Chapter 84: Ignorance

The Orochimaru in the study seemed to have completely transformed, like a completely different person. He appeared to be a shrewd and intelligent politician who could clearly see Konoha's situation.

As for Uchiha Yoru, he was secretly shocked. Yes, everyone had overlooked one point. How could someone competing to become a candidate for Hokage, a powerful contender, not understand politics? Remember, the reason the Fourth Hokage lost was because of the moves made by the Third Hokage. Otherwise, the Fourth Hokage wouldn't have fallen into Minato Namikaze's hands so easily.

"The initiative has never been in our hands. After all, this is still the peak period of kingship. The most dangerous thing at this time is to provoke the bottom line of this king."

At this point, Orochimaru looked at the forbidden technique scroll in his hand and smirked mockingly. "Teacher, is this your choice? You've abandoned me once again. So, what method will you use next? Will it be like the last time, sending me away, or something else?"

The first time, Orochimaru chose silence, choosing to accept everything.

Thinking about this, Orochimaru suddenly revealed a sinister smile on his face, and his hoarse laughter echoed in the dim study.

"Hehe, I may not be White Fang, but I have my own ninja way. Isn't this what you tacitly approved of, teacher? All these political methods are just futile at this point."

As Orochimaru said this, Uchiha Yoru understood his teacher's meaning. All the political strategies were essentially in vain.

If the Third Hokage chose to remain passive, his chances of winning were quite high. But if the Third Hokage stepped forward, he would become nearly invincible.

The accumulated power of the Third Hokage's rule for decades, as well as the fame he had gained while holding the village together during the Fourth Hokage's absence, made him unshakable.

The Third Hokage appeared to be a benevolent old man, but in politics, he had always been a dictator! More importantly, there was his strength. Maintaining the peak strength of the Third Hokage during these times was extremely terrifying.

In this distorted history of the ninja world, it seemed that every leader was a political dictator. For example, wasn't the First Hokage the same? His ideals of peace were undeniable, even for someone like Uchiha Madara.

Truly a twisted and distorted world, Uchiha Yoru thought with a smile. Yet, the glory and power brought by his prestigious clan also filled him with a sense of satisfaction.

"Yoru-kun, your progress is remarkable, but your skills are still lacking. However, if you improve a bit more, you might become a new windmill for this decaying village."

With an extremely twisted smile on his face, Orochimaru said this with a hoarse voice. It seemed as though he had found something interesting, causing Uchiha Yoru's scalp to tingle.

"Teacher." Before Uchiha Yoru could finish speaking, Orochimaru's hoarse laughter interrupted him.

"Yoru-kun, from the very beginning, I've seen the ambition in your eyes, the arrogance that sets you apart from other Uchiha. It seems you've always been that confident, and you have your ambitions. Though you hide it well, I can see that you enjoy everything that power brings you."

Orochimaru bluntly exposed his disguise and Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but smile. The false smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a smile that carried a hint of pride and arrogance.

"Orochimaru-sensei, if the one sitting on the supreme throne is someone of immense power, capable of shaking the entire ninja world and possessing eternal life, what do you think the ninja world would be like?"

As he spoke, Uchiha Yoru's tone paused for a moment, as if he had thought of something. A playful smile appeared on his face as he continued, "And with only one village in this ninja world, with only one voice, wouldn't there be no cruel ninja world wars? Could I be considered the savior of the ninja world in a way?"

Listening to Uchiha Yoru's ambition laid bare, Orochimaru's smile became even more pronounced. Finally, in the dim study, his hoarse laughter echoed.

"Hehe, I never thought your ambitions, Yoru-kun, would be so grand. But!" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slowly as he continued, exuding a longing for the future.

"At that time, I'm afraid the ninja world will welcome a legendary Sage of the Six Paths. No, the Sages have disappeared into the river of history. What will arrive is a true Sage."

Looking at Orochimaru, Uchiha Yoru couldn't help but smile. "No! It should be two Sages, or rather, these two Sages will establish dominion over the ninja world!"

Two Sages, weren't they referring to the two of them? They were going to establish the rule of the Sages in the ninja world, implying that there might be other immortal Sages in the future?

With this thought, Orochimaru's smile became even more twisted and fanatical. "Indeed, when anomalies become numerous, they cease to be anomalies."

Immortal Sages were anomalies, but what if this group of anomalies were incredibly powerful? Then they would become the norm, and Orochimaru wouldn't be the feared anomaly in everyone's eyes.

Thinking this way, Orochimaru burst into hoarse laughter, and Uchiha Yoru, too, revealed his inner thoughts, a rare moment of honesty.

"No one starts out on top of the world, whether it's you or me. Even the Sage of Six Path weren't always at the pinnacle. But the time of the Heavenly Throne's intolerance for a vacancy is coming to an end. From now on, it will be you and me, teacher, standing at the pinnacle."

Uchiha Yoru's noble smile was met with a smile from Orochimaru. They were both ambitious individuals pursuing immortality, but Uchiha Yoru aimed to rule the entire ninja world, while Orochimaru sought endless life and to master all the world's jutsu. He also wanted to see how far his disciple could go, and how much change he could bring to the world.

Windmills! Perhaps when he succeeded, the windmill blowing in the Leaf wouldn't just be a metaphor; it would be a windmill stirring the entire ninja world.

The utterances of two madmen might be seen as absurd by others, but in their eyes, it was all part of their shared ambition. Both of them were seeking immortality. The difference was that Uchiha Yoru aimed to dominate, while Orochimaru aimed to live eternally and learn all the secrets of the ninja world. And Orochimaru wanted to see what his disciple could achieve, what winds of change he could bring.

Amidst their words, others might consider their ideas far-fetched, but ambition needed a spark. This spark was their ambitions, and they were both willing to chase after them.

Immortality! Most people would dismiss such an idea as nonsense, and even his teacher, the esteemed Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the "God of Shinobi," would likely criticize him for such unrealistic thoughts.

Narrow-minded! That's where he felt disconnected from everyone else. Their thinking was too limited.

Before the era of shinobi, did the onmyoji and samurai, who knew of chakra's emergence, foresee the revolution that would sweep the world? Did they anticipate that chakra and ninja would replace them?

No, they didn't!

That was the narrow-mindedness of their thinking. Orochimaru laughed hoarsely, his face showing hope. He wasn't alone on his path anymore; there would be new people joining him in the future.

As snowflakes fluttered down, the village of Konoha was tranquil, as if the war had finally come to an end.

Hyuga Clan.

Inside the warm training hall of the main family, a dull sound echoed continuously. Those familiar with it knew—it was the sound of soft fists colliding. It seemed even more immature than it should.

Now, the heir of the main family, as the snow fell from the sky, was just three years old.

Hyuga Hinata, who had just turned three, was already being taught the Gentle Fist by her father in accordance with the strict family rules. 

In the center of the training ground, Hyuga Hiashi watched his daughter's first training session. His gaze held disappointment, but also a deep sense of shame.

With her white eyes wrapped in bandages covering her head, Hyuga Hinata's fate seemed to have already been decided. Her potential was considered to be too low. But it wasn't that her potential was insufficient; rather, there was another child in the room whose potential completely overshadowed hers.

Beside the training ground, Hyuga Hizashi was sitting on a futon, looking calmly at the father-daughter training session. He, too, had his own son. He couldn't understand why this scene felt so ironic.

"Listen, Neji, you were born to protect Miss Hinata and to defend the Hyuga Clan's abilities."

"Affirmative! My honorable father."

The dialogue between father and son carried an air of detachment from the father, while the child exuded a sunny disposition.

Just recently, Hyuga Neji, who had a white bandage wrapped around his head, remained unaware of his impending fate. Now, the innocent pair of eyes belonging to the young Neji gazed at the small figures training within the courtyard, and a pure smile graced his youthful face.

Was this the younger sister of the main family that his father spoke of protecting?

However, the simple smile on Neji's face appeared thoroughly ironic in the eyes of Hizashi. Turning his gaze towards the training figures, a trace of dissatisfaction instantly etched itself onto his features.

Why should his own son possess such innate talent only to be controlled by the hand of destiny? At his tender age, he was already burdened with the shackles of a caged bird. And yet, his child remained oblivious to his own fate! Why should the main family's children be granted protection while their own branch suffered injustice? This was a blatant unfairness!

Fueled by years of resentment between the main and branch families, Hizashi lost his composure for the first time. He might have come to terms with his own fate, but when it came to his child, he was brimming with frustration!

Veins around his eyes involuntarily tensed as a grimace appeared. Just then, in the midst of Hiashi instructing the Gentle Fist technique to his daughter, he suddenly froze. In an instant, his figure flashed in front of his daughter.

There was a murderous intent!

Shielding his daughter, upon spotting his own younger brother, Hyuga Hiashi clenched his curse seal in anger, bellowing out loudly. The training room was instantly filled with cries of agony.

Even though Hinata Hizadhi was hailed as an elite upper-level ninja, when faced with the abrupt activation of the caged bird curse seal, he too let out a cry of pain, his voice filled with anguish, the sound echoing through the room.

This abrupt turn of events frightened the two young children present. One was the young Hinata, her innocent pale eyes wide with fear, struggling to comprehend the scene unfolding before her.

The other was Neji, who looked on in shock at his father, the heroic and great figure now reduced to a state of agony.

"My head!"

"Father, what's happening?" Witnessing his father's distress, Neji's voice trembled with concern.

At that moment, Hinata Hiashi, who held the curse seal, approached with an expression of detachment. "You may leave. I will pardon you for your treachery, but only for today. Never forget your destined path."

Under the detached tone, a sense of unfamiliarity swelled within the young eyes of Neji. The figure before him, resembling an unfamiliar uncle, seemed to hold sway over his father's destiny. He seemed to grasp a certain truth, though his youthful self was still unable to comprehend the entirety of it.

Hiashi's detached gaze shifted towards his suffering brother before he turned away, almost as if dismissing something insignificant. He departed with an air of indifference.

Hiashi led Hinata away. With one adult departing indifferently and another howling in agony, a sense of discord appeared between the two young figures.

Hinata stared in terror, while Neji gazed at his departing uncle, tears staining his cheeks. He was no longer quite as innocent.

"Father!" Beneath the horrifying effects of the caged bird curse seal, Hinata Hizashi was consumed by distress, especially when met with his child's worried gaze. Tormented, his anguish wasn't due to feeling humiliated in front of his child, but rather a deep-rooted self-hatred for having brought his child into such a world.

No father willingly subjects their child to the chains of destiny from such a young age. Every father views their child as the most precious existence. Yet, it appeared that his child was destined to safeguard the main family.

"Neji! Help me back."

Bearing the pain in his mind as he gritted his teeth, Hizashi had never despised the main family as intensely as he did now. He even despised the caged bird! Memories of Uchiha's figure and those cold, golden snake-like eyes flashed through his mind.

Orochimaru!

At that moment, Hizashi was stirred. Fueled by his son Neji's concern, his gaze grew resolute. He might be willing to sacrifice his life for the main family, but he refused to let his child share the same fate.

As Hiashi left, his seemingly emotionless face betrayed an underlying anger. His anger was directed at his brother—why did he emit a killing intent? Didn't he realize the potential consequences if other members of the main family caught wind of it?

Frustration! He was well-aware of the feud between the main and branch families, but he also cherished his brother. Even if his method of protection was unorthodox, it was all he knew.

This incident even led him to harbor a slight resentment towards his own daughter. It was her lack of talent that had incited these negative thoughts within his brother.

The young Hinata remained terrified and uncertain, oblivious to the fact that she had inadvertently become the target of displaced anger. With a cold huff, Hiashi returned to the mansion, leaving the snow-covered scene behind.

…

Snowflakes are swirling down from the sky, and amid the snowy landscape, a young figure emerges. It is none other than the young Hinata. In this moment, her innocent eyes seem to be filled with purity.

"Are you from the Hyuga clan? Show us your white eyes. If you don't want to, then don't bother looking our way. Those eyes of yours are quite eerie."

"Yeah, exactly! Those eyes are like those of a monsters"

"White Eye Monster!."

Within the snowy surroundings, three children are openly ridiculing Hinata Hyuga. They might not fully understand, but influenced by their parents' generation, they've already been taught certain biases.

Social hierarchies have always existed. Since these young children are unaware of the significance of these white eyes, their bold mockery reflects their innocence in not comprehending the complexities of bloodline heritage and the extent of their own ignorance during their youth.

~~~

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