After spending quite some time explaining, Jie Uchiha finally managed to convince Fugaku of Orochimaru's true intentions.
Fugaku still maintained a high level of vigilance toward the notorious mad scientist, but at the very least, he didn't tell Jie to run for his life the moment they met, unlike their first encounter.
With Orochimaru's help, the post-war cleanup proceeded smoothly. Originally, Fugaku estimated it would take an entire week to reorganize the border defenses, clear the battlefield, and handle logistical issues. But now, thanks to Orochimaru's assistance, all the tedious tasks were resolved in a mere three days.
After all, the once-renowned Orochimaru of the Sannin had previously led Konoha forces as a sole commander against an entire hidden village.
During these few days of idleness, Jie caught wind of an interesting rumor. Following the Fourth Raikage's death, Kumogakure was embroiled in internal conflict over the selection of the Fifth Raikage. The village had split into three distinct factions.
One faction of Kumo shinobi supported Killer B's ascension, reasoning that his strength was currently the absolute pinnacle of Kumogakure. Opponents argued that Killer B was still comatose, and no one knew when he would recover. Moreover, having lost an arm, his combat prowess was undoubtedly severely diminished.
Thus, the opposition leaned toward making Yugito Nii the Fifth Raikage. Although Matatabi currently controlled Yugito's body, her combat power remained undeniably formidable.
The final faction believed Darui should take over. Their reasoning was simple: Yugito's body was under a Tailed Beast's control, and there was no precedent in any major hidden village of allowing a Tailed Beast to become a Kage. While Darui's supporters were the minority, they still existed.
To Jie, it didn't really matter who became the Raikage. He just found it amusing that by destroying Yugito's will, he might have inadvertently helped Matatabi secure the Fifth Raikage's seat.
A Tailed Beast becoming a village's Kage? Just thinking about it gave Jie a slight thrill.
But ultimately, that was Kumogakure's internal affair. Jie couldn't be bothered to interfere.
Once Fugaku finished processing everything with Orochimaru's help, the Shinobi Allied Forces began preparing for their return to Konoha. Orochimaru, meanwhile, disguised himself as an Uchiha shinobi and blended into the army.
Aside from Jie and Fugaku, no one realized the Uchiha clan had suddenly gained an extra member. Even if some clansmen noticed something fishy, the clan head kept quiet, so they naturally didn't pay it much mind.
When they first mobilized, they had force-marched from Konoha to the Land of Fire's border in just two days. Now, returning in triumph, there was no need to rush. The army marched at a leisurely pace for five days before the gates of Konoha finally appeared in the distance.
News of the army's triumphant return had long since reached the village. A massive crowd of villagers had already gathered at the entrance, eagerly awaiting the victorious return of their shinobi.
In the crowd, Jie spotted a figure he thought would absolutely not appear.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The news of Shinnosuke Sarutobi leading the Sarutobi clan in rebellion and subsequently being executed on the battlefield had been sent back to Konoha days ago. Jie originally assumed that upon hearing this news, Hiruzen would at least cough up blood and lose half his life from sheer fury.
At the very least, he shouldn't have been in the mood to watch the Uchiha clan lead the army back in triumph.
Yet, against all expectations, Hiruzen had shown up.
Even though he looked at least ten years older than before the army's departure, resembling a man with one foot in the grave, his presence alone was striking. This level of forbearance made Jie secretly wary.
"Third Hokage… the mission is complete. Kumogakure has been defeated," Fugaku said calmly, leading the commanders of the various shinobi clans before Hiruzen. Seeing the Hokage's aged face, the animosity he once held had faded considerably.
"You've done well, Clan Head Fugaku." Hiruzen coughed lightly. His wrinkled face—like weathered bark—forced a smile that looked more painful than genuine.
"Thank you for your concern, Third Hokage." Fugaku furrowed his brows slightly, his tone indifferent.
Hiruzen's attitude was very strange—so strange that it made a chill run down Fugaku's spine. After a moment of thought, Fugaku decided to test the waters.
"Third Hokage, I am deeply sorry about what happened with Shinnosuke. His defection on the battlefield had a disastrous impact. To restore Konoha's morale, I had no choice but to—"
"I understand your difficult position, Fugaku," Hiruzen interrupted. "In the end, Shinnosuke was far too unreasonable."
A look of bitterness washed over Hiruzen's face, as if he was forcibly suppressing immense grief while trying to comfort the Uchiha head. This attitude only made Fugaku shudder even more.
Observing everything from the shadows, Jie also frowned. It seemed something beyond his control had occurred in the village during his absence.
After a brief welcoming ceremony, Fugaku departed to handle the logistics of the returning army. Meanwhile, Jie took Orochimaru back to the Uchiha compound.
"Orochimaru, Hiruzen is acting very strangely today," Jie said coldly, his brows furrowed once they were in private. "Based on your understanding of him, what is the most likely scenario?"
"The old man is suspicious by nature. He absolutely won't tolerate anything in the village slipping beyond his control," Orochimaru replied casually after a moment of thought. "He's definitely found a way to deal with the Uchiha clan. He is acting like that about the news of Shinnosuke's death to lower your clan's guard."
Orochimaru licked his lips, a faint smile on his face. "It seems...Jie, that the trouble facing your Uchiha clan this time won't be small."
Hearing this, Jie's frown deepened. In this world, aside from Danzo, Orochimaru understood Hiruzen better than anyone. In some respects, even Danzo fell short of that insight. If this Sannin had reached such a conclusion, it was highly likely that somethings afoot.
It was just that they had too little actionable intelligence right now. Even with their combined intellects, they couldn't deduce what trump card Hiruzen was holding.
Right at that moment, a crow fluttered down and landed in front of Jie.
'A Summoning Crow?'
These crows were ninja beasts specially bred by the Uchiha clan. They could be summoned to assist in combat or used to relay intelligence.
Jie formed a hand seal.
Poof! A puff of white smoke rose. The crow disappeared, leaving a scroll in its place.
"Intelligence sent by Unkaku Gekko. It seems there really is an unexpected variable, otherwise he wouldn't be in such a rush."
Thinking of this, Jie immediately unrolled the scroll. After reading a few lines, a realization dawned on him.
"The Sarutobi clan is liquidating their assets in the village, and massive amounts of funds are being funneled into the Land of Rain." Jie looked up. "Orochimaru, what do you make of this?"
Upto 40 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Vristikk