Orochimaru is a man of deep loyalty and righteousness.

The atmosphere remained deadlocked for a moment until the Main House elder finally spoke up.
"Lord Orochimaru, Hinata is, after all, the next clan head... candidate of our Hyuga clan. Is there perhaps another way?"
Hearing this, Hyuga Hizashi turned his head to look at the stern-faced elder and furrowed his brows deeply.
He suddenly realized that not only the village, but even his own clansmen were not standing by his side; instead, they were handing Orochimaru the very leverage needed to corner him.
These words were a clear implication: sacrificing a Hyuga clan head might be unacceptable, but a mere candidate was a different story entirely.
"Lord Hokage, Lord Orochimaru..."
Defying his usual timid demeanor, Hyuga Hizashi spoke with a razor-sharp tone and fierce gaze, declaring firmly, "If the village is in danger, I would forfeit this life of mine without a single word of complaint, but Hinata—she is still just a child!"
"Do not forget the original intention of the First Lord when he established the ninja village!"
Hearing Hizashi invoke such a lofty standard, Danzo's eyes hardened, while Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes to avoid meeting Hizashi's gaze.
What the First Hokage could achieve was simply beyond their limited capabilities.
When Orochimaru graduated from the ninja academy at the age of six and stepped onto the battlefield, was he not also a child? The chasm between ideals and reality is forever fraught with bitter helplessness.
It was all the same—unavoidable, desperate measures.
"Hehehe... Bringing out the First Lord, no less... If this goes on, who knows where it might lead."
Orochimaru licked his lips, looking at the resolute and solemn Hyuga Hizashi, and suddenly chuckled. "I do have another way, but it is terribly troublesome, and disadvantageous to me..."
Hizashi stated decisively, "Name it, and my Hyuga clan will offer compensation to the absolute limit."
Beside him, the Main House elder was somewhat displeased that Hizashi had agreed so readily; at the very least, they should have listened to the conditions first.
"Compensation..."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and stated bluntly, "I want your Hyuga clan to hand over all your sealing techniques and barrier techniques."
The expressions of both Hizashi and the elder shifted, but then they heard him add, "Rest assured, the 'Caged Bird' seal and its related secrets need not be made public." Only then did they let out a breath of relief.
Behind them, Hyuga Hizashi felt a faint trace of disappointment, though he fully understood the consequences of handing over family secret techniques to outsiders.
"In addition, I want the Hyuga clan to provide financial backing for the village's research into sealing techniques."
Orochimaru swept his gaze over the two men and said slowly, "If there are any clansmen within your lineage who wish to study sealing techniques, regardless of their aptitude, you are strictly forbidden from obstructing them."
Hyuga Hizashi and the Main House elder exchanged glances, failing to grasp what game Orochimaru was playing.
To counter the threat of the masked man and secure future prospects, it was obvious the village's next step would be injecting massive funds to propel sealing technique research forward.
This was a major endeavor; every ninja clan was expected to contribute personnel and resources, and the Hyuga clan was naturally no exception.
Adding one more requirement now was entirely acceptable. Complying with the village's summons in this manner might even enhance the Hyuga clan's prestige.
Therefore, after a brief pause, Hizashi gave his decisive assent.
Seeing this, Orochimaru smiled faintly, offering no threats. No one dared to outwardly comply while plotting against him in secret.
He formed a hand seal, and a shadow clone materialized out of thin air. Wearing the exact same smile, the clone turned and walked straight out of the conference room.
Meeting the gazes of those present, Orochimaru's lips curled slightly. "Do not be impatient. Wait for the clone to return."
The Third Hokage watched Orochimaru in bewilderment, feeling more and more that he could no longer see through this disciple of his.
One had to know that the demands Orochimaru had raised all benefited the village while offering him personally zero advantage. What on earth was he plotting?
Jiraiya, however, vaguely grasped a portion of Orochimaru's intentions.
First, extract funds from the Hyuga clan, and then channel that money into the Hyuga branch family. Through this sleight of hand, the village could win over the branch family without spending a single coin of its own.
During their conversation that night, Orochimaru had made no attempt to conceal his disgust for the Hyuga main house. This move was likely just another way to strike a blow against them.
Yet, was that truly all...? Jiraiya felt the exact same sentiment echoing in his heart as his teacher's.
Inside the conference room, silence fell once more. The occupants exchanged glances, silently guessing at Orochimaru's true desires and the method he had yet to reveal.
Suddenly, Tsunade spoke up, "Orochimaru, you didn't send your shadow clone to assassinate those people from Kumogakure, did you?"
Everyone's expression shifted drastically. The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Cutting the Gordian knot swiftly was indeed one way to resolve the crisis. However, if they took that route to preserve the village's reputation, they would have to ruthlessly smear Orochimaru and make him the sacrificial scapegoat.
Even after a moment of contemplative silence, Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh. "That actually sounds like a good idea. We can keep it as a backup option."
Swish...
Accompanied by the sound of tearing wind, Orochimaru's shadow clone quickly returned to the Hokage conference room. With him came a child—a boy bearing features strikingly similar to the Hizashi brothers.
Every gaze in the room immediately converged on the boy's eyes... a pair of Byakugan.
At that moment, even those present who had never before laid eyes on Hyuga Neji managed to guess his identity.
Meanwhile, within the conference room, Hyuga Hizashi—who had一直 maintained a low profile and an almost negligible presence—turned instantly ashen, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
He was not a particularly clever man, but at this very instant, he grasped Orochimaru's entire scheme.
With a sharp crunch, he bit down hard on his teeth. The pain burned like fire, filling his mouth with the rich taste of blood, yet he could only press his lips tightly together, refusing to let a single sound escape.
Though anyone could see that this father was on the verge of emotional collapse, his eyes splitting at the corners.
Hyuga Hizashi was stunned, yet like the Main House elder, he understood Orochimaru's method at almost the exact same moment.
The losses suffered by the Kumogakure delegation were substantial and demanded an equivalent counterpart; in other words, someone had to pay the price.
Neither Hizashi nor Hinata could be sacrificed, for that would impair the village's prestige. The blow had to fall upon a junior, shifting the narrative from forced extortion to mere negligence.
Yet because he had refused to sacrifice Hinata, Orochimaru had now brought forth a child who could not and would not be refused.
"Tsk tsk... The story should be told this way: Kumogakure coveted the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, so after signing the pact with Konoha, the leader of the delegation, Grog, infiltrated the Hyuga compound in an attempt to steal a child of the Main House..."
Orochimaru spoke fluently, his pace unhurried as everyone held their breath to listen.
"As it turned out, he immediately ran into a boy within the Hyuga grounds. Grog was overjoyed, but upon inspection, discovered that this was merely a child of the branch family. Consumed by rage and disappointment, he destroyed the boy's Byakugan. Afterward, though he succeeded in his infiltration, he met his end, while Hinata, whom he had captured, survived..."
Orochimaru smiled. "And the destruction of a branch family child's Byakugan is not worth mentioning—at least, not compared to the life of a peace envoy. The Hyuga clan didn't even make a fuss about it."
"However, who could have anticipated that despite his young age, the boy possessed exceptional talent and had already been taken in as a disciple by someone."
"His teacher—none other than myself—returned to the village after completing his cultivation of senjutsu, and flew into a towering rage upon learning that his disciple's Byakugan had been destroyed."
"Disregarding the bigger picture, ignoring the grand scheme, he is determined to place the interests of the village and the peace between the two nations in jeopardy!"
A twisted smile spread across Orochimaru's face, as if the person he was describing bore no relation to himself whatsoever.