Saving Uchiha, Starts by Flipping The Table

"Did you hear? Orochimaru actually came back." 

"Which Orochimaru?" 

"Are you stupid? The one who was one of the Legendary Sannin along with Hokage-sama! The village's rogue ninja! 

Hokage's advisor personally brought him back. He even went straight to the Hokage's office." 

"So, he was captured by the advisor?" 

Yan and Orochimaru had walked openly through the gates of Konohagakure, making no effort to hide themselves. 

Because of that, news of Orochimaru's return spread quickly, and the rumors only grew wilder. 

Yan actually brought Orochimaru back? 

Many people were shocked when they heard. 

Everyone was curious—how did Yan find Orochimaru? How did he convince him? 

And the way they returned was unusual. They just strolled back into the village without any precautions. 

It didn't seem like capturing a rogue ninja—it felt more like bringing back a shinobi who had been away for too long. 

While everyone was still trying to figure things out, the Hokage's office released an official statement about Orochimaru. 

His self-reflection was even printed and posted on the village's notice board.

"So all those things Orochimaru did that hurt the village... he was forced by Danzo?" 

"Danzo really was a scumbag!!!" 

"No kidding. Think about it—Orochimaru was the Third Hokage's student. Who else would dare push him like that? 

Danzo took advantage of Orochimaru's desire to experiment, lured him in step by step, and trapped him under his control." 

Just as Yan had said, Danzo was already dead. Blaming everything on a dead man? No problem at all. 

The Third Hokage took some of the blame too, but does that really matter? 

He's an old man in retirement. A little more damage to his reputation won't make a difference. 

Besides, he's not even in the village. So what if he takes the fall? 

By the time he returns to Konohagakure, everything will already be settled. Even if he's upset, it won't change a thing. 

Orochimaru played the victim perfectly, and with the Hokage office backing him up, the villagers finally started to believe he had turned over a new leaf and returned to Konohagakure for good. 

And those dark experiments? Weren't they all because Danzo forced him? 

What? 

Orochimaru experimented on villagers? 

Danzo was the one who captured them. Danzo was the one who ordered the experiments. Orochimaru didn't even have the right to refuse. 

When the Third Hokage returns and sees Orochimaru's written reflection, his face will probably turn dark with anger. 

Too bad he's not in Konohagakure right now. 

And technically, there was nothing wrong with Orochimaru's reflection.

All the test subjects, even the people, were captured by Danzo's Root.

Orochimaru only handled the experiments.

That alone was enough to dump all the blame on Danzo.

Since Danzo was "Shadows Kage" even in death, he had to carry the burden.

At first, the villagers couldn't believe Orochimaru had returned.

Then, they started to feel a little sorry for him.

Eventually, they began to accept it.

After all, he was one of the Legendary Sannin and had done so much for the village.

It wouldn't be fair to let Danzo's actions turn him into a criminal forever.

Besides, the Hokage office had guaranteed that Orochimaru had changed and wouldn't do any more dark experiments.

So what was there to worry about?

If anything, they should be happy—after all, the village had gained another powerful ninja.

With Yan's people subtly guiding public opinion, everything was moving in the right direction.

Orochimaru's lab was quickly set up.

There were plenty of suitable locations, and the large amount of equipment confiscated from Root was just what he needed.

After adding the finishing touches, the brand-new lab was ready.

"Not bad. Danzo was a terrible person, but he sure had an eye for equipment. This should be enough, right?"

Inside the lab, Yan walked around with his hands behind his back, nodding in satisfaction.

A lot of the confiscated equipment had just been gathering dust in storage.

Now, it finally had a purpose.

Danzo really had no shame—he spent the village's money like it was nothing.

Everything he bought was top-quality.

Even after all these years, the equipment was still the best available, more than enough for Orochimaru's research.

The labs Orochimaru had outside the village never had equipment this advanced.

Mainly because he didn't have the money to afford it.

Seeing all this gear, Orochimaru's eyes practically sparkled.

With this setup, his experiments would be so much easier.

"Kakashi, I'm giving you a choice."

"Either you ask Orochimaru for help and get the best possible eye replacement for you…

Or, I'll get you a Three-Tomoe Sharingan from the Uchiha."

Yan wasn't the stingy type.

If Kakashi was still used to fighting with a Sharingan, getting him a new one wasn't a problem.

"The Uchiha have plenty of these in their collection. As an elder of the Uchiha, giving one to Kakashi for transplant won't be an issue." 

"A Sharingan?" 

Kakashi touched the eye still covered by his forehead protector. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head. 

"Advisor, I don't need a Sharingan. I just want an eye that suits me." 

Recently, Kakashi had given it a lot of thought. Without the burden of the Sharingan, he had been focusing on the Hatake sword techniques. His skills had improved, and he could fight for longer. 

The Hatake clan naturally had little chakra, and with the Sharingan draining him even more, Kakashi always had to calculate exactly how much chakra he had left. 

Now, that problem was gone. 

Without the Sharingan weighing him down, he could fight freely. 

His chakra was still limited, but at least he no longer had to count every bit of it. 

"Alright then. The Hatake sword style flourished under your father. I believe you won't fall short of him. I have high hopes for you." 

Yan patted Kakashi on the shoulder, then turned to Orochimaru. 

"Orochimaru, is this doable?" 

"Leave it to me. But it will take some time." 

Orochimaru smiled confidently. 

If it were just a simple eye transplant, he could operate on Kakashi right away. 

 But growing a new one from scratch would take time to ensure it was a perfect match. 

"Alright then, Kakashi. Lie down on the operating table. I need to take something from you." 

"...." 

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