Darkest Night Hidden in The Leaf (3)

The Hokage Mountain, or as Kai calls it, Mount Kage, doubles as a safe spot for the village in their time of need as many earth-supporting jutsus and seals secure the mountain's interior.

Tobirama had this mountain altered after accepting the mantle of the Hokage once Hashirama's and Madara Uchiha's great battle concluded. Since Hashirama was still alive at the time, Mito also contributed to the project. The interior also has a different level where the Village archive is stored.

The divided sections of the interior house various civilians and Genins at once. It is necessary to secure clan civilians because any potential spy can swap places with an influential civilian and infiltrate a clan.

The entrance to the archive built on the mountain's surface isn't fake, yet, the structure does not contain more violent information about wars and the strategies of various commanders and Kage at the time to help Konoha survive.

The bottom two sections of the interior store the information about the war as three teams of Anbu secure the spot at all times.

The remaining eight levels house the civilians and genins.

"More men, huh?" Orochimaru muses before nodding at Eagle. "That is fine. Leave their positioning to me. And what about this?"

Orochimaru looks at the five needles in her hand. Tiny chakra seals on the surface of the needles seem incoherent at first sight, as Orochimaru understands only the creator of these key seals can unravel the code to use renowned space-time ninjutsu.

"Place the needles on five different spots susceptible to being targeted during an external and internal skirmish and report these positions back to me," Eagle replies calmly. "I will return the information to Lord Third."

Orochimaru hums and lets a shadow clone take care of the task. She herself informs the spots where the needles will be before the Anbu Captain leaves. She did not have to think about how her Shadow Clone would act since they were identical.

'As much as I hate to say it, Tsunade really outshone us this time.' Orochimaru climbs down the dimly lit stares with an odd look. When Hiruzen described the situation to them, she was a little flabbergasted. After all, information is pivotal in planning strategies. But this was the classic case of wise men thinking more than they should.

Tsunade's idea of sticking to the basics with a tremendous force felt too good to be true.

An attack from the Jinchuriki?

Deflect the attack and beat it up.

Invasion of an army?

Kill them.

Her methods sounded a little passive, as in Konoha needing to react to the enemy instead of initiating an attack, only because they lacked untampered information. But only this kind of response felt satisfactory to Hiruzen, allowing him to leave the Village's primary defense in Tsunade's hands. Their method of dealing with the situation is to play things by ear.

Or so Orochimaru would believe if she did not find Hizashi and Yata waiting for her in her spot.

"So it is true. Sensei expects other villages to have some information about Konoha, leading them to form a predicted attack." She sets her narrowed gaze at the duo, her hoarse voice sounding as manly as ever.

"And the cause of the internal conflict inviting external troubles must be something less than noble. Or else Jiraiya or Tsunade would be leading the safety of the civilians."

"It is a noble cause." Hizashi sighs softly.

"I'll be the judge of that. But I am aware that the things Sensei lets me lead on are rarely for a just cause. But if it really is a noble cause, then it means the process of achieving the best result will be unsavory to Tsunade and Jiraiya."

Since Orochimaru only started to use her Sage Mode to scope the village after understanding that an unknown party spied on Konoha without anyone else's knowledge, she didn't know anything about the undercurrents of the Hyuga Clan.

Tsunade and Jiraiya are the same, leading Jiraiya to discover that Tsunade had mastered Senjutsu on her own once their natural sense clashed against each other—another one of the major reasons why Hiruzen is confident in leaving the village's primary defense to Tsunade.

And this also cleared the mystery of how Tsunade took care of an Iwa Explosion Corps, A's Son, Kakuzu, and another Kage of Takigakure in his empowered state. Yet, the truth is, fearing her strength's exposure, Tsunade never used Sage Mode aside from ambushing A's son to get a clean hit in and capture him.

But this made things a bit more complicated. The fact that three sages found nothing meant that the spy was likely present when Hiruzen revealed almost everything to his students and was aware of their sage modes, stopping him from snooping around or only appearing when the time was ripe.

"Everything that Lord Third needs you to know is in this scroll." Yata smiles and passes Orochimaru a small scroll which she peruses while smirking.

"Everything I need to know. But not the complete truth."

"Indeed," Yata nods and looks at Hizashi, "Get things done swiftly, Dear Advisor. I have other posts to man."

The Uchiha Patriarch disappears with that and leaves the hallway between the multiple flights of stairs.

Letting a rather uncomfortable silence descend, Orochimaru goes through the same scroll time and again.

"Are you done?" Hizashi finally questions with a sigh. Aside from his interactions with the Three Sannins during the war and sparring with Kai in the Senju Compound, Hizashi did not know the Sannins personally.

How she keeps her gender hidden with a roomful of Hyuga is a mystery. Just hours ago, Tsume's mother, Okami, outed her as a woman after the first few minutes while Orochimaru was still delegating duties. At least Okami had a sense of pinching her butt privately and winking knowingly.

So, Hizashi underestimated Orochimaru's estrogen-fueled curiosity as she smirked.

"Let me get this straight, you and your brother are planning to act the hero and the villain, is that it? The Elders will be ousted. One of you two will be deemed a villain in this event, while the other will be a hero who saved the clan."

"That scroll mentions nothing of the like."

"It doesn't need to," Orochimaru shrugs and tosses the scroll back to Hizashi before adding, "Come along. Let's get you to your station, too. I'd hate it if the Hyuga Clan destroyed any part of the archive under my watch. And…"

"And?" Hizashi questions.

"It is not my business what happens with you two twins. But if one of you two plans on dying, I'll be happy to research your corpse as one last hurrah of freedom."

Hizashi scowls quietly. But he did not activate his byakugan as a faux threat. It would achieve nothing.

---

"What?!" Hibi Hyuga snarls at the boar-masked Anbu. "You deceived the Hyuga Clan by ushering my daughter-in-law out of this room and imprisoned her alongside my Son! He is the Hyuga Clan's Patriarch! What is Third Hokage smoking this time?!"

The Anbu narrows his eyes under the mask and replies calmly.

"Elder Hyuga, Hiashi Hyuga openly attacked Mukai Kohinata in the meeting." Other Elders and the surrounding members of the clan freeze in shock as the shinobi's muffled voice continues.

"Lord Third demanded Hon Hyuga's captivity only in respect for Hiashi Hyuga's demand, as he wanted to inform his crimes to his wife personally. Please, rest assured. His imprisonment won't last long."

"But they are out of this secured chamber! The Village is expecting an attack, right? The Clan's patriarch should be right here!"

The Hyuga Clansmen weren't the only ones in the third-last section of Mount Kage. The civilians of other noble clans toss disgusted looks in their direction.

After all, having retired Shinobi in safety is acceptable. But the Hyuga Clan even brought their young shinobi to hiding instead of contributing to the village.

Of course, honor for Konoha does not fuel this disgust but envy instead.

Why should the Hyuga Clan have such rights? Why should they get to save their military forces?

Such thoughts soon isolated the white-eyed clansmen from others.

"Hiashi Hyuga's safety is Lord Third's utmost priority. I am also here to relay the Hokage's wishes."

The Boar-masked Anbu hands Hibi a scroll before departing.

The Old Elder's eyes pop open as he exclaims, "What?!"

---

"So, we finally have a seal of our own."

Unlike the Hyuga Clan's outrage, Fugaku reveals a pleased expression as he nods at Yata.

Standing atop the roof of the Police building, Yata smiles while gazing at the setting sun. "We do have a proper seal now. But this will make things difficult. People lose precious things during wars. For an Uchiha, this means unchecked strength. You and I could, fortunately, keep our minds from being impacted heavily, but others may not share our sentiments."

Fugaku hesitates for a moment.

"What is it?" Yata inquires.

"I know that the Clan Meetings is none of my business—"

"Yet. It's none of your business yet. If something happens to Sarachi or me, you're the next Patriarch. You know it as well as I do. So, out with it."

Fugaku exhales heavily.

"Everything I wish to do is for the clan. You have been a splendid influence on Mikoto. You'll likely influence Sarachi-kun just as well. So, I only see the Clan prospering under your line. My need of being the next Patriarch diminished greatly."

"I heard. Never got around congratulating you, did I?"

"You did send me a bouquet of… sweets."

"And it helped, didn't it?"

"Yes, she ate through them in three hours," Fugaku smiles a little and then exhales.

"Did Hokage say something about seal increasing the Uchiha Clan's prospective strength?"

Yata purses his lips.

"He didn't have to. But if we prosper, we'll need a stronger Hokage."

"What do you mean?" Fugaku furrows his brows.

"I saw Hiruzen today, and he looked… weak. Not as in malnourished or lacking sleep. I can empathize with that. But he looked done with his responsibilities."

"What does it have to do with us?"

"Weak men in power are known to make mistakes even if accidentally. Tsunade may bear with Hiruzen after everything Danzo did due to her past relationship with him, but do you think the Uchiha Clan is capable of such generosity? The slightest arrogance set our clan's youngsters in a spiral of disobedience. Disobedience that may snowball into rebels and cost the clan's life."

Fugaku looks distressed with the news and admits, "The Clan wants to see an Uchiha as a Kage."

Yata raises an eyebrow but adds nothing to this notion.

"Nothing?" Fugaku stares at Yata, who shrugs.

"What Clan needs is peace of mind. Say we have an Uchiha as a Kage. Will you bet on one of your clansmen to stay in their right mind with a Mangekyo Sharingan?"

Fugaku grows silent.

"If you cannot trust your own blood, how can you expect outsiders to trust us with this curse?"

Yata concludes, "That's why we need a strong Kage. A Hokage who is similar to Hashirama Senju and does not fear others for their strength but accepts them."

"I suppose that's a good way of seeing it. Anyone particular in mind?" Fugaku questions. "And do I get to know who created this seal? Because none from our clan is capable of its creation."

Yata smiles and questions instead, "How is Mikoto doing? She doesn't like to talk about her work with me. Is Kiri still a problem?"

"Mikoto is on the right track. She brutalizes Kiri whenever he goes against her order. Yami wanted to interject, but I stopped him."

"And what about Kiri? Is his change influencing his social underlings? The only reason we started with Kiri is that he has adequate backing and an intense influence on lower members of the clan."

Fugaku shrugs slightly.

"It will take some time. Kiri personally doesn't antagonize Milkoto anymore and has accepted harsher truths by following rules, but he likes to act his former self in front of his underlings."

"All in due time, I suppose," Yata smiles before looking at Fugaku teasingly. "Now run back to your position. To think I'll be called to lead the police… tch, tch, my dear protege, Hiruzen must not have trust in your capabilities."

"Only because of Mikoto's actions that caused Anbu to snoop in our matters," Fugaku scoffs.

"What can you do? She takes after her fiance."

"Her father, more like." Fugaku flickers away after saying his piece.

"Hah! Lucky me, she's daddy's girl!" Yata chuckles.

'Damn right, she is 'Daddy's' girl,' Kai's wooden clone hidden away smirks. Just because the cum-man stopped poking in the village did not mean Kai would let anything pass him until this matter concluded successfully. Besides, Mikoto is also nearby, and he wouldn't let her face this kind of danger, as hypocritical as he may sound.

---

*Whoosh*

Winds whip over Onoki's head as his tiny body floats far above Konoha, hidden by a long strip of cloud.

He isn't alone. Held by his small but remarkably sturdy and calloused hand is a middle-aged man with an eyepatch over his left eye and a top hat covering his dark hair. This man in question wears a single-strapped greyish-white flak jacket as the forehead protector of Kumogakure on his forehead makes his affiliations known.

However, Onoki focuses on the quiet pixie-cut blonde girl not more than five years old in the man's hold. She wears a similar Kumogakure attire over her thin frame but lacks a similar forehead protector.

Her pitch-black pupils try to peer through the covers of the cloud and observe Konoha underneath them.

"A should have sent Hachibi's Jinchuriki." Onoki finally speaks up calmly.

"What the Raikage plans are none of my business. My duty is to follow his plans."

"Your duty is also to advise him. Isn't that right, Dodai?" Onoki scoffs.

Dodai looks at Third Tsuchikage calmly before answering, "You have grossly overestimated my capabilities, Tsuchikage."

"Then I should drop the two of you here. A capable man must lead this raid from your side as I supply a Kage-level strength. That was the deal."

The girl in Dodai's arm flinches, and an unhinged aura of hostility leaks from her tiny frame without any expression on her face.

"And A's son is also caught. Tch, tch."

Dodai narrows his eyes but doesn't comment on the situation.

"The sun is about to set," Onoki muses with his free hand stroking his goatee. "With all our country's information muddled, I expect Hiruzen to be as paranoid as your Raikage."

Dodai speaks nothing again.

"Why we don't band together to eradicate this mysterious party is just surprising."

"Because we trust each other even lesser," Dodai finally supplants coolly.

"And yet here I am holding you high in the air."

"Indeed. It says quite a bit about our lifestyle and culture."

Onoki looks at Dodai with a narrowed gaze. While Tsuchikage does not reveal his killing intent, Dodai doesn't need an explicit gesture to know what's going on in the old Kage's head.

The sky above them eventually turns misty-blue as Onoki chuckles and adds.

"Let's hope you survive."

He lets go of Dodai as he and the girl fall at high speed.

Meanwhile, Onoki claps his hand and forms multiple seals before his chakra creates a giant boulder with a diameter surpassing thirty meters!

He then touches the mountainous boulder with his palm and closes his eyes.

'Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique.'

The Boulder's descent exponentially heightens in pace as wind screeches around the surface of the boulder to create a massive force of friction that heats the rock after a few seconds.

"The only thing powerful or nifty enough to deal with this is an Uchiha with troubled eyes, space-time ninjutsu, or one beast of a Shinobi. Konoha did not produce another Hashirama, anyone with Hiraishin will die because of the boulder's collected heat and momentum, and a possible Uchiha with trained Mangekyo will have to burn their eyesight for that Jutsu. Konoha… will weaken with this attack alone."

Even if his attack does not kill as many shinobi as he'd like, the loss of infrastructure should set back Konoha quite a lot. And he isn't the only one eyeing Konoha.

Unlike their previous cooperation against Uzu, Kumo, and Iwa changed things slightly.

Kumo will provide the men and jinchuriki, while Iwa will provide a Kage-level force.

Naturally, Onoki had other thoughts, too.

'That mysterious informant suggested a great mystery in the Senju Clan's compound. While there is no proof, I expect Kumo to have a similar report, and they will try to see what is going on. I could use them… and maybe even capture that little Jinchuriki.'

He begins descending moments before the artificial meteor hits Konoha.

***

Alternate Title: Strength Known; Simple Tactics; Okami's Got a Hound's Nose; Hizashi Was So Close to the Truth; The Hero and the Villain?; The Distrust Toward Hyuga; What the Hell is Hiruzen Smoking?; Yata's Insight; Need for Powerful Leaders; Unreliability of the Uchiha; A Tamed Kiri?; Mikoto Really Learned from the Best; Daddy's Girs; DADDY'S Girl; Two Sides Unite; Anything for Strength; The Meteor; Aerial Strike; Konoha Will Weaken; Onoki's Extending Plans

***

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