155 A Three-Way Win? A Win-Win?

Glloga and Hyuga Hizashi.

One was an ordinary Jounin killed in a single strike, while the other was the head of a prominent shinobi clan, possessed a Doujutsu bloodline limit, and possessed comprehensive strength approaching the Kage level.

With such a vast disparity in strength and status, no one considered their values to be equivalent.

However, when this person was draped in the political halo of a "peace envoy," the situation became vastly different.

Although "a life for a life" was difficult to accept, practically speaking, it was not entirely unreasonable.

In fact, had Kumogakure been stronger than Konoha, they wouldn't have been merely negotiating at this moment; they would have used this as an excuse to launch a war.

After all, Glloga, acting as a peace envoy, had indeed died within the Hyuga clan's territory, and he had been caught red-handed by the delegation.

A scandal—among the major shinobi villages, this was an absolute scandal.

As for whether Glloga coveted the Byakugan bloodline limit, proactively invaded the Hyuga compound, and even kidnapped a member of the Main House... none of that mattered at all.

The other shinobi villages only knew one thing: Konoha, which claimed to be the leader of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, was entirely incompetent, unable to even maintain complete control over its own village.

—Making him wish he were dead yet unable to die, right within your own village, would have been the standard procedure.

Had Konoha not slightly proven its strength in the previous wars, they wouldn't just be facing Kumogakure's interrogations right now.

"So, what is it you want me to do?"

In an izakaya, Orochimaru put down his cup, smiled at Jiraiya, and said, "Isn't it fine to leave this kind of matter to the old man to handle? Instead of this, you should be focusing on your training."

After completing the recuperation of his soul body, he had reported to the Third Hokage and then resumed his previous schedule.

Aside from his research on the White Zetsu clones and his usual tutoring of Yakushi Kabuto, Orochimaru had also incorporated some taijutsu training to adapt his soul body to his physical form and maximize the development of his physical strength.

Within the village, aside from Tsunade, the only one who could pressure him in taijutsu was Sage-mode Jiraiya.

Over this past month, the harvests had been bountiful, and Orochimaru was in a good mood, which was why he had accepted Jiraiya's invitation for a few drinks. But now, it seemed the other man wasn't just here for the alcohol.

"I just can't stomach it."

Jiraiya slammed his emptied cup down onto the table, his brow furrowed, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "Although the village's resolution hasn't been finalized yet, a tendency has already formed. They've decided to agree to Kumogakure's demands."

Orochimaru looked astonished. "Could the old man have gone senile?"

Kumogakure's demand was a life for a life—handing over the head of the village's prestigious shinobi clan. Regardless of the reason, it was utterly humiliating.

Furthermore, Orochimaru couldn't fathom the necessity of handing over Hyuga Hizashi.

"This isn't the old man's idea."

Jiraiya sighed, offering a cold chuckle. "It's the idea of the elders of the Hyuga Main House, under the guise of protecting the clan's honor."

Sabotaging the peace talks and causing the village to lose a massive amount of benefits that were almost within grasp—even for a prestigious shinobi clan, this was a significant blemish.

With the precedent of Hatake Sakumo, how could the elders of the Hyuga Main House let their clan fall into such an unfavorable position?

Of course, whether there were hidden motives of power-struggling involved remained unknown.

"Isn't that wonderful?"

Orochimaru smiled, though the mocking tone on his face grew progressively heavier.

"The Hyuga preserved their honor, the village secured substantial benefits, and it didn't tarnish the village's prestige—after all, it was the Hyuga's own initiative."

"Heh... That's a three-way win."

Using collective pressure to force a specific individual to make a sacrifice looks terrible from an outsider's perspective, but if that individual volunteers, then there is no problem at all.

Even their relatives and friends would find it hard to say anything, because after all, it was their own choice.

Disrespecting his choice was equivalent to disrespecting him, and once you disrespected him, there was nothing left to discuss with you.

—Perfection, a closed logical loop.

Yet the so-called personal will was actually the most difficult thing to fathom, heavily constrained by groups and environments.

Take the Hyuga clan, for instance. Claiming to preserve honor—wasn't it just a way to seize the moral high ground and avoid the village's silent cold violence?

Orochimaru had no particular opinion on this. Reality was as it was; there was no right or wrong, merely different choices.

Besides, he didn't like Hyuga Hizashi, nor did he like the Hyuga Main House.

A snake pursuing eternity detested anything that exuded the stench of decay and death.

Living as nothing more than a walking corpse, dying a little earlier could be considered contributing pure soul energy to the Pure Land.

"Things aren't as simple as you think."

Jiraiya glanced at Orochimaru and sighed, "Those elders of the Hyuga Main House want Hyuga Hizashi to die in place of Hizashi's twin brother, Hizashi?"

He shared a similar view with Orochimaru, not placing much weight on life and death; it was merely a matter of making one's own choice and bearing the consequences.

However, Hyuga Hizashi was a comrade of the village. Not dying on the battlefield, only to be forced to die by the elders of his own Main House—that was simply unacceptable.

As for the notion that Hizashi volunteered to take Hizashi's place, Jiraiya didn't believe a single word of it.

Yet this matter was the decision of the Hyuga clan and even had the backing of the village higher-ups. Finding no good solution, he had no choice but to come seek out Orochimaru.

Orochimaru raised his head, his tone carrying a trace of coldness, "Are you saying that the one who is going to die is not Hyuga Hizashi, but Hyuga Hizashi?"

"That's right."

Thinking Orochimaru hadn't heard clearly, Jiraiya repeated it. "Although no final decision has been made yet, the solution provided by the Hyuga Main House is just that. Hizashi even showed his face once at the time, stating that he had already agreed."

Orochimaru frowned.

In truth, whether members of the Hyuga clan lived or died didn't concern him much, but Hyuga Hizashi was different—he still owed the wish-granting Genie a favor.

*Actually, you don't need to worry about this.*

The Genie poked its head out from behind him and smiled.

*His wish has already been made. As long as he isn't completely obliterated, once the wish is fulfilled, the corresponding reward will definitely be delivered. No one is allowed to run a tab without my permission.*

The Genie's remarks were as cunning and mercantile as ever, yet they relieved him of any lingering concerns.

As for this matter, ignoring it wouldn't result in any losses.

Still, watching that group of rotting parasites reap the benefits was genuinely displeasing.

"Didn't the old man say anything?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow. "The Hyuga clan's affairs might be difficult to meddle in, but Hyuga Hizashi is also a shinobi of the village, having fought in numerous wars with considerable achievements. As Hokage, can the old man just stand by and watch?"

"The old man naturally disagrees, but for one thing, Hizashi somehow agreed, and for another, the two council elders support it."

Jiraiya sighed. "If the branch family is forced to die in place of the main family, the internal conflicts within the Hyuga clan will only intensify once this happens."

"The branch family's resentment toward the main family will grow stronger, leading them to lean closer to the village."

"Meanwhile, the main family's elders will lean even closer to the village. Claiming the moral high ground of the clan, they will also need to rely on the village's prestige to suppress the branch family."

"For the village, this is a win-win."

Jiraiya tapped the table and said in a deep voice, "If not for the old man and Danzo both disagreeing, this matter might already have been settled."