The moment Kawasaki walked through the door, he saw an ecstatic Orochimaru dissecting a brain.
The corner of Kawasaki's mouth twitched.
"Orochimaru, won't Hiashi react to you doing this?"
Orochimaru turned his head slightly. "Oh, that's right. I'd almost forgotten."
"I've already locked him up."
Kawasaki froze for a moment. He hadn't known Hiashi was imprisoned.
"How did it come to this?"
Without looking up, Orochimaru pointed to a dissected corpse in the corner. "That's Hyuga Kaito's body. I discovered he had already fused with a White Zetsu."
"His consciousness was likely consumed, which is why he used the Caged Bird seal to kill so many people."
Orochimaru was an expert in this field. He had guessed most of the truth the moment he opened up Kaito's body. "If I hadn't taken Hiashi away sooner, the Hyuga clan would have likely erupted into civil war."
With that brief explanation, Kawasaki could already imagine how tense the situation must have been, ready to explode at any moment.
The branch family had suffered an undeserved blow, instantly igniting immense hatred. As the head of the main family, Hiashi would have had to punish the branch members to maintain his authority. But people in that state would have fought to the bitter end, surrounded as they were by the bodies of their loved ones.
As Orochimaru continued the autopsy, he recounted how Danzo had furiously exposed the past in front of Tsunade. This included the things Hiruzen Sarutobi had done back then and the details of how both men ultimately died together.
Hearing this, Kawasaki realized just how many incidents were actually connected.
No wonder the Sarutobi clan was now trying to control public opinion. The only people left who knew the truth of those events were Danzo and Hiruzen. With both of them gone, the truth would be buried forever. Unless they could have the long-dead Dan Kato stand up and testify?
But now, both masterminds were dead. Moreover, Konoha was the legacy left by Tsunade's grandfather. They couldn't just uproot the entire Sarutobi clan over this, could they?
The Third Hokage must have made arrangements before his death. Manipulating public opinion wasn't just about crafting a perfect image; it was also a way to test the attitude of the new Hokage, Orochimaru. If Orochimaru chose to side with and protect the Sarutobi clan, they would naturally praise the Third as a hero. If he decided to settle old scores, the Sarutobi would have to find another plan.
With the Uchiha gone and the Hyuga weakened, the other ninja villages would likely start making moves. It was expected that a large number of Sarutobi ninja stationed abroad would soon return to the village to stabilize the situation.
Kawasaki had originally planned only to trigger a chain reaction by telling Orochimaru the location of the White Zetsu, forcing them to retreat. He never expected that a member of the Hyuga clan had already had their mind taken over.
Right now, the Sarutobi clan was likely the most anxious. Despite their numbers, they lacked any top-tier fighters and had no choice but to rely on Orochimaru. So, they immediately put on a show of "Hiruzen Sarutobi sacrificing himself for the greater good," hoping to use Tsunade's emotions as the First Hokage's granddaughter to downplay the incident. They believed that with enough time, their clan would eventually recover.
While watching the busy Orochimaru, Kawasaki pondered how he could secure greater benefits for the Uchiha. A sudden inspiration struck him as he looked at the bodies piled in the room.
"Where is Hizashi?"
Orochimaru glanced up and pointed to a body laid out in front of him.
Kawasaki went forward to inspect it closely. He saw the forehead was scorched black and the eyes were destroyed—clear signs of death by the Caged Bird seal. Fortunately, the limbs were intact. There might still be a chance.
At that moment, a cry of amazement came from the side.
"I see... This Caged Bird seal is truly an intricate design!"
Kawasaki looked over and saw that the skulls of about thirty branch family members had been opened. Orochimaru looked quite pleased, having solved the puzzle.
"So, you've unraveled its secret?" Kawasaki asked.
"It's not that simple," Orochimaru said, his tongue flickering out. "I've only just grasped the principle." He held up a small piece of brain tissue. "The seal is inscribed right here." He added that this area was closely linked to the Byakugan and also functioned to store chakra. "It's destroyed instantly if the brain ceases to function or the eyeballs are removed."
Hearing this, Kawasaki proposed another idea. "Does that mean if we remove the relevant parts and then resurrect him, the seal will be gone?"
Orochimaru's eyes widened. "You have a method of resurrection?"
"That's right! Remember that secret Sand Village jutsu I told you about, the One's Own Life Reanimation?" He then took out two jars containing Sharingan that the Uchiha clan had long preserved.
When the possibility of using Izanagi to complete the task was mentioned...
Kawasaki clarified that it wasn't just about saving one person. "My goal is to save the entire Hyuga branch family."
Orochimaru replied with a half-smile, "I knew you'd say that."
Kawasaki responded frankly, "The existing conflict between the main and branch families can't be resolved easily. But it's not impossible. This is the perfect opportunity."
"You can forcibly abolish the old system of the Hyuga's main and branch families."
"Hmm?" Orochimaru looked back. His first thought had been that this was a great chance to study the Hyuga clan. He hadn't considered this angle.
The Hyuga's main and branch family tradition had always been a headache for the Hokage. This was truly the perfect time. As Orochimaru began to think, everything clicked into place almost instantly.
Kawasaki could see that Orochimaru understood his intentions.
"Of course, there will always be some who can't let go of their hatred."
"The Uchiha are still short on manpower for establishing our own nation. Bringing in some Hyuga to fill the gaps would be good."
"The Guard has plenty of open positions. You can also assign other suitable people."
"If the Sarutobi clan is willing to obey, we'll make use of them."
"And if they don't agree..." Kawasaki clenched his fist. "Then we'll get rid of them all."
Orochimaru shook his head. "What a waste of resources. I'm still short on materials for my experiments."
Kawasaki shrugged nonchalantly. "Do as you wish."
Orochimaru looked Kawasaki up and down. "Every time I see you, you're so confident. I'd love to know why."
Kawasaki waved his hand dismissively. "It's not about confidence. It's just a matter of bold hypotheses and careful verification. The key is whether the resurrection will succeed."
"Bold hypotheses and careful verification?" Orochimaru considered it and found it made sense.
"Alright, then. What's your plan?"
Kawasaki pointed at Hizashi. "First, gouge out his eyes. Then, remove the part of the cranial nerve responsible for the Caged Bird Cursed Seal."
After discussing the plan with Orochimaru, Kawasaki decided to go and deceive Neji first before taking action. He used the Transformation Jutsu to approach the Hyuga compound undetected.
Internal security in the village was temporarily being handled by the Sarutobi clan. On his way, he saw Asuma busy maintaining order.