I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 211 The Omnipotent Hiruzen Sarutobi!

As night gradually fell, the Uchiha clan compound remained brightly lit.

Well-equipped Uchiha ninjas stood guard on the rooftop, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

A sense of oppression immediately enveloped them. Most of the genin within the Uchiha clan were unaware of what had happened, only knowing that it was the clan leader's order.

However, when the Uchiha clan members learned that the spy monitoring their clan had been removed, they immediately showed expressions of anger and satisfaction.

The Chunin and Jonin vaguely knew something; it seemed that the assassination of the former clan leader was related to the village, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

Within the clan’s territory.

Aburame Shiki arrived at the Uchiha clan's territory with two Jonin members from her clan.

"Clan Chief, the recent incidents involving Sarutobi Shinnosuke and the two tragedies at the Fire Temple have caused widespread panic in the Land of Fire. The Aburame clan is just a small clan, and it just so happens that the two clans' territories are adjacent. Today, the Aburame clan has become arrogant and wants to seek the protection of the Uchiha clan."

Although Aburame Shiki is usually quiet and has no presence, she is still the head of a clan, and her communication skills are not as bad as one might imagine.

That's the power of language. It directly refers to two incidents within the Land of Fire. Actually, there was another incident: the assassination of Uchiha Fugaku. But that's something you can't mention in front of the Uchiha.

The meaning is simple: the Aburame clan is no match for the Fire Temple, much less for the Uchiha clan. Even the Hokage's eldest son has run into trouble, so naturally, the Aburame clan is in a state of panic.

The two clans happened to be neighbors, and the Aburame clan, due to their secret insect-raising techniques, were already scattered and unable to protect themselves. Therefore, they swallowed their pride and wanted to settle in the Uchiha clan's territory.

Tsk tsk, after all that, she didn't lose any face at all. As for those who say the Aburame clan is spineless? The Fire Temple, which had no backbone, was destroyed, and the eldest son of the Third Hokage was killed. Who would dare to say they're tough?

"Security issues within Konoha are the responsibility of the police department. Now that so many things have happened, it is the responsibility of our Uchiha clan. The Aburame clan may move in."

Uchiha Yoru was equally adept at polite words, and he spoke with an air of righteous indignation in front of everyone.

"It just so happens that the police department is going to be reorganized, and the Aburame clan ninjas can join the police department. The Uchiha and all the Konoha ninjas are originally one, so as the saying goes, we are all family and don't speak two languages."

Uchiha Yoru turned around and solemnly addressed one of the clan's elite members: "Uchiha Tetsuka, you will personally oversee the arrangements for the Aburame clan's settlement. Do not be careless; ensure that the Aburame clan feels the warmth of home here."

"yes!"

Before anyone could react, Uchiha Yoru turned to another person and gave him a meaningful instruction: "The police department has discovered clues about unidentified ninjas in the Aburame clan's territory. You are to lead a police squad to investigate on your own. You absolutely cannot make any mistakes."

"yes!"

Good heavens! Upon hearing the second half of this sentence, Aburame Shiki's lips twitched, and he cursed inwardly how shameless this was. This was blatantly an attempt to claim the Aburame clan's territory under the Uchiha clan's name.

Naturally, the Uchiha clan, with their established resources, wouldn't even consider this territory. But the problem is, the Aburame clan can't do that; they need to raise insects, and they have to rely on this lush area.

The Uchiha clan wants to completely bind them to their war machine.

Although she was prepared, the other party's shameless methods still made Shiki Aburame secretly alarmed. The young man in front of her was as cunning as the Third Hokage, and was a mature politician.

At the same time, he felt a secret sense of relief. Lord Orochimaru valued this disciple so much and was training him in this way; this was clearly a preparation for the next Hokage.

Does this mean that Orochimaru had already prepared for the next Hokage? If two of the other three Sannin rise to power this time, and Orochimaru returns, with the Sannin's influence, the Uchiha clan will definitely be part of the Sannin faction, and the Aburame clan will also be able to benefit from it.

After the matter of the Aburame clan was settled, Elder Setsuna was somewhat shocked. For so many years, the clan had been suppressed, but suddenly it seemed that they were on the verge of turning the tables.

First the Hyuga clan, then the Aburame clan; the Uchiha now has two allies, no longer the weak and isolated clan it once was.

All of this happened too fast. Uchiha Yoru naturally noticed the elder's bewilderment and said quietly, "All the schemes are based on power."

"Without power, even the deepest scheming is just a game within the rules of the chessboard. Only when you have the power to turn the tide will your opponent treat you as an equal."

Uchiha Yoru's profound words caused Elder Setsuna to tremble, and a look of sudden realization seemed to appear in his cloudy old eyes.

The Uchiha clan was not on equal footing with the Hokage's higher-ups.

"Is this the power of a kaleidoscope?!"

Seeing Elder Setsuna muttering to himself, Uchiha Yoru shook his head. This ninja was far inferior in this regard.

A kaleidoscope is like a nuclear weapon, a powerful deterrent. When is a nuclear weapon most threatening and frightening?

The answer is clear: nuclear weapons have been loaded onto the launchers and are aimed at certain individuals. This is the most deterrent action taken before launch.

Hiding it away has no deterrent effect, while revealing it is like leaving it to gather dust in a warehouse, which greatly reduces its deterrent effect, and the enemy may even keep testing your bottom line.

On the other hand, loading the kaleidoscope directly clearly shows that you've been bullied and you're going to retaliate. This instantly intimidates the enemy, because they weren't even planning to fight you to the death.

Inside the Hokage's office building.

As night fell, the Konoha F4 looked grim after receiving news from the Aburame clan.

This time, it wasn't that they lost in terms of tactics; it was simply that they had all done things together. Border unrest, turmoil in Daming Prefecture, and so on, all of which restrained them.

With Konoha in turmoil, they really can't imagine what other ninja villages might do if they took advantage of the situation. If it were them, they would definitely have such thoughts.

"Sarutobi, Konoha cannot afford any more turmoil now."

"Yes, Danzo has already taken care of it. Since they have enjoyed the benefits, they should naturally bear the responsibilities they should bear."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu took turns comforting Midai, as they didn't want to see their old friend collapse at this moment.

So many things weighed on this sixty-year-old man, and he had just experienced the pain of losing his son. At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was extremely tired, rubbing his brow and smoking his pipe in a haggard manner.

"The Ino-Shika-Cho clans enjoy the benefits they have gained, so it's only right that they step in to help when trouble arises. What I'm worried about now isn't the opinions of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, but rather the problems of the Uchiha clan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, his eyes filled with exhaustion. He had too many things to deal with. As for the opinions of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio? Nobody was a fool. If problems arose, they would naturally share the burden. Did they expect him to only want the benefits and then hide when he had to contribute?

Think beautiful.

"Danzo shouldn't have been in such a hurry to attack Fugaku."

At this moment, Koharu Utatane remembered how good Fugaku was when he was around, and a look of regret immediately appeared on her face. How much better the Uchiha clan was before! Every now and then they would give her an ugly look, and the Uchiha clan would not dare to say a word and could only suffer in silence.

But now, Fugaku's assassination is like someone slapping the Uchiha clan in the face. They are furious, their eyes are red, and they are glaring at everyone, determined to find the person who slapped them in the face.

To put it bluntly, when Fugaku was around, they were like frogs being slowly boiled in water. The sudden assassination attempt was like someone pouring a small pot of boiling water on them, which naturally made the frogs jump up.

"At this point, it's not about pursuing Danzo's mistakes. Besides, Fugaku's Mangekyou Sharingan is too well hidden. It's only right that Danzo took action when he had some suspicions."

Mitokado Homura, however, did not think so. On the contrary, he believed that Danzo's actions were correct, but the timing was not right this time. If Konoha were in a stable period, what would happen if they made a move? They would have eliminated a major threat instead.

Looking at the two of them, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a thick cloud of smoke and said in a hoarse voice, "Fugaku's Mangekyou Sharingan is indeed troublesome. Fortunately, Danzo made his move, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable if it had come to a critical moment."

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood that this crucial moment was when the conflict between the village and the Uchiha clan was at its most intense, and that when Fugaku revealed his Mangekyou Sharingan, it would be a momentous event.

The hidden kaleidoscope was a source of instability for them, while the exposed kaleidoscope, though intimidating, also prepared them psychologically.

It's like this: if you don't have a kaleidoscope (knife), I'd dare to go to your doorstep, throw excrement, and curse you. But if you suddenly tell everyone you have a kaleidoscope (weapon), then at most people will just go to your doorstep and curse you. They wouldn't dare to throw excrement, in case things escalate.

This is the difference between displaying and concealing weapons as a deterrent; there are advantages and disadvantages.

The downside is that once someone actually makes a move, even if they're not entirely confident, they'll definitely be prepared for the Kaleidoscope, and it won't be a trump card for turning the tide anymore.

"Sarutobi, first of all, appease the Uchiha clan. The village must not be allowed to descend into chaos."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't even raise his head, and said weakly and hoarsely, "The Uchiha clan spies have been withdrawn for now. The most important thing now is to stabilize the border unrest and deal with the matters of the Daimyo Prefecture."

When the Daimyo's residence was mentioned, Mitomon Homura frowned and shook his head, saying, "The matter of the Fire Temple and the disagreements among the Twelve Ninja have caused great dissatisfaction in the Daimyo's residence. Furthermore, these upheavals have led to the Daimyo's extreme discontent."

"The daimyo used this as an excuse to divert 20% of the funds to rebuild the Fire Temple, which led to all the ninja monks of the Fire Temple defecting to the daimyo's side."

They were also having a headache. The Fire Temple was definitely a powerful force. They had finally managed to gather a group of people, but this time the Fire Temple was destroyed.

When the lord first saw the news, he was furious, but then a hint of joy appeared on his face.

The Temple of Fire was destroyed, but its power remains. After all, the ninja monks also need to carry out missions and even guard temples in various places on the orders of the daimyo. To put it bluntly, they are still a force, only their stronghold was destroyed.

But right now, the Fire Temple faction faces a problem: how to revitalize the Fire Temple! Where will the money come from? Where will the fame come from?

In short, your Fire Temple was so easily destroyed that the daimyo has begun to question it. If you want to rebuild the daimyo's mansion with the help of the daimyo, you'll need a pledge of loyalty. Your previous two-faced tactics are definitely not acceptable.

The daimyo wasn't stupid. He didn't use his money and resources to raise a bunch of ungrateful wretches. As a result, everyone in the Fire Temple had no choice but to side with the daimyo and completely stand on the daimyo's side.

The Daimyo Prefecture, in fact, benefited from the misfortune, gaining complete control of the important Fire Temple.

"Let Asma return first, and at the same time, have the Roots lie low for the time being."

After analyzing the pros and cons, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a hoarse voice, and Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, the signs of division among the Twelve Ninja have affected many people, but they have also revealed their true colors. The Daimyo is now dissatisfied with Konoha, so it's definitely not time to go down now."

They were aware of the plan Danzo's Root branch was carrying out against the Daimyo Prefecture, and even quite approved of it. After all, when it comes to stirring up trouble, they could at most play the role of fanning the flames.

But these are turbulent times, and they are already overwhelmed with problems.

However, at that moment, after an ANBU member brought back some information, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent, as if he had experienced too much and his ability to accept information had greatly increased.

"The twelve guardian ninjas of the Daimyo's mansion have now split into two factions due to internal conflicts."

Upon hearing Sarutobi's words, Mitokado Homura frowned, then shook his head and said, "Recall Asuma, cut off all of Root's hands and feet, and put them in hiding. Do not provoke the Daimyo's office at this time."

"Good. Let's stabilize the border situation first, and wait until the village is completely stable before we make further plans."

Koharu Utatane agreed, and Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in agreement, though his expression was somewhat grim. He looked up at the two of them and hoarsely uttered the words that had been weighing on his mind.

"Is Shinnosuke's situation truly unrelated to Root?"

Just that one sentence immediately changed the expressions of Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. They had been deliberately avoiding the topic, but they hadn't expected it to be brought up in the open.

At this moment, the two of them also fell silent. The four of them had experienced countless hardships since childhood, and it was this tacit understanding of trust that had enabled Konoha to develop to its current state. But now, the biggest crisis of trust had emerged.

"Danzo never gave up on the Hokage position, and he had that motive."

No matter what, Shinnosuke is his biological son. Although Hiruzen Sarutobi is a tyrannical ninja, even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cub. How could he not love his son?

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi made the objective statement that Danzo had this motive, something that Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were well aware of.

"Sarutobi." Koharu's throat went dry when he talked about this, but he still suppressed his inner turmoil, not wanting their relationship to break down.

However, before Koharu could say anything, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, sighed, and waved his hand, saying, "No need to say anything. Shinnosuke is gone. The village needs stability now."

As expected of Shinobu, for the sake of the village and his own Will of Fire, he was able to temporarily suppress any factors that might affect the village's stability, even if it involved his own son.

However, the seeds have already been sown.

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(End of this chapter)