**Chapter 185: The Gate-Clearers!**

Itsuki was a smart person. 

He immediately understood and thought for a moment, "The Third Hokage is using our teacher to threaten or manipulate Anko into attacking me?"

"Will that work?"

Can Anko succeed? Or rather, on what grounds does the Third Hokage think Anko would obey his orders and carry out this suicidal mission?

Orochimaru shrugged and said, "If it works, great. If it fails, he doesn't lose anything. Anko is just a special jōnin, and she's my disciple. If she dies, he won't care."

There was one thing Orochimaru didn't say. 

Because this plan, as crazy as it seemed, might actually have a decent chance of success. 

Itsuki's preferences were well-known across the entire ninja world by now! 

Who knows how many people were planning to use such a method against him? 

Of course!

If Itsuki knew about this, he would surely shout: "Bring on the storm, let it rage even harder!"

"Alright then!"

Itsuki snapped his fingers.

Anko snapped out of her trance, stumbling backward, looking both shocked and delighted as she stared at Orochimaru, shouting, "Teacher."

"Hmph!"

Orochimaru just glanced at her briefly before losing interest. 

His true favored student was Senju Nawaki!

His most accomplished student was Uchiha Itsuki!

Though he didn't particularly like Itsuki either, there were certain things this disciple had done that anyone would be proud of.

As for Anko!

Maybe he had been too lonely back then, or perhaps he wanted to send a signal to the outside world. That's why he took her as his disciple. 

As a result, he didn't pay her much attention. 

"Itsuki-kun, why have you come to Konoha?"

"To participate in the Chūnin Exam!"

That single statement left Orochimaru speechless.

Could this get any more ridiculous?

Itsuki, who was undoubtedly one of the top-tier ninja in the entire ninja world, taking the Chūnin Exam?

If Itsuki had heard Orochimaru's thoughts, he would have loudly retorted that there was a kid with blonde hair in the future who would be the strongest ninja in the world, yet still had to learn step by step! 

I'm not even close to that level yet!

"Teacher has his own goals, right? And I'm sure they aren't something Konoha would welcome."

Itsuki smiled and said, "I came here to help draw some attention away from you so that your plans can proceed more smoothly. Isn't that a good thing?"

"In that regard, yes, it is."

Orochimaru admitted frankly, "But I'm not sure if you'll end up sabotaging my plans."

The difference between the ninja villages was huge.

Even an ordinary Kage-level ninja on the battlefield could already make a significant impact. 

Take Hiruzen Sarutobi for example!

He was a well-rounded ninja with no obvious weaknesses.

When he was young, he was a sharp blade on the battlefield, leading ninja forces and almost unstoppable.

There were also some special Kage-level ninjas.

They possessed unique secret techniques, and their mere presence on the battlefield was a huge deterrent.

They could take out an entire ninja army single-handedly.

For instance...

Aside from Hiruzen Sarutobi, every other ninja was like this! 

The Second Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, and so on!

They either mastered Flying Thunder God or possessed incredibly strong physical bodies.

There were also secret techniques like Dust Release and Magnet Release.

Itsuki could certainly hold his own against those individuals as well.

Orochimaru had witnessed the hundreds-of-meters-long Fire Release Itsuki once unleashed, which could potentially wipe out an unknown number of ninjas in one move.

And then there was Susanoo!

If this guy charged into the battlefield during Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha, it would certainly cause chaos.

The problem was that taking him out wasn't feasible!

If Orochimaru weren't afraid of genjutsu, he might have tried to fight him.

But unfortunately!

He couldn't even get close to Itsuki.

Orochimaru pondered for a moment and said, "Itsuki-kun, let's talk."

"Alright."

Itsuki smiled again, casting a glance at Anko, who, having just snapped out of her trance, now gazed at him with a lovestruck smile, mumbling, "Big Brother Itsuki, Big Brother Itsuki..."

Orochimaru: "..."

...

Danzo, leaning on his cane, walked into the Hokage's office and looked at the Third Hokage, who stood by the window. "Hiruzen, everything is ready, and everyone is in position. But…"

"What?"

"I still have doubts about the Sand Village."

Danzo frowned and said, "They've brought too many people. It's not like them."

The Third Hokage didn't seem concerned and said, "I've told you, the Sand Village is here to eliminate everyone associated with the Fire Village. As long as Pakura remains in the Fire Village, the Fourth Kazekage's position won't be stable."

"They have no other choice."

Danzo remained silent.

The Third Hokage continued, "What can fifty jōnin do in Konoha?"

"Even if it were a hundred, Konoha could handle them."

Danzo's concerns eased, and he said, "That's true. Even if all those ninja stir up trouble, Konoha can suppress them."

Unless they join forces with Uchiha Itsuki!

But!

That's definitely impossible!

The Daimyō has already given strict orders.

Unless they dare to defy the Daimyō's orders!

And for a ninja, that's an impossible thing to do.

Danzo's mind settled. "So, when do we take action?"

"The third stage of the Chūnin Exams."

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly said, "When the nobles of the Land of Fire come, we'll let them witness Konoha's strength firsthand, and they'll also witness Uchiha Itsuki's death."

...

As Orochimaru left, Itsuki's expression remained calm.

The two had discussed things simply.

Orochimaru had candidly informed him of his plan to strike at Konoha.

Itsuki had no reason to interfere.

He held a significant grudge against Konoha, and if Konoha were severely damaged, the Fire Village would celebrate.

Other ninja villages would also turn their attention to Konoha, leaving the Fire Village alone.

In terms of resources, status, or overall strength, the Fire Village was far inferior to Konoha.

One of the main reasons the Fire Village had survived until now was the explosive tags, along with their elite fighters.

Geography also played a big role.

But!

None of these factors were decisive!

The real key was that they feared Uchiha's final retaliation!

Everyone knew how powerful the Uchiha were.

If the other ninja villages truly wanted to wipe out the Fire Village, Uchiha's counterattack would be too much for them to handle.

But as long as other villages had a detailed plan, it would spell disaster for the Fire Village.

With a weakened Konoha standing in the way, Itsuki would be quite happy.

So, Itsuki decided to add fuel to the fire!

Let the storm come even harder!

But!

"Teacher, your Reincarnation Technique is complete. Who's your target?"

It couldn't be me! 

Itachi and Shisui were also too dangerous for Orochimaru to risk targeting them.

Sasuke!

Poor kid!

Itsuki sighed as he approached Anko, picking her up and muttering, "You've got to endure hardship if you want to rise to the top!"

"And besides!"

"If anything happens to you, Itachi will naturally avenge you. Teacher Orochimaru, don't do anything foolish!"

Shisui and Itachi were the two toughest fighters in the Fire Village.

Itsuki was figuring out how to train both of them into even more aggressive fighters!

If something happened to Sasuke, Itachi would definitely drag Shisui along and charge at Orochimaru!

Tsk tsk.

That would be fun!

Teacher Orochimaru, would you be able to escape?

Itsuki turned and glared at the side, grumbling, "Stop hiding! How much longer are you going to stay hidden?!"

(End of chapter)