Chapter 176: What about my Plan?

Konoha Village Collapse Plan.

Orochimaru's name was indeed well chosen, and the project proposal was also well made, even detailing when to precisely initiate it.

This project proposal was quite innovative.

Because this time's Chunin Exam was far more grand than the last.

To save on the expenses of the Chunin Exam, and also to show off their genius ninjas in this event, the Mist Village and the Sand Village agreed to participate in the joint Chunin Exam hosted by the Konoha Village, with the three alliances also flexing their muscles to the other two major ninja villages.

Clearly.

Orochimaru added some content in this proposal, for example, the Kaguya clan from the Grass Village would also participate in this plan, and even people from the Mist Village.

The elder Genji from the Mist Village would also come to the Konoha Village, wanting to meet with Sarutobi Hiruzen to discuss important matters, which was also exploited by Orochimaru.

According to Orochimaru's plan, they would first discuss the war against the Konoha Village with the Fourth Kazekage Rasa. After luring the Fourth Kazekage Rasa and the Sand Village into the scheme, they would take the opportunity to assassinate the Fourth Kazekage Rasa.

Orochimaru would disguise himself as Rasa to meet with the elder Genji from the Mist Village, uniting the Sand Village and the Mist Village to declare war against the Konoha Village. After luring the Mist Village into the scheme, they would then assassinate the elder Genji, with Shimura Danzo disguising himself as Genji.

Finally, Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo would disguise themselves as Rasa and Genji, attending the most grandiose third stage of the Chunin Exam. During the exam, they would choose to provoke and lead the Sand Village and the Mist Village to declare war against the Konoha Village, along with the combative Kaguya clan from the Grass Village.

Thus...

The Konoha Village would definitely collapse!

It has to be said.

Orochimaru's plan was nearly perfect.

Even more perfect than the plan remembered by Akihara Kagura.

Akihara Kagura praised Orochimaru in his heart, stuffed the scroll back into the mouth of the small white snake, and ordered the small white snake: "This plan won't work. Send it back for revision. Tell Lord Orochimaru, we can't risk everything at once; we need to initiate it step by step. If the Konoha Village withstands and doesn't collapse, we'll be the ones to collapse first..."

The small white snake could only swallow the scroll and leave.

"This plan is too premature, that Chunin Exam is still half a year away, and the graduates from the Ninja Academy haven't even been assigned yet..."

Akihara Kagura put on his Konoha Village ninja headband, now serving as the assistant to the Hokage of the Konoha Village, with quite a heavy workload.

Being a seventeen-year-old assistant to the Hokage was not a low status.

Twelve-year-old Karin still wore glasses, holding a folder, reporting to Akihara Kagura his busy schedule for the day. He had to attend a meeting at the Hokage's office in the morning, go to the mission assembly place at noon, and attend a birthday party hosted by Yakushi Nono at the Konoha Orphanage in the evening.

"I'll go to the Hokage's office for the meeting first."

Before leaving the Root, Akihara Kagura specially instructed: "Karin, make a note for me, who didn't bring me a gift. Those who brought gifts don't need to be noted..."

Karin immediately nodded.

Twelve Uchihas began to look at each other.

Although Akihara Kagura was their superior, they were a bit older than Akihara Kagura, and they were somewhat speechless about some of their superior's childish behaviors.

Over the years, these Uchihas had made rapid progress, as most of their time was spent training in a limited Tsukuyomi world, thus having longer training times than others.

However, because they spent too much time in the limited Tsukuyomi, they could immediately distinguish between illusion and reality. The benefits of the illusionary world to them were diminishing, leading these Uchihas to be almost emotionless towards the people in the illusionary world.

Being emotionless towards the people in the illusionary world.

Naturally, they couldn't awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan through the illusionary world.

Akihara Kagura didn't need especially strong powers; it wouldn't be right to make them kill each other just for a Mangekyō Sharingan. How would that be different from Shimura Danzo's behavior?

Some of the elders who survived the massacre night believed that after they avenged Uchiha Itachi's death, perhaps they could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.

Akihara Kagura was not in a hurry.

Because Akihara Kagura was already strong enough.

Now, what Akihara Kagura needed was more chakra, to awaken the Ten-Tails' vessel inside him. He needed a suitable opportunity to absorb a significant amount of chakra to accelerate the awakening of the Ten-Tails' vessel inside him, to quickly advance to a stronger Six Paths level.

Inside the Hokage's office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane had already arrived.

The recent theme inside the Hokage's office had always been about the issues of the graduating ninja students from the Ninja Academy and which people should be their Jōnin instructors for this batch of graduates.

In fact, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already identified suitable candidates; his only hesitation was about one thing. He greatly hoped that Akihara Kagura could arrange for Karin to join a small team.

"Having Karin join the team of Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto would actually be quite appropriate. Should the Nine-Tails within Naruto go berserk, Karin can completely control it…"

"I think it's feasible too."

Akihara Kagura quickly nodded in agreement, very much in favor of Sarutobi Hiruzen's suggestion: "Then let's send Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto to the Root, and I will personally teach these two youngsters. Once the Nine-Tails inside Naruto goes berserk, I can quickly subdue the Nine-Tails…"

After saying this, Akihara Kagura proposed another idea: "As for Uchiha Sasuke, I'm sure I can find an opportunity to reunite him with his clan. As long as Karin takes action at the critical moment during the mission, this potential threat can be resolved…"

"Kagura, you've grown up, and you can't be so extreme in your actions."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat embarrassed to bring up wanting to take Akihara Kagura's assistant over, so he could only sigh and stick to his original plan: "Let's not rush this matter. Let's wait until this group of youngsters graduates…"

"Their talents are definitely sufficient."

Akihara Kagura also sighed, frowning: "Aren't Naruto and Sasuke also quite keen on joining the Root? Third Hokage, wouldn't it be better to let them choose their own fate?"

Over the years, Uchiha Sasuke, upon learning that Karin had joined the Root and made rapid progress, was eager to join the Root himself and would often run to the Hokage's office to plead his case.

As for Uzumaki Naruto…

Uzumaki Naruto thought joining the Root was quite good.

Because Naruto had few friends in the village, aside from a few from the Ninja Academy, only Akihara Kagura, Karin, Hatake Kakashi, and Mitarashi Anko were left.

Akihara Kagura and Karin were both in the Root.

Hatake Kakashi had been ordered by Sarutobi Hiruzen to leave the Anbu two years earlier and started serving as a Jōnin instructor, but he hadn't found suitable team members yet.

Since Sarutobi Hiruzen hoped that Hatake Kakashi would leave the darkness of the Anbu and return to a life in the light, Kakashi did not want to leave and was scheming to join the Root, which would give him the opportunity to undertake missions to track Uchiha Obito.

As for Mitarashi Anko…

This home tutor had reached the rank of special Jōnin and would occasionally go out on missions, sometimes serving as an examiner for the Chūnin exams in the village.

Honestly speaking…

If it were up to Uzumaki Naruto to decide…

Directly joining the Root really was an appropriate choice.

After all, the top student of the class, Uchiha Sasuke, wanted to enter Akihara Kagura's Root, and Uzumaki Naruto felt he was a bit luckier than Uchiha Sasuke, as just talking to Akihara Kagura would allow him to join the Root directly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could only helplessly shake his head, as he definitely did not agree with Uzumaki Naruto joining the Root. It's not good for the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails to become extreme, as it's too easy to fall into darkness.

An Anbu suddenly pushed open the door and reported: "Lord Hokage, the teachers from the Ninja Academy have arrived. They've brought this year's graduation exam questions…"

"Let them in."

"Yes."

Two people walked into the office side by side.

These two were the graduation examiners from the Ninja Academy, one was the familiar face of Umino Iruka, and the other was a Chūnin instructor named Mizuki.

Umino Iruka was quite serious and sincere, while Mizuki kept looking around, seemingly searching for something.

Umino Iruka presented this year's drafted graduation exam questions: "This year's graduation exam will be on the Clone Technique."

According to the Ninja Academy's tradition over the years, exams typically revolved around techniques like the Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, and Substitution Technique, as these techniques would be frequently used by ninjas in their future.

Honestly speaking.

These exam questions were very simple.

Many believed the Ninja Academy should teach more powerful techniques and set difficult tasks for the graduation exam, to prevent civilian ninjas from not learning powerful ninjutsu.

In reality.

The simple Clone Technique actually opened a door for civilian ninjas.

Because most civilian ninjas could gather very little chakra, not enough to learn or even cast some powerful ninjutsu, this would further widen the gap between children from ninja clans and civilian children within the Ninja Academy, and too difficult an exam might prevent some civilian ninjas from graduating and becoming Genin.

Compared to delaying the growth of a few civilian prodigies, allowing more children from civilian families to graduate and become ninjas was more important. After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, would keep an eye out, and any Jōnin instructors who discovered a genius would carefully teach them.

"Let's do it this way."

Sarutobi Hiruzen decided then and there.

Umino Iruka and Mizuki bowed their heads and left.

Akihara Kagura tapped his arm lightly, pondering over this guy named Mizuki, knowing that he had always wanted to defect to Orochimaru.

Akihara Kagura looked at the Chunin named Mizuki, raising an important topic: "Why does that teacher named Mizuki always seem to be distracted..."

"Perhaps his intentions are not pure."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, with his pipe in mouth, also wanted to bring up the topic: "I have been observing Mizuki for a while and found him to be someone who craves power and will resort to any means to achieve it. He always sneaks around near my house, occasionally inquiring about the Scroll of Seals..."

"I'll go kill him."

Akihara Kagura habitually blurted out this sentence.

"No, there's no need to go to such extremes."

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, looking at Akihara Kagura: "As it happens, Naruto is becoming a ninja, and many in the village are against Naruto becoming a ninja. The truth about the past can no longer be hidden..."

"Perhaps it's time someone told Naruto the truth about what happened twelve years ago. This matter cannot remain hidden forever. Before we let Naruto become a ninja, he must know the real reason why the villagers ostracize him, to prevent his Nine-Tails Chakra from running wild in the future..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, his gaze fixed on Akihara Kagura: "I've heard that Naruto's Clone Technique has always been subpar. This is because his body contains an overwhelming amount of chakra that he cannot control, just like you once were. The Scroll of Seals happens to have a forbidden jutsu that is perfect for Naruto to learn, and Mizuki is also after the Scroll of Seals..."

"The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique?"

Akihara Kagura recalled the forbidden jutsu and took the initiative: "I'll find an opportunity to teach it to Naruto myself, as Kakashi once taught me..."

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt exhausted from talking, trying to guide Akihara Kagura: "Mizuki is intent on stealing the village's Scroll of Seals, wanting to learn the forbidden jutsus written on it..."

"Then we should kill him sooner."

Akihara Kagura still suggested his extreme approach, looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen: "If you're worried about the commotion it might cause, I'll go back and order the Root to secretly take him away and dispose of him, then bury him in the back mountains of the village..."

"Why does the leader of the Root always take such extreme actions!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, feeling weary at heart, had to express his thoughts: "I want the malicious Mizuki to tell Naruto the truth about the night of the clan's annihilation twelve years ago. Perhaps his words will be even more uncomfortable for Naruto..."

"That Mizuki, not so competent, right?"

Akihara Kagura frowned, raising his own objections: "What does that Mizuki know? He doesn't even recognize Uchiha Obito. I know more, why not I take some time to talk to Naruto, let him know who his enemy is..."

"Holding hatred in one's heart cannot lead to strength."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed deeply, taking a heavy puff from his pipe, blowing out a large ring of smoke: "I plan to use Mizuki to benefit Naruto, to let Naruto learn a technique and understand that in this world, there are people who will use him but also many who care about him, hoping to guide him onto the correct path..."

This matter...

Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to entrust it to Akihara Kagura.

Because Akihara Kagura and the Root already dwell in darkness, yet Sarutobi Hiruzen also wanted to teach Akihara Kagura how to correctly use some of these dark methods.

"I understand, I'll leave it to the Root."

Akihara Kagura took over the conspiracy willingly, after all, the Root was meant to do the dirty work, so it wasn't wrong for him to handle this.

More importantly...

Akihara Kagura had long set his sights on the Scroll of Seals.

Akihara Kagura always appeared to be someone content with power, only showing his desire for more in the face of setbacks and difficulties.

Akihara Kagura knew his own strength was too great, Sarutobi Hiruzen would definitely not easily allow him to read the Scroll of Seals, and had never actively mentioned it, as if the Scroll of Seals never existed.

This time...

Might be a good opportunity.

Akihara Kagura took the initiative to propose his plan to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"I'll find someone to beat up that guy named Mizuki, make him steal the Scroll of Seals, and tell Naruto that the villagers have always hated him for being the Nine-Tails fox, but his teacher has always known Naruto is innocent and cared for him. So, to ensure Naruto could graduate from the final exam, he helped Naruto steal the Scroll of Seals, just so Naruto could learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and pass the exam successfully..."

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Akihara Kagura in shock.

Although Akihara Kagura's plan sounded good and seemed like it could move a person, there seemed to be something not quite right about it!

Wait...

Isn't this making that Mizuki guy look good?

However, how could Akihara Kagura's plan be so flawed, quickly adding the latter half of the plan: "Once Naruto learns the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, we'll capture Mizuki, letting Naruto know that a teacher went to prison for his sake to become a ninja..."

"..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent for a long time, deeply lost in thought.

~~~

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