"In the future Uchiha will become Hokage! How about this condition?"
In such a short time, this was already the countless times Fugaku felt shocked and shaken! Even though he tried his best to suppress his emotions, Orochimaru's words still made his heart pound violently, and he couldn't hide the ecstatic expression on his face.
That mix of ecstasy and restraint twisted Fugaku's expression for a moment.
"Is it true?" Fugaku's voice trembled slightly.
The Uchiha clan had always talked about making Itachi Kagetsu's disciple, waiting for Kagetsu to pass the Hokage position to him.
But even the most radical clansmen knew this was just a beautiful yet uncertain vision.
Even Fugaku, who was immensely proud of Itachi's talent and character, understood the difficulty and challenges they would have to face.
The Uchiha's reputation, the higher-ups' distrust and vigilance, the clansmen's volatile emotions, and the most unpredictable factors—Orochimaru and Kagetsu's thoughts.
Since the founding of the Hidden Village system, every Hokage in history had either been a sibling duo, master and disciple, or trusted confidants.
From Konoha's perspective, the first two Hokages of the Senju clan, with the third Hokage stepping up in a time of crisis as a disciple.
In fact, if it weren't for the fame and great achievements of the Legendary Sannins, and if there was no one else in the Sarutobi clan to rival them, some might darkly speculate that the Third Hokage would have preferred to pass the title of Hokage to the Sarutobi clan.
Orochimaru, who was alone without a clan or heirs, if he had become the Fourth Hokage, his disciple, Kagetsu, would likely have become the Fifth.
What about the Sixth Hokage? Would it be chosen from among the disciples, or from the Nara clan? Or perhaps from the Yamanaka or Akimichi clans, who shared strong bonds with the Hokage? No one could be sure.
Orochimaru's current words were nothing less than a promise to the Uchiha clan.
Fugaku, still in disbelief, questioned while his Sharingan flickered, scanning the faces of Orochimaru and his disciple, Kagetsu.
When Fugaku saw that Kagetsu did not object, and even gave a nod of acknowledgement, Fugaku could no longer contain his emotions.
If he wasn't worried about losing his composure in front of them, he would have almost performed the Uchiha clan's signature wild laughing face right then and there!
With such a guarantee, it wasn't just the stored Sharingan that mattered; even freshly obtained Sharingan—there would be radicals in the Uchiha clan willing to offer themselves as materials for experimentation.
Even if the experiments failed, if necessary, and if Orochimaru unlocked the Mangekyo Sharingan, there were those who wondered if they should extract it and forcibly implant it into Shisui's eyes, hoping to restore his sight.
As long as the promise held!
It would be seen as the price for Itachi becoming Hokage.
"If Itachi is talented enough," Kagetsu responded under the gazes of both Orochimaru and Fugaku.
He had no intention of deceiving or exploiting Fugaku and the Uchiha clan. Though the Uchiha clan's spirit was often a bit unstable, there were still a few normal people among them, ones who could communicate.
With Shisui's guidance, if Itachi was nurtured well, he would at least be harmless to the village.
A powerful Uchiha Hokage, with deep love for his village—there's nothing wrong with that. As for the rest, if necessary, additional advisors can be arranged to help.
"I have no objections, Lord Orochimaru! All your demands will be met by me and the Uchiha clan! I believe the elders and the clan will support my decision as well!"
Fugaku said, bowing.
"It seems we've reached an agreement," Orochimaru said softly.
Over the years, Orochimaru had gone through the second Hokage's research records, as well as the studies done by Kagetsu on the Sharingan. This had sparked a great interest in him regarding the Sharingan.
Especially after the appearance of Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, the power it displayed made Orochimaru feel an unexpected excitement.
As his research deepened, revealing the unique powers of Wood Release and Sharingan, which were closer to the essence of chakra, Orochimaru became even more fascinated by the Uchiha clan, who had inherited it for millennia.
He had even developed an "archaeological" hobby. He was no longer content with studying and collecting ordinary kekkei genkais; now, his focus was on those with a legacy.
Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Kaguya.
And some of the secret clans that had disappeared from the history of the ninja world.
The mysteries behind them made Orochimaru feel that his long life would never be boring. He even thought about whether he should visit the Ryūchi Cave to meet the White Snake Sage, a representative of the past.
As a living fossil of the ninja world, the Sage probably knew much about its history.
Would the Sage know what the world was like before ninjas appeared?
Orochimaru, having expanded his vision, wanted to learn more and was eager to collect more information from the past.
Aside from the Hyuga clan's closure and Kaguya temporarily being unable to intervene, the Uchiha and Senju clans were two Kekkei Genkai clans in his mind that were worth studying and exploring in depth.
After sending the eager Fugaku away through Black Cavity, Orochimaru immediately grabbed Kagetsu when he returned, and the two began discussing the direction of their research.
"What form do you plan to present it in?" Orochimaru asked, wanting to confirm Kagetsu's thoughts. "Do you need to use the power of the Hogyoku?"
Kagetsu shook her head. "It's just a preliminary idea. I want to forge it as a spiritual weapon."
"Spiritual weapon?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, then fell into a thoughtful silence.
As someone passionate about collecting ninja tools, especially various types of Kusanagi swords, Orochimaru had certainly heard of spiritual weapons.
In fact, he had even searched for the legendary Totsuka Blade, which was the most unique among the Kusanagi sword series and only existed in myths.
"A spiritual weapon is indeed a good idea."
After a moment, Orochimaru nodded in approval. As a non-physical weapon that could be contained within the spirit or soul, a spiritual weapon was certainly better than a physical ninja tool.
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