Konoha Notes

Chapter 60 The Uchiha's Predicament
Xiu Si didn't reply immediately. Instead, he found a quiet park, found a swing, sat down, touched the ground with his toes, and gently swayed.

The weasel quietly followed and sat down on a bench a few steps away.

Xiu Si initially had no idea what his identity was. An old house, old people, a clan that was once prominent but has now fallen into decline. This kind of situation existed in various places in his previous life; his family was like that when he was a corporate slave. It wasn't really a clan, but there were people making arrangements for them.

The situation of the Thousand Hands was more complicated. The clan leader took the initiative to divide the family property, both movable and immovable, on the condition that they change their surname. Those who did not change their surname were left with the old house and some of the remaining property.

If the Senju brothers had lived long enough, the Senju clan would have been completely wiped out.

The situation was that the two brothers did not live to see Senju Momoka. After their deaths, the Senju clan members who changed their surnames were without a Hokage, which inevitably caused some unease. So they made connections with the only remaining clan elders in the old house.

Shuji only began to vaguely sense these things after the letter of recommendation and after Fugaku Uchiha's probing in the Uchiha clan territory.

Tsunade's attitude, her words, and the summoning contract she gave him for the Shikkotsu Forest confirmed one thing for Shuji: in the eyes of others, he probably represented the Senju clan as they were now.

Could he? He's never even had any contact with those people. Grandma Taohua's attitude also leans towards keeping him away from them.

But can he really not?
Not quite. Since Hashirama Senju, the power that best symbolizes the Senju is Wood Release. Yamato is of a bloodline outside the Senju, while Shuji is a true Senju. If he shows his fist and then reveals Wood Release, he can become the representative.

Should we do that?

In fact, he had already made a choice when he left Jiegang, since the reality did not allow him to truly give up.

"Itachi," Shuji's voice broke the park's silence with the creaking of the swing, "what problems do you think the Uchiha clan faces right now?"

"Arrogance." Itachi blurted out instinctively.

Shuji laughed, his laughter sounding somewhat abrupt in the empty park.

"Arrogance has never been a problem."

He stopped the swing and placed his feet firmly on the ground: "Let's look at it from another angle, Itachi. Do you know how many departments the village has?"

Itachi didn't know why Shuuji asked that question, but he had always been a good student.

"The Administrative Department, the Anbu, the Medical Department, the Education Department, the Interrogation Department, and the Police Department. Below these six departments are the Analysis Team and the Sealing Team, which are directly under the Hokage's Office..."

"What's your ninja number?" Shuji then asked.

"012110."

“This means that, Itachi, up to you, the number of numbered ninjas is 12110,” Shuuji did a simple calculation for him.

"That is to say, six departments."

"Including all ninja clans, over the past few decades, more than 12,000 ninjas have only been able to enter these six departments, which are directly under the authority of Konoha."

"The Uchiha clan has exclusive control of one of the police departments."

"The Police Department is a large department, Itachi."

It was as if a silent thunderclap exploded in Itachi's mind.

This was an angle he had never imagined!

Itachi had always felt that the Uchiha clan was too arrogant, which was why they had no allies in the village and were relegated to the sidelines after the Nine-Tails' attack. He was dissatisfied with his clansmen for remaining arrogant and oblivious to danger even under such circumstances.

“But…this is the Second Hokage…” Itachi’s voice was hoarse.

"The Police Department is a symbol of the Uchiha clan's glory. It's the reward for the clan that founded the village, even though they didn't receive the Hokage position. It represents the Uchiha's unparalleled status among other clans and ninjas in the village," Shuuji added. "Since the Second Shinobi World War, who are the Konoha ninjas who rose to fame on the battlefield, shining brightly and bringing unparalleled glory to the village?"

The answer came to Itachi's mind almost instantly: "The Third Hokage, the Legendary Sannin, White Fang, and the Yellow Flash."

Apart from Shisui, who has emerged in recent years, and Obito, who sacrificed himself at Kannabi Bridge and whose fame is not particularly illustrious, the Uchiha clan seems to have never produced another legendary hero who could inspire and inspire the entire village of Konoha.

It wasn't until the Third Shinobi World War, when Konoha's military strength was extremely strained, that the police force, led by Fugaku Uchiha, went to intercept the Iwagakure ninja. By then, the war was already nearing its end thanks to Minato Namikaze's actions.

"The glory of the Uchiha clan has been somewhat dimmed by the countless heroes who have emerged over the decades, not to mention what happened three years ago..."

Seeing the barely concealed shock and a hint of gloom in Itachi's eyes, Shuji offered a word of comfort: "As the garrison of Konoha, it is understandable that the police force cannot be deployed under normal circumstances."

At this point, he couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. The Second Hokage, Tobirama, had truly imprisoned the Uchiha clan in a cage called "glory," and the entire Uchiha clan was content with it.

Uchiha Setsuna attempted to instigate a rebellion during the Second Hokage's reign but was captured by the Anbu. However, the Second Hokage did not punish the Uchiha clan; instead, he strengthened the police department, an independent kingdom.

Due to the limitations of their duties, the police department rarely sets foot on the main battlefield, but they are required to deal with ninjas who violate the rules in the village—which is tantamount to taking on hatred on their own initiative.

Given the typical character of the Uchiha clan, facing overt or covert hostility and alienation only reinforces their inherent arrogance and closed-off nature, making them look down on outsiders even more.

This vicious cycle, with each link connected to the next, made the isolation and exclusion of the Uchiha clan in Konoha almost an inevitable outcome.

Add to that the incident involving Obito, who wasn't completely dead and came back to life, and it's no wonder that when the Uchiha clan was massacred in the original story, the other ninja clans in Konoha didn't make much of a move.

Itachi wasn't comforted at all. He originally thought the Uchiha's problem was their arrogance and aloofness, coupled with their tense relationship with the village's higher-ups.

But now...

A sense of despair welled up in his dark eyes.

In such a predicament, is this clan destined for annihilation?

"Senior, is there... no other way?"

"of course not."

When Tobirama Senju designed the game, he did leave a way out for the Uchiha clan.

This independent kingdom itself is a huge political asset, a ready-made platform.

The key lies with the Uchiha clan itself: whether they are willing and have the courage to break free from their constraints and transform them into a true source of power.

Itachi suddenly raised his head, a faint light flashing in his eyes.

At that moment, a hand gently patted his shoulder.

"The end of the Uchiha clan is not a dead end. From the very beginning, the real opportunity has always been in the hands of the Uchiha clan."

"This path should not be pointed out by outsiders. How to survive and how to transform are things that the Uchiha clan should think about and decide for themselves."

“So, back to your original question,” Shuuji withdrew his hand, meeting Itachi’s complicated gaze.

"I have no opinion on the Uchiha clan. The ones who should have opinions, have thoughts, and must make decisions are the Uchiha themselves."

(End of this chapter)