The Uchiha Clan's Sun

Hiruzen Sarutobi confirmed with a dark expression.

“Uh…” Mitomon Jiro hesitated for a moment, then carefully recalled the process of today’s meeting before speaking: “It was indeed Eita who brought up this matter. Everyone present was quite surprised at the time, but we checked the two appointment letters, and there were no problems with the procedures and signatures on them.”

"Okay, keep talking!"

Both appointment letters were written by him, so there's no problem with them.

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty, and urged Mitomon Jiro to continue.

"After the Jonin meeting began, Uchiha Jin first announced Shimura Danzo's ten major crimes, which made everyone present very angry."

Mitomon Jiro continued.

"The Ten Great Crimes?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed lost in thought upon hearing this, his gaze unfathomable, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Mitomon Jiro hesitated for a moment, then cautiously looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "Some of the ten major crimes committed by Danzo Shimura involve you..."

"Oh? And it involves me too?" A glint of light flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes as he asked, "What did they say about me?"

“It’s nothing,” Mitomon Jiro said after considering his words. “Uchiha Jin’s main target was Shimura Danzo; he was just lenient with you.”

"For example, one of the crimes committed by Shimura Danzo was persecuting his own people. Uchiha Jin used the case of Hatake Sakumo as an example, saying that Shimura Danzo set a trap to frame Hatake Sakumo, and that you tacitly approved of Shimura Danzo's actions at the time."

"However, their main firepower was focused on Danzo Shimura, and it did not affect you."

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed deep in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, but he said in a very calm tone, "I understand. Continue."

"Yes!" Mitomon Jiro nodded and said, "Then Uchiha Jin mentioned that Shimura Danzo sent someone to assassinate you, using this as an excuse to attack the Anbu."

"Eternal Sister went even further, abolishing the current Anbu and appointing Uchiha Jin as the head of the Anbu, drawing elite ninjas from the Konoha Police Department and the Hyuga clan to become Anbu personnel!"

With a 'thud,' Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the bedside table, leaving a clear handprint on the steel surface.

"Nonsense!" Mitokado Homura, standing to the side, also spoke up angrily: "What's wrong with Minato? It's one thing to let Uchiha Jin and Hyuga Hiashi become elders of Konoha, since we agreed to that, but how can such an important department as the Anbu be taken over by the Uchiha!"

"How can this be allowed!"

"Doesn't Minato Namikaze know about the problems of the Uchiha clan?!"

"Tobirama-sensei made them so proud of the Uchiha clan for controlling even a small Konoha Guard. If they were to control the Anbu, they would turn the world upside down!"

Mitoka's condition was extremely urgent; even the gauze at the newly reattached severed hand was seeping with traces of blood.

"Alright Yan, calm down, your injuries haven't healed yet!"

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was originally very angry, calmed down and offered a word of advice.

After a pause, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Mitomonjiro and continued, "Go on, what else did they do?"

Mitomon Jiro nodded and continued, "Besides the Anbu, Eita and Uchiha Jin also proposed reforming the Konoha Police Department so that it would no longer be the private property of the Uchiha clan."

"Because everyone is still wary of what happened last time when Uchiha Jin used the power of fixed laws, everyone is still very supportive of this matter."

"Heh, that's interesting. So even those snobs from the Uchiha clan are willing to relinquish power?" Hiruzen Sarutobi became interested and asked, "How exactly were the changes made?"

Mitomon Jiro immediately recounted Uchiha Jin's reform plan in detail, and concluded by saying, "Although Uchiha Jin's reform plan involves not only the Konoha Police Department, but also other departments such as the Reconnaissance Team, the Barrier Team, and the Analysis Team."

"But Uchiha Jin gave up enough benefits to feed most people, so no one objected."

"Although we felt something was wrong, we didn't find any specific problems because none of you were here, and given the general trend, we didn't say anything."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened, and he waved his hand, saying, "Continue, what else was discussed at this Jonin meeting?"

Mitomon Jiro continued, "Then there was the matter of pensions and subsidies. Although Eitai used this matter to point the finger at the finance department, the finance department's response was watertight, which was enough to get through to Uchiha Jin, who agreed to use the subsidy funds allocated by the Daimyo's government."

"Another matter is the peace talks with the other villages. Nara asked the squad leader to send someone over to test their attitude first, while she could also act more assertive."

"There's also the issue of border defense deployment. Yongdaimei basically followed the village's action plan."

"Finally, when the meeting was about to end, Uchiha Jin mentioned the issue of the orphanage and the Konoha orphanage, saying he wanted to merge the two departments."

"This is not a big deal. Everyone agreed to the merger plan proposed by Uchiha Jin because there were no flaws."

After a pause, Mitomon Jiro thought for a moment and then said, "That's roughly the content of this Jonin meeting. Now the whole village is mobilized to prepare for the reforms."

"Alright, since that's the case, you should go back and get some rest too."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

"Yes!"

Mitomon Jiro stood up and acknowledged the order. He then bowed to Mitomon Yan and the mute Koharu Utatane before leaving the ward, closing the door behind him.

Once Mitomon Jiro's footsteps had faded into the distance, Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer concealed his true feelings, revealing a sinister expression.

"What do you think?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Koharu Utatane, who was on one of the other two hospital beds, while Mitokado Hō was on the other bed.

Xiaochun shook her head slightly. Although she had a thousand words in her heart, she couldn't say a word at the moment, which made her very uncomfortable.

Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed this and immediately said, "Alright, Koharu, you don't need to say anything for now. Just listen carefully."

Mitokado Homura said directly, "Hiruzen, something seems off. There seems to be something wrong with Namikaze Minato!"

It wasn't that Mitokado Homura was slow to realize it; it was just that Minato Namikaze's warm, sunny, and politically naive image was so deeply ingrained that Homura still found it hard to believe he had misjudged him.

"There's no doubt about it, we definitely misjudged them!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a deep voice, "We've been hunting geese all day, but we've been pecked in the eye by the geese. Minato Namikaze was definitely on the same boat as King Uchiha long ago!"

"We were careless this time!"

Mitokado Homura frowned and said, "How is this possible? Minato Namikaze and King Uchiha haven't even met many times, have they? How could their relationship be so good?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi also frowned slightly and said, "This is also what puzzles me!"

"I have also investigated Minato Namikaze's resume before. Although Minato Namikaze and King Uchiha were classmates, King Uchiha was just like other Uchiha when they were in the Ninja Academy. He was a quiet person and didn't have many friends in the Ninja Academy. He didn't have much interaction with Minato Namikaze either."

"In the early stages of the Third Shinobi World War, when Minato Namikaze was just starting out, they did interact a few times, but it wasn't very deep, and compared to others, it was nothing."

"In fact, according to the records, Minato Namikaze's relationship with Fugaku Uchiha was better than his relationship with King Uchiha!"

"I really can't understand how Uchiha Jin and Namikaze Minato could have colluded together!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's trust in Minato Namikaze was not built up overnight. When deciding to groom Minato as his successor, Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally had to conduct a background check on Minato.

During the investigation at the time, Minato Namikaze was found to have no problems, and in subsequent interactions, Hiruzen Sarutobi was very satisfied with Minato's performance.

But now it seems that Minato Namikaze was too clean!

Especially compared to Orochimaru, who was smeared by Danzo Shimura, Minato Namikaze was far too clean!

People who are too clean are actually harder to control!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze turned sinister as he spoke, "Thinking about it now, it doesn't seem quite normal that our relationship with Danzo has broken down!"

"You and I both know what kind of person Danzo is, and Danzo knows us inside and out. Although we may have some ideological conflicts at times, we are on the same page in the big picture!"

Mitomon Homura belatedly chimed in, "That's right. I remember it was when Danzo and I went to find Uchiha Jin to discuss the Daimyo's financial problems that Danzo suddenly betrayed us, catching me completely off guard."

"At the time, I was blinded by my emotions, but looking back now, it really was too sudden!"

"You can forgive me, but how could someone as shrewd as Danzo be manipulated?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was extremely calm and said, "Everyone has their own unresolved issues, and Danzo's unresolved issue was the position of Hokage!"

"I know Danzo has always wanted to become Hokage. It's not that he's resentful of me, but rather that he believes he's capable of the position! Especially after he missed out on the Hokage title because of a momentary lapse in judgment!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's understanding of Danzo Shimura was arguably no less than Danzo's!

Back when the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was testing everyone, Danzo Shimura was having a fierce internal struggle, watching the movements of the others. Hiruzen Sarutobi was also having a similar internal struggle, observing Danzo Shimura's actions!

Actually, Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't made up his mind yet, but after seeing Danzo Shimura make a move, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't think twice and instinctively took the lead!

Perhaps because he was used to fighting with Shimura Danzo, Hiruzen Sarutobi always wanted to get ahead of Shimura Danzo!

Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi became the Hokage!

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "Jin Uchiha is too sharp-eyed. He knows that with my support, Minato Namikaze becoming the Fourth Hokage is practically a done deal. If he gets too close to Minato, it will only make me suspicious. So he has always kept his distance from Minato."

"With me in the open and the Uchiha and Hyuga in the shadows, there is no doubt that Minato Namikaze will become Hokage."

"Under these circumstances, Uchiha Jin came up with a new idea. First, he had Namikaze Minato deliberately fall out with these powerful clans in the village, giving Danzo hope of becoming Hokage!"

"Then they will wait for the highest bidder, taking benefits from both me and Danzo, while feigning support for Danzo, driving Danzo completely mad!"

"What a brilliant scheme! They've even used me as a pawn!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts became clearer and clearer as he spoke, and he analyzed the facts almost perfectly.

Mitokado Homura hesitated for a moment before saying, "We're alright, since we're all in a passive position and haven't had much contact with that Uchiha Jin. It's normal that we can't tell that the one who set up this is Uchiha Jin."

“But since Uchiha Jin has reached a cooperation agreement with Danzo, even if it is a fake cooperation, he should first gain Danzo’s basic trust.”

"Couldn't Danzo see that there was something wrong with Uchiha Jin?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, "At the beginning, Danzo was blinded by hope, so it's normal that he couldn't see it."

"Danzo may have had some doubts afterward, but he was already at a crossroads and had no way out but to gamble everything!"

"He's already fallen out with us, what else can he do but make a last-ditch effort?"

Upon hearing this, Mitomon Homura sighed and said, "We've known each other for decades. Regardless of right or wrong, we've been through thick and thin together. How could we possibly fall out like this?"

"To be honest, even now, I don't hold any resentment towards him. If I had to say anything, it would be that I'm disappointed in his lack of ambition!"

"Unfortunately, it's too late to say anything now!"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered, and he said meaningfully, "Too late? Perhaps..."

Chapter 326 Wait, I've become an Uchiha?

"perhaps?"

Having known Hiruzen Sarutobi for so many years, Mitokado Homura naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.

I suspect my old buddy has some other ideas now.

Thinking of this, Mitokado Homura directly asked, "Hiruzen, what are you going to do? Try to rescue Danzo?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered, but he did not answer Mitokado Homura's question immediately.

Knowing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was still considering the feasibility of this matter, Mitokado Homura continued, "Danzo's matter is not easy to handle. The Ten Great Sins that Uchiha Jin has gathered for him have almost completely crushed him, leaving him no room to turn the tables."

"If we intervene to rescue Danzo at this time and speak up for him, we might end up getting ourselves into trouble!"

Although Mitokado Homura didn't resent Shimura Danzo, to be honest, in Mitokado Homura's eyes, Shimura Danzo was now a pile of shit, and just getting close to him would cause him trouble!

“That won’t work…” Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed upon hearing this and said, “Flame, our current situation is very serious, and the only person we can rely on is Danzo!”

"Hmm?" Mitokado Homura asked, somewhat surprised. "It can't be that serious, can it?"

"No, it's that serious!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said solemnly, "Flame, you've underestimated Uchiha Jin so far!"

"Although Uchiha Jin and Namikaze Minato's reforms to the Konoha Police Department seemed to have given up a lot of benefits, in reality they gained more than they gave up!"

"First of all, the fact that the positions of the heads of those departments after the reorganization are all hereditary within the Uchiha clan ensures that the fundamental interests of the Uchiha clan have not been shaken."

"Previously it was the Konoha Police Department, but now it has just been split into several smaller parts."

"Furthermore, after merging with other departments, the power of each of these departments is actually not much less than that of the previously nominal Konoha Guard Department!"

"At the same time, while the other clans in Konoha seem to have gained benefits, it also means that they have accepted the control of the Uchiha clan and formed a community of interests with the Uchiha clan!"

"With this division and appeasement, coupled with Minato Namikaze's control over the Anbu, the Hokage's Guard, and other departments, how much power do you think we still have at our disposal?"

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Yan frowned, and after careful calculation, said, "Aside from those small departments with little power, it seems we only have the Administration Department, the Medical Department, and the Mission Team left?!"

You don't know until you calculate it, and you'll be shocked when you do. Mitomon Homura was also somewhat apprehensive at this moment.

“You’re overestimating yourself!” Hiruzen Sarutobi said again, “Don’t forget that Uchiha Jin just transferred the corpse disposal team under the Medical Department, and the animal training and rehabilitation team under the Medical Department has always been controlled by the Inuzuka clan. The Nara clan also has a share in the medicine team, not to mention the administration department. The only departments we can fully control are the finance department and the logistics department.”

"As for the mission team... this department has always been under the jurisdiction of the Hokage. Although it is still in my hands now, I don't know when Minato Namikaze will take it back!"

"Therefore, the situation we are facing now is more severe than ever before!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone was full of sorrow, and he had a terrible headache.

Mitokado Homura, however, still harbored some hope, saying, "Really? Although there are many factions mixed in within the Medical Department and the Administrative Department, we are the highest leaders. Would they dare to disobey our orders and side with the Uchiha clan?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, "They might not side with the Uchiha clan, but they won't side with us either!"

"Don't forget, I'm no longer the Hokage, and the current Hokage stands with the Uchiha clan!"

"The Uchiha clan has the moral high ground on this point alone. As long as they don't go too far and stage a coup, those people won't support them, but they won't turn against them either!"