Orochimaru’s Magic Lamp

The room fell into a tense silence until one of the Hyuga clan elders finally spoke.

"Lord Orochimaru, Hinata is the next head of the Hyuga clan… but perhaps there are other options."

Hyuga Hiashi turned to look at the elder, his expression darkening. It hit him then—not just the village, but even his own clan was turning against him. They weren't defending him or his daughter. Instead, they were starting to justify Orochimaru's demands.

Those words clearly implied one thing: sacrificing even the next clan head might not be off the table.

"Lord Hokage, Lord Orochimaru…" Hiashi's voice cut through the heavy air. The hesitation and fear were gone. His tone was sharp, his gaze fierce.

"If the village is in danger, I would give my life without complaint. But Hinata—she is just a child."

He straightened his back and declared, "Don't forget the founding ideals of the First Hokage. That's why the ninja villages were created—to protect the next generation."

Danzo narrowed his eyes at Hiashi's appeal to higher ideals. Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a faint sigh and closed his eyes, unwilling to meet Hiashi's gaze.

Yes, the First Hokage had once upheld such noble ideals—but ideals didn't always survive in the face of grim reality.

Orochimaru chuckled.

"Oh my, invoking the First Hokage now… how far are you willing to take this?"

He licked his lips, then fixed his eyes on Hiashi with an unreadable smile. "Well, I do have another method. But it's troublesome. And honestly, it doesn't benefit me at all."

Hiashi immediately responded, "Name your terms. The Hyuga clan will compensate you however necessary."

The clan elder gave Hiashi a disapproving look. At the very least, they should have heard the terms before agreeing.

"Compensation, hmm?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "Then I want access to all the Hyuga clan's sealing and barrier techniques."

Hiashi and the clan elder's expressions hardened at once.

Orochimaru continued, "Relax. That doesn't include the Caged Bird seal or any related techniques." The tension eased just slightly.

Behind him, Hinata's uncle, Hizashi, looked faintly disappointed—but he understood. Sharing core techniques with outsiders could endanger the clan.

"And one more thing," Orochimaru added, his tone calm but firm. "The Hyuga clan will assist the village in spreading the knowledge of sealing techniques. If anyone in your clan shows interest in learning, regardless of their talent, you are not to stand in their way."

Hiashi and the clan elders exchanged uncertain glances. They couldn't quite grasp Orochimaru's intentions.

But it became clear: in order to prepare for future threats—like the masked man and other looming dangers—Konoha needed to ramp up its sealing arts research. Every clan was expected to contribute. For the Hyuga, this would simply be their part.

And in truth, helping the village this way could even boost the Hyuga clan's standing.

After a pause, Hiashi gave a resolute nod.

Orochimaru smiled, not smugly, but with quiet satisfaction. He made no threats. He didn't need to. No one dared oppose him openly.

He formed a hand seal. A shadow clone appeared, wearing the same smirk, and silently exited the room.

As the original Orochimaru looked around at the council, he said coolly, "Don't worry. Just wait for the clone to return."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at his former student, increasingly unable to read his true intentions.

Orochimaru's proposal clearly benefited the village—but not himself. What was he really planning?

Beside him, Jiraiya furrowed his brow. He, too, was beginning to sense the outline of Orochimaru's larger design.

First, Orochimaru proposed acquiring funds from the Hyuga clan, then using those same funds to support the Hyuga branch family. This way, the village could win over the branch without spending any of its own resources.

During the previous night's discussions, Orochimaru had made no effort to hide his disdain for the Hyuga clan. This maneuver was clearly another tactic to undermine them. But that wasn't all—Jiraiya could feel the same unease that his teacher once did.

In the silent meeting room, glances were exchanged as everyone tried to decipher what Orochimaru was really planning—what cards he still had up his sleeve.

Suddenly, Tsunade broke the silence.

"Orochimaru… you're not planning to impersonate the Raikage's men and eliminate the Kumogakure delegation, are you?"

The room went still. The more they considered it, the more plausible—and terrifying—it seemed.

It was a ruthless, decisive solution. But if such a move were made, the village would have to disavow Orochimaru to preserve its reputation. He would have to be scapegoated.

Even Orochimaru paused to think—then chuckled.

"A good plan. Keep it in reserve as a fallback."

Shff.

With the sound of rushing wind, Orochimaru's shadow clone returned to the Hokage meeting room, and with it, a child. A boy with the same complexion as the Hizashi brothers.

All eyes were drawn to one thing—his eyes. A pair of unmistakable Byakugan.

Even those unfamiliar with the Hyuga heir could tell who this boy was.

Hyuga Hizashi, quiet until now, suddenly went pale. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

He wasn't a genius, but he didn't need to be. He instantly understood what Orochimaru was about to do.

His jaw clenched—crack. Blood filled his mouth from his shattered teeth. But he said nothing. He couldn't. The grief in his eyes made everything clear. He was barely holding himself together.

Hyuga Hiashi stood frozen. The elders beside him also realized Orochimaru's plan at once.

The Kumogakure incident had caused serious political fallout. To fix it, someone needed to be sacrificed. That was the cruel balance.

Sacrificing Hiashi would damage the clan's prestige. Sacrificing Hinata had been denied. But now… Orochimaru had found someone who wouldn't—couldn't—refuse.

Orochimaru began, slowly and dramatically:

"Tsk, tsk… so the story goes like this—Kumogakure coveted the Byakugan. After signing the peace treaty with Konoha, their envoy, Tetsuya, infiltrated the Hyuga estate at night, trying to kidnap a child of the main house..."

Everyone listened, breath held.

"But Tetsuya ran into a boy instead. A child from the branch family. Upon realizing it, he vented his anger by destroying the boy's Byakugan. Then he died. Hinata, who was also taken, managed to survive."

Orochimaru smiled coldly.

"And since it was just a branch family child, no one made a fuss. At least, not enough to risk the peace agreement."

He let the words settle before continuing.

"But, surprise—turns out the boy was talented. He'd already been accepted as a disciple. His teacher—me—had just returned from learning Sage techniques. When I learned what happened to my student..."

Orochimaru's grin widened.

"I was furious. I didn't care about political balance, about the peace between two great villages. I acted out of rage."

He laughed quietly, the tone mocking—as if the man he was talking about wasn't himself.

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