Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

"Do you think I'd believe that? Madara Uchiha was killed by the First Hokage years ago?" Itachi Uchiha said.

"Whether you believe me or not is not important to me," Obito Uchiha smiled from behind the mask. "However, as your senior, I will still help you when you need it."

After saying that, Obito Uchiha disappeared into thin air.

"Space-time ninjutsu?" Itachi Uchiha's face grew even more serious as he looked thoughtfully in the direction where Obito Uchiha had disappeared.

After Obito left, Itachi had no intention of going back to rest and turned to run towards the Sarutobi clan.

Upon arriving at Hiruzen Sarutobi's residence, Itachi Uchiha hurriedly addressed the Sarutobi clan members guarding the entrance, saying, "Please inform the Third Hokage that I have important matters to report."

"Captain Itachi?" The Sarutobi clan member in charge of guarding the area saw Itachi's anxious expression and realized that something serious must have happened for him to come looking for the Hokage so late at night, so he hurriedly went in to report.

Not long after, Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing pajamas, quickly came out. After seeing Itachi Uchiha's expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart pounded. Why was Itachi coming to see him so late? Could it be that the Uchiha clan had rebelled?

"Lord Hokage, I apologize for disturbing you so late at night," Itachi Uchiha said, bowing.

"No need for formalities, Itachi. What happened that you came to see me so late?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said after taking a deep breath.

Itachi Uchiha turned his head and glanced at the guards on both sides.

"Come with me." Hiruzen Sarutobi understood, and at the same time breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed that Itachi Uchiha had not come to him late at night because of the Uchiha clan's direct rebellion.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked after leading Itachi Uchiha to a secret room in his house.

“Just now, I met someone who also has the Mangekyou Sharingan.” Itachi Uchiha took a deep breath. “And he called himself Madara Uchiha.”

"What?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was extremely surprised.

“That person sometimes uses space-time ninjutsu; his body can become intangible. My probing attacks had absolutely no effect,” Itachi Uchiha continued.

"He's wearing a strange mask, isn't he?" The Third Hokage asked, his gaze sharpening.

"How did you know?" Itachi Uchiha asked in surprise.

"Because I've seen that person before." Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression became very solemn. Six years ago, during the Nine-Tails' attack, the Fourth Hokage faced the same masked man you're talking about.

Uchiha Itachi's eyes widened upon hearing this.

"Did he say anything to you?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked seriously.

Uchiha Itachi dared not hide anything and quickly recounted the contents of their conversation.

After listening to Itachi Uchiha's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples with a headache and said, "Why did that guy have to show up at this crucial moment?"

"Third Hokage, was that person really Madara Uchiha?" Itachi Uchiha asked.

“Impossible,” Hiruzen Sarutobi said. “I witnessed the burial of Madara Uchiha firsthand, standing behind the Second Hokage.”

"Then who exactly is he? Could that guy's appearance be related to the clan?" Uchiha Itachi said.

“It shouldn’t be that bad. The Uchiha clan shouldn’t know of his existence. Otherwise, with three pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan, the Uchiha would have rebelled long ago.” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes flickered slightly, but he still said to Itachi Uchiha, “Itachi, I will discuss this matter with Jiraiya tomorrow. Please keep it a secret from the others. The village can’t afford any more trouble right now.”

"Yes!" Itachi Uchiha nodded in acceptance.

……

The following day, Jiraiya's expression turned very serious after learning about Itachi Uchiha's experience the previous night.

The culprit who caused his disciple's untimely death has reappeared at this critical juncture, which makes him think twice.

At the same time, the thought of Naruto being in the Uchiha clan made Jiraiya unable to sit still.

Meanwhile, members of the Isshinkai in the village who were related to Uchiha Touko received a formal invitation early this morning.

Just as Uchiha Touko was planning the banquet for the evening, Uchiha Inahika knocked on his office door.

"Captain, Jiraiya has come to see you," Uchiha Inaho reported.

"Is that so?" Uchiha Touko narrowed his eyes slightly.

[Jiraiya is coming to see me at this time? Has my plan been exposed?]

Despite his doubts, Uchiha Touko remained calm and said with a composed expression, "Please let him in."

"Understood." Uchiha Inahi acknowledged the order and left.

After Uchiha Inahisa left to receive his orders, Uchiha Touko immediately created two shadow clones and sent them to Ryuchi Cave to gather Sage Chakra using the Summoning Jutsu. Although he did not know why Jiraiya had come to him, if it was to cause trouble, he had to make sure that he could take down Jiraiya as soon as possible and not give him the opportunity to summon the two toad sages to activate Sage Mode.

After making the preparations, Uchiha Touko calmly set out a tea set in his office, waiting for Jiraiya's arrival.

Before long, Jiraiya hurriedly entered Uchiha Touko's office.

"Lord Jiraiya, is there a mission you need the Security Department's help with?" Uchiha Touko asked.

"Douguang, where is Naruto?" Jiraiya asked anxiously.

"Naruto?" Upon hearing this, Uchiha Touko breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed that Jiraiya and the others had not yet discovered his plan.

"Lord Jiraiya is joking. Where else could Naruto be at this time besides attending the Ninja Academy?" Uchiha Touko said.

"Uh...that makes sense." Jiraiya, who was too concerned to think straight, finally realized that Naruto should be in class at the Ninja Academy at this time.

"Lord Jiraiya, why are you in such a hurry to see me? Is something wrong with Naruto?" Uchiha Touko asked.

Jiraiya looked at Uchiha Touko's confused expression, thought for a moment, and then tentatively asked, "Captain Touko, last night, the masked man who caused the Nine-Tails' rampage seven years ago reappeared in the village."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Uchiha Touko frowned deeply. What was Obito doing in the village at this time? Uchiha Touko had been thinking that once things were over in the village, he would deal with Obito first, but he didn't expect that the other party would jump out ahead of time.

"That masked man has a Mangekyou Sharingan, and he calls himself Uchiha Madara." After Jiraiya finished speaking, he stared at Uchiha Touko, trying to find some clues on his face.

However, upon hearing this, Uchiha Touko's expression changed drastically. He met the other's gaze and said, word by word, "Does Lord Jiraiya doubt our Uchiha clan?"

"Touko, that's not what I meant, it's just that this matter is too urgent..." Jiraiya saw Touko's reaction and realized that his tone was not quite right, so he quickly softened his tone.

"What exactly does Lord Jiraiya want by coming to my security headquarters?" Uchiha Touko asked coldly.

"I want to take Naruto back. I'll protect him closely for the next few days," Jiraiya said through gritted teeth.

"Does Lord Jiraiya think the Uchiha clan can't protect a seven-year-old child? Or do you think the Uchiha would stoop so low as to attack a child and release the Nine-Tails to harm the village?" Uchiha Touko retorted defiantly, even though Naruto, with the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, was a huge problem now that Obito had appeared.

After all, if Obito really caused trouble at this critical moment and released the Nine-Tails, it would be his village that would be destroyed!

If he could, Uchiha Touko would love for Jiraiya to take Naruto away right now, but Naruto was entrusted to the Uchiha clan by Kakashi himself. If they just let Jiraiya take him away so easily, what would Kakashi think of him? What would the Fourth Hokage's former subordinates think of him?

“Douguang, I didn’t mean to doubt the Uchiha clan,” Jiraiya explained. “I just want to take Naruto to a safe place. After all, Naruto’s identity is of great importance, and the enemy has a history of controlling the Nine-Tails. So, I plan to send him to Mount Myōboku to hide for a while.”

Seeing that Jiraiya had softened, Uchiha Touko stopped pressing him and nodded, saying, "I understand, but Naruto is, after all, a child entrusted to our Uchiha clan by Kakashi. Shouldn't Lord Jiraiya ask Kakashi's opinion?"

"I understand, I'll tell Kakashi." Jiraiya nodded, and in Uchiha Touko's office, he summoned a messenger frog from Mount Myōboku. He then wrote a letter explaining the situation, handed it to the messenger frog, and had it relayed through Mount Myōboku to another messenger frog located near the border of Kirigakure in the Land of Fire, before finally delivering the confidential letter to Kakashi.

Not long after, Kakashi's ninja dog Pakkun ran into the security headquarters and brought back Kakashi's reply.

Jiraiya and Uchiha Touko together opened Kakashi's reply. In his reply, after learning that the culprit behind the Nine-Tails' attack had reappeared, Kakashi agreed to Jiraiya's idea of ​​sending Naruto to Mount Myōboku for Naruto's safety.

"See, Touko, Kakashi agreed." Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Kakashi's reply and said to Touko with a smile.

"I understand. In that case, Jiraiya-sama, please pick Naruto up after school today," said Uchiha Touko.

"Um," Jiraiya said, seeing that Uchiha Touko was being so agreeable now, a hint of apology appearing on his face, "Touko, I really didn't mean to doubt your Uchiha clan just now, I was just too hasty..."

Jiraiya became increasingly embarrassed as he explained, but at that moment, Uchiha Touko offered him a way out: "Lord Jiraiya, I understand. You could say you're Naruto's grandfather, so it's understandable that you're so concerned."

"Yes, yes, yes." Jiraiya nodded quickly. "Then, I won't disturb Captain Touko's work any longer."

……

Chapter 94 The Night of December 11th, Year 56 of the Timber Industry

"Lord Jiraiya." Uchiha Touko called out to Jiraiya, who was about to leave.

"Hmm?" Jiraiya turned around and looked at Uchiha Touko with some confusion.

"Regarding that masked man's Mangekyou Sharingan, I'll go back and review the clan records. Maybe I'll find some clues. I'll report back to you tomorrow," Uchiha Touko said with a smile.

"Okay, then I'll trouble you." Jiraiya didn't think much of it and nodded with a smile.

After Jiraiya left, Toko Uchiha alone drew up a map of the village. With Obito Uchiha emerging, many of his plans needed to be rearranged.

……

At 7 p.m., a banquet was set up at Uchiha Tokō's residence, and the invited guests arrived one by one.

However, upon arrival, the meticulous Aburame Shiki noticed something unusual. In the past, when Uchiha Touko held banquets, he would usually invite the high-ranking officials of various departments in the village separately. But this time, Aburame Shiki discovered that in addition to himself and Inuzuka Jacques, the head of the Inuzuka clan, there were also six captains of the Security Department, four elders of the Uchiha clan, and several mid-level officers in the Security Department, such as Uchiha Inahisa and Uchiha Zaito, who had been heavily promoted by Uchiha Touko. Furthermore, there were several members of the Anbu and the Jonin class from the Isshin-kai.

It can be said that all the top leaders of their faction were present.

The banquet officially began in the reception room of Uchiha Touko's house. A long table was set up in the reception room, and all the invitees took their seats in turn.

Seeing that most of the guests had arrived, Uchiha Tomitsu began the necessary part of each banquet.

"Everyone! Thank you all for coming," Uchiha Touko said with a smile.

"Clan Chief Douguang, what are you saying? It's us who have troubled you with the expense," Inuzuka Jacques said with a smile.

"A little money is nothing," Uchiha Touko waved his hand. "It is my honor to drink with you ninjas who share the Will of Fire!"

"It is the Will of Fire that unites us! Let us toast the Will of Fire with this first drink!" Uchiha Touko raised his glass.

"Cheers to the will of fire!" Everyone raised their glasses.

After finishing a glass of wine, the atmosphere at the banquet became lively, with everyone toasting each other and chatting freely.

But as they chatted, Seiichi Nagai suddenly brought up a rather dangerous topic: "There seems to be some news lately that the village is going to elect a fifth head."

“Brother Seiichi, watch your words,” said Torii Tomonobu, the captain of the Jonin squad.

"In my opinion, there is no one in the entire village more suitable to be Hokage than Chief Touko!" Nagai Seiichi said, tilting his head back and taking a large gulp of sake. His face was slightly flushed. "Tell me, is there anyone whose understanding of the Will of Fire is deeper than Chief Touko's?"

“But, the rumors circulating in the village now seem to say that the Third Hokage wants to appoint Jiraiya as the Fifth Hokage,” said Uchiha Tetsuya, toying with his sake cup after finishing his drink.

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

At that moment, Fugaku Uchiha pushed open the door and entered, breaking the silence.

"Sorry, sorry, something came up at home and I was held up. I'll punish myself with three drinks later," said Fugaku Uchiha. Today, Jiraiya came to visit Naruto after school to pick him up, so Fugaku was the last person to arrive at the banquet.

When Uchiha Toko saw that Uchiha Fugaku had arrived, he stood up, took out a stack of documents from his pocket, and gestured to Uchiha Inahi next to him to distribute them to everyone present.

This document was drafted by Uchiha Touko as a report on the arrest of Jiraiya on suspicion of aiding the enemy. After seeing this document, everyone present fell silent.

Some of the smokers picked up matches, lit cigarettes, and puffed away, but no one spoke first.

Uchiha Touko gestured to Uchiha Inahisa and Uchiha Zaito with his eyes, and the two understood and got up to close the doors and windows of the guest room.

"Everyone, we are all gathered together because of the Will of Fire," Uchiha Touko said slowly. "But now, someone suspected of aiding the enemy is going to become Hokage. Can we just sit idly by?"