Naruto: Building the Strongest Uchiha Starting with Gacha Pulls

Chapter 149 Fugaku's Spying

Before the Buddha shrine, incense smoke rises, and the scriptures cease reading.

With the announcement of the former abbot of the Fire Temple, the Obon festival ceremony entered its next phase.

The Third Hokage, as the supreme leader of Konoha Village, also made a grand appearance at this moment.

In previous years, Hiruzen Sarutobi would not attend such festival events.

However, the past year saw the highest number of ninja casualties in Konoha since the start of the Second Shinobi World War.

Countless Konoha villagers' relatives and comrades have perished on the battlefield. The Third Hokage needs to take this opportunity to step forward, reassure the people, deliver a speech, and boost morale once again.

After all, this protracted war has only eased up a little in the last month or two, and there is still no sign of it ending.

If Konoha wants to survive this great war, it needs to revitalize everyone and encourage them to make even greater sacrifices for the cause.

"What the third generation said was so touching."

Uchiha Mikoto sat next to Gen, her two white, lotus-root-like legs peeking out from under her skirt, swaying back and forth.

The latter glanced at the Third Hokage, who was giving a passionate speech on the stage, and then at the beautiful woman beside him who was resting her chin on her hands.

"He is an excellent speaker, and the village needs someone like him to unite all the strength in the village to win this battle."

Uchiha Gen had his own set of values ​​cultivated from over a decade of education and several years of social work experience in his previous life. He didn't care much about the Third Hokage's Will of Fire, which sounded lofty and great but had a superficial core.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was an excellent orator, an excellent politician, and even in today's time, he did a commendable job as Hokage, leading Konoha to its peak. However, he was definitely not an excellent thinker.

Behind the success of any great idea, what is needed is not only a great thinker, but also a great doer, in order to transform theoretical ideas into practical guiding principles.

Hiruzen Sarutobi is diligently thinking and doing things his own way. He is also interpreting and infusing the Will of Fire with his own experiences and successes.

He may indeed possess some of the Will of Fire, but the Will of Fire he interprets and embodies serves to better promote his political ideals, consolidate his political position, and ultimately unify all the common people and ninja clans of Konoha under his ideology.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi used the Will of Fire as a political tool, it was destined that he could not develop the Will of Fire to a great extent. His limit was that he could develop the Will of Fire, which was initially created during the first and second generations, to a point where it had a framework and was logically consistent.

However, he was at least very eloquent and could speak very well. His eloquent speeches had a certain appeal, and he didn't leave any major flaws in his words. For a time, he did achieve a good effect.

The idea of ​​carrying the ideals of our ancestors and bearing the will of those who sacrificed themselves has truly influenced many people.

At least Mikoto Uchiha was somewhat moved by what she heard, and the Konoha ninja below, under the guidance of the Third Hokage, dispelled their gloom and rekindled their morale.

During this period, throughout Konoha, only Hiruzen Sarutobi possessed the ability and prestige to accomplish this.

The Third Hokage's political speech ended, but the Obon festival rituals continued.

The monks led the crowd in worshipping Buddha, praying that Buddha would bring peace to the departed souls. Some people also left the crowd and went to the banks of the Nanhe River to release river lanterns.

"It's over, Yuan. We should go release the river lanterns now. If you have anything you want to say to the departed, just write it down here."

Uchiha Mikoto took out some silver and gave it to the monk to buy several river lanterns made of bamboo strips and white paper.

"it is good."

Uchiha Gen took the river lantern, picked up a small brush from the plate held by the monk, pondered for a moment, and simply wrote words on the two river lanterns.

One portion was used to comfort the deceased relatives of the original owner, and the other was used to commemorate the comrades who died in the war.

Seeing this, Uchiha Mikoto silently picked up a pen and wrote down her own words.

The bamboo strips were pushed aside, supporting the white paper, and cleverly transformed into a small lantern.

At the bottom of the lantern made of banana leaves is a lid filled with lamp oil, and a candle flame, enough to burn all night, shines through the cotton thread on top.

Uchiha Gen and Mikoto stood together by the river, very close together. Gen could even smell the faint fragrance of Mikoto's hair, which was very pleasant.

The two placed several water lanterns on the river, which floated downstream, merging into the myriad lights, carrying countless thoughts and hopes, and drifting into the distance.

In the distance, the elder, supported by Misaki, leaned on his cane and watched the young couple by the river. He stroked his long beard, a slight smile on his aged face, as he quietly observed the scene.

Further away, Fugaku Uchiha, who was about to go and talk to the elder about something, also happened to see this scene. He stopped in his tracks, his expression uncertain.

Recently, the Second Elder and Third Elder have been frequently testing him, and it seems that the situation of his clan elder father is about to be exposed.

If he can gain the support of the Grand Elder, coupled with his father's background and the prestige he has accumulated in recent years, he has a more than 60% chance of winning the position of clan leader.

The key he hoped to use to bind the Grand Elder lay in Uchiha Mikoto.

However, it seems that this precious jewel of the Grand Elder's family has already been snatched up by someone else.

"Uchiha Gen, I didn't expect you to rise to prominence so quickly."

Fugaku Uchiha watched as the young men and women who released the river lanterns walked together towards the crowd, and Yu Zizai hesitated in place.

More than a year ago, he had a high opinion of Uchiha Gen and thought about befriending this rising star in the clan and bringing him under his wing. Given time, he believed that Gen would be able to help him in his bid for clan leadership.

However, now that Uchiha Gen has become the heir to the Grand Elder faction, and he and Mikoto are together, it is difficult for others to have any chance to interfere.

"Could it be yet another competitor?"

With a furrowed brow, Fugaku Uchiha glanced at Mikoto and Genji, who were also watching the Bon dance in the crowd, then turned and left without a word.

The Grand Elder and Fugaku were not the only ones paying attention to Uchiha Gen.

After leaving the Bon Odori ceremony, Hiruzen Sarutobi, escorted by several ANBU members, found a temporary place to review documents.

"Third Boss, these are the written records on the river lanterns of the key personnel you instructed us to keep an eye on."

Having just taken off his Hokage robes and settled into his seat, the Third Hokage soon saw several Anbu members using ninjutsu to retrieve a water lantern from the water.