The Third Hokage's Might

The two brothers stared in terror at the somewhat slender figure across from them, their proud hearts utterly shaken.

Was that the man who, after the Second Hokage's death, had single-handedly earned the title Hero of the Ninja World in the First Ninja World War?

Terrifying beyond measure!

They had once thought the title Hero of the Ninja World was merely the Third Hokage bragging. In truth, they had believed his strength was nothing before the Uchiha Clan's Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Who would have thought that even with his body already declining, the Third Hokage could radiate such terrifying pressure through nothing but the Chakra naturally leaking from him? The Uchiha Luffy brothers had never seen or heard of anything like it.

However, the proud Uchiha spirit supported the two brothers.

Facing that soul-shaking pressure, they still struggled to raise their heads and confront the Third Hokage before them.

"Damned Uchiha!"

"Evil Uchiha!"

The brothers' proud defiance made the Third Hokage feel utterly humiliated. He cursed wildly in his heart, yet his face remained calm as he said, "Step aside."

He had no time to waste here with these two evil Uchiha brats. The Immortality Technique was what he most wanted to understand right now.

Yet Uchiha Ace was being somewhat reckless at that moment, courting death as he said, "Lord Hokage, that sack..."

Boom!

Already humiliated, the Third Hokage could no longer hold back. His aura suddenly erupted.

Why?

Why did two mere Uchiha brats dare disobey the orders of him, the Hokage of Konoha, the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages?

Why?

The Third Hokage's killing intent became almost tangible as it instantly enveloped the Uchiha Luffy brothers.

In an instant, everyone held their breath, feeling as though they were facing a tailed beast. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably with fear.

Especially the Uchiha Luffy brothers, who were shrouded in that killing intent. Their minds went blank in an instant, and their bodies completely lost the ability to resist.

This was the might of a top-tier powerhouse.

Just as the Uchiha brothers felt they were about to die,

the terrifying killing intent vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

The Third Hokage instantly calmed down.

Why did two Uchiha brats dare show him disrespect?

Naturally, it was because the Uchiha Clan possessed power powerful enough to make him deeply wary.

Even as Konoha's Hokage, he could not make the first move against the Uchiha Clan, lest he give them an excuse.

The Third Hokage forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and asked calmly, word by word, "Does your Uchiha Clan intend to attack me, the Hokage?"

He could not strike first against the Uchiha Clan.

But if the Uchiha Clan attacked him, that would be another matter entirely.

As soon as the Third Hokage spoke, the Anbu guards secretly protecting him stopped hiding. They instantly appeared all around, surrounding the Uchiha Luffy brothers.

For a moment, the scene fell silent.

An even more oppressive and terrifying atmosphere enveloped the surroundings.

Gulp!

Even Uchiha Ace, who was usually reckless and loved courting death, felt his throat tighten involuntarily. He sucked in a sharp breath and did not dare make another sound.

Even the proud Uchiha Luffy was frightened by the huge accusation the Third Hokage had pinned on them. He hurriedly forced a smile and said, "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare. We are the Uchiha Clan that guards Konoha. How could we possibly disrespect Lord Hokage?"

Although the Uchiha Clan wished the Third Hokage would die immediately, they absolutely could not be the ones to do it. They could not even make a probing move.

Everyone understood what it meant to attack the leader of a village, and the Uchiha Luffy brothers understood it as well.

It meant rebellion. It meant betraying the village.

They did not want to bear the title of rogue ninja who had attacked the Hokage.

Especially since the Third Hokage had said that the Uchiha Clan was attacking him. They could not possibly accept that charge.

The Uchiha Clan wanted to become Konoha's leaders, not stand against Konoha.

Yet when faced with Uchiha Luffy's explanation, the Third Hokage nearly failed to suppress his anger again.

Damned, evil Uchiha. What nonsense about being a clan that guards Konoha?

If you are the clan that guards Konoha, then what am I, the Hokage?

Decoration?

The Third Hokage's fury burned fiercely, but his face remained calm. He stepped forward, determined to see whether these two Uchiha brats dared stop him, the Hokage, today.

Naturally, they did not dare!

This time, the Uchiha Luffy brothers respectfully stepped aside. They no longer dared say another word as they watched the Third Hokage leave with a group of Anbu ninja.

Uchiha Luffy looked toward the sack on Mushi's shoulder, a thoughtful expression appearing in his eyes.

The Anbu's mission tonight was not simple!

With that thought, his heart stirred. He patted his cousin Uchiha Ace on the shoulder and said, "Come on. Let's go back and report tonight's situation to the Great Elder."

In the middle of the night, the Anbu had mobilized only to secretly take away someone who appeared to be a child. That alone was already strange.

Otherwise, they would not have stepped in to stop them.

What was even stranger was that the Third Hokage and his guard detail had been secretly following them. If the brothers had not stopped them, the Third Hokage would not have shown himself even if a battle were about to break out.

The person inside that sack was important enough for the Third Hokage to personally intervene. They were definitely not ordinary.

Perhaps... this could be an opportunity to bring the Third Hokage down!

As Uchiha Luffy's thoughts continued to race,

on the way back to the Anbu base, the Third Hokage was also considering how to deal with the Uchiha Clan.

After the Second Hokage's death, the Third Hokage, who had inherited the Second Hokage's will, had also inherited the Second Hokage's policies toward the Uchiha Clan.

But now, the Third Hokage had begun to doubt the Second Hokage's plan to eradicate the Uchiha Clan.

The Second Hokage's plan had two key points.

First, prevent the Uchiha Clan from having opportunities to go to the battlefield as much as possible.

To that end, the Second Hokage had established the Konoha Guard Division, which only members of the Uchiha Clan could join. The purpose was to keep the Uchiha Clan, this lion, firmly penned within Konoha and gradually make them lose their ability to fight.

To achieve this goal, and to make the Uchiha Clan's ninja willingly join the Guard Division, the Second Hokage granted the Guard Division immense authority.

Nearly every dispute that occurred in Konoha, from trivial squabbles to spy infiltrations, fell under the Guard Division's authority to inspect, enforce the law, and make arrests. They were comparable to the Imperial Guard at the height of the Ming Dynasty.

That was why, no matter how humiliated he had felt tonight, the Third Hokage had not attacked those two Uchiha brats.

Because routine inspections were indeed a right the Second Hokage had granted to the Uchiha Clan.

But... how should he put it?

No ruler could tolerate such humiliation.

The Third Hokage was no exception.

He was considering how to weaken the Uchiha Clan's power as much as possible.

As two ninja clans that had been enemies since before the Warring States period,

the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan both understood each other's power very well.

Especially through the research of Second Hokage Tobirama, the greatest developer of forbidden techniques in the ninja world, the secret behind the Uchiha Clan's power had been uncovered.

From awakening the Sharingan with one tomoe, to three tomoe, and finally the terrifying Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan required intense emotional stimulation.

And the battlefield was a place where one could gain the most easily—and lose the most easily.

On the battlefield, risking their lives alongside teammates and companions most easily forged deep and pure bonds.

Likewise, in life-and-death battles on the battlefield, companions were also most likely to die.

When companions died, the deep and pure bonds born from that loss would bring intense emotional stimulation to the Uchiha Clan.

That intense emotional stimulation would then cause the brains of Uchiha Clan members to produce a special kind of Chakra.

This special Chakra would stimulate their eyes, allowing Uchiha Clan members who had not yet awakened the Sharingan to do so.

For those who had already awakened the Sharingan, their Sharingan would evolve further.

From one tomoe to two, two tomoe to three, and three tomoe to Mangekyō.

Once it became Mangekyō, it meant the Uchiha Clan had produced a powerhouse far stronger than an ordinary Kage-level ninja.

And if the Mangekyō Sharingan ability that emerged was powerful enough to defy heaven itself, instantly killing a Kage-level powerhouse and reaching beyond-Kage level was not impossible.