Sasuke's Doubts

Two days later, Kakashi, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the newly selected Advisor Group members held a meeting in the Hokage's Office.

Kakashi said, "So far, all the ninjas in the village have completed their reorganization, and everyone's morale is very high."

"Even if they had dealings with Danzo before, they won't anymore. I've decided to let bygones be bygones."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "I agree, but the ninjas on missions should also be replaced as soon as possible, especially those stationed on the border."

"There are also some ninja clan members mixed in there."

Kakashi nodded and said, "I've already sent people to recruit them. Everyone will be treated the same, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "What do you plan to do with Shikaku Nara and the others?"

Kakashi thought for a moment and said, "His and Inoichi Yamanaka's roles in the Ninja War were irreplaceable; it would be a waste to just get rid of them."

"I intend to pardon Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, Hinata Hyuga, Hanabi Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and others."

"Furthermore, I will take them as my disciples in exchange for their compromise."

Kiba Inuzuka's father Tsume Inuzuka, was also executed, but Kakashi did not treat Kiba Inuzuka differently.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "That's fine, but you must be careful when choosing the next Hokage."

Kakashi nodded to indicate that he understood.

Then Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "My Sarutobi Clan will also be disbanded, and the clan's territory will be abandoned. Let everyone be scattered."

Kakashi nodded, offering no insincere pleasantries; even if Hiruzen Sarutobi, he was going to bring it up today.

Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi the initiative, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was very meticulous in his work. Although this great purge in Konoha caused severe internal turmoil,

The entire Konoha was almost completely transformed.

The problem of the powerful and uncontrollable ninja clans, which had been a headache for successive Hokage, including the Second Hokage, Third Hokage Fourth Hokage, and Fifth Hokage, as well as Danzo, the Sixth Hokage Hokage, was finally resolved.

Konoha's overall strength has not decreased; on the contrary, because of greater unity, its combat power has become even stronger.

However, because Hiruzen Sarutobi had sealed off the entire Konoha beforehand, no information leaked out until the incident was over.

News of the Konoha coup only began to circulate after Kakashi had finished reorganizing the internal affairs and dispatched multiple teams to ninja outposts outside Konoha.

Danzo was the first to receive the information, and when he heard the news, Danzo head was spinning.

He wasn't stupid; Kakashi's ruthless actions had almost completely destroyed his year's worth of hard work.

This time, Danzo did not use the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal to win over his subordinates.

Firstly, because he had previously used the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal to kill a large number of his subordinates, the Konoha ninja were very disgusted with this Cursed Seal.

If he continues to control his subordinates with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, not only will these people not become his allies, but it may also deter other Konoha ninjas who are more inclined to him from joining him.

On the other hand, Danzo was also afraid that these people would be exposed because of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.

After all, the characteristics of the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal are too obvious; Kakashi only needs to check the tongue to tell whether it is Danzo's person.

This is not good news for Danzo, who is planning a coup.

Therefore, Danzo's methods were bribery and promises.

The bribes were made using Exploding Tag provided by the Iwa ninja and money obtained from selling large quantities of Iwa ninja supplies.

He promised that once he came to power, he would suppress the ninja clan and elevate their status.

But neither of those works now.

Kakashi preemptively eliminated the Konoha ninja clans and distributed all the positions that had been occupied by the ninja clans to these Civilian Ninja.

Kakashi offered a lot, including even an advisor position.

Then, regarding money, although the Exploding Tag Danzo gave were valuable, Kakashi directly gave them mission records, so they got Contribution Points, money, and the opportunity to learn ninja clan secret techniques.

In this respect, Kakashi completely overwhelms Danzo.

So when Kakashi sent people to replace the ninjas who were guarding the border in batches, Danzo's carefully cultivated forces vanished in an instant.

Furthermore, Kakashi publicly stated that he could understand his previous support for Danzo, as it was all for the purpose of eradicating the scourge of the ninja clan.

Kakashi, with the reputation of Hokage, guaranteed that all past transgressions would be forgiven.

They also promised that all the benefits they received from Danzo would be recognized by the village as their property, and that they would not interfere or even investigate them, nor would they need to hand them over.

In short, everything starts from scratch, and everyone is exonerated.

Danzo tore the intelligence report to shreds and said to one of his subordinates, "Contact the Tsuchikage immediately; I need to speak with him in person."

Since Yichen had not had direct contact with the Konoha ninja, and his three disciples Aono Shinichi were originally with Danzo, had also been recalled by him, he was somewhat confused when he received Danzo's request for a meeting.

Yichen did not go directly to see Danzo, because he had reached a critical moment in his cultivation of the fifth level of the Five Elements Fusion.

Thanks to Neji's fetal movement, Yichen's Soul Power was enhanced, and his Chakra control was greatly improved.

Therefore, Yichen's fifth layer of the framework was woven very smoothly.

Not only did he no longer encounter the predicament of insufficient Chakra control during the process, but even the training time was shortened significantly.

It originally took Yichen more than four months to cultivate to the fourth level. Under normal circumstances, the fifth level might take a year.

However, Yichen completed it in just over a month.

Yichen only had time to meet Danzo after completing his month-long seclusion.

Of course, by this time Yichen had already learned about what had happened in Konoha from Ikura.

Meanwhile, the Joint Chunin Exams held by Konoha had already begun, and the first and second rounds had already ended.

The players who have successfully advanced to the third round are now preparing for the competition almost a month from now.

As usual, the Land of Fields was in an izakaya (Izakaya).

When Yichen met Danzo again, he found that Danzo's aura was much more gloomy than the last time they met.

Yichen smiled and said, "Hokage, your experience is rather tragic."

Danzo's eyes were bloodshot, as if he could see the mocking smile on Yichen's face behind the Porcelain Barrier.

He said through gritted teeth, "Tsuchikage, I demand that Iwagakure send troops."

Yichen sighed and said, "Hokage, you're putting me in a really difficult position. I've already said I won't interfere in Konoha's internal affairs."

After uttering a high-sounding statement, before Danzo in anger, Yichen immediately added, "However, I can bring one more Kage Level to Konoha."

"At that time, I will hold off two Kage-level Combatant from Konoha."

A hint of dissatisfaction flashed in Danzo's eyes, but then he thought that if Iwagakure could send two Kage Level, it would greatly increase his chances of winning.

Danzo was not satisfied. He said, "It's not enough. I need enough momentum, otherwise, in the eyes of the Konoha, I will only be an enemy."

Yichen was somewhat surprised; when did Danzo develop such self-awareness?

At this moment, Danzo gritted his teeth and said, "I'll exchange one piece of information with you."

Yichen asked curiously, "What intelligence is so important that I should send out another Kage Level?"

Danzo said in a deep voice, "Just a few days ago, during the second round of the Joint Chunin Exams, Kakashi Hatake retrieved the Seven-Tails."

"Seven-Tails?!" Yichen was shocked; this was something he hadn't expected.

Yichen didn't pay much attention to the tailed Tailed Beast that were in a resurrected state, as he felt that searching for Tailed Beast was a thankless and arduous task.

They are not Perfect Jinchuriki, so their abilities are very limited.

Furthermore, the retrieval of Tailed Beast often involves considerable activity, making it easy for enemies to detect.

Yichen felt that instead of going to great lengths to find the Tailed Beast, it would be more worthwhile to send more intelligence ninjas into the enemy village.

However, the fact that Danzo could still obtain such information at this level, and so promptly at that, forced Yichen to reassess Danzo's situation.

After thinking for a moment, Yichen said, "How about this, I can give you another copy of Ryosuke's genes, plus the genes of Chiyo, Pakura, and Hanzo."

"Four Reanimated Body) should be comparable to one Kage Level fighter."

Danzo frowned. The four Reanimated Body were indeed good, but he couldn't control them.

Yichen suggested, "You can have one of your trusted subordinates perform the Impure World Reincarnation."

After thinking for Danzo, Danzo nodded and said, "Alright, I agree."

Yichen chuckled and said, "Hokage, this isn't charity; it's an equal exchange. Information on one Seven-Tails isn't enough."

A flash of anger Danzo's face, then disappeared as he asked, "What else do you want?"

Yichen said, "I don't want anything else, just the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu."

Upon hearing this, Danzo immediately said, "No, if you obtain the Impure World Reincarnation and summon these people first, how can I summon them?"

Yichen said, "That's easy. You prepare the offerings first, and we'll trade before the Konoha Collapse Plan begins."

"After the transaction is complete, just use the Impure World Reincarnation immediately."

"I can't possibly learn the Impure World Reincarnation as soon as I get it."

Danzo pondered for a moment and said, "The genes you provided are one-time use, but the Impure World Reincarnation Ninjutsu can be used indefinitely. The Tsuchikage has a clever plan."

Yichen laughed and said, "Hokage, you can't look at it that way. If you can't seize power this time, you won't even have a future. What are you worried about, whether it's a one-time thing or not?"

Upon Danzo slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Tsuchikage, are you trying to provoke me?"

Yichen curled his lip. Danzo loved to put on airs, but Yichen was susceptible to it; he had to consider the feelings of his loyal ally.

So Yichen laughed and said, "Don't Hokage angry, Hokage. I was just joking."

"How about this, four people, I'll give each person two copies of the gene."

Danzo snorted and accepted the proposal.

After reaching an agreement, Yichen casually asked, "Hokage, do you still have those Exploding Tag I gave you before?"

Danzo became even angrier upon hearing this, and said coldly, "I've already distributed half of them."

Yichen nodded and said, "Oh, that's a pity. Kakashi's move was brilliant. All our previous efforts have turned into aiding the enemy."

Danzo, not wanting to hear Yichen's sarcastic remarks, snorted and turned to leave.

At this moment, Yichen seemed to remember something and said to Danzo, "Hokage, there's something I'm curious about. I wonder if I can ask you?"

Danzo frowned; he felt that Yichen's words were full of malice.

Before Danzo, Yichen said, "Itachi Uchiha is Konoha Rogue Ninja, yet last time he brazenly fought alongside Kakashi, the fake Hokage."

"And I've heard that Kakashi has taken Sasuke Uchiha as his disciple."

"I heard Hokage you, Sasuke Uchiha a lot of guidance back then. I'm very curious how you two handled the relationship between these two brothers?"

Danzo, too lazy to answer Yichen's question, got up and left the Izakaya.

But as Danzo walked alone in the darkness, he couldn't help but wonder what Yichen meant by those words.

In the end, Danzo still didn't understand what Yichen was up to, but then something suddenly occurred to him.

When he was teaching Sasuke Uchiha, he felt that Sasuke's talent was worthwhile, but he was also afraid that Sasuke would take revenge on him in the future.

So, what about Kakashi? Does he also have this concern?

Although Kakashi didn't directly harm the Uchiha Clan, the entire Konoha High-ranking officials and the Hokage lineage are guilty. Now that Kakashi has inherited the Hokage position, can he escape responsibility?

Thinking of this, Danzo smiled sinisterly and strode towards Konoha.

On the other side, Yichen sat in the same spot for a while, and after sensing that Danzo had gone far away, Yichen looked around for a while.

Relieved to find no sign of the Sage of Six Paths, he got up and left the Izakaya.

"I hope Danzo won't disappoint me," Yichen thought to himself.

A few nights later, in Konoha, under the dim Gekkō, on the former Uchiha Clan's territory, Sasuke walked alone on the deserted streets.

Sasuke hasn't returned to his clan's territory in a long time.

Unlike the original story, in this version, the Uchiha Clan's assets were divided up by the Minor Ninja Clans that participated in the Clan Annihilation War.

Although the Uchiha Clan's territory has been uninhabited for a long time, it does not belong to Sasuke, but to the powerful ninja clans.

As the last surviving member of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke did not live in the clan's territory, but was placed in a medium-sized apartment, just like Naruto.

Now that those ninja clans have fallen like the Uchiha Clan, Kakashi, the Hokage and Sasuke's teacher, took charge and returned the original Fugaku Uchiha, to Sasuke.

Giving the other houses to Sasuke was useless; they were confiscated.

In any case, Konoha will be rearranging the village layout in the future, and people can be assigned to the other houses of the Uchiha Clan then.

In addition to the Uchiha Clan, the territories of other Minor Ninja Clans, will also be renovated.

The procedures for returning the property to Sasuke were only completed today.

Sasuke himself couldn't describe how he felt when he stepped back into his clan's territory.

The streets were clean, without any debris or signs of fighting.

Sasuke was somewhat disappointed. He casually pushed open the door of a house, which was completely empty, without a single piece of furniture. Clearly, the house had also been emptied by the ninja clan.

Sasuke withdrew in disappointment and slowly walked back towards the clan head's courtyard.

A moment later, Sasuke finally returned, back to this familiar yet unfamiliar home.

He had a strange feeling, as if everything before was fake, and that as long as he Gate of Opening, everything would go back to the past.

Mother had just finished cooking and was placing various delicious dishes on the table, while Father sat in the main seat with a stern face, not saying a word.

Then, his dear brother would emerge from the room, a captivating smile appearing on his weathered face that belied his age.

Sasuke Gate of Opening with trembling hands, walked across the silent courtyard, and entered the hall. The next moment, he actually saw a figure in the dimly lit hall.

Sasuke instinctively called out, "Father."

At the same time, he quickly took two steps forward. However, Sasuke quickly realized that his fantasies were just that—fantasies—and that his father and mother were already dead.

Therefore, this person must be an uninvited guest who entered one's home without permission.

Sasuke, who was already Genin and had successfully passed two exams, reacted quickly. He swiftly pulled out Kunai and immediately activated his One-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked in a deep voice.

At the same time, Sasuke leaped backward and landed directly in the courtyard.

The figure opposite stirred, but instead of answering immediately, slowly rose to his feet.

After a while, he came out of the dark room and stood in the corridor in front of the hall.

Sasuke recognized the man's attire; he was Anbu.

However, he did not let his guard down, his One-Tomoe Sharingan fixed intently on the person in front of him.

At that moment, the member of the Anbu spoke up, "Who I am is not important; what's important is the truth I'm going to tell you."

Sasuke frowned and asked, "What truth?"

The man glanced at the door behind Sasuke and then said, "Of course, it's the truth about the Uchiha Clan Annihilated."

Sasuke said sternly, "My clan was wiped out by Itachi Uchiha, I don't need you to tell me that."

The Anbu opposite him was wearing a mask, Sasuke couldn't see his expression, but for some reason, Sasuke felt that the other person was laughing, and that he was mocking him.

The Anbu said, "Your father, Fugaku Uchiha, was Kage-level experts Mangekyō Sharingan. There are very few people in the Ninja World who can defeat him in a one-on-one fight."

Even Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, was defeated by him.

"Itachi Uchiha? Ha! You think one Itachi Uchiha can wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan?"

"Your Uchiha Clan has so many powerful members with Three Tomoe, and everyone knows the Forbidden Technique Izanagi. How did Itachi Uchiha manage to wipe out the entire clan by himself?"

Sasuke didn't know what Izanagi was, Forbidden Technique he wasn't in the mood to care about it right now.

He was completely absorbed by what the other person was saying.

Sasuke couldn't help but think, "Yes, my brother is a genius, but how could he possibly wipe out the entire clan by himself?"

"Our Uchiha Clan was the number one clan in the Ninja World. Why didn't even one of us escape in the end?"

Because Itachi Uchiha himself confessed to Sasuke that he had killed his entire clan, Sasuke never doubted him.

But now, with just two simple sentences from this Anbu, Sasuke realized the biggest flaw in their scheme.

Seeing Sasuke completely dumbfounded, the Anbu chuckled and said, "There's only one truth: it wasn't Itachi Uchiha annihilation of the Uchiha Clan; it was someone else entirely."

Sasuke quickly asked, "Who is it? Tell me who it is!"

The man opposite glanced towards the gate again and said, "Would you believe me if I told you?"

"You're a ninja too. You shouldn't trust anyone so easily. You have to find the truth for yourself."

With a bang, the man vanished into thin air.

Sasuke was startled and was about to step forward when he heard a loud bang behind him, as if something had been blasted apart.

Then, with a whoosh, several figures rushed into the courtyard.

"Another Anbu, and this time it's a complete Anbu Squad," Sasuke thought, noticing the newcomers' attire.

The leader asked in a deep voice, "Sasuke Uchiha, what just happened here?"

Sasuke calmly said, "There was someone dressed like you, a member of the Anbu, waiting for me here just now."

"They asked me where the scroll for our Uchiha Clan's Kunai-Throwing Technique is."

After hearing Sasuke's words, the Anbu didn't ask any more questions. He just glanced at Sasuke a few times and saw that although he was holding Kunai, there were no signs of battle.

So he waved his hand at his three subordinates and said, "Search!"

Upon hearing this, the three subordinates immediately entered the hall in search formation.

Sasuke remained expressionless, but a shadow of malice flashed in his eyes. This was his own home; why were these people searching it without even asking him first?

And where did these people come from?

Sasuke recalled what had just happened; that loud bang, as if something were shattering, must have been the sound of the barrier being breached.

The Anbu seemed to look towards the doorway several times before; he was probably the one who set up the barrier. When was the first time he looked towards the doorway?

It seems like it was right after they came out; that means the Anbu were already attacking the barrier at that time.

Thinking about it another way, this team of Anbu has been tracking me all along!

That's why they were able to appear so quickly. As soon as I entered the house, the Anbu team noticed something was wrong and started attacking the barrier.

Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself down, making sure the Anbu Squad Leader beside him didn't notice anything amiss.

He continued his analysis.

Was this Anbu team protecting me or spying on me?

Did they start tracking me when I entered the clan's territory, or have they been by my side all these years?

Sasuke already had the answer in his heart; it was probably the latter.

But that doesn't prove anything. He was the only surviving Uchiha, so it's understandable that the village sent Anbu to protect him.

Sasuke forced himself to remain calm and tried his best to analyze the situation without any emotion.

He temporarily abandoned thinking about the Anbu team and instead focused on the truth that the Anbu had just revealed.

Some things only require someone to break the ice; all that's needed is a general direction.

The rest is obvious even to a fool.

Yes, Sasuke is a genius in training, but he is indeed an idiot in terms of Uchiha Sasuke, which fits the criteria.

So although Sasuke is not good at analyzing intelligence, although Sasuke is easily fooled, and although Sasuke often overestimates himself and misjudges the situation.

However, Sasuke still had many thoughts on the matter of wiping out his clan.

First, there was the conflict between the clan and the High-ranking officials. This conflict was extremely intense, and Sasuke once joined some of his clan peers in cursing the High-ranking officials with gritted teeth.

Secondly, there was the unusual behavior of the Ninja Academy on the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre: why did the Ninja Academy have a practical activity on that day, requiring everyone to participate, and why was it delayed until so late?

Then, why did the Uchiha Clan Annihilated? It's understandable that they were confiscated by the village, but why were they given to powerful ninja clans like the Hyuga and Nara?

Based on these suspicious points, it's not hard to guess that the Konoha High-ranking officials knew in advance that something bad would happen on the Night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

Even if they weren't involved, they were still aware of the situation.

Secondly, the other ninja clans in the village are also suspicious; whoever benefited is a suspect, and they cannot escape involvement either.

Finally, there's the issue of ability that the Anbu mentioned. If Itachi Uchiha couldn't do it alone, then he must have had accomplices.

Based on the analysis above, who is the accomplice?

Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine, but in front of the Anbu around him, he maintained his usual indifference and expressionless face, though his heartbeat quickened slightly.

After a while, the Anbu, having found nothing, left.

Sasuke didn't know if they had really left directly or were hiding in the shadows monitoring him.

He walked around the house for a while, then returned to the accommodation arranged by the village.

He hadn't planned to move in today; he just came to check on the old house.