I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 254 How should the Hokage Rock be carved?

Leaf.

The once bustling and prosperous village in the ninja world now exudes a sense of oppression. People on the streets are hurrying along with their heads down, even when they are buying supplies. No one lingers on the streets.

There's already a tense atmosphere among the various ninja factions within the village.

With the full support of the Third Hokage's forces, Tsunade held an almost absolute advantage, and her massive ninja troop initially overwhelmed the opposing side.

However, the situation changed the next moment when Uchiha Yoru returned.

In the heart of Konoha, several more clans were re-established around the Uchiha clan's territory, and their clan crests, both unfamiliar and familiar, were erected.

The Kaguya clan, the Yuki clan, and the Hozuki clan, three major Kirigakure clans, directly announced their allegiance to Konoha, which was ruled by the Fifth Hokage.

It is now clearly visible that, under the leadership of the Uchiha clan, a group of smaller Konoha clans such as the Hyuga, Aburame, Inuzuka, and Kurama, along with the three major bloodline clans of Kirigakure and a group of Kirigakure bloodline ninjas, have directly merged and coexisted together.

Under external pressure, the ninjas from both bloodline clans merged in a way that defied imagination. If one didn't know better, one would really think that these bloodline ninjas were all comrades who had known each other for many years.

Facing the combined pressure of Tsunade and the Third Hokage, the Konoha clan, led by the Uchiha, finally found outside help and were naturally eager to befriend their ally with smiles on their faces.

These clans of Kirigakure, who lived a miserable life in the Land of Water, were utterly despised and gloomy. But when they suddenly arrived in Konoha, they were greeted with smiles and treated like family. They blended in very quickly and naturally.

Sure enough, people only have motivation when under pressure. In a very short time, the bloodline clan from the Land of Water and a group of clans led by the Uchiha started a marriage alliance and instantly entered a honeymoon period, acting like one big family.

The Hokage's office building.

The ninjas from both sides were almost clearly divided, and even the Hokage in the mission office had a red line drawn across the middle of his desk.

"Reporting to the Fifth Hokage, this is the mission report for this mission."

A Konoha Chunin squad arrived to report on their mission. At that moment, Uchiha Yoru, who was sitting at the Hokage's desk, bowed respectfully and revealed a satisfied smile.

"Excellent, the mission was completed very well this time, and the employer is very satisfied."

The Chunin team consisted of an Uchiha ninja, a civilian, and a Kaguya clan ninja. Clearly, they had quickly bonded and formed a comradeship.

Meanwhile, another Chunin squad returned, respectfully reporting, "Fifth Hokage, this is our mission report."

However, it was Tsunade, the blonde sitting on the left, who spoke up. Looking at the mission scroll, she frowned and angrily rebuked, "Are you all piece of shit?! Sarutobi Ichiro, look at your mission report!"

"What do you take your teammates for? Your servants? Or your lackeys? Because you caused their injury, you still act all high and mighty!"

Good heavens, Tsunade was full of majesty when she was angry, which made Sarutobi Ichiro's face turn pale and then red. But when he saw Tsunade's terrifying eyes, he immediately turned pale and his mouth twitched, but he dared not say anything.

"Useless! Go back and let your father teach you how to get along with your teammates."

Tsunade took her capriciousness to the extreme, and would scold anyone who was slightly dissatisfied, especially when facing the once high and mighty Sarutobi and other families.

Compared to Tsunade, everyone else is just trash in her eyes, only fit to obediently accept her scolding.

The two present a stark contrast, revealing the whole picture from a glimpse, and the vast ocean from a drop of water.

Uchiha Yoru's faction had almost formed a unified whole, all under his leadership, and there wasn't much sordid conflict among them, even among the bloodline families from the Land of Water.

This batch of bloodline ninjas from the Land of Water was not all of them, but only half. At the same time, some Konoha ninjas and Kirigakure ninjas merged at the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools.

However, both sides were under tremendous external pressure, which led them to adopt a "stick together for warmth" mentality, as if they were one family. With everyone thinking in a positive direction, things naturally progressed in a positive direction.

On the other hand, Tsunade's side, having been cultivated by the Third Hokage's lineage for so many years, has a deeply rooted and intertwined power that has long since formed a unified whole.

Tsunade's greatest strengths are her reputation and connections. Her reputation goes without saying; naturally, those clan ninjas who suddenly lost their once high and mighty status, such as the Sarutobi clan, felt dissatisfied and wanted to take it back.

The faction built by Tsunade's network consisted mostly of commoner ninjas, which clashed with the already unified ninja group of the Third Hokage's lineage.

Although both sides were very restrained, their motivations were different.

The many civilian ninjas who followed Tsunade did so purely because of her reputation and the life-saving grace she had shown them. They simply wanted to honestly and dutifully complete their missions. However, these Sarutobi clan ninjas, under the guise of being comrades, treated them like slaves.

This wouldn't be a big deal, but there's a comparison. Under Uchiha Yoru's policies, there's a clear hierarchy. Although they uphold the supremacy of bloodline ninjas, they also uphold the supremacy of strength. As long as you reach the Jonin level, you have everything that bloodline ninjas have.

Even among ninjas of the same rank, as long as you demonstrate talent no less than that of a bloodline ninja, you can still receive the same treatment as a bloodline ninja, even if you come from a commoner background.

This comparison naturally leads to dissatisfaction.

Uchiha Yoru's policy was based on bloodline theory, but in reality it was a policy of meritocracy, which made ninjas superior to others.

Children with ninja talent are inherently superior to ordinary people without it, based on bloodline. Bloodline ninjas are ranked higher because those who awaken their bloodlines are extremely powerful and constitute the majority of high-level combat forces.

Furthermore, the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yoru, believed that the supremacy of bloodline ninjas wasn't simply a matter of having the surname; it required awakening one's bloodline.

Before awakening your bloodline limit, even if you have the surname Uchiha, your treatment and status are the same as those of an ordinary ninja.

"Heh, it seems Lady Tsunade has quite a few troubles."

Looking at Tsunade, who was prone to anger, Uchiha Yoru, sitting on the right, teased her with a smile, while Tsunade snorted in annoyance.

"Uchiha Yoru, don't get too cocky. If it weren't for these old guys!"

Tsunade's face clearly showed two words: dissatisfaction!

After all, the clans of the Third Hokage's lineage, such as the Sarutobi, Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans, held high positions and enjoyed a superior status, only to be suddenly brought down.

Just like the Uchiha clan who were originally in the heart of Konoha, after the Nine-Tails incident, they moved directly to the outskirts, which would make anyone resentful.

It can be said that fortunes change every thirty years, and the Uchiha clan is now experiencing the same feelings they once had.

Therefore, with Tsunade as their banner, they desperately hoped that she would lead them to reclaim everything they had lost.

However, Tsunade was not an easy person to control. Her personality had already determined everything. She directly demanded funds and then established her own ANBU force.

This caused discontent, and many of the Third Hokage's ninjas harbored resentment, believing that Tsunade was not doing her job and was instead using their funds to scheme for her own power.

"Recently, the various ninja villages in the ninja world have been sending a lot of supplies."

Tsunade looked at Uchiha Yoru with a meaningful smile, and Uchiha Yoru, without any pretense, nodded and laughed, "These are all supplies for the peace of the ninja world."

"Peace? What I've heard all I've heard about are explosive tags, knives, and war supplies? I've never heard of weapons being linked to peace."

Tsunade spoke sarcastically, but Uchiha Yoru shook his head in righteous indignation.

"Although you are one of the Legendary Sannin, I absolutely disagree with this view. What is peace? Is it just something you talk about? Neither of us are children; we should know that peace is built on might! Why was the ninja world peaceful when the First Hokage was still alive?"

"As a result, the First Hokage had barely left when the devastating Fourth Shinobi World War broke out. It's simply a case of peace only existing under the rule of might! Therefore, while weapons represent war, they are also linked to peace!"

Inside the Hokage's office, the two Fifth Hokage were arguing again, their opinions differing. The Konoha ninjas on both sides in the Hokage's office building were used to this and could only watch helplessly as the two Hokage fell silent.

To be honest, both Fifth Hokage were quite good. At least they were both working towards doing practical things for Konoha. For a time, all the ninjas felt that even if they had to tolerate two Fifth Hokage in office at the same time, at least there wouldn't be any internal strife.

Beneath Fire Shadow Rock, a group of commoner craftsmen gazed at the massive, solid mountain with worried expressions, as if studying how to carve it.

"What kind of situation is this? Both Fifth Hokage have announced that they want Hokage portraits to be sculpted, but the problem is, which one should they sculpt?!"

"Damn it, I've been working my whole life. My father sculpted the First Hokage, and my father and I sculpted the Second Hokage together. I personally handled the Third Hokage. Now I'm in trouble. I can't possibly sculpt two Fifth Hokage, can I?"

The old sculptor, his face full of worry, smoked his pipe. He was truly troubled at that moment, feeling for the first time how hard it was to earn money, how hot it was to handle.

However, at this moment his young son came over, scratching his head with an even bigger headache. "Father, now it's not two headaches anymore, it's three."

"Three?"

A look of suspicion appeared on the old father's worried face. "Weren't there two Fifth Hokage? Could another one have appeared? Who is it?"

The young son gave a wry smile and immediately produced three photos. "Father, these are the Fifth Mizukage."

"The Fifth Mizukage issued a mission, saying that as the Fifth Mizukage, she should lead the Kirigakure army to join Konoha, and it was only right that she should leave behind a commemorative mark. She even said that the rights of a Kage could be relinquished, but the symbol of the Kage's honor must remain."

At this moment, the old father was dumbfounded, and said blankly, "The Hokage sculpted the Mizukage? Does the Hokage know about this?"

"The Fifth Hokage, Lord Uchiha Yoru, knew about it and nodded in agreement."

At this moment, the father and son looked at each other and fell silent, staring at the three photos in their hands, at a loss for what to do.

Three Kage! How can they all appear on the Hokage Rock at the same time?

Just then, the three photos overlapped slightly in the sunlight, and a sudden inspiration flashed through the old father's mind.

"Since the Fifth Hokage ceremony hasn't been held yet, why not overlap the three Hokage portraits?"

Under the sunlight, the three portraits overlapped somewhat. In the center was Uchiha Yoru's smiling face, flanked by Tsunade and Mei Terumi. The three faces were close together, as if they were inseparable partners.

Seeing this scene, the old father suddenly had an inspiration and laughed excitedly: "Haha, we can get to work! The three of them together represent the prosperity of Konoha, and also represent the three Kage living in harmony and leading Konoha to its peak."

Clearly, no one in Konoha wanted to start a civil war, and this master craftsman, inspired by his skills, wanted to use his carving techniques to influence the world.

Let the three Kage put aside their differences and join hands to lead Konoha to create a better tomorrow.

"Father! Oh!"

The young son looked into his father's longing, tearful eyes and fell silent. This was his father's wish, and he didn't want to shatter it.

Even he knew that it was impossible for two Hokage to coexist.

As the saying goes, "How can two tigers share one mountain?"

But he remained silent. He didn't want to shatter his father's hopes, but wasn't this also a sliver of fantasy in his heart?

"Never mind, since we've accepted the mission and even the three Shadows haven't said anything, let's just do our best."

A hearty laugh echoed across the Hokage Rock, lightening the somber atmosphere of Konoha.

At the same time, once the iconic Hokage Rock of Konoha began to move, every Konoha ninja could see the changes, from initial helplessness to later astonishment.

The outlines of three faces appeared on it day by day, but then a huge tarpaulin was covered over it, as if the result would not be announced until the official ceremony for Hokage's inauguration.

The Sarutobi clan.

The calligraphy of the character "忍" (ninja) hangs high on the wall. The pressure of this period has aged the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, by ten years. Now his hair and beard are all white, and his somewhat hunched, thin, and short body already resembles eight-tenths of his appearance during the Chunin Exams in the original work.

The pipe dangling from his lips clicked and puffed, filling the room with smoke. The retired Third Hokage, who rarely left his home, now stared intently at the shogi board before him, looking like an ordinary old man.

Seated directly opposite him was Nara Shikaku, known as the Hokage's strategist and the captain of the Konoha Jonin team.

"When two pieces of jade vie for supremacy, one will inevitably be injured, and all the pieces on the chessboard that are protecting the jade will be affected."

Looking at the chessboard, Nara Shikaku couldn't help but sigh, as if he were referring to something. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, on the other side naturally understood and remained silent.

Does Shikaku regret it?

Faced with this question, Nara Shikaku gave a wry smile and shook his head. "Do we have a choice if we regret it? The Ino-Shika-Cho trio have enjoyed preferential treatment, so they must also bear the corresponding responsibilities."

This is the price they paid. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio chose to completely submit to the Third Hokage and enjoyed decades of rapid development, growing from a small clan to what it is today. It can be said that they enjoyed preferential treatment for as many years as the Third Hokage ruled.

As the family has grown to its current state, even the branches of the family are stronger than the entire family once was.

It's not that easy to change or wash away the labels on someone. In the ninja (island nation) world, you can betray, but if it's the whole clan, betrayal will be hated by everyone.

Moreover! Nara Shikaku raised his head and gave Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, a deep look.

At most, the pig, deer, and butterfly are accomplices. Although they have enjoyed everything and now have no choice, they still have a chance to catch their breath.

The Sarutobi clan and the three smaller clans of Mitomon, Utatane, and Shimura were truly the only ones with no other choice.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, at worst, will be targeted and weakened to a certain extent, but they will be let go. However! The Sarutobi clan!

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(End of this chapter)