I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 255 Standing Up and Asking for Money from Major Ninja Villages

"The Sarutobi clan!"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, grew increasingly solemn. When he spoke of his clan, he said with an air of authority, "When I became the Third Hokage, I had a choice with my clan. They all chose to support me! That's why the Sarutobi clan exists today."

"This is fate. Having enjoyed the blessings of the Will of Fire for so many years, we must also bear the consequences."

For Hiruzen Sarutobi, his understanding of his clan had reached the point where his Will of Fire surpassed that of his clan. Although this way of thinking was somewhat distorted, it was undeniably very much in line with Japanese ideology.

Hiruzen Sarutobi placed a chess piece on the board, frowned, and said in a deep voice, "The current situation is just as you said. If things go too far and a civil war breaks out, Konoha will be destroyed."

"I will absolutely not stand by and watch Konoha fall into the hands of the ambitious and evil Uchiha. The day the Fifth Hokage officially succeeds to the throne will probably be the day Konoha officially begins its civil war."

"The losing side of the Fifth Hokage succession ceremony will definitely take the opportunity to cause trouble, and at that time, all of Uchiha Yoru's top combat power will be present. I want to do one last thing for Konoha."

At this point, a resolute look appeared in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, and he said in a hoarse voice, "You don't need to worry about the rest. When there is no leader, with Tsunade and Jiraiya, the Uchiha clan won't be able to cause any trouble. You just need to assist Tsunade in handling the relationships within the village."

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's resolute expression, Nara Shikaku frowned and became serious, but the clever man did not ask any further questions.

Since the Third Hokage was so confident, it proves he still had some trump cards up his sleeve. However, it seems these are likely trump cards meant to lead to mutual destruction.

However, the best option to resolve Konoha's crisis now is a decapitation strike.

In the silent room, Nara Shikaku had already left, leaving only Hiruzen Sarutobi, the old man who held fast to his last will, and now he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Danzo, it seems I must go find you."

When faced with sacrifice, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he was filled with a fervent passion.

"With the Reaper Death Seal, I will eliminate all destabilizing factors threatening Konoha!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted firmly in his heart, now confident that he could successfully launch a surprise attack at close range.

In the original story, during the Chunin Exams, the Third Hokage faced the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and Orochimaru. Although neither of the two Hokage were at their peak, the Third Hokage only used the Reaper Death Seal after a fierce battle when he was exhausted.

Even so, the Third Hokage still managed to seal two Kage-level fighters and Orochimaru's arms.

Now that the Third Hokage has decided to use this sealing technique at full strength, he is confident that he can succeed with the three Mangekyou Sharingan kids, Uchiha Yoru, Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Itachi, all of whom are Kage-level fighters.

After all, he was prepared to outmaneuver the unprepared, and Hiruzen Sarutobi was determined to use this sealing technique.

It has to be said that the Reaper Death Seal is quite terrifying when you're caught off guard.

……

Konoha's every move affects the mindset of almost everyone in the ninja world. As a result, three months have passed, and although the situation in Konoha remains tense, they still refuse to fight.

The major ninja villages were in a panic.

Cloud Ninja Village.

Inside the Raikage's office, the Fourth Raikage, A, gritted his teeth and suppressed his rage as he stared at the Konoha ninja who had come to ask for help again. He really wanted to snap the ninja's neck and smash his head.

"Your Excellency the Fourth Raikage, the current situation in Konoha is evident to all in the ninja world. Our Fifth Hokage, Lord Uchiha Yoru, faces the current predicament..."

He talked on and on about the predicament and pressure that Uchiha Yoru was facing, and then reached out for explosive tags and bladed tools, which basically meant he wanted weapons again.

"Damn bastard!"

The Fourth Raikage roared in fury, smashing the table in front of him to pieces. Then, under the astonished gazes of the Konoha ninja, he took a deep breath and forced a terrifying smile, suppressing his anger.

"These ninjas are despicable! They actually dared to defy the righteous Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yoru! But! My Kumogakure has already provided your Kage with strategic supplies five times in the past three months!"

"Even when the Kirigakure rebels from the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools invaded Konoha, the ninjas of my Kumogakure village not only turned a blind eye but also gave them the green light, and we stopped some harassing ninjas."

The more the Fourth Raikage spoke, the angrier he became. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "According to my intelligence, the war supplies that the righteous ninja villages of the ninja world have provided to you, Kage, are enough to wage a two- or three-year Shinobi World War!"

Three months! The Fifth Hokage of Konoha, Uchiha Yoru, practically went on a spending spree, sending messengers one after another in endless streams. Apart from Kirigakure, he exploited the other three major ninja villages multiple times, and even the poorest Sand Village received aid three times.

Not to mention the small ninja villages, who were forced to endure the pain and tears while continuously providing aid. If they didn't provide aid, the neighboring major powers wouldn't allow it.

The small ninja villages surrounding the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Wind that submitted to the government almost all gave away nearly half of their hard-earned resources as aid, with tears in their eyes.

There's no other way. If they don't offer aid, they'll not only offend Konoha, but also the powerful nation that supports them. It's too difficult.

The major ninja villages chose to remain silent about Uchiha Yoru's exploitative tactics, as it indirectly weakened the smaller ninja villages, allowing Konoha to retaliate even more severely.

As time went on, they could tolerate Konoha not starting a civil war, since a civil war wasn't something that could be started so easily. Moreover, Konoha was currently in the process of sculpting the Fifth Hokage, and the formal succession ceremony was still being prepared.

Surely Konoha can't possibly create two Fifth Hokage during the Fifth Hokage's succession ceremony, right? If Konoha dared to do that, they would actually be happy, because it would be great if Konoha were to split into two.

However, during this agonizing period of anticipation and waiting, the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yoru, acted in a rather shameless manner, constantly asking for war supplies.

Today, Uchiha Yoru, the Fifth Hokage, has established no fewer than ten military bases in the Land of Fire.

That's going too far! You're not fighting a war, yet you're hoarding supplies like crazy, and you're even using theirs. If you were fighting, you wouldn't need to tell us what you need; we'd see it and send it to you.

"The Fourth Raikage!"

Before the ninja from Konoha could say anything more, the Fourth Raikage, A, interrupted him, saying sternly, "For the sake of peace in the ninja world, my Hidden Cloud Village has unconditionally provided you with so many supplies free of charge, which has seriously affected the normal military defense of the Hidden Cloud Village."

"Therefore! Please reply to your Excellency, the Hidden Cloud Village is currently willing but unable to do so. However, please rest assured that I have decided to order the rear to speed up the production of various ninja tools, explosive tags and other supplies. New supplies will be available in a month."

Don't let the Fourth Raikage's rough and uncouth appearance fool you. Can a mere brute become a Kage? His bruteness is just a facade and a part of his personality. Deep down, he still possesses the mind of a Kage.

Seeing the Raikage's refusal, the Konoha ninja couldn't help but sigh. Although he was a little embarrassed, he had gotten used to it after coming so many times. Since the other party wouldn't give it to him, he let it go.

"In that case, I will return to the village first and report the truth to our Fifth Hokage, Lord Yoru."

Finally, in the Raikage's office, the Fourth Raikage, A, forced a smile onto his rugged face as he watched the other leave, before finally letting out a furious roar.

"Damn it! The Fifth Hokage of Konoha is so unruly! So shameless!"

Seeing this, the ninjas of Kumogakure all sighed. Not to mention their Raikage, they all wanted to vent their frustrations.

Since the situation of the ninja villages has been confirmed for so many years, I have never seen anyone so brazenly demand weapons from the major ninja villages. If you were the overlord of the ninja world, that would be one thing, but you are clearly not!

It's incredibly frustrating that they have the power to refuse, yet they can't.

This wasn't just happening in Kumogakure; the Kazekage and Tsuchikage also found various reasons to temporarily refuse.

However, before Konoha even began its civil war, the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Yoru, had already made a name for himself in the ninja world.

This Hokage, Uchiha Yoru, used his own experience to show everyone how to stand up straight and ask everyone for money. If they don't give it to you, you can't just refuse directly; you have to pretend to be embarrassed and find an excuse to get by first.

……

Leaf.

Inside the Hokage's office, Uchiha Yoru was casually reviewing mission scrolls, while Tsunade beside him clearly looked bored and overwhelmed.

Especially when Tsunade turned her head and saw the half-meter-high stack of documents in front of Uchiha Yoru, which had been empty in just over an hour, and then looked at her own side.

Tsunade couldn't help but show an embarrassed expression. She only had a little more than half the number of documents that this kid needed to review, but after working all morning, she hadn't even completed a third of them.

"This kid! He's born for this."

Tsunade considered herself to be quite good, but there's always someone better. At this moment, she genuinely admired him; talent really does play a role.

"Hey kid, you're reviewing these documents really fast. Are you trying to mess things up?"

Tsunade couldn't help but tease, while Uchiha Yoruichi, who was looking at the documents, kept both his hands and eyes busy, and laughed, "Is this fast? It's just that you guys are reluctant to relinquish power."

"Look at the documents I need to approve. Minor security incidents in the village don't need to be sent here. They can be handled by the experienced captain of the police department. As the Hokage, I can just go down and check the files and the actual situation whenever I have free time."

"At the same time, I also set up a special inspection team in the secret department. All of them were kept in secret and were specifically tasked with checking whether their subordinates had concealed or lied about anything."

"And the intelligence department... wait, missions within the village, those below rank B, are approved by the Hokage's elite assistants. The Hokage only needs to glance at them and correct any errors."

At this point, Uchiha Yoru, with a smile on his face and a hint of amusement, raised the document in his hand and said, "How many B-rank missions or higher does Konoha have in a year? If you calculate it carefully, there are only about ten documents that need to be checked and processed carefully every day."

"The rest is just a quick check to see if there are any omissions, and naturally the work efficiency will improve."

Just as Uchiha Yoru was speaking with a relaxed smile, the capable Uchiha Itachi entered carrying a stack of documents and reported at the same time.

"Lord Hokage, these are documents from the Intelligence Department, Medical Department, and Barrier Team. Among them, the Intelligence Department has three documents of Rank B or higher, which require your personal approval."

"These two documents are from the reorganization of Root and Anbu, and they also require the Hokage's personal approval."

Looking at Itachi Uchiha's report, Yoru Uchiha seemed to remember something and smiled at Tsunade, saying, "By the way, among them, the Root and Anbu, which are personally overseen by the Hokage, can have their tasks handled by the heads, except for some routine internal training tasks. However, any missions involving leaving the village or targeting ninjas require the Hokage's approval."

Goodness, after reading Uchiha Yoru's explanation, although it sounded a bit complicated at first, Tsunade frowned immediately upon closer examination.

Looking at the young brat in front of her, a complex expression appeared between her brows. This brat was really willing to delegate power, having practically handed over most of the Hokage's authority.

However, upon closer examination, it was simply a matter of delegating all the trivial matters to the Hokage, which not only made things easier for him but also won over the hearts of his subordinates.

"Hey, how old is this Uchiha Itachi? Although he's quite strong, you actually dare to use him to assist you in handling government affairs?"

Although she was convinced in her heart, Tsunade still had a look of dissatisfaction on her face, glaring at Uchiha Yoru as if to say, "Aren't you going too far?"

However, Uchiha Yoru smiled and shook his head, saying, "Itachi is a genius. He may be a bit stubborn, but relatively speaking, when it comes to handling some of the Anbu's administrative affairs, Itachi already had the mind of a Hokage when he was only five years old."

Faced with his teacher's praise, the twelve-year-old Uchiha Itachi was still a little embarrassed. After all, at his age and in such a high position, if it weren't for the Mangekyou Sharingan's power suppressing him, some people would really gossip. However, he was truly grateful.

"Hehe, but Itachi is indeed a bit young. At this age, he should focus more on improving his strength, since a ninja's strength is the foundation of everything."

Uchiha Yoru said with a smile, and Itachi, who was standing next to him, hurriedly bowed respectfully and shouted, "Yes! Itachi will definitely not let the Hokage down."

Tsunade, standing to the side, was dumbfounded. This brat's charm was no less than that of the old man and Orochimaru; he was almost always winning people over.

Sometimes, those in positions of power don't need to show much concern; a mere peaceful smile is enough to move their subordinates to the point that they see him as a mentor who understands them, and they would be willing to give their lives for him.

This is practically the way to manage subordinates.

"Kid, your Hokage assistant is going a bit too far."

Tsunade said with a hint of sourness, while Uchiha Yoru raised his head and gave a fake, silly smile.

"Really? Kurenai Yuhi, Yugao Uzuki, and Anko are all still young and have a lot of room for improvement in their abilities. I always encourage them to focus on developing their skills as much as possible."

"Look at my assistants. Hyuga Hizashi and Aburame Shiki are in charge of the intelligence department, Kakashi and Itachi are in charge of the ANBU, and there are also the newly joined ninjas from the Land of Water. They are best at interrogation and assassination."

"Sigh, we're still short-handed. Yakushi Nonou is from Root, and now she not only has to be in charge of the medical department, but also has to assist me, the Hokage, with some administrative matters."

At this point, Uchiha Yoru shook his head with a melancholy look on his face, but Tsunade felt frustrated by the sight. Just then, the obedient Shizune walked in carrying a stack of documents.

"Lady Tsunade, these are the documents you need to approve."

Good heavens! At this moment, Tsunade looked at Uchiha Yoru with so many assistants, and then looked at herself with even more disbelief. She only had Shizune as her assistant, and she had to handle all the big and small matters.

Some people think that the story of the Koi Fish will drag on for too long, mentioning two Fifth Hokage characters. Please have some patience, okay? Even the fastest story can't be this fast.

I've looked at the detailed outline; the plot will explode the day after tomorrow, so please be patient.

(End of this chapter)