"Would you like to join me?"
Hearing Orochimaru's words, along with the expression on his face that seemed to suggest he was trying to lure him in, Fuma suddenly felt a bit amused. His expression became unreadable.
[Shouldn't I be the one inviting you? How did you steal my line?]
To Orochimaru's surprise, Fuma did not respond to his invitation. Instead, he stood up, said nothing, and walked straight into the inner room.
Watching Fuma's departing figure, Orochimaru felt a wave of disappointment.
[Fuma-kun, are you also resistant to change? I thought you were the one person who shared my ideals, but it seems you're just as stagnant]
Orochimaru's expression shifted, moving from initial excitement to a growing sense of loneliness.
But in the next moment, he was stunned.
Fuma returned, carrying a large table laden with a variety of dishes and two bottles of what appeared to be very expensive sake.
Fuma, with his powerful arms, wrapped Orochimaru in a solid embrace, patting his back loudly as he exclaimed, "I've been waiting for you to say that! With your help, we could defeat a hundred thousand shinobi!"
"Come, sit down. Let's eat and talk!"
Orochimaru struggled to breathe under the strength of Fuma's hug, feeling like he was about to be suffocated. For the first time, he truly understood how strong this man was—just a simple hug was almost too much for him to bear.
Fuma was genuinely pleased that Orochimaru had opened up to him.
In Fuma's future plans, Orochimaru held an important position.
But in the original timeline, Orochimaru defected after the Nine-Tails' rampage, which was far too late for the Uchiha clan and Fuma himself.
Fuma's original intention was to win Orochimaru over by sharing some of the hidden truths of the shinobi world, gradually building trust and eventually developing a strong alliance.
Now, thanks to Danzo's slander, this process had been greatly accelerated, with Orochimaru taking the initiative to approach Fuma.
Orochimaru, the first shinobi to embrace science, was a key figure who could make many research projects much easier.
In the original timeline, even after being nearly exiled from Konoha, Orochimaru still managed to establish the powerful small nation of the Hidden Sound Village, showcasing his exceptional administrative abilities.
Most importantly, Orochimaru had a particular talent for recruiting skilled shinobi, easily forming a highly capable team.
Orochimaru, still somewhat dazed, sat down at the table, watching as Fuma eagerly filled a large bowl with sake for him.
"Cheers!"
Orochimaru, never having experienced something like this, could only awkwardly raise his bowl in response.
[Wait, wasn't I about to discuss overthrowing the shinobi world with Fuma-kun? How did we end up eating instead?]
After several rounds of sake and a variety of dishes, the two bottles of fine sake were nearly empty. The warm food and strong sake were just what one needed to temporarily forget their troubles.
Fuma's goal was to pull Orochimaru out of his extreme emotions and get him to calmly reconsider the situation.
He needed to be sure that they were truly like-minded and not just a hastily formed alliance that might fall apart due to conflicting ideals, repeating the failures of Konoha.
With a tone of nostalgia, Fuma looked at Orochimaru and slowly said, "Do you remember when we graduated from the Academy? We discussed the state of the shinobi world, though we were both very young then."
Orochimaru, also reminiscing, responded, "Yes, at that time, I couldn't fully agree with your ideas, but now I see that you were ahead of me all along."
Fuma smiled slightly and asked, "Orochimaru-kun, do you remember the methods we discussed back then?"
Orochimaru smiled knowingly and picked up where Fuma left off. "Of course, I remember."
"One approach is from the bottom up, the other from the top down. Your ideas left a deep impression on me, Fuma-kun."
"The so-called top-down approach involves making minor repairs within the existing framework, needing to compromise on all sides. It's more of a reform than a true change."
"The bottom-up approach, however, means completely demolishing the existing ideas and order, eradicating the original ruling class."
Fuma looked at Orochimaru with slight surprise. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to remember their casual conversation from their youth so clearly.
"So, Orochimaru-kun, which method do you prefer?"
Orochimaru pondered this, falling into deep thought.
Establishing a new order is no simple task. Take Konoha, for example; it's a nearly impossible mission.
When Konoha was founded, most clans were drawn in by the Senju clan, with the Uchiha clan primarily acting as the top warriors.
And the series of measures taken by Tobirama Senju during his tenure greatly strengthened the Hokage's control.
By taking on students, he turned Konoha's most influential clans into allies.
Then, by establishing the Academy, he brought in large numbers of civilian shinobi as his most solid base, reducing his reliance on the clans, thus keeping power firmly in the Hokage's hands.
As Orochimaru considered the feasibility of these two methods, his gaze gradually shifted back to Fuma.
[If Fuma-kun shares the same vision of change as I do, then as a member of the Uchiha clan, which method does he intend to use?]
Seeing Orochimaru's probing look, Fuma's expression turned serious, and he said earnestly, "I plan to take the bottom-up approach. The current system of one nation, one village is far too inefficient and ignorant."
Orochimaru was taken aback, finding Fuma's answer impractical.
"Fuma-kun, even putting aside your relationship with Tsunade, the foundation of Konoha should not be underestimated."
But Fuma shook his head. The country he envisioned wasn't within Konoha. He also understood that staging a coup in Konoha was nearly impossible.
Not even considering the Uchiha's lack of popular support, from a purely military standpoint, it was almost impossible.
Currently, the Uchiha's high-level combat strength consisted only of him and Uchiha Setsuna.
With the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki, still alive and the Third Hokage still in his prime, those two alone would pose a significant challenge for Fuma.
And Setsuna, at his current age, would struggle against figures like Danzo and Sakumo.
As for the remaining Uchiha, even with the Three Tomoe Sharingan's , they couldn't make up for the overwhelming numerical disadvantage.
And even if Fuma somehow miraculously led the Uchiha clan to a successful coup, they would only inherit a broken Konoha.
A weakened Konoha would only invite the other four great nations to prey on it, and the Uchiha would be at the forefront of the defense.
Such a strategy would only lead to the mutual destruction of the Uchiha clan and Konoha.
And Fuma's relationship with Tsunade made it difficult for him to engage in a fight to the death with Mito and Hiruzen.
After all, those two were Tsunade's grandmother and teacher, both holding a significant place in her heart.
Seeing Orochimaru's increasingly puzzled expression, Fuma took out a map and pointed to an island.
"This is where you and I will build our future nation!"
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