"Three days from now, the Uchiha Clan will be holding a Genjutsu Game press conference at the training grounds on the outskirts of the village? What exactly is a Genjutsu Game?"
"Uh, never heard of it. Is it some brand-new genjutsu?"
"I understand genjutsu, and I understand games, but put the two together and I don't understand anymore."
"Genjutsu and games? How do those two things even go together?"
"The Uchiha Clan? What are those stuck-up bastards trying to do now? And what's a press conference?"
"Uh, according to the notice, it's a new method of making announcements and promotions, intended to publicly showcase certain new things?"
"As expected of one of Konoha's founding clans. They may be incredibly arrogant, but they're more talented than us. Just like how they joined forces with the Senju Clan to establish the first ninja village and end the Warring States Period, now they've come up with something new again."
"Huh? Are you an Uchiha fanboy?"
"Yeah. The Uchiha Clan has so many handsome guys."
"You idiot, you're a man! Even if you like the Uchiha Clan, shouldn't you like the Uchiha women?"
"Tch, what's so good about a bunch of stinking women? I like men. Huh? Where are you going?"
"Sorry, this is all still too advanced for me. Let's not see each other again."
In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, held the flyer he had just received and could not help frowning slightly, deep confusion written across his face.
Because he simply could not understand what the Uchiha Clan was trying to pull this time.
"Hiruzen, what do you think the Uchiha Clan is trying to do?"
A voice rang out. It belonged to a middle-aged man with wrinkles on his face but a fairly robust body, black hair and beard, and round glasses.
His surname was Mitokado, his given name Homura, and he was one of the Konoha F4.
Besides him, Utatane Koharu, who usually appeared alongside him, was also present. She was likewise a fairly sturdy-looking middle-aged woman with black hair.
At this point in the forty-sixth year of Konoha, those future old men and women were still at the tail end of their prime.
Facing Mitokado Homura's question, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "I can't make sense of it. According to the flyer, it's a brand-new commercial model for promoting and announcing a special product that will be sold to the public."
After a pause, he added, "Something like a new business model."
Utatane Koharu frowned. "Should we stop the Uchiha?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his old friend. "On what grounds? The Uchiha Clan has said that this is merely a new product. The difference is that, rather than simply putting it on sale in their shops, they are holding a village-wide promotion."
"The Uchiha Clan will cover all expenses, and they will also be responsible for maintaining public order on the day of the press conference. The village does not need to do anything, and we can even collect a fee for renting out the venue."
"Furthermore, the Uchiha Clan has sent invitations to Konoha's major clans, inviting them to send representatives to the press conference. Even the Sarutobi Clan received one."
"That means the Uchiha Clan is very confident in their new product and can ensure that it will not harm Konoha."
"So why should we stop them? What reason do we have? Without any evidence that their actions will harm Konoha, how could we possibly justify forcibly stopping them?"
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura fell silent. Hiruzen Sarutobi was right. Although they had many questions, they truly had no reason to interfere.
Still, they were deeply annoyed that the Uchiha Clan had produced something entirely new and intended to promote it so openly without reporting to Konoha's higher-ups or clearly explaining everything.
After all, as a founding clan, the Uchiha Clan possessed enough privileges that they did not need to report such matters to them and explain everything in detail, waiting for approval before acting like the other clans did.
Therefore, they had every reason to be unhappy with the Uchiha Clan. Those who held power hated nothing more than things beyond their control.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, on the other hand, remained quite calm. As the Third Hokage, he had never monopolized power from the beginning. Instead, he had voluntarily divided the Hokage's authority among several of his closest friends, allowing his companions to govern Konoha alongside him.
That mindset meant Hiruzen Sarutobi did not feel much emotional upheaval in response to the Uchiha Clan's "maverick" behavior.
Thus, in a different mood, Mitokado Homura said solemnly, "At the very least, we need to figure out what this so-called Genjutsu Game is. Otherwise, it would be terrible if the Uchiha Clan intends to do something radical through it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his friend speechlessly. "I already told you, they invited all the major clans to send representatives, and they have promoted this all over the village. There will definitely be many people attending the press conference."
"So do you think the Uchiha Clan has gone mad enough to declare war directly on the village? Or has another Uchiha Madara appeared, ready to make the entire village dance?"
Mitokado Homura fell silent, looking somewhat embarrassed. He knew his earlier words had been rather stupid.
Then, at that moment, the Hokage's office door was suddenly pushed open.
It was an extremely rude and presumptuous act. There were few people in Konoha who would behave this way, and the person who had arrived was clearly one of those few.
"Hiruzen, you are still too naive. I dare say that the press conference the Uchiha Clan is holding must involve some major move, and there is a high chance it is related to that Uchiha Qi."
With that cold, low voice, the temperature inside the Hokage's office seemed to drop considerably.
What Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two saw was the last of the Konoha F4, Shimura Danzō, the representative of Darkness of the Ninja World and Konoha's scapegoat.
This one-eyed crippled man, whose body was half-wrapped in bandages, wore an expression as though the entire world owed him several hundred billion. Leaning on a cane with one hand, he strode into the office.
The door was immediately shut by the ANBU ninja stationed outside, leaving only the Konoha F4 in the room.
Under Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura's puzzled gazes, Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the flyer, lit his pipe, and asked, "Danzō, what have you uncovered this time? Did you make contact with Uchiha Qi?"
Shimura Danzō snorted coldly. "No. I did send subordinates to bring Uchiha Qi to me. However, the Uchiha Clan directly assigned several Uchiha elites to protect him, and the Root ninja I dispatched were stopped by those arrogant Uchiha."
"Even the houses around Uchiha Qi have been purchased by the Uchiha Clan. That shows just how highly they value him."
"Hiruzen, you should also know about the Uchiha Clan's recent unusual movements and their strange, high-profile act of welcoming Uchiha Qi back into the clan a few days ago."
"And now, the Uchiha Clan suddenly wants to hold some Genjutsu Game press conference. You should understand that this is absolutely not something those arrogant and foolish Uchiha would ever do."
"Clearly, all these changes in the Uchiha Clan are related to that Uchiha called Uchiha Qi, and they must be plotting some conspiracy we do not know about."
"Hiruzen, give me a written order in your name! With your official authorization, I can bypass the Uchiha's protection and bring Uchiha Qi to Root."
"Then, no matter what secrets or schemes he has, I will be able to interrogate them out of him."
At those words, the ninja hero, whose ambition and pride had not yet faded, could not help frowning. Setting down his pipe and exhaling a cloud of smoke, he said, "Danzō, you are being too radical. The Uchiha Clan has not done anything harmful to the village. They merely wish to hold a press conference for a new product. Doing this will only provoke them."
"Furthermore, Uchiha Qi is Minato's close friend, someone Minato trusts deeply, and he himself is very different from other Uchiha."
"Though he is not particularly strong and is merely a Chunin, as long as he is around, when Minato matures and becomes qualified to serve as the Fifth or Sixth Hokage, the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha may have a chance of being completely resolved."
"If you do this, you will snuff out that possibility entirely and may even cause Minato to develop misgivings toward the village."
Although Minato Namikaze had not yet fully matured, his character, strength, and potential were all exceptional. In Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes at this time, Minato Namikaze undoubtedly possessed the qualities of a Hokage. Since he believed the Fourth Hokage should emerge from Konoha's middle generation, among people like the Sannin, he felt Minato Namikaze ought to become the Fifth Hokage.
There was nothing wrong with that line of thinking, because that was simply Konoha's situation at present.
However, the Third Hokage's words provoked Shimura Danzō. At some point, Darkness of the Ninja World had developed an obsession with the Hokage position, one he had concealed well enough that his closest friend had yet to notice.
Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi's words gave Shimura Danzō the illusion that he would never be able to reach the Hokage position in his entire life.
Shimura Danzō's voice immediately turned colder. "Hiruzen, you are too weak. Do not forget our teacher's attitude toward the Uchiha Clan and his warnings to us! You actually still want Konoha and the Uchiha Clan to reconcile?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. "Our teacher did say we should remain vigilant toward the Uchiha Clan, but he also said we should gradually wear away the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha, and he hoped that we could achieve that."
"The current situation is clearly that we have disappointed our teacher. However, hope for Konoha and the Uchiha Clan still remains, and that hope is already standing before us. In that case, why should we destroy it?"
"Danzō, your thinking is too extreme."
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi increasingly felt that something was wrong with Shimura Danzō's attitude toward the Uchiha Clan, so he added, "Also, without my permission, you may only monitor the Uchiha Clan. You are not allowed to act against them."
Shimura Danzō's expression became incomparably grim, and even his form of address and tone changed. "Sarutobi, if you continue indulging the Uchiha like this, you will regret it sooner or later!"
Hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression froze. Then he said in a deep voice, "Danzō, this is the Hokage's order!"
Shimura Danzō snorted coldly, slammed the door behind him, and left, ending the conversation in his classic manner.
For a time, the atmosphere in the entire Hokage's office was extremely oppressive. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were quite helpless about it and even seemed accustomed to it.
For who knew how long—perhaps ever since Konoha's White Fang's unexpected suicide—the atmosphere between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, two close friends who had once trusted each other completely, had changed. Over the past several years, situations similar to today's had occurred repeatedly.
As the other two caught between them, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had initially tried to mediate. By now, however, neither of them said anything anymore.
After all, their relationship was what it was, Konoha had remained stable, and Hiruzen Sarutobi had not reclaimed the authority he had handed to his friends. Nothing else was important.
I played until I wanted to puke. Seriously, I puked. In the desert area in Chapter Two, I got completely lost, then wandered around in circles and threw up.
Damn it, can't Black Myth: Wukong add a map? Even an exploration-style map would do.
Before you continue