Naruto: Fourth Hokage Orochimaru

The Third Hokage let out a long sigh, as if the tension momentarily dissipated from his shoulders: "I understand your analysis, I believe we are all aware of the damage this war has caused us all, so we will follow the plan of.."

"Sensei, I have a suggestion!" Orochimaru stood up, interrupting his speech.

Hiruzen's gaze focused on him as the conversations in the room immediately ceased, everyone curious to hear what the legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, would say.

"Go ahead, Orochimaru," the Third Hokage said, slightly intrigued.

Orochimaru straightened his posture, and his serpentine eyes locked onto the audience: "With all due respect to Shikaku's prudence." He said, pausing slightly so everyone could keep pace with the conversation.

"I propose that instead of simply entrenching ourselves with the enemy, we seize the opportunity to hit them where it hurts most!"

Everyone fell silent, unsure of what to say, hit them where it hurts most? Easier said than done, everyone shook their heads.

This war has been as short as it is devastating, two out of three ninjas likely have a family member or friend who was brutally killed before their eyes.

He smiled at their reactions, just what he expected. "I know we are all exhausted and that the losses have been hard."

"But if we want to break the enemy's will without further exhausting ourselves, we must use their own desires against them."

The Third Hokage frowned. "Explain yourself, Orochimaru."

"I propose spreading a rumor, one so convincing that none of our enemy villages will be able to ignore it." He observed everyone's reactions before continuing.

"A rumor that puts Kumo and Iwa in direct competition, forcing them to chase a common goal while we watch from the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment." He smiled without giving further details.

The Third Hokage frowned once more, knowing Orochimaru, Kumo and Iwa are likely in trouble, but..

"And what rumor would that be? The ninjas of Kumo and Iwa wouldn't go to war over some scandal about who has the most ridiculous hairstyle in Konoha, right?" Fugaku said, dissatisfied.

The question provoked some surprised looks and nervous laughter among the shinobi.

"You're right." He nodded, ignoring Fugaku's mocking tone, he's probably upset because he sees me as another rival in the fight for the Hokage position.

"The key to success for this lies in Kushina Uzumaki!" He said, pausing dramatically and pointing to the red-haired kunoichi.

All eyes immediately turned to Kushina, who, surprised and frowning, crossed her arms, clearly not expecting her name to come up in the discussion.

Minato, sitting next to her, narrowed his eyes and his posture grew tense, as if ready to protect her at any moment.

"Kushina?" Repeated Koharu, one of Konoha's elder advisors, with an expression of surprise and distrust.

"What does she have to do with all this, Orochimaru?" She asked, Kushina is Konoha's Jinchūriki, any matter involving her must be decided by them, the council of elders.

Kushina pursed her lips, visibly annoyed, and let out a huff. "This better not be another attempt to use me as a weapon." She muttered, causing some of those present to let out awkward laughs.

Orochimaru slowly waved his hand. "Calm down, Kushina, I'm not suggesting you put yourself in danger, although you may feel uncomfortable."

Minato looked at Orochimaru with concern, "Orochimaru-sama, could you tell us what your plan is?"

"Very well, everyone, tell me what the most coveted treasures of the ninja world are?" Orochimaru observed the crowd, which slowly began to frown.

"I think.. it's the next generation, the future of the shinobi world," Jiraiya suggested.

Hearing that, he turned to him, staring at him intently, for a moment he thought he'd say something like "Hot springs" or "Ero-manga," you know, those things.

"Not bad, but I believe the leaders of enemy villages don't share the same opinion." He said, spreading his arms.

In fact, not even Konoha is the exception, now during the war, tales of Genin fresh out of the academy flood the battlefield with their blood.

"It's likely that Orochimaru is referring to Ninjutsu or more specifically to forbidden techniques." Shikaku spoke once more.

That's a good suggestion, forbidden techniques are what sometimes define a Jonin-level force or a Kage-level one, Minato is the perfect example of this.

"I believe he's referring to the tailed beasts, for example, the Nine-Tails Fox!" Minato fixed his gaze on Kushina and said hesitantly.

"Hm, both are correct, but you've overlooked something, Fuinjutsu, as you all know, the Uzumaki clan faced the coalition of all the shinobi villages thanks to their mastery of sealing techniques." He said, looking at everyone, for some reason, the Third Hokage trembled slightly upon hearing that.

"The Uzumaki clan's fuinjutsu was so feared and coveted that the villages deemed it necessary to join forces to destroy them." He continued.

"Techniques that could seal Bijū or protect entire nations with impenetrable barriers and even seal the chakra of an enemy army, that knowledge was and remains one of the most coveted treasures of the ninja world."

The room fell into a tense silence as everyone processed Orochimaru's words.

Tsunade crossed her arms, clearly uncomfortable, "So, you want to use that story to manipulate our enemies?"

"Exactly, and conveniently, Kushina is the Uzumaki princess and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, I wonder what would happen if a rumor spread that Kushina defected from Konoha carrying a forbidden Uzumaki scroll."

The murmurs intensified once again, Minato clenched his fists: "That.. could provoke a massive reaction," he said tensely. "If the villages believe such a powerful scroll is loose, they could launch a hunt without hesitation."

Kushina exhaled sharply, "Using my name and heritage as bait? I won't say I like it, but if it can save lives and protect Konoha, we should at least try it." Kushina said firmly.

"Kushina.." Minato looked at her in surprise, this plan forces her to relive some dark memories of her past, and she agreed immediately, a slight blush spread across his face.

Kushina ignored Minato, clenched her fists, and looked at Orochimaru firmly, of course, she didn't agree just for Konoha, she is aware of the darkness behind the village, she has lived through it personally, as well as her conversations with her late grandmother, Mito Uzumaki.

However, she also knows for certain that it was Konoha's enemy villages responsible for her clan's extermination, even if it's selfish, Kushina wants to return a bit of the hatred in her heart.

Putting aside the two lovebirds, Danzō and Hiruzen looked at each other, this is a fantastic and terrifying idea at the same time.

Like two old foxes, they immediately saw the potential of this plan, Danzo's face darkened.

What's better, it doesn't affect the previous plan!

Cough!

"Alright, let's discuss the viability of this plan, mainly how to deceive Kumo and Iwa." Said the Third Hokage, resuming control of the discussion.

"Master, I already have some ideas for that," he said with a cunning smile.

"If that's the case, then I declare this meeting adjourned, from now on, it is classified as S-rank secret, understood?!"

"Yes!" Everyone responded in unison without exception, including the shadowy old Danzō.

The room gradually emptied as everyone departed, some with expressions of relief and others, like Fugaku.

As soon as the doors closed, the atmosphere relaxed a bit, leaving only the Sannin, Minato, Kushina, Danzō Shimura, and the Third Hokage.

Without further ado, they began to discuss the details of the plan.