Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 201 Scheming Against the Uchiha

As the Konoha Police Force, the Uchiha were responsible for maintaining order in the streets and alleys of Konoha. They were able to enforce the law in strict accordance with Konoha's regulations. Despite numerous complaints, there was never any record of them being derelict in their duties, breaking the law, or accepting bribes.

These arrogant guys seem to have become the epitome of shrewdness in the ninja world. They're a bunch of ninjas with off-the-charts combat skills, and not only do they kill people without leaving their village, they also abide by the law. They don't even try to gain any benefits for themselves when they have power.

For the sake of so-called glory, these guys are truly able to be strict with themselves, each considering themselves the masters of Konoha, maintaining the order and interests of Konoha, completely the opposite of Shimura Danzo hiding in Root.

When it comes to the Will of Fire, most of the major ninja clans in Konoha are just paying lip service, but the Uchiha clan is mostly genuine. There's no way around it; they all consider Konoha their own, so how could their Will of Fire be fake?

Unfortunately, since Uchiha Kagami's death, the Uchiha clan has remained outside the Konoha leadership. While they consider Konoha their home, the Konoha higher-ups may not treat them as one of their own and are always wary of them.

The Second Shinobi World War has been going on for so long, and in order to suppress the Uchiha, the Konoha leadership would rather let batches of ninja academy students graduate early than send them to the front lines.

For other ninja clans, going to the front lines is a sacrifice, a contribution to Konoha. But for the Uchiha clan, it's like a tiger being released from its cage, a dragon entering the sea. Once they enter the battlefield and undergo life-and-death trials, they might even awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan, if not the Sharingan.

The Konoha leadership didn't allow the Uchiha clan to participate in the war because they feared that if these Uchiha were on the battlefield, they would be psychologically traumatized and some might awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Once someone awakens the Mangekyou Sharingan, they immediately become a Kage-level powerhouse, and not just a regular Kage-level one, but a truly powerful Kage. In fact, some Mangekyou Sharingan abilities are bizarre and completely illogical.

Such incidents have occurred more than once or twice in the history of the Uchiha clan.

Therefore, sending the Uchiha clan to the battlefield would pose an extremely high risk to Konoha's current power structure.

"Lord Hokage, you said I should be tolerant. For the sake of Konoha's unity, I can do it."

Then, Umino Sasuke pretended to grit his teeth and said, "But why can't the Uchiha clan go to the front lines? Aren't they known as the number one clan in Konoha? How come they've become cowards? My younger brother and sister can graduate early and go to the front lines, but they have the nerve to stay in the village and enjoy themselves. Humph!"

"this--"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless, unsure how to respond.

"Lord Hokage, the Uchiha have gone too far. If they had sent out even one or two squads of ninja, I wouldn't have said anything. But they've all stayed in the village. How can I tolerate such behavior? Others may fear the Uchiha, but I don't."

Sasuke Umino, filled with righteous indignation, continued to persuade, "Hokage-sama, you've been too lenient with the Uchiha, which has made them so unscrupulous, acting as if they don't even respect the Sage of Six Paths. If you ask me, the Uchiha should be sent to the front lines to suffer a bit, so they'll know how hard it is for you, Hokage-sama, to protect Konoha's foundation."

Umino Sasuke went on and on about the predicament Konoha was facing, how Konoha was attracting attention because of its great power, and how other ninja villages were eyeing Konoha. He said that not to mention Sunagakure and Iwagakure, even Kirigakure would probably have joined the Ninja War if they hadn't used the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags to blow up half of their village last time.

As for the Hidden Lightning Village, it harbors even greater ambitions, quietly accumulating power in an attempt to challenge the dominant position of the number one ninja village in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Hearing Sasuke Umino's account, Hiruzen Sarutobi deeply sympathized. Finally, someone understood his difficulties. Danzo Shimura only knew how to make enemies everywhere, but he didn't know how difficult it was for Konoha to maintain its foundation when it was surrounded by wolves. Why was he so cautious, even willing to compromise? It was all to maintain the balance of the ninja world and ensure that Konoha retained its position as the number one ninja village.

Unfortunately, some people always thought he was weak, especially the Uchiha clan. Even his former good friend Danzo Shimura didn't understand him. Now, finally someone can understand his hardships. His years of silent efforts have finally paid off. There are still people who understand him.

As expected of Umino Sasuke, he is an absolute confidant whom Umino personally trained. It seems that he made the right decision to facilitate the alliance between the fish, bird, dog, and beast clans.

"Lord Hokage, smoking is harmful to your health. I know you work hard for the village and need to smoke to stay alert, but please smoke less. We all hope you live a long and healthy life and continue to lead Konoha to stand tall in the ninja world."

Umino Sasuke continued to act like a sycophant, showering Hiruzen Sarutobi with obsequious flattery.

"Sasuke, the future of Konoha still needs to be handed over to you young people."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was modest on the surface, but his eyes were full of joy, especially when Sasuke Umino mentioned that he wanted him to be Hokage for life, which pleased him greatly.

"Lord Hokage, we young people are impetuous and fickle. Konoha needs a mature, experienced Hokage like you to lead the way. So please take care of your health. Shinnosuke even complained to me that you smelled of smoke, which made him not want to get close to you."

"Ah, is there anything else?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi also knew that his son had a close relationship with Sasuke Umino. Shinnosuke was indeed not very close to him. He used to think it was because he was too strict and his father's authority was too heavy, which made Shinnosuke cling to Biwa. It turns out it was because he smelled too much of smoke.

That makes sense. Kids are quite sensitive and don't really like strong cigarette smells. Shinnosuke used to be very clingy to him, but since the start of the Ninja War, he's been working overtime every day and smoking a lot, so Shinnosuke has stopped being clingy and has even started to become a bit rebellious.

"Lord Hokage, how did you teach Shinnosuke? At such a young age, he already possesses the fighting strength of an elite Chunin. I would like to learn from you so that my younger siblings can also learn from you."

"Hahaha! I didn't teach him much; it was mainly because Shinnosuke was willing to learn."

When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard Sasuke Unno praise Shinnosuke, he was overjoyed. He found Sasuke Unno more and more pleasing to the eye. And when he thought of Shinnosuke's repeated praise of Sasuke Unno's selflessness, he became even more convinced of Sasuke Unno's Will of Fire.

Sasuke Unno wanted to continue chatting with Hiruzen Sarutobi about parenting experiences, but Hiruzen was extremely busy with a lot of official documents to process, so they had to end the chat reluctantly.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi eventually agreed to send a squad of Uchiha ninjas to the front lines.

Of course, the reason he agreed to send the Uchiha ninjas to the front lines was not because of Umino Sasuke, but to silence the gossip and keep the Uchiha quiet in the village.

(End of this chapter)