Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

June has arrived before we knew it.

The bright sun high in the sky released boundless heat and light, making the road surface scald underfoot. The noisy, piercing chirping of cicadas crashed in like waves on the beach. In this kind of weather, I felt like my brain was about to boil.

"It's so hot!"

Kakashi reached out and put his hand to his forehead, shielding his eyes from the dazzling sunlight.

They stood in the shadows at the shop entrance for a long time without moving.

"...I was only away on a mission for half a month, and when I came back, the Third Hokage had been impeached and stepped down, and the Fifth Hokage had taken over as acting Hokage... It feels like a year or two has passed!"

"You'll get used to it soon!"

"By the way, I heard that Shimura Danzo was sentenced to death, is that true?"

"That's right, but the specific implementation time has not yet been determined."

"It's really true... What's the charge? What bad things did Danzo do?"

"There are many more examples. Do you know Konoha's White Fang? It's said that he was forced to commit suicide by Danzo spreading rumors. He also colluded with the rogue ninja Orochimaru to kidnap babies from surrounding villages for human experiments. During the Nine-Tails' attack, he stood by and watched the Fourth Hokage fight alone, trying to kill the Fourth Hokage so he could become Hokage himself. Oh, and he also used rumors to slander the Uchiha clan, trying to steal their Sharingan..."

The two young Chunin who were passing by gradually walked away, and their voices faded into the distance.

Kakashi stood blankly at the shop entrance, his head down, his right eye, devoid of light, staring blankly at the line where light and shadow met at his feet, motionless like a scarecrow.

"Yo! Kakashi!!!"

The sound was like the embodiment of 'passion,' exploding in my ears like a cannonball.

then,

A dark shadow descended from the sky.

A man with a watermelon-shaped haircut and wearing a green bodysuit appeared in front of Kakashi, flashing him a bright smile as radiant as the rising sun. His perfectly white teeth reflected a dazzling light that was hard to look directly at.

"...Kai?"

but,

Kakashi was stunned for a moment before he seemed to recognize the person in front of him.

"Kakashi, are you alright?"

Guy's thick, hard eyebrows twitched, his smile faded, and his original desire to challenge Kakashi to a duel was instantly suppressed. Kakashi seemed a bit off. Well, although Kakashi has never been quite normal, he seemed even more off than usual today.

"Nothing's wrong, I just felt it was too hot, so I'm hiding from the sun here for a while!" His mask concealed his facial expressions, and his lowered eyes avoided eye contact, making it impossible for anyone to detect his emotional changes. Only someone as intuitive as Guy, with his beast-like instincts, could sense Kakashi's unusual behavior.

"Are you really alright?"

Ah Kai was still worried.

"Kai, let's spar next time! I... have some things to take care of today." Kakashi said goodbye to Guy and walked away into the shadows along the roadside. Guy stood in the sunlight, watching Kakashi's departing figure, and for some reason, suddenly felt a little uneasy.

[Chapter 76: The Sound of an Explosion (Please vote!!!)]

The walls were painted snow-white. The narrow room contained only a wooden bed and a set of table and chairs. A cold light shone down from above. Hiruzen Sarutobi was practicing calligraphy at the table. The living conditions here were a bit poor, but he was, after all, a former Hokage, so his living conditions weren't too bad.

The guards would grant him any request that wasn't too unreasonable.

This is just a small favor that Akimichi Torifu is giving to his old friend! After all, we were classmates.

"call!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a soft breath, picked up the large character he had just written, and examined it closely under the light. The ink on the character "忍" (ren, meaning ninja/endurance) was fresh and vibrant, and he nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad! Your skill hasn't declined." He wondered to himself whether he should hang the character on the wall!

Just as he was pressing the paper in his hand against the wall to study where to hang it,

A series of hurried footsteps echoed in the outer corridor.

"Father!"

The arrival of the guests was unexpected for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Appearing at the door was his second son, Sarutobi Asuma.

"Asuma?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly at his second son, who was leaning over the railing. He hadn't expected to see his rebellious and willful youngest son at this time. He had grown taller since he left the village, and his beard had become thick and bushy. He also had a cloth around his waist that symbolized the Twelve Guardian Ninjas... It seemed like he was doing quite well outside!

"Father, how... how did it become like this?"

Sarutobi Asuma stood outside the door, gripping the railing. Looking at his father, who had removed his Hokage robes and was now dressed in gray clothes, with gray hair and a wrinkled face, resembling an old farmer by the roadside, Asuma felt a strange pang of sadness and heaviness in his heart. His past resentment and prejudice vanished quietly, leaving only deep worry.

"What exactly happened?"

"That's not something you need to know. I just... lost."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head.

He didn't want his youngest son to get involved in these matters.

In the past, if Sarutobi Asuma had heard his father treat him like a child, he probably would have immediately turned on him and started arguing. But today, after a moment of silence, he didn't lose his temper as usual. He glanced at the guard standing at the end of the corridor and then asked, "So, how is your life here?"

Seeing his son learn patience and self-control, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a little happier. "Not bad! He has plenty to eat and drink, and he has writing materials if he wants to write. Although the space is a bit small, so he can't stretch his arms and legs as much as he wants! By the way, Asuma, what brings you here?"

"I came back after receiving a letter from my cousin, Zaemon."

"Zaemon?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned when he mentioned his mediocre nephew.

He was ousted from power too quickly and didn't have time to rearrange the clan's affairs. His nephew was not capable of taking on important responsibilities, so they had to find a way to elect a new clan leader. Otherwise, the clan would probably not be able to weather the perilous storms to come.

What is the current situation in the clan?

"The clan? That... the village seems to be preparing for war with the Mist Ninja. My cousin Saemon complained to me that the village forcibly conscripted more than two hundred clansmen to participate in the war." Sarutobi Asuma tried his best to recall what he had said to his cousin, who was about twenty years older than him.

"More than two hundred members of the tribe were forcibly conscripted to fight?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's brow was almost furrowed into a big knot.

"Akimichi Torifu... Damn it!!"

His mood instantly soured to the extreme. This was undoubtedly bad news for him. He knew, of course, that with his downfall, the Sarutobi clan would be suppressed. However, he did not expect Akimichi Torifu to make his move so quickly and so ruthlessly.

at this time,

"Boom! Boom!"

A muffled explosion could be heard in the distance.

The ground beneath my feet trembled slightly, the chandelier above my head swayed from side to side, and fine dust and stone chips fell from the ceiling.

"what's the situation?"

Sarutobi Asuma instinctively reached for his ninja tool pouch at his waist, but found nothing. He remembered that before entering this secret prison, he had been forced to surrender all his weapons, including his chakra blade and kunai, which were all left at the entrance.

He is truly unarmed now.

"Sarutobi Asuma, don't move!"

The warning came from the Aburame clan at the end of the corridor, and not just one person, but two more guards appeared beside the Aburame clan member. One had pure white eyes, and the other had the family crest of a flame fan on his body. This formation stunned Sarutobi Asuma for a moment.

"To avoid any unpleasant misunderstandings, please remain here and do not move around or do anything that could cause misunderstandings until the alarm is lifted."

A warning was issued by the guards from the Hyuga clan.

Seeing the guards' wary and alert demeanor, Sarutobi Asuma paused for a moment, then seemed to understand something. "You don't suspect that the explosion just now was related to me, do you?"

"Enough nonsense! Whether it's related or not, someone will investigate. If it has nothing to do with you, just stay here. If it does... don't even think about escaping!" The Uchiha guard bearing the Flame Fan Clan crest coldly rebuked him, his rude attitude causing Sarutobi Asuma's face to turn angry.

He'd never been lectured like that before in his entire life.

Having a father who is the Hokage, few people in the village dared to give him a hard time growing up. Even when his father disciplined him, he dared to leave Konoha in a huff.

"Don't be impulsive, Asuma!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi reached out and grabbed his youngest son's arm. He absolutely couldn't move at this moment. If Asuma dared to make a move here, it would definitely not be a good thing for him. Although it was lonely to be locked up here, he didn't want his youngest son to keep him company.

"······hateful!!!"

Sarutobi Asuma angrily loosened his fist.

Seeing this, the Uchiha clansmen curled their lip in disappointment, muttering trash like "coward" and "useless" in a voice that echoed throughout the corridor. This angered Sarutobi Asuma so much that the veins on his forehead throbbed, and he bit his lip until it bled, leaving a trail of bright red blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Speaking of which, the explosion location seems to be near where Danzo is being held?" The Hyuga clansman interrupted his companion's trash talk, activating his Byakugan, somewhat curious about what had happened.

"Yes, the explosion did come from that direction."

The Uchiha clan members also gave up their ineffective trash talk and followed the Hyuga clan members' gaze towards the direction from which the explosion came.

"Could it be that someone would actually go to rescue that Danzo guy?"

"Maybe they're remnants of the Root!"

"Impossible, right? Wasn't Gen completely uprooted? With most of the families in the village joining forces, it would be truly unbelievable if any of Gen's descendants escaped!"

"If it weren't for Root, who else would have come to save Danzo?"

"Hmm...you're right!"

The Uchiha and Hyuga clansmen were chatting enthusiastically, while the Aburame clan member maintained her family's tradition of standing silently to the side, listening without participating.

[Chapter 77. Let's all happily drag each other down! (Please vote!)]

"What did you say?"

"Has someone infiltrated the secret prison holding Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and others?"

Hokage's office

The Fifth Acting Hokage stared wide-eyed at the intelligence department staff who rushed in with an incredulous look.

"Yes, Lord Hokage, this is the message we just received."

"And who is the intruder?"

Autumn winds carry out inquiries.

"It's still unclear. The intruders are very clever. They used explosive tags to blast their way in through the weakest point in the defenses, and they also used water clones to cause chaos everywhere. The guards still haven't been able to determine the intruders' identities. However, judging from their familiarity with the secret prison, they should be insiders of the village, and moreover, they should be related to the Dark Guard or Root."

Intelligence agencies are responsible for more than just collecting intelligence; analysis is also one of their tasks.

"An insider?"