Naruto: The Uchiha's Scientific Madman

Konoha Village.

Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage, who had just completed his three-year performance review, appeared in the Hokage's office with injuries.

The village's top officials have basically all gathered here.

None of the clan leaders dared to be negligent in the slightest.

After everyone had gathered.

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed twice, glanced at everyone, and focused his gaze on Fugaku Uchiha and Danzo Shimura.

"Danzo, nothing happened in the village while I was away, right?"

He asked the question, his words carrying a sense of pressure.

Danzo's mind sharpened, his expression turned serious, and he focused his gaze on the Third Hokage, scrutinizing him carefully before gently shaking his head.

He suppressed some of the guesses in his mind.

"Everything is normal in the village."

He replied.

"This time I went to Daimyo Prefecture and had an important meeting with the Daimyo. All the major powers are constantly increasing their military spending."

"There's a high probability that something big is going to happen, especially with the Hidden Cloud Village, which has been making very frequent moves near the Land of Fire's border lately."

"The Daimyo has instructed Konoha to prepare for war, and military spending for the first half of the year has increased by 100 million."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, and then slowly revealed the results of his meeting with the daimyo.

"Ever since the Fourth Hokage passed away, Kumogakure has been restless!"

Koharu Utatane sighed. "Back then, the Cloud Ninja originally planned to intervene in the battle between Konoha and Iwagakure, opening a second battlefield in the Land of Rice Fields, and sending out the AB combination of the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

If it weren't for Minato Namikaze's sudden appearance, which stopped the two, thwarted the Hidden Cloud Village's conspiracy, and forced their vanguard to retreat...

Konoha Village would then be caught in a pincer movement and suffer heavy losses.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe and took a deep drag.

"Cough cough."

A soft cough was caught by everyone present, and many high-ranking ninjas exchanged glances.

They all noticed that something was wrong with the Third Hokage.

Hiashi Hyuga lowered his head, not daring to meet the Hokage's gaze.

His Byakugan detected the Third Hokage's unusual behavior.

"Lord Hokage, the village is now beset by internal and external troubles. After Orochimaru's defection, the morale of the new generation of ninjas has suffered a major blow."

"Starting a war under these circumstances is not a wise choice!"

Nara Shikaku frowned as he spoke, glancing subtly at Uchiha Fugaku beside him, offering a veiled reminder to the Third Hokage.

Three years have passed, and the new generation in the village has basically grown up, but it is still difficult for them to stand on their own.

The Uchiha clan is known for its many geniuses.

First, Uchiha Shisui made a name for himself in the ninja world as the "Shisui of the Body Flicker" in just two years.

Then there's Uchiha Ran, who rose from behind to become a Chunin within three years, passing the Jonin Exams and becoming a Special Jonin. His speed was even faster than Kakashi's back then, and the number of S-rank missions he completed was astonishing. He was known as a genius ninja comparable to Uchiha Madara.

Six months ago, he was even selected for the Dark Division.

He became the first Uchiha clan member in the entire Hidden Leaf Village to join the Anbu.

The record has been broken.

The two are now known as the Uchiha Twin Stars.

In addition, there's the newly emerged Uchiha Itachi, who awakened his Sharingan at the age of eight and already possessed Chunin strength at just nine years old, preparing to participate in next year's Chunin Exams.

The three complement each other, creating a harmonious and supportive dynamic.

They carried on the name of the Uchiha clan, and their fame grew ever greater.

This further highlights the lack of successors among the younger generation of Konoha Village; no one can compare to the new generation of the Uchiha trio.

Especially now that the Anbu and the Uchiha are locked in a fierce battle, the friction between the two sides is becoming increasingly intense.

He witnessed more than one conflict incident while on duty.

The growing discontent within the Uchiha clan has created an extremely dangerous situation.

Once war breaks out.

Konoha Village is very likely to be attacked from both inside and outside!

After all, before the founding of Konoha, the Uchiha were also a ninja clan in the Land of Lightning, so they must have had connections with Kumogakure.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer, but instead scanned the crowd with a serious expression.

"I don't want to start a war either, but it's not a choice we have."

"If you have any better suggestions, feel free to share them now so we can discuss them."

This is a request from the daimyo.

As the Hokage, he deserves our respect.

Although Konoha Village and Daimyo Prefecture are on equal footing, they have a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship.

It seems that the Daimyo Prefecture has little control over Konoha Village.

However, the Daimyo's rule over the Land of Fire is long-standing, and the power of the nobility is deeply rooted throughout the country. With just a word from the Daimyo, Konoha Village could be bankrupted within a month.

"Lord Hokage, I think that since it is a border skirmish, the Hidden Cloud Village probably has some concerns about not launching a large-scale attack."

"Why not send a delegation to Kumogakure to understand the thoughts of the village's leadership and facilitate a peace talks to end the war?"

Mitokado Yan proposed an idea.

The idea quickly gained everyone's support; everyone would be happy to avoid war.

They believe that if peace can be achieved through negotiations, then paying some price is acceptable.

As long as we ensure a peaceful life in Konoha Village, that's all that matters.

Moreover, the ceded territory does not belong to Konoha Village.

"I'll speak with the daimyo. Let's adjourn this meeting here! Fugaku Uchiha, please stay behind."

The Third Hokage waved his hand, accepting the suggestion.

The meeting adjourned.

Everyone left.

Hiashi Hyuga glanced at Fugaku Uchiha and a smile played on his lips.

The Uchiha clan is probably in big trouble again.

Fugaku Uchiha stood there nervously as the Third Hokage slowly sat down, extinguished his pipe, and gently placed it on the table.

He raised his head, his cloudy eyes looking at Uchiha Fugaku, a deep weariness on his face.

"Fugaku, I was attacked on my way back from Daimyo Prefecture this time."

As they were talking.

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed, and with his right hand pulled open the shirt covering his chest, revealing a chest wrapped in bandages, from which a trickle of crimson blood seeped.

"Hokage-sama... what's going on!? We haven't heard a thing!?"

"Uchiha Fugaku said in great alarm."

His expression suddenly changed slightly, and he realized something in an instant.

"Could this attack be related to our Uchiha clan?!"

Upon seeing the Third Hokage, his expression grew increasingly solemn, turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

Fugaku Uchiha hurriedly explained, "Hokage-sama, none of us Uchiha clan members have left the village recently! The only one who left was my son, Itachi Uchiha, but he went out on a mission with a squad and was attacked; only one of them returned..."

"Impossible... Lord Hokage, Itachi is only nine years old..."

He was somewhat incoherent, his body trembled uncontrollably, and large beads of sweat slid down his forehead, soaking his back.

The immense pressure made it hard for him to breathe.

"It's a misunderstanding... Lord Hokage, it must be a misunderstanding! Someone must be framing our Uchiha clan..."

He spoke with a mournful face and a humble tone, hoping to gain a sliver of the Third Hokage's trust.

"I trust you, Fugaku, that's why I kept you behind for a private talk."

"Otherwise, what awaits your Uchiha clan is the Anbu's suppression operation."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, straightened his clothes, slowly stood up, walked to Fugaku's side, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Are you sure everyone is in the village?"

With a solemn expression, Fugaku Uchiha pondered for a long time before slowly raising his head and saying, "Ao Uchiha, who defected with Orochimaru three years ago, is not under our control."

"A rogue ninja?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at him thoughtfully, then extended two fingers and tapped them lightly on the table.

"The Shadow Guards all saw the Sharingan in the attacker's eyes. Your explanation is unconvincing! Everyone knows that Uchiha Ao knows Wood Release; he couldn't possibly hide it during a battle."

"Handing over a member of your clan to quell the suspicions of the Dark Guard shouldn't be a problem, right?"

The words had barely left his mouth.

Fugaku Uchiha's face turned extremely ugly, and he clenched his fists tightly.

He was trembling slightly with anger.

He clenched his teeth, his gums bleeding.

Her lips were pressed tightly together, and she endured all the humiliation.

Is the Third Hokage certain that the Uchiha wouldn't dare to act recklessly?

They actually made such a humiliating demand.

If he were to choose an Uchiha clan member to hand over to the village, what authority would he have left within the clan?