Chapter 64

The next noon.

"Dayu, we have already understood the situation."

In the meeting room of the Hokage Building, the two council elders, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, sighed lightly after reading the contents of the scroll, their brows furrowed, as if they were also troubled by something.

This scroll contained information relayed by the former front-line commander, Orochimaru, of Konoha.

Regarding the mission to attack the Sand Village supply point, the actual situation did not match the plan, leading to a severe dispersion of the Shomu team's strength, and they almost fell into the Sand Village's encirclement.

Although there were no explicit mentions of the Root organization, as advisors, they were well aware of the hidden implications.

All the evidence pointed to another high-ranking elder of Konoha, Danzo Shimura.

The Root ninjas had deceived and framed the Shomu team, and even planted a mole within the Hokage's direct subordinate ANBU, which became the root cause of this incident.

"What do you think about this matter?"

The Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, looked at the two with a blank expression.

Homura and Koharu wanted to defend Danzo and shift the blame to the Sand Village, but the others were not fools. Doing so would only worsen an already bad situation.

"This time, Danzo went too far..."

"Just a little too far?"

Sarutobi's face suddenly darkened. He could tolerate the insertion of a mole in the Hokage's direct subordinate ANBU.

But he could only represent himself, not the Uchiha clan's perspective.

This was the true difficulty of the matter.

Placing Uchiha Ruri in Shomu's team for training was a deal between himself and the Uchiha leadership.

Now, with this team just beginning to gel, such an incident occurred. How would the Uchiha leadership view him as Hokage?

"What do you plan to do, Sarutobi? After all, he is a high-ranking elder of the village and has made countless contributions over the years, handling many enemies that threatened the village..."

Upon hearing Homura plead for Danzo, Sarutobi waved his hand irritably, signaling him to stop.

"Where is Danzo now?"

"In the Land of Grass."

"Has he not responded?"

"He says everything is normal, but..."

"But what?"

"Four of his subordinates, who were on a secret mission in the Land of Rivers, suddenly went missing, likely having met with disaster."

After hearing this, Sarutobi nodded and said, "I understand the general situation. I will handle the Uchiha. You contact Danzo and tell him to behave and stop doing these unnecessary things. How the Uchiha are dealt with is my responsibility as Hokage, not something the Root can interfere with."

Danzo's ruthless actions were undoubtedly due to the Hokage's recent conciliatory policies towards the Uchiha.

This was indeed a dangerous signal for the more radical Root.

The Uchiha's reputation in Konoha was mixed. While they were not fully integrated into the village, it was too absolute to say their relationships were worthless.

Just like the Konoha leadership was divided into conservative and radical factions, the Uchiha also had their own radicals and conservatives.

But whether radical or conservative, Sarutobi was clear about the Uchiha's ultimate goal.

They wanted more power in Konoha, a say in the village's direction, and even the position of Hokage, to defeat the Senju clan.

Knowing their goals, Sarutobi felt the rest would be easy to handle.

If not for the Danzo incident, he could have improved the relationship between the Uchiha and the village before the next Hokage succession, avoiding the previous stiffness.

"I hope this lesson will make Danzo behave a bit more..."

Sometimes, Sarutobi didn't know how to handle his old friend, only sighing in frustration, hoping his character would improve from now on.

Homura and Koharu remained silent. If Danzo were that honest and straightforward, he wouldn't be the leader of Root.

"We will explain to the Hyuga. Since you want to handle the Uchiha alone, it's up to you. But remember, no matter how you plan to appease the Uchiha, you cannot fully trust them. Many in the clan have inherited that dangerous ideology."

After giving Sarutobi a deep look, Homura finished speaking and left the meeting room with Koharu.

"Uchiha Madara... and the Mangekyo Sharingan..."

Sarutobi muttered to himself, sitting in his chair.

The battle between Madara and the First Hokage in the Valley of the End had a significant impact on Konoha.

Although Madara was the loser, the First Hokage died shortly after returning to the village, leading to a lack of leadership and the outbreak of the First Great Shinobi War a few years later.

Madara's fame was built on the ultimate power of the Sharingan—the Mangekyo Sharingan.

It was the most mysterious and darkest power recorded in the Uchiha's annals.

His teacher, Tobirama Senju, had often said that Uchiha ninjas who awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan had already fallen into the depths of darkness and could no longer be considered normal.

Arrogant, extreme, and mentally unstable, they would do many things that defied common sense and were unbearable for ordinary people.

Timely action was necessary to prevent them from causing great harm to Konoha.

But for now, Sarutobi was not worried about this.

Since Madara's death, the Uchiha clan had not had another example of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

No matter how talented an Uchiha ninja was, the three-tomoe Sharingan was their ultimate limit.

The three-tomoe Sharingan was not enough to make him, the Hokage, fear.

◎

3:00 PM.

Shiraishi and his team returned to Konoha after several days away.

The peaceful and harmonious scene was a stark contrast to the tense and oppressive atmosphere at the front lines.

This peace was bought with the lives of countless ninjas at the front.

"Well, let's part ways here."

At a fork in the road, Ayame suggested they split up.

Shiraishi and Ruri did not object. This was not the time for trivial matters.

The Uchiha clan's territory was as usual, neither bustling nor desolate. Some children wearing fan-emblazoned clothes were playing on the streets of the Uchiha district.

They were the new generation of the Uchiha clan.

They all seemed to recognize Ruri, the clan's top genius, and greeted her sweetly, calling her "Ruri-nee-san."

Ruri took out some candies from her pocket and distributed them to the children, telling them to be careful while playing.

"I'll go to the elder to understand the village's situation. You go home first."

Ruri watched the children leave and turned to Shiraishi.

"Got it. I'm just a guy who needs to stay out of the way."

Shiraishi had no complaints about this.

Ruri nodded, acknowledging that Shiraishi's attitude was indeed good.

He had always been like this, indifferent to being looked down upon or ignored.

"Although I don't think the outcome will satisfy you personally."

Before leaving, Shiraishi added this.

Ruri's brows furrowed involuntarily upon hearing this.

She was about to say something, but Shiraishi had already walked away, waving back to her as he went.

After parting with Shiraishi, Ruri went to the Naka Shrine alone.

When she arrived, an Uchiha elder was already waiting for her.

It was Uchiha Shishigen.

Beside him, a young man was kneeling, Uchiha Fugaku.

Fugaku smiled and nodded at Ruri in greeting.

Ruri also nodded in return.

Honestly, although she and Fugaku were both candidates for the clan leader, Ruri did not like interacting with Fugaku.

It wasn't because Fugaku was weak. As a candidate for clan leader, Fugaku was a very strong jonin with a three-tomoe Sharingan.

But his approach to handling matters was too conservative and gentle, which was precisely what Ruri disliked.

She respected his strength but doubted whether his character was suitable for the heavy responsibility of clan leader.

The Uchiha clan was different from ordinary ninja clans.

Gentle and conservative would slowly kill the Uchiha. This was Ruri's personal view of the clan.

After sitting down, Ruri bowed slightly to Shishigen as a sign of respect.

"Elder Shishigen, about this time..."

Ruri was about to speak when Shishigen raised his hand to interrupt, his tone not as impulsive as expected.

"I have already heard about this from the Hokage."

"Is that so?" Ruri said softly, then continued, "So, what does the clan plan to do?"

"What do you think, Ruri?"

Shishigen did not tell Ruri the clan's plan but asked for her opinion on the matter.

"I remember Elder Shishigen once told me that the leader of Root is Danzo Shimura, the leader of the Shimura clan and a close friend of the Hokage, a disciple of the Second Hokage."

"Yes."

"Such a tightly controlled organization would not act without orders from the top. I don't think the other two members of the team were their targets. The target could only be me or the Uchiha. Therefore, everything was orchestrated by Danzo Shimura, targeting our Uchiha clan. This is a serious crime of unjustly killing comrades, and he should be imprisoned in the Konoha prison to repent."

By imprisoning the mastermind, all his previous achievements would be meaningless.

His political record would be erased, turning him into a powerless person with no influence in the village.

This was the punishment Ruri hoped to impose on the high-ranking Konoha official.

As she spoke, Ruri took out a scroll and placed it in front of Shishigen.

There was no doubt that this scroll contained irrefutable evidence of Root's betrayal.

It only needed to be verified by the ANBU to confirm Root's guilt.

The leader of Root would also be implicated.

Shishigen sighed. He knew Ruri would do this.

He had watched Ruri grow up and was well aware of her vengeful nature.

"It's useless. Are the four Root ninjas dead? That means there's no one to testify. As long as Danzo denies it, he can have his subordinates take the blame. Moreover, the Yamanaka clan is currently dealing with a major event and needs a few days."

He was probably afraid that Ruri would take the bodies of the Root ninjas to the Yamanaka clan for verification.

Whether this was an order from the Hokage or another high-ranking official, it showed the Yamanaka clan's resolve.

"So, this is how comrades in the village treat each other? I understand."

Ruri did not sigh; it was entirely as she had expected.

Therefore, the four Root ninja bodies, specially treated by Shiraishi, were now useless.

"After the war, the Hokage will impose restrictions on Root and promise that such incidents will not happen again. Otherwise, he will take action against Danzo. Moreover, the Hokage allows you to view the Scroll of Seals again and choose one jutsu."

"Quite generous, but that's not what I want, Elder Shishigen."

Ruri looked up, her clear eyes meeting Shishigen's without fear.

"Not that?"

Shishigen thought Ruri's tantrum should end here.

After all, being allowed to view the Scroll of Seals again and choose a powerful jutsu to train was something many jonin dreamed of.

For the Uchiha, it was a win-win situation.

Therefore, he had a secret meeting with the Hokage rather than holding a clan meeting.

"No matter how powerful the jutsu in the Scroll of Seals, it cannot make me swallow this. I want the clan's strength. Moreover, to be frank, Danzo Shimura is too dangerous. Having someone like him in the village's leadership will eventually be a great threat to the Uchiha. We must use this opportunity to bring him down, even if it means weakening the Uchiha..."

Ruri's face was cold, her eyes filled with intense killing intent.

Fugaku hesitated, seemingly wanting to calm Ruri down.

Shishigen did not get angry at Ruri's radical words but laughed dismissively and said, "Ruri, you overestimate Danzo Shimura. The Shimura clan and Root are not even worthy to tie our Uchiha's shoes. He is a dark rat who can only plot in the shadows. In the face of our Uchiha's absolute strength, these small tricks are nothing."

In other words, Danzo Shimura was not worth the Uchiha's effort to deal with.

"Keep this evidence for now. I can promise you that if Danzo dares to do this again, we will act according to your plan. However, I believe Danzo will not have the nerve to act against us Uchiha again."

When he said this, Shishigen had absolute confidence in the Uchiha clan's strength.

Ruri stared at Shishigen's proud face and bowed her head slightly.

"I understand. I will do as you say, Elder."

Her fists clenched, and her powerful chakra fluctuated violently, showing her extreme inner turmoil.

Shishigen patted Ruri's shoulder, knowing she was reluctant, and comforted her, "Ruri, you have much to learn. Politics is about constant compromise. Although your talent surpasses Fugaku's, in this aspect, I believe this is your greatest shortcoming."

"Is it for the position of Hokage?"

Ruri asked suddenly.

Shishigen smiled reassuringly and said, "The position of Fourth Hokage, we Uchiha will do our best to achieve. Since you understand this, think about it carefully."

With that, he stood up from his seat, and Fugaku followed.

After they left, Ruri remained seated, her eyes emitting a dark gaze, staring at the ground.

The room was filled with a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

"Truly boring..."

She muttered.

Ruri was not unaware of Shishigen's intentions.

Although she understood Shishigen's thoughts, this was definitely not the outcome she wanted, and she would not accept this view.

The Uchiha's strength was great, but it should not be a reason to look down on others.

In this world, there is only a thousand days of thievery, not a thousand days of vigilance.

She slowly stood up from her seat, turned, and looked outside.

She could still see Shishigen and Fugaku's receding backs.

"Elder Shishigen, I do not disagree with your decision, but I did not expect you to misunderstand me from the beginning."

It was a bit frustrating.

She should say it was helpless.

Coming here was a waste of time. She might as well go back and sleep, rest a bit.

Whether as clan leader or Hokage, strength was the fundamental determinant.

For example, the God of Shinobi, without his strength, his noble ideals would be dismissed by everyone.

And if the Uchiha used the Senju clan's methods to become Hokage, would it prove they surpassed the Senju clan?

It was self-deception.

From the moment the First Hokage was chosen, the Uchiha had already failed.

The current unrest of the Uchiha was largely due to their pride in co-founding Konoha with the Senju clan.

Unlike the Senju clan, no Uchiha had ever become Hokage.

For the older generation of Uchiha, like Shishigen, it was no longer just dissatisfaction and jealousy but a deep-seated obsession.

The terrifying obsession of wanting an Uchiha to become Hokage.

"Without strength, no matter how beautiful the dream, it is just a mirage. The Hokage does not punish those who betray their comrades, and such a Hokage is not worth trusting. It seems I need to find some like-minded companions in the clan..."

Ruri's eyes instantly turned a deep red, and three black tomoe appeared in her red irises.