Promoting the Konoha threat theory, and talking about the Hidden Mist Belt!

The patriarchs of the various ninja clans on the periphery were stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening, and their faces all showed an indescribable expression.

Although everyone knows and tacitly follows the policy of suppressing the Uchiha, it's fine to say this in private, but to say it to their faces like this shows a lack of respect for the Uchiha clan.

And this overreaction... it feels like it touched Danzo's cheese.

Could it be that the roots of this leaf also want to sprout?

Meanwhile, Uchiha Homura's expression darkened upon seeing Danzo's reaction.

He hadn't expected Danzo's reaction to be so strong simply for suggesting that the next Hokage be a member of the Uchiha clan. Although he was aware of the prejudice against the Uchiha in the village, he hadn't realized that the prejudice was so severe.

What does it mean that "the Uchiha are frivolous and should not be allowed to harm Konoha"? Where are the Uchiha frivolous?

You, Shimura Danzo, are the real frivolous one, aren't you? Why are you so agitated? Do you want to become Hokage?

Upon hearing this, the Uchiha clan members nearby became agitated and immediately declared that they would teach Danzo a lesson.

"Danzo, shut up! If you say another word, you'll be sent back to Root and confined for three months!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't expected his old teammate to fall behind at this moment. Was it appropriate to say such a thing in this setting? So he glared at him and immediately tried to smooth things over, thinking about how to resolve the Uchiha's demands.

"The Hokage position... Homura, you know that the Hokage position is elected by everyone. How can I guarantee it to you at this time? Wouldn't that be a case of abusing power for personal gain? However, if the Uchiha clan has such intentions, they should disband and explain to everyone that it's a misunderstanding! Only by actively working for the collective can we earn everyone's respect, right?"

However, Uchiha Homura was not buying it at all, and just said one sentence.

Agree or reject?

"The Uchiha clan has only one request. If we agree, the Uchiha clan will leave and continue to serve the village as usual; but if we refuse..." Following the guidance of the master from the Land of Water, Uchiha Homura hesitated for a moment before making up her mind.

"If we refuse, it means that Konoha has never considered the Uchiha clan as one of its own. In that case, the Uchiha clan can simply return to the mountains and find a place to build our own village. If the Uzumaki clan can build Uzushio Village, then the Uchiha clan can do the same."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes instantly turned cold. They would never allow the Uchiha to leave the village!

Meat, if you don't want to eat it, you can leave it in the pot to rot, but you absolutely cannot take it out of the pot!

What if the Uchiha turn against Konoha after they leave? As their own people, they know all too well the power of the Uchiha Sharingan; it's truly formidable!

Besides, now that the Uchiha are gone, who will they be able to fool next?

Without the shared goal of the Uchiha clan, wouldn't the ninja clans below become demoralized, develop their own agendas, and be less supportive of his work than before?

No, absolutely not!

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally agreed with his teacher's opinion: the Uchiha were indeed an evil clan!

Why don't you just obediently accept being exploited by the village and stay in the guard unit for the rest of your lives? Why do you have to cause trouble for the village? Can't you even try to understand the difficulties the village faces?

However, openly, they had no reason to object to the Uchiha's departure. After all, if you suppress them and deny them hope, and then try to stop them from leaving, unless you resort to violence, none of the methods seem to conform to the rules, right?

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into deep thought.

Danzo Shimura, standing to the side, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something. However, after being glared at by Hiruzen Sarutobi, he shut his mouth and remained silent.

Seeing this scene, Uchiha Homura felt a little panicked. Judging from the expressions of these two people... could it be that the negotiations have really broken down?

He was just talking; there was no way he was going to leave. And even if the Uchiha were to leave, they would leave in style, not be driven out of Konoha like stray dogs!

"What are you all doing gathered here? Get out of here, everyone!"

Just as the three parties fell silent, caught in a dilemma, an old voice rang out.

A sprightly old woman walked over. Her once vibrant red hair was now dull and lifeless, with two buns tied on either side. The most striking feature was the diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.

The newcomer was none other than Mito Uzumaki, the widow of Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, and Madara Uchiha's lifelong enemy.

"Mito-sama!"

Everyone present, including the clan leaders of various ninja clans, members of the Uchiha clan, as well as Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, bowed their heads and respectfully greeted the old man.

Mito Uzumaki's high standing is not solely due to her status as Hashirama Senju's wife. As the perfect Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, she is undoubtedly among the strongest fighters in Konoha and can be considered the pillar of the village.

"It's rare for everyone to be in such high spirits. What are you all chatting about here?" Mito Uzumaki smiled and nodded.

Uchiha Homura hesitated for a moment before recounting everything that had just happened, including the rumors circulating in the village recently.

If anyone still has the ability, status, and qualifications to resolve this matter, it is undoubtedly Mito Uzumaki.

"I see... Hiruzen, you're far inferior to Tobirama as Hokage!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head and accepted the scolding. Of course, he knew that Mito Uzumaki's words were not just what they seemed on the surface. The deeper meaning was: even during the Second Hokage's time, when he hated the Uchiha clan so much, this situation didn't occur. How come this kind of thing happened here? It's one thing for this to happen, but now you can't solve it yourself and you expect me to clean up your mess?

Mito Uzumaki glanced at Danzo Shimura, who sat silently to the side, and sighed inwardly. But what was done was done, and all she could do was try her best to salvage the situation.

"Hiruzen's situation was special, and as Hiruzen said, the position of Hokage cannot be agreed to so easily. Besides, if we had agreed so easily, you wouldn't have believed us, would you?"

Mito Uzumaki raised her hand to interrupt Homura Uchiha's speech and continued, "Of course, since things have escalated to this point, the Uchiha clan must be given an explanation. First, the village must immediately vindicate Uchiha Kagami, solemnly bestow upon him the title of hero, and correctly acknowledge the Uchiha clan's sacrifice in the Konoha Chronicles; second, from this day forward, no department in Konoha shall impose any additional restrictions on the Uchiha clan, allowing them to serve in the security forces. Finally, Hiruzen, you choose a child from the Uchiha clan to take as your disciple, and when you retire, you must do your utmost to promote him, how about that?"

After thinking about it for a while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally accepted the suggestion.

The first point is simple: reputation. Besides, as long as the current opinions of the various ninja clans regarding the Uchiha remain unchanged, their reputation in the books doesn't matter. The second point is also irrelevant; at worst, the Uchiha clan can be assigned some marginal positions. They'll only be given some trivial, repetitive tasks, and given their personalities, they might even quit out of frustration. As for the third point… that's acceptable too. After all, his nomination doesn't represent the approval of the other ninja clans. If he's so capable, can't the Uchiha clan gain the approval of the other ninja clans? Can a Hokage who isn't approved by the Jonin Council even be called a Hokage?

The ninja clan leaders present naturally understood the implications of these conditions, and thus silently acquiesced to the matter.

After hearing this, Uchiha Homura nodded reluctantly. Clearly, he had thought of this.

Although he was very unwilling to accept that all the efforts of the entire clan, combined with favorable timing, location, and popular support, had only yielded such empty promises, he had no choice but to accept this option.

Unless he really intends to lead his clan away from Konoha, what else can he do?

If this continues, does Mito Uzumaki really think he's a kind old man?

"In the end, we've taken a big step towards our goal. As long as a true genius emerges in the family, surely he'll be able to lead the clan to achieve their wish?"

Uchiha Homura thought of the boy in her clan named Uchiha Fugaku. He was quite a promising talent.

"Since you agree, then let's drop this matter. Uchiha Homura, you should take your clansmen back now!" Uzumaki Mito nodded in satisfaction.

"Wait a minute!"

However, at this moment, Uchiha Homura's sudden movement made Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart tighten.

"Sarutobi, do you dare to swear by the Hokage Rock that you will absolutely carry out everything that just happened?"

Although a ninja's oath is as meaningless as farting, as the Hokage, unless Hiruzen Sarutobi truly loses all sense of shame, it's quite unlikely that he would not fulfill the oath he made by pointing at the Hokage Rock.

That's exactly what Uchiha Homura was betting on.

However, it is clear that he, like Madara Uchiha, is a political idiot.

Do politicians have any credibility?

Hiruzen Sarutobi silently gazed at the statue of his teacher, Tobirama Senju, under the setting sun, imagining what choice his teacher would make upon hearing those words.

He soon found out the answer.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pointed to the imposing Hokage Rock at his feet and the flowing river in the distance, repeating his words word by word in front of the many ninja clan leaders, Mito Uzumaki, and Uchiha clan members present.

“I swear… that the river will be like a ribbon, the cliffs like sharp blades, that my people will live in eternal peace, and that my love will extend to my descendants.”

Chapter 29 Mizukage's Target

As the core of the ninja world, Konoha Village's every move is watched by ninja villages from all over the world. The Uchiha incident that occurred in Konoha Village did not even need to be pushed by anyone; within three days, it naturally spread throughout the entire ninja world.

During this process of dissemination, the various grudges and entanglements between the Uchiha clan and Konoha were thoroughly investigated by the general public.

Of course, this wouldn't have been possible without the help of some unknown, kind-hearted people from a distant water country.

From the time before Konoha was established, the Uchiha and Senju clans had a thousand-year feud, to the love-hate relationship between Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, especially with the involvement of Mito Uzumaki as a third party, and finally to the Uchiha clan struggling under the oppression of the village, the various dramas in between have kept the audience entertained.

After all, in his previous life as an ordinary person, Hozuki Shingetsu knew best what they liked to see. All the gossip about famous people, especially sex scandals, would spread at lightning speed, and the more it was forbidden, the more it spread.

Hozuki Shingetsu was actually quite surprised by the Uchiha clan's reaction.

However, he was surprised that the Uchiha clan couldn't withstand the pressure of public opinion so early. He originally thought that the Uchiha clan would not explode until the "Uchiha International Arbitration Case" was launched. He didn't expect this!

Tsk tsk, the Uchiha are still a bit too sensitive after all.

But this is good too; one bite at a time, one card at a time.

There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Of course, after being beaten so many times this time, Konoha has finally learned how to use public opinion to protect its rights. It issued several statements saying that the village and the Uchiha clan have a good relationship now, that the rumors in the ninja world are just rumors, and that Konoha strongly condemns such irresponsible behavior.

Notably, Hozuki Shingetsu is specifically named here, described as the "source of chaos" in the ninja world, and the Hidden Mist Village's apparent isolation is merely a cover for its clandestine activities.

Some even followed suit and published a so-called "Huozuki Clan Human Rights Report" in response.

However, the general public is asking: Who is the Hozuki clan? Are they as famous as the Uchiha? Are there any scandalous stories involving three generations of their families?

What? No?

What's the point of that!

Furthermore, given the Land of Water's closed-door policy, rumors simply couldn't enter the Land of Water. In other words, only rumors permitted by Hozuki Shingetsu could enter. Thus, under this unequal rule, Konoha's meticulously planned move completely missed its mark, having no effect whatsoever on Hozuki Shingetsu.

No, it still has an impact.

At least the Third Mizukage, Ren, realized at this point that he couldn't let Hozuki Shingetsu continue like this. He wasn't surprised at all that if Hozuki Shingetsu continued to stir up trouble, the kid would keep giving him all sorts of unexpected surprises.

Objectively speaking, Hozuki Shingetsu has done a very competent job as the foreign affairs officer, perfectly executing his proposed "Continental Balance Plan." Currently, while the situation in the ninja world is in complete chaos, everyone is starting to target Konoha Village.

If this situation continues to develop, and a second Shinobi World War breaks out, Konoha will be attacked by at least two villages.

However, what benefits Kirigakure may not necessarily benefit him, the Mizukage. The more outstanding Hozuki Shingetsu is, and the deeper his prestige in the village, the greater the resistance he will face in his next move.

Therefore, Ren decided to set obstacles for Hozuki Shingetsu in advance and find a way to make him lose the support of the villagers.