I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 226 Danzo's Frustration!

Konoha, the Ninja Academy.

"Yo, Iruka, congratulations on being accepted into the Ninja Academy."

Upon approaching, Iruka saw Mizuki, with his white hair, jokingly greeting him, and Iruka immediately gave him a sullen smile.

"Shuimu, didn't you join the company too?"

Many of the ninjas who came from the battlefield of the Uzumaki Territory were promoted thanks to the recommendation letters from Uchiha Yoru. More than ten of them became Jonin, and fifty became Chunin.

Among those promoted to Chunin were Iruka Umino and Mizuki. Afterwards, the two returned to the village to recuperate for a period of time and were promoted to Chunin at the age of sixteen, becoming qualified assistant teachers to the school.

That's right, they're not qualified yet with their current qualifications.

"Oh, houses in the village center are too expensive. I really envy you, Iruka."

Mizuki couldn't help but show a look of envy and jealousy. There was nothing he could do; the house left by Iruka's parents happened to be located on the outskirts of the center.

Because he encountered Uchiha Yoru on the front lines, Mizuki's life underwent a bizarre change. Although he still yearned for power, he found a spirit of loyalty to Uchiha Yoru, who inherited everything from Orochimaru. As can be seen from the original work, Mizuki later became a person who worshipped power and fanatically idolized Orochimaru.

"Haha, there's nothing you can do about it, it's something you can only envy."

Upon seeing Mizuki's blatantly jealous gaze, Iruka revealed a mocking smile. Who would have thought that house prices would rise so quickly? In the center of the village, it was almost impossible to find a house. Many ninjas had practically emptied their entire family's coffers in order to buy a house.

(In the future, Sakura pays off her mortgage)

"My talent is limited, but I will definitely become the best teacher."

After successfully registering, Iruka was filled with fighting spirit, and he couldn't help but take out the red-covered book "Mein Kampf" from his knife bag, his eyes filled with fervor.

"Mitsuki, I really recommend you read this book. It explains the true Will of Fire almost bluntly!"

When Iruka mentioned this book, his eyes gleamed with fervor, making Mizuki break out in a cold sweat. He said irritably, "Iruka, you're something else."

Although he became a teacher, he never gave up his training. Strength was the foundation. He was not like Iruka, who wanted to teach more talents after realizing his limited talent.

"Mizuki, this book is a precious book that even Lord Uchiha Yoru loves to the point of not being able to put it down."

"What!" Mizuki, who hadn't paid any attention before, was stunned when he heard this. Iruka, seeing his friend's expression, couldn't help but smile slightly. It felt so good to recommend a book that he considered a classic.

"Haha, Mizuki, I bought two more copies of this book today. As expected, the true Will of Fire brings good luck. I was planning to give one away anyway, but I'll give you one first."

After Iruka's spirits were satisfied, he smiled excitedly and handed the brand-new book to Mizuki.

This time, Mizuki did not refuse. Instead, he showed a solemn expression. He must study this book carefully and repeatedly, since it was a book that even Lord Uchiha Yoru was reading. Perhaps the true meaning of power was contained within it.

"By the way, Iruka, are you buying this book as a gift? Who is it for?"

At this moment, Mizuki showed a curious look, while Iruka awkwardly scratched the back of his head after hearing this, "I gave the other book to the teacher who was taking the exam at the Ninja Academy this time, since we'll be working under each other in the future."

Having been tempered on the battlefield, Iruka has matured. Although he is honest, he still understands the ways of human relationships in society.

Seeing Iruka's expression, Mizuki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and show a helpless look. He sighed and rubbed his forehead, saying, "Iruka, please do your research before sending him away. Although this examiner is a commoner ninja, his sister is married to the Sarutobi clan."

"This person is extremely greedy. You're giving him a book? You might as well give him something real."

Upon hearing Mizuki's words, Iruka was immediately startled, his face turning green in shock. "Damn it, Mizuki, why didn't you say so earlier? When I delivered the book, I specifically asked you to take care of us in the future."

Suddenly, Shui Mu burst into laughter. He clutched his stomach and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, I went to this teacher's house last night. I was going to ask you to come along, but you weren't home. But this matter couldn't be delayed, so I went alone."

"Don't worry, I've sent yours too." Mizuki looked smug. He did this partly because of their friendship, and partly out of personal motives.

Both of them are just ordinary Chunin, not particularly outstanding. It will be too difficult for them to stand out in the future. The only way is to unite and win people over. In the future, no matter what happens in the school, Iruka will step forward to help them.

It's rare to fight alone, so he was willing to spend his own money to make Iruka owe him this favor, so that he would not only have a companion at the ninja academy in the future, but also be helped by Iruka in critical moments.

"Shuimu, you!"

Iruka gave his friend a light slap, then laughed loudly without saying anything, "Come on, it's my treat tonight, let's go to a barbecue restaurant."

Beneath their laughter, the friendship between men can sometimes be that simple.

Inside the Ninja Academy office, the examiner for this assessment carefully observed the ninjas who were about to be included in the assessment.

One file was marked "Excellent," while the other was marked "Prepared." It was clear that these newly hired teaching assistants were also divided into different levels.

"Excellent" means that after accumulating enough experience, one is ready to participate in the assessment to see if they can become a teacher for a ninja class. "Prepared" means that one still needs to stay at the school for observation.

"Hehe, you're lucky."

Looking at a photo of Shui Mu with long, silver-white hair clearly visible on a document in the preparation file, the teacher shook his head and smiled, then directly pulled out a photo from the "Excellent" section and swapped the two.

He wasn't qualified at first, but Iruka's assessment was flawless, and he was directly placed in the excellent category. So, for the sake of two cents, he ultimately decided to move this lucky kid into the excellent category.

Of course, he was just an examiner, and these files still needed to be transferred to higher authorities, but under normal circumstances, there would be no further changes.

……

The Hokage's office.

"Hiruzen, the threat from the Uchiha is becoming increasingly serious. Root suffered huge losses last time, and now we need to continue to expand our organization to guard against the Uchiha."

At this moment, Danzo's exposed eye radiated intense heat. The last time, the losses were devastating, and the threat from the Uchiha hung over his heart like a knife. He was definitely no less capable than the Uchiha, and he would continue if things continued.

"Danzo, isn't the Root organization asking for too much money?" Before the Third Hokage could even speak, Koharu Utatane, who was in charge of finances, immediately showed her displeasure upon seeing this scene.

Because the Uchiha clan's powerful Root faction can expand, but you want to expand, not rebel. You're asking for such an exorbitant amount of funds; why don't you just say you're rebelling?

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated above the Hokage, pondered Danzo's report for a moment, then surprisingly nodded in agreement.

"The funds you demanded, Danzo, can be made up."

"What! Sarutobi, you can't do this!" Koharu Utatane stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi in shock. If things continued like this, the power of the Root might be beyond their control.

Even Shimura Danzo was stunned. Looking at his old buddy Sarutobi Hiruzen, he should have been happy to receive a large amount of money, but he couldn't feel happy at all.

"Ahem, Hiruzen, I understand the difficulty of the village." Knowing that Hiruzen Sarutobi would never be so kind, Danzo Shimura's heart sank, and he couldn't help but back down, as if to say that he would be happy to give less.

However, the next moment Hiruzen Sarutobi gave him a vivid lesson, showing him what it means to be a Hokage and what true methods are.

"The Anbu also needs replenishment, but there have been too many things going on lately, and I suspect that someone has infiltrated the Anbu. Therefore, I have decided that the Root will take advantage of this opportunity to replenish its ranks and establish three large battalions of elite Anbu."

What the hell!

Upon hearing this, Danzo almost burst into a tirade of curses, his eye bulging wide open. "You bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi, how could you be so dark-skinned?"

This is clearly using him to train talent for your ANBU. A battalion has 17 people, so three would be 51, all elites, and from his Root organization? Isn't this just Hiruzen Sarutobi planting people in Root?

And they're so ruthless. These three battalions are under the Root's name, but in reality they still obey Sarutobi's orders. In other words, the missions are all carried out by Sarutobi, but the Root takes the blame.

"Ahem, Hiruzen's consideration is indeed thorough. After all, Uchiha Yoru inherited Orochimaru's power, and there are almost spies of Orochimaru throughout the entire village. Even the Anbu need to be careful."

Koharu, who had initially been the most vehement opponent of the plan, coughed lightly and sat down immediately after hearing this. She actually quite agreed with the plan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed a little embarrassed by Danzo's glaring gaze, and out of humanitarian concern, he let out a soft sigh.

"Don't worry, Danzo. I will arrange three experienced elite ANBU members to be in charge this time, so you can rest assured. You only need to select some people from your Root team."

"Sarutobi, you!" Danzo was so angry at Hiruzen Sarutobi's shameless act that his face turned green. What three experienced ANBU assistants? They were clearly three captains.

Moreover, he selects people from the Root. Doesn't that mean that after he selected a round of elites to enter the Root, Sarutobi picks them all over again from the elites he selected?

Even when you're trying to get freebies, you can't do it this well!

Faced with Shimura Danzo's anger, Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite embarrassed, feeling that what he had done was somewhat shameless, but it was all for the sake of the village.

"Danzo, this time I'm allowing Root to choose members from various clans! The Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Inuzuka clans, and even my Sarutobi clan are all welcome, as long as you don't go too far! Remember to keep things within limits."

Knowing that he had gone too far this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head and had no choice but to offer a generous gift to the other party. Upon hearing this, Danzo Shimura's anger subsided slightly.

Finally, Danzo seemed to realize something, a sinister glint appearing in his one eye, and he said in a deep voice, "Hiruzen, this might be an opportunity to test the Uchiha."

"Danzo, you mean...?"

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was pretending to be confused again, Danzo Shimura snorted coldly, "Hiruzen, Root is an important department for protecting Konoha. All clans in Konoha have the right to cooperate. Even the Sarutobi clan, as the Hokage, has an inescapable responsibility. As long as the Uchiha clan is still a member of Konoha, they have this obligation."

After the righteous words fell, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, acted as if he hadn't heard anything, looking down at the report in his hand. Then, with a wave of his hand, he signed his name and stamped his Hokage seal with a bang.

"Xiaochun, please transfer these funds from the finance department to the root unit as quickly as possible."

Koharu Utatane nodded, clearly understanding. "Don't worry, Sarutobi. The village has plenty of funds. At most, the funds will be in place within half a month."

As Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu Utatane continued their back-and-forth banter, Danzo Shimura, watching from the side, had veins bulging on his forehead. Finally, he let out a cold snort, turned around, and slammed the door shut as he left.

The two people in the office looked at each other with an unspoken understanding, clearly unaware of these matters; it was all Danzo and Root's doing.

Danzo Shimura understood that Root was only used to take the blame and handle shady matters. Root would do the things that offended people. If they did well, the benefits would go to the Hokage. If they did poorly, the Hokage would naturally step in to resolve the issue.

If you're easy to talk to, you can mediate; if you're not, the Third Hokage will angrily order Root to do this or that, and at worst you'll get demoted.

Danzo Shimura has been reinstated and demoted five times, yet he remains the leader of Root! Everyone knows that given the Third Hokage's favoritism towards Danzo, even the biggest incident won't be long before he's reinstated.

Putting aside the controversial assassination attempt, the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi still trusted Danzo despite knowing his obsession and desire for the Hokage speaks volumes about the depth of their relationship.

……

After Danzo left, Koharu Utatane looked worried. "Hiruzen, Danzo's ambition could easily lead to rash actions. What if he provokes these clans!"

As his body gradually weakened and he aged, Hiruzen Sarutobi became increasingly stubborn and self-willed. At this moment, he raised his head and revealed a determined look in his eyes.

"What the village needs is stability, and this is also an opportunity to test the waters. As for the other families!"

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed the remaining power of his former ninja hero, coldly and calmly saying, "The only clans that could pose a threat to the village are the Uchiha and Hyuga, but the now divided Hyuga no longer has that ability."

The fact that the power of an entire clan could threaten the village demonstrates the strength of the Uchiha clan; otherwise, they wouldn't have had the idea of ​​an armed coup as depicted in the original story.

The Hyuga clan has split and no longer poses a threat, while the Uchiha clan has become increasingly powerful, especially now that they have tied the Aburame and Hyuga branch families to their warship, greatly increasing their threat.

The ninjas remaining in the village have become even stronger, and their vigilance over the Hokage Building has increased several times over, demonstrating the threat posed by the Uchiha transformation.

"After this, I plan to give the Uchiha clan a spot in the Anbu."

The shrewd and calculating Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed a confident smile. Giving a hard blow followed by a sweet treat was always his tactic, and this pawn could even become his trump card.

Koharu Utatane smiled and nodded upon seeing this; they had immense trust in Hiruzen Sarutobi. The Uchiha clan was powerful, but the strongest enemies are often defeated from within.

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(End of this chapter)