I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 168 The Arrival of Shinnosuke

Time flies, the spring breeze caresses the earth, and once again, green covers the land, draping it like a green carpet.

As reinforcements arrived one after another at Konoha's base, they prepared to replace the ninjas who had been on the front lines for several years without returning to the village.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the commander-in-chief of Konoha's defenses against the Land of Water's borders, arrived with an elite force, and instantly the atmosphere inside the tent changed.

As for Sarutobi Shinnosuke's appearance, well, as the eldest son of the Third Hokage, he perfectly inherited the Third Hokage's excellent genes. How to put it, he has a face that is not exactly the same as Asuma's, but you can only say that they were made from the same mold.

Just look at his height! He looks like a mature middle-aged man who's barely over 1.6 meters tall. Even the Fourth Mizukage still has a baby face, but this guy seems a bit... indescribable. No wonder Konohamaru's genes are so excellent; it turns out it's the excellent genes of the Sarutobi clan.

It seems that Sarutobi Konohamaru was only 1.57 meters tall in the second part of Boruto.

"Night Lord, you've really had a tough time on the front lines."

Inside the tent, when Sarutobi Shinnosuke came to the front line, the kind smile on his face was so genuine that it was impossible to detect any flaws. He was also smiling at the tall Uchiha Yoru beside him.

Uchiha Yoru nodded with relief, saying, "With Shinnosuke-senpai here, I can finally relax."

Uchiha Yoru looked completely relieved, seemingly genuinely so. However, beneath their friendly smiles, both were secretly cursing each other in their hearts.

Little fox.

Old fox.

Although it was only their first meeting, it must be said that Sarutobi Shinnosuke truly inherited the methods of the third generation, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and openly displayed his righteousness.

Uchiha Yoru was even more impressed. No wonder the Third Hokage wanted his eldest son to succeed him as Hokage. He was a successor cultivated with his own spirit and will, so he was naturally the most perfect one.

Aside from his strength, he almost perfectly matched the choices made by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and also chose to avoid new turmoil within the upper echelons.

Although the two had already had several interactions between their superiors and subordinates before their arrival, they still exchanged pleasantries upon their first meeting. In particular, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, despite his smiling demeanor, had already subtly chosen to transfer power during their conversation.

Uchiha Yoru not only did not refute at all, but also calmly agreed. After all, he could not go against Konoha's coattails at the moment. He also needed to use this reason to send his people back to the village to recuperate, win over the hearts of the people, and at the same time preserve his own power.

"Shinnosuke-senpai, these are the records of the ninjas who have made meritorious contributions on the front lines recently. I have already reported them to the Hokage."

As Uchiha Yoru slowly handed him a scroll with a fake political smile, Sarutobi Shinnosuke also took it with a fake smile. The moment he opened it, his pupils shrank instantly.

"Good lad, you've got a clever plan." At this moment, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was secretly shocked. They were supposed to be classmates with Asuma, but the difference between them was not small.

You reported all those commendation scrolls to the village and then to yourself? This is a blatant conspiracy.

If he agrees to sign his name, it would be equivalent to vouching for these meritorious ninjas on the front lines. His endorsement carries immense weight, and his promotion from above would almost certainly be secured. Needless to say, these people are all this kid's men.

But if he doesn't sign! Even if he just glosses over it, the next day the camps at the front will probably spread rumors that Sarutobi Shinnosuke is narrow-minded and doesn't give credit to the soldiers at the front, and so on.

In an instant, having grasped this principle, Sarutobi Shinnosuke looked up at the boy and gave him a stiff smile. Uchiha Yoru, of course, knew that his methods were a bit too direct, but he still nodded sincerely and said, "Uchiha Yoru is willing to do his best to assist Shinnosuke-senpai."

Instantly, Uchiha Yoru's attitude changed completely with those words. It was as if he was saying, "If you nod in agreement, I will definitely not cause any trouble. All the ninjas on the front lines, and even I, will cooperate fully."

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's stiff expression slowly blossomed into a smile, while the elite ninjas belonging to Uchiha Yoru's side inside the tent lowered their heads upon seeing this scene, their hearts filled with anger.

Their Lord Ye was still using his merits to pave the way for them at this time, and even wanted them to be able to go home in peace.

Uchiha Yoru's efforts to win people's hearts were naturally not kept secret from anyone, and Sarutobi Shinnosuke saw it all, but he didn't think much of it.

How many ninjas are there in Konoha? There are more than 20,000 ninjas in Konoha within the Land of Fire. This was only a few years after the Third Shinobi World War ended, and Konoha had not yet recovered. At its peak, Konoha had as many as 30,000 ninjas.

How many ninjas are there in the Land of Whirlpools? A mocking sneer rose in Sarutobi Shinnosuke's heart as he thought of this. At most a thousand. Moreover, he knew very well how many spies his father had planted next to the enemy before he came here.

Nothing to worry about!

"Indeed, you are all heroes of Konoha, and I will certainly recommend you for credit."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke laughed loudly, and without any hesitation, he signed his name and even left his handprint. It was just a thousand ninjas; there was no need to divide or win them over. Time would dilute everything, and reality would make everything ordinary.

The two then chatted and laughed in the tent, while the subordinates began to take over. Sarutobi Shinnosuke needed to gain prestige, so he needed to make contributions. He certainly didn't trust the people on the front lines. Fortunately, this group of people should have retired and returned to the village to recuperate long ago, but they were implicated because of Orochimaru's incident.

Now that the reason is just right, the turmoil in the village has been quelled, and this matter is over. They should go home to reunite and recuperate.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke brought a full six hundred elite ninjas to the front lines this time, and openly used the pretext of replacing the border defenses, causing the Mist Ninja to cower in fear. Otherwise, they would not have been facing six hundred Konoha reinforcements, but rather a combined attack.

The arriving reinforcements began to familiarize themselves with the front lines in an orderly manner. With the help of veteran ninjas, they began to report in detail on various traps and terrain advantages. This replacement work would take at least three days, after which wave after wave of ninjas would prepare to return to the village.

……

Just as Uchiha Yoru was exchanging information about the front lines with Sarutobi Shinnosuke, inside a brand-new tent in the camp.

"grown ups."

Uzuki Yugao crouched down, head bowed, concealing her emotions, while the person seated was Sarutobi Umeko, who calmly gazed at the person she had chosen.

"Yugao, you should be a sensible person. Although I'm no longer in charge of the Anbu, you're someone I personally promoted. The Third Hokage is getting old, you understand?"

Such a straightforward statement means that there are no longer any obstacles in Konoha. For Sarutobi Umeko, this means that she can achieve her long-cherished wish by following the steps, and naturally she does not need to hide herself as carefully as before.

However, Sarutobi Umeko was unaware that it was precisely because of her unbridled abuse of power that she aroused resentment, which greatly reduced Uzuki Yugao's sense of guilt towards the Anbu and the Hokage.

The village's rights have been ruined by you corrupt people, while those who truly care about Konoha have been marginalized. It's despicable!

At this moment, the inner turmoil in Uzuki Yugao's heart suddenly eased considerably for some reason. She raised her head and calmly said in a deep voice, "Yugao dares not forget the guidance of the department head."

Seeing Uzuki Yugao's sensible reply, Sarutobi Umeko smiled with satisfaction. "Don't worry, I just need you to tell me the message to pass it on to the Third Hokage. After all, Shinnosuke will soon become the Fifth Hokage of the village, so you won't be breaking any rules."

Although Sarutobi Umeko was still a little weak after giving birth, the prospect of gaining prestige and sitting in that position as soon as possible was clearly more tempting than gaining merit and prestige. Her heart was filled with burning desire.

Konohamaru has been sent back to the village, which is a good opportunity to give the old man something to do and get him to step down sooner. Then Konoha will be the domain of the Sarutobi clan.

"Don't worry, there's nothing special planned this time. You did a great job, but you still need to work hard to gradually gain Uchiha Yoru's trust. This person will definitely be at the level of an elder of the Uchiha clan in the future, so you still need to work hard to find clues about the Nine-Tails' rampage."

"However, I understand the principle of 'too much of a good thing'. This time, you will all be assigned to return to the village, which is a task that will take a long time. I wonder if you are willing to undertake it?"

Facing Sarutobi Umeko, Uzuki Yugao said respectfully in a deep voice, "For the village, for the Will of Fire, Uzuki Yugao is willing to continue carrying out the mission."

However, at this moment, Uzuki Yugao felt more anger in her heart. You rotten people are not worthy to talk about the village, let alone the Will of Fire.

"Alright, Xiyan, I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

Sarutobi Umeko nodded with a satisfied smile, "Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly after you complete the mission, and the village won't treat you unfairly either."

Hearing these words, Uzuki Yugao felt a surge of disgust. The village's power was being abused in this way, and the village's resources were being greedily extracted by these selfish higher-ups. At this moment, she seemed to finally understand why Lord Yoru wanted to overthrow the current rule.

Konoha needs change! Change everything that's decaying!

Sarutobi Umeko came here this time to secure her former covert operations. After the Orochimaru incident, she almost lost all her power. However, with the birth of Konohamaru as a boy, she regained her voice in the Sarutobi clan. The saying "a mother's status rises with her son" holds true everywhere.

She was unwilling to be a subordinate; she craved power and enjoyed the feeling of being high above others, especially the feeling of holding the lives of many elite ninjas in her hands when she was in the Anbu, which gave her a morbid sense of intoxication.

……

On the other side, after the conversation, Sarutobi Shinnosuke showed a reassuring smile of a superior, "Although I have come to the front line, the village will not forget your efforts, and we need to leave one or two familiar people behind at the front line."

Seeing Sarutobi Shinnosuke's kind smile, Uchiha Yoru smiled and nodded, saying, "All personnel changes will be decided by Shinnosuke-senpai."

In short, since I've chosen not to cause trouble, then do as you please.

As expected, seeing that the other party was so sensible, Sarutobi Shinnosuke smiled and said, "In that case, I can't bear to let go of the Uchiha clan's genius Shisui, and the genius ninja Kakashi. They are the future of our Konoha."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke put on an extremely magnanimous appearance, seemingly trusting these people, but in his heart he was secretly pleased. No matter how cunning the Uchiha brats are, they would never think that Kakashi was someone secretly arranged by the old man, and the other candidates were just an excuse to cover up the truth.

"By the way, there is another important task the village wants to entrust to Yoru-kun. However, I think that since Yoru-kun has sacrificed so much for Konoha on the front lines, it is appropriate to let someone else complete this task. After all, Yoru-kun also needs to return to the village to recuperate."

Since you're so sensible, then I'm not petty. If you don't want to accept the mission, you can go back to the village to recuperate. However, Sarutobi Shinnosuke slowly took out a mission scroll and let Uchiha Yoru choose for himself. At the same time, his expression gradually became serious.

When the task was mentioned, he was still very serious, and Uchiha Yoru also frowned and looked at the task the village was about to give him.

To gather intelligence on the Land of Whirlpools!

When Uchiha Yoru saw this mission, he immediately frowned. The mission of infiltration was not unreasonable. After all, Orochimaru had infiltrated Kumogakure during the Third Shinobi World War and secretly instigated the Eight-Tails' rebellion.

Despite the fact that such a valuable ninja was carrying out an important mission, he felt it was a waste.

But that's the world of ninjas.

"This mission?" Uchiha Yoru looked puzzled, while Sarutobi Shinnosuke put everything aside and said in a deep voice, "With the turmoil in the ninja world, the Land of Whirlpools has become a gathering place for almost all the rogue ninjas and vagrants in the ninja world. In particular, some valuable items that cannot be seen in the light of day are traded here."

"Spies from all the major ninja villages have infiltrated here. Although there are also village spies among them, the villages need an observer to enter as an informant. While gathering intelligence, it would be best to secretly find out information about the valuable items being traded."

Good heavens, what espionage? It's obvious the village is just greedy for the huge profits here.

Any items that need to be traded here in a way that can't be seen in the open are absolutely priceless; Konoha is trying to double-cross them.

He gathered the intelligence, and then the village secretly pocketed the profits.

"Don't worry, nothing serious will happen. You should know that the news of Princess Tsunade, one of the Three Legendary Sannin, appearing in the towns of the Land of Whirlpools has already been discovered by all the major ninja villages, so your safety is highly guaranteed."

Seeing Sarutobi Shinnosuke dangle a carrot in front of him, Uchiha Yoru knew that although this mission wasn't mandatory, it was still a mission to prove himself.

If he chooses to accept this mission, it proves that he cares about the village and barely gains a little trust from the village's higher-ups. However, the downside is that this mission takes a long time, and the ninjas who return to the village may be infiltrated and even slowly divided.

When he returned to the village, the force he had gathered on the front lines had fallen apart, and it wouldn't be easy to reunite it.

If he doesn't accept missions, then in the eyes of the Konoha leadership, he is a person with great ambition who doesn't want to give up the benefits he has, and after returning to the village, he will definitely want to gather the ninjas recruited on the front line into a cohesive force.

I must say, brilliant!

However, Uchiha Yoru feigned a resolute expression and said in a deep voice, "For the sake of the village, I am willing to carry out the mission, but please remember the merits of the soldiers on the front lines, Shinnosuke-senpai."

In his last sentence, he was still praising the soldiers on the front lines, as for splitting his own forces?

You can't fight city hall, and what he needs is to stir up a wave of reform. So all he needs to do is sow the seeds of discontent with the village, and those seeds will eventually be scattered throughout Konoha.

All you need to do is wait for it to water you from time to time, and then it will sprout and take root. When it grows into a towering tree, it will own a forest.

Moreover, he has already found this special "water".

On the contrary, Sarutobi Shinnosuke smiled with satisfaction upon hearing this, believing that the final threat had been eliminated.

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(End of this chapter)