Uchiha's personal opinion

The letter to the family requested that personnel be drawn from the police department and various family branches to form a combat force, ready to respond to any battle at any time.

Then another letter was sent to the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Grass, instructing the Tokugawa Red Guard stationed there to dispatch a portion of their forces to the border region between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire.

Moreover, the above-mentioned transfers do not need to be concealed; the greater the commotion and gathering, the better.

"Perhaps it's an opportunity..."

After handing the letter to his subordinates to send out, Uchiha Tokumitsu pondered it carefully inside his tent.

The reason the daimyo sent an envoy to question them was simply because the joint smuggling operation between the Uchiha clan and the Kirigakure clan had infringed upon the commercial interests of the two daimyo, and therefore they intended to stop it and extort money from them.

As long as the thousands of Uchiha clan ninja remain, the Daimyo's questioning and the Hokage's accusations are nothing.

However, the fact that the Hyuga clan proactively revealed information is quite different.

To be honest, when it comes to reading people and changing one's stance according to the prevailing winds, the Uchiha clan can't even come close to the Hyuga clan.

And yet, the Hyuga clan, which was originally arrogant and vying for the title of the strongest ninja clan, was able to indirectly pass on information to the Uchiha clan, especially such extremely sensitive information as the Daimyo's envoy and the Hokage's conspiracy...

"How did the Hyuga clan suddenly come to this realization..."

This is what Uchiha Tokumitsu finds most perplexing.

Why would the Hyuga clan, a group of ancient relic from the Warring States period who secretly held power, suddenly make a 180-degree turn and show goodwill to the Uchiha clan?

Surely they couldn't have been intimidated by the power of the Uchiha clan?

It can't be because the luxury goods exported by the Uchiha clan to Kirigakure were purchased from the Hyuga clan, can it?

When did this prestigious, thousand-year-old family become so agile?

Uchiha Tokumitsu was completely baffled.

……

The next day, the Hokage's messenger ANBU arrived at the eastern border defense forces, informing Uchiha Tokumitsu to return to the village for a meeting three days later.

"Three days later..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu was speechless after receiving the notification.

Is this an investigation into the crimes of the Uchiha clan, or is it to facilitate collusion between the Uchiha and other relevant parties?

"I understand, I will attend the meeting."

Uchiha Tokumitsu casually dismissed the messenger ANBU.

"Chief, you may come out now."

Uchiha Tokumitsu said casually.

Clan leader Uchiha Shifu walked out from behind the central command tent with a gloomy expression.

He arrived a while earlier than the messenger unit, and to avoid suspicion, he deliberately left the main tent and hid for a while.

Why three days later?

"Uchiha Tokumitsu asked."

"I don't know either..."

Even the clan leader, Uchiha Yomo, couldn't answer.

"Then what are you doing here?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu rubbed his temples a few times, feeling a bit of a headache: "Are the clan's combat forces all ready? Have the spies from the Ninja Cat Clan been dispatched? Have all the affiliated ninja clans been contacted?"

"This……"

Uchiha Shika was dumbfounded.

"Deguang-kun, what are you doing...?"

"Isn't it the daimyo who sent an envoy to inquire? Don't you intend to respond?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu found it rather strange.

"The troops dispatched by the clan are ready, but the Ninja Cat Clan and its affiliated ninja clans still need to..."

Uchiha Yomo asked cautiously.

"Peace will survive if we seek it through struggle, but will perish if we seek it through compromise!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu finished tidying up the documents, stood up and said, "The clan also needs to show the outside world its stance and let them understand that the core interests of the Uchiha clan are inviolable!"

Uchiha Yomo hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Uchiha Tokumitsu walked out of the tent.

"Where are you going?"

Uchiha Yomotsu quickly asked.

"The meeting is in three days. Aren't you planning to go back to the village first?"

Uchiha Tokumitsu turned around and said, somewhat puzzled.

The Uchiha clan was speechless.

He felt like he had made a wasted trip.

"We can't let this get out of hand..."

After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Yomo decided to pay the bill along with Uchiha Tokumitsu.

Making a public appearance is a way of showing the family's support for Uchiha Tokumitsu, and it can also put the minds of those involved in the special border trade at ease.

"Does the clan chief mean we can make a scene?"

After assigning tasks to the border troops to the Jonin in charge, Uchiha Tokumitsu casually replied.

"...Try to avoid a real fight; the family isn't fully prepared yet."

After hesitating for a while, Uchiha Yomo sighed and replied.

"I will know what I'm doing."

Uchiha Tokumitsu remained noncommittal.

Although Uchiha Yomo didn't say anything more, he still felt uneasy.

It's so exciting!

Compared to Uchiha Tokumitsu, he felt like he was the ultimate dove!

……

News of the Uchiha clan's smuggling activities and their subsequent being questioned by the Daimyo spread quickly through Konoha.

The civilian ninjas, exhausted from their missions, expressed envy and jealousy, while the ninja clans took this as a warning, believing that they should maintain a secretive style and not be as flamboyant as the Uchiha.

But what Konoha was most concerned about was the attitude shown by the Uchiha clan.

Although the Daimyo's envoy and the Hokage Building have not yet officially sent a letter of inquiry to the Uchiha clan, everyone already knows about the meeting three days later.

Putting aside other things, the police patrol teams that have been patrolling the streets recently are now much better equipped, looking like they're fully armed and ready to go at any moment.

In addition, another Uchiha ninja army gathered at the Uchiha Shrine in Nakagawa, their intentions unclear.

More than the smuggling incident, people are worried that the Uchiha clan might do something drastic on a whim.

Everyone is waiting for the return of Uchiha Tokumitsu.

……

"What? The ninja army of the Land of Grass has been stationed on the border of the Land of Fire?"

Inside the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had already received intelligence about the unusual movements of the Uchiha ninja forces stationed overseas.

"Lord Hokage, this is rebellion! Blatant rebellion!"

The daimyo's envoy jumped up and shouted, "These arrogant and unruly Uchiha must be severely punished!"

The high-ranking officials in the Hokage's office ignored the Daimyo's envoy's shouts.

Actually, smuggling isn't a huge deal, but it's not insignificant either. The various ninja clans of Konoha have been doing this kind of thing behind the scenes quite a bit, just not on the scale of the Uchiha clan.

In the past, the Uchiha clan focused on arms trading, the Hyuga clan dominated various high-end luxury markets, the Nara clan's secret medicines were sold throughout the ninja world, and even the Sarutobi clan secretly controlled many mines. The Shimura clan's casinos were all over the ninja world...

If we really investigate this, it will lead to a lot of trouble, and no one will benefit.

Therefore, even if he was dissatisfied with the Uchiha clan, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's original intention was simply to cause trouble for the Uchiha clan.

If the Uchiha clan does not back down, their reputation with the Daimyo will worsen, and they will not even have a chance to be nominated for Hokage in the future. If the Uchiha clan accepts the punishment, then the Daimyo can start by attacking the Uchiha clan's prestige in Konoha through public opinion, which is seen as a loss of sovereignty and humiliation for the village.

It can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

Otherwise, the Uchiha smuggling incident wouldn't have spread so quickly within the village.

"Envoy, please don't be hasty... This matter still needs to be investigated; perhaps there are other circumstances."

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, put down the ANBU intelligence report, took out his pipe, and said unhurriedly, "Perhaps there have been some unnecessary misunderstandings due to poor communication. Uchiha Tokumitsu will be back soon, let's discuss it at the meeting then."

The daimyo's envoy immediately concluded that the Hokage was deliberately protecting the Uchiha clan, and jumped up again to shout loudly.

The two advisors quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

Tsunade watched the farce unfolding in the Hokage's office with obvious impatience.

Orochimaru, sitting in a dark corner of the Hokage's office, stared intently at the secret documents brought by the Daimyo's messenger.

After an investigation by noble officials of the Land of Fire, the amount of smuggling and profits of the Uchiha and Kirigakure ninja clans were estimated. The extremely high "gold content" revealed between the lines made Orochimaru, who was originally indifferent to money, a little uneasy.

"Smuggling is so profitable!!!"

It turns out that performing highly difficult tasks isn't the most lucrative!

Orochimaru seemed to have opened the door to a new world!

Chapter 162 The So-Called Fortune Lies in Peril

On a dark and stormy night, Uchiha Tokumitsu returned very discreetly to Konoha, a place he was not entirely loyal to.

Except for a very few observant individuals who kept a close eye on the Uchiha clan's activities, most of the villagers were unaware that Uchiha Tokumitsu had returned to the village.

There was still one day left before the meeting scheduled by the Hokage Building.