Naruto: The Primal Hyuga Pierces the Shinobi World.

Orochimaru and Anko Mitarashi walked through the crowd. The Hyuga clan members naturally recognized Orochimaru as one of the Legendary Sannin, and the clansmen standing in the open space spontaneously made way for him.

The ninja world is ultimately a world where strength speaks volumes. Even the Hyuga clan showed the respect and courtesy due to the strong when facing the Sannin.

Young Mitarashi Anko clearly had some knowledge of the Hyuga clan. Seeing that the Hyuga, who were known as the number one clan in Konoha, showed such respect to her master greatly satisfied her vanity. Standing beside Orochimaru, she unconsciously puffed out her chest.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, calmly glanced at the arrogant Mitarashi Anko beside him and said in a hoarse voice:

"Red Bean, the Hyuga clan is no ordinary family."

"Don't be rude when you meet people!"

At Orochimaru's prompting, Anko's smile gradually faded, and she looked at Orochimaru with a hint of longing before nodding emphatically.

"I understand, teacher."

Although Anko did not agree with Orochimaru's words in her heart, in her mind, there was no ninja in the world who was better or stronger than her master Orochimaru, not even the Hyuga clan, which had a bloodline limit.

but...

Even if she didn't agree with what Orochimaru said, Anko still did as he said, because Orochimaru was the person she admired the most and whom she regarded as a family elder.

Given Orochimaru's temperament, he was well aware of what Anko was thinking at that moment. However, he never intended for Anko to accept him; as for Hyuga, it was enough to maintain appearances.

Leading Anko to the front of the shrine, they just happened to see Hyuga Hiashi leading the deceased's family members out of the shrine to welcome Orochimaru.

Just as Anko initially thought, even the Hyuga clan had to treat a ninja like Orochimaru with respect.

"Chief Rizu, I've been nagging."

After giving Hiashi a brief greeting, Orochimaru's gaze shifted to the group of bereaved families standing beside Hiashi, their eyes red and swollen from crying.

Orochimaru, who was usually stern-faced, now wore a serious expression. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he actually gave a slight bow to the group and then whispered:

"I'm sorry... I failed to protect my men."

Orochimaru's somber tone, imbued with a profound sense of grief and self-reproach, caused the bereaved families to weep even more bitterly.

These people were grieving the loss of their family members and were unable to communicate with Orochimaru at this moment. Hiashi sighed softly and stepped forward to speak on behalf of the family members:

"Lord Orochimaru, please don't say that."

"They were all ninjas. They knew the risks before they went into battle. We will remember their courage and their unwavering commitment."

"Nobody wants this to happen, and it's not your responsibility."

"You took time out of your busy schedule to come and see them off... On behalf of Hinata, I thank you for coming."

As they spoke, Hiashi, representing the bereaved family, bowed slightly to Orochimaru. Hyuga Hizashi, standing behind Hiashi, also bowed. Although the family members were immersed in the grief of losing their loved ones, they still respectfully bowed to Orochimaru to express their gratitude on this occasion.

Orochimaru fell silent upon hearing this. He glanced around at the coffin and the photos placed on it, and sighed softly.

He reached out and took the incense from the waiter, then led Hongdou forward to offer prayers.

As Orochimaru made his move, the cries of the family members nearby rang out again.

The clansmen outside the arena felt deeply sympathetic upon hearing the heart-wrenching cries of their own family members, and their hearts grew heavy.

In recent years, the number of clansmen who have died in battle has been far too many, even approaching the number of clansmen who died during the most intense phase of the Third Shinobi World War.

Although some people sensed something was amiss, the Hyuga family investigated thoroughly but found nothing else.

What else can the Hyuga clan say besides lamenting the fickleness of fate?

Did they intend to protest to the Konoha leadership that the mission assigned to the Hyuga clan was too risky?!

At this stage of the war, every clan in Konoha has suffered heavy losses, but compared to those clans, the Hyuga clan is relatively better off. Within Konoha as a whole, perhaps only the Uchiha clan, responsible for the security of the village itself, is in a better situation, but not by much.

The fact that Orochimaru, the highest leader on the front lines, was present to mourn his fallen subordinates shows that the Hyuga clan felt respected by him.

"Chief Rizu, there's another matter I'd like to discuss with you, but I don't know..."

After offering incense, Orochimaru returned to Hiashi's side, pondered for a moment, and tentatively asked.

"Lord Orochimaru, may I speak to you in private?"

Upon hearing this, Hiashi turned around and exchanged a glance with Hizashi. After a moment, Hiashi turned back and gestured towards the side hall.

"Red Bean, wait for me here."

Orochimaru gave a brief instruction and then followed Hiashi and Hizashi, who were leading the way.

What Orochimaru and Hiashi Hyuga discussed is probably only known to the few people present. The meeting lasted for about ten minutes, after which Shinichi saw Orochimaru walk out of the side hall with a calm expression.

After calling out to Anko, Orochimaru left the Hyuga clan's territory.

It wasn't long from the time Orochimaru entered the clan's territory to pay respects to the deceased until he left, and Shinichi's gaze followed Orochimaru and his disciple the entire time.

Shinichi even knew the details of Orochimaru and Hiashi Hyuga's conversation in the side hall.

Although he couldn't hear them speak, Shinichi was still able to read what they were saying through lip reading.

For the Hyuga clan, lip reading is a required course, as it is an extremely important part of gathering information.

"Let's have Hyuga support him and Danzo..."

"In exchange, he is willing to provide support to us Hyuga ninjas on the battlefield."

"Is this a negotiation for cooperation or an attempt to coerce the Hyuga clan...?"

Shinichi frowned, processing the information he had "seen," and pondered to himself.

Shinichi was aware of Danzo and his advisors' desire to push for the imprisonment of Jinchuriki. The Hyuga clan had not taken sides on this matter, but when a vote was needed, the Hyuga clan would be one of the Fourth Hokage's trump cards.

However, his support for the Fourth Hokage was based on personal reasons. If Orochimaru used the lives of Hyuga ninjas as bargaining chips, Shinichi could even predict what Hiashi would do.

but……

Orochimaru is actually using this as a bargaining chip. If the content of this meeting is exposed, it will not be good news for Orochimaru.

unless……

"He was confident that he wouldn't be replaced as the frontline commander."

"In Konoha today, apart from the Fourth Hokage and Jiraiya, it seems that no one can replace him..."

After a moment's consideration, Shinichi understood where Orochimaru's confidence came from.

This is... strength.

........................