.

The reason Linton had previously fooled Sarutobi Shinzo and others was because they saw him turn his Sharingan on and off, leading them to subconsciously believe he had Uchiha blood. Now, Linton was using this to negotiate with Orochimaru.

"You want to go to Konoha?" Orochimaru asked, trying to guess Linton's intentions. "What's your goal?"

"I'm willing to trade my technique with you, Lord Orochimaru," Linton replied.

"Trade?" Orochimaru squinted.

"Yes, I... want someone's life," Linton said.

"Whose?"

"Danzo..."

"Hmm?" Orochimaru was startled. "Danzo? You want him dead? Why?"

"The reason is complicated, but let's just say we have a deep-seated feud," Linton vaguely explained. In truth, he didn't need anyone dead; he just wanted to sneak into Konoha and see if he could gather some scouting points. His story to Orochimaru was simply made up to seem more believable. As for why he chose Danzo—well, Danzo was always blamed for everything in Konoha, so Linton figured he might as well pin this on him too.

Orochimaru didn't seem to care about the reason. After a moment's thought, he asked, "So, you're willing to share your technique with me, but you want me to help you get revenge?"

"Yes," Linton confirmed.

"Danzo is one of Konoha's pillars. Do you really think I would betray Konoha?" Orochimaru asked with a smile.

"You didn't hand me over right away, didn't that already answer the question?" Linton replied. "I'm sincerely interested in working with you, Lord Orochimaru."

"Hmm..." Orochimaru seemed to consider this for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I agree."

Though Orochimaru agreed easily, Linton knew exactly what kind of person Orochimaru was. He was likely planning to trick Linton into revealing his technique once they returned. As for Danzo, Orochimaru was probably working closely with him at the moment, so it was unlikely that he would actually help Linton against him. But Linton didn't mind—he had no real transplantation technique anyway. He was just playing things by ear.

"Members of the Uchiha clan will probably come to ask about you soon," Orochimaru said, thinking it over. "You... you should claim to be a descendant of Uchiha Kyo, currently serving in the Anbu. Leave the rest to me."

"Uchiha Kyo? Who is that?" Linton asked.

"It seems you really aren't a member of the Uchiha clan," Orochimaru replied. "Uchiha Kyo is quite famous, yet you've never heard of him."

What could Linton say? He genuinely didn't know who Uchiha Kyo was, and the character didn't appear in the anime.

"Just follow my lead," Orochimaru said.

Linton wasn't sure what to do, but since Orochimaru was willing to help, he decided to go along with the plan. After quickly coordinating their stories, Orochimaru summoned members of the Uchiha clan, who had been looking for Linton since he was the first Mangekyou Sharingan user to appear in decades. His situation was strange, and they were eager to figure out what was going on.

Two members of the Uchiha clan arrived, though more had participated in the battle. The two who came were Uchiha elders: Uchiha Chōzan, the team leader, and Uchiha Yue, both around fifty years old.

As soon as they arrived, they eagerly asked about Linton's identity, as neither could recall anyone in the clan named Uchiha Linton.

"I've already confirmed his identity," Orochimaru responded on Linton's behalf. "He's not technically a member of the Uchiha clan, as his father was expelled from the family..."

"What?" Uchiha Chōzan was taken aback before suddenly recalling something. "Kyo?"

Orochimaru didn't answer directly, allowing Chōzan to draw his own conclusions, which would make the story more believable.

"That's impossible..." Uchiha Chōzan said, astonished. "That guy... Wait, was this something the Third Hokage ordered, kept hidden from us all this time?"

"It has nothing to do with you, really," Orochimaru said. "After all, Uchiha Kyo was expelled from the clan, and he's already dead."

Uchiha Chōzan and Uchiha Yue exchanged uneasy glances. Orochimaru's words made sense to them. Linton did resemble Kyo slightly, and his talent could have been inherited. Uchiha Kyo had once been hailed as a genius with the potential to unlock the Mangekyou Sharingan, though he died before achieving that. His son, however, might just have that potential.

"Currently, Linton is part of the Anbu," Orochimaru continued. "He's not under your police department's jurisdiction. Do you have any other concerns?"

"We'll demand an explanation from the Third Hokage," Uchiha Chōzan said, glaring at Linton and Orochimaru before leaving. Clearly, they hadn't yet decided how to handle the situation and planned to discuss it back at the clan.

Linton hadn't spoken much during the entire encounter, merely agreeing here and there. It seemed his false identity as Uchiha Kyo's descendant had been accepted by the Uchiha clan. Kyo, it appeared, had been expelled from the family and had since died, which made the elders believe Linton might be seeking revenge for his father.

Orochimaru's fabricated story conveniently set Linton against the Uchiha clan, preventing him from relying on them for support, which was likely Orochimaru's intention. If Linton had truly been accepted into the Uchiha clan, Orochimaru would have found it harder to control him.

"If they go to the Third Hokage, won't my identity be exposed?" Linton asked.

"I'll speak to him first," Orochimaru said with a sly smile.

Linton understood the implication. Orochimaru would likely speak with Danzo, as the two were currently cooperating. Since Linton had mentioned his grudge against Danzo, Orochimaru hadn't explicitly said Danzo's name. In other words, Orochimaru would tell the Hokage that Linton was a Root operative and tell the Uchiha that he was in the Anbu, deceiving both sides.

For now, Linton's identity crisis was resolved. Under Orochimaru's protection, Linton was relatively safe. The Uchiha clan believed he was a member of the Anbu, a descendant of Uchiha Kyo, while everyone else thought he was from the Uchiha clan. This allowed him to slip by unnoticed for the time being.

In the following days, Linton continued to follow Konoha's main forces, primarily tasked with attacking the Sand Village. They attacked a few smaller villages in the area but faced little resistance and made no significant gains.

The only notable achievement was Konoha's decision to take in some war orphans. The Third Shinobi World War had dragged on for a long time, and while Konoha's military strength remained strong, its manpower and resources were stretched thin. After their victory at Kikyo Pass, with the war nearing its end, they took in these orphans to boost their workforce during Konoha's post-war recovery.

Most of these orphans were very young, and once they arrived in Konoha, it would be easy to assimilate them into the village, providing Konoha with a valuable source of human resources.

Seeing this, Linton was reminded of a storyline he had seen in the anime. He recalled that a key character, Kabuto, had been brought into Konoha this way, though the anime didn't go into much detail. Linton tried to find Kabuto but couldn't locate anyone who looked like him—Kabuto might not even be using that name yet.

Linton wasn't too disappointed. He wasn't sure how exactly to increase his scouting points, and he wasn't certain that interacting with key characters would necessarily do the trick. For now, he could only follow his instincts. If he found someone, great; if not, so be it.

Three days later, Konoha's offensive halted as peace talks were about to begin. Both sides likely knew this was coming. Orochimaru had already received orders from the Third Hokage to prepare for negotiations with the Sand Village, while the Sand Village's delegation, led by Elder Chiyo, had already arrived.

Although both sides had an understanding, they still had to go through the motions. Konoha's delegation

 acted coldly toward the Sand delegation, while the Sand shinobi remained calm, ignoring the provocations.

Perhaps due to his recent achievements, Linton was allowed to attend the peace talks, though he had no right to sit and was only standing behind Orochimaru. This seemed to be Orochimaru's way of marking Linton as his own.

(End of Chapter)