The other shinobi clans were much the same.
Their thoughts were similar to Ino-Shika-Cho's. Though they were deeply displeased with Sarutobi Hiruzen, they had no favorable impression of the Uchiha either.
Therefore,
they all remained silent regarding the clash between the two sides.
Danzo, on the other hand, having gained benefits, moved rather quickly this time. The moment he returned, he immediately began taking action.
Danzo was already an old hand at manipulating public opinion!
Thus, the moment he made his move,
countless messy rumors instantly diluted the Konoha Higher-ups' scandals.
[Breaking News: Why were dogs barking so often in the middle of the night at the Inuzuka clan?]
[Shocking: The story Ino-Shika-Cho had no choice but to tell.]
[Scared to Death: The Hyuga Family...]
[...]
Secrets about countless shinobi clans and higher-ups flooded all of Konoha, instantly capturing the Konoha Villagers' attention.
In merely three to five days, the Uchiha's public opinion offensive had basically been completely neutralized.
Of course.
Among all those chaotic rumors, there naturally had to be some accusations against Sarutobi Hiruzen.
For example, that he loved using the Telescope Jutsu to peep at bathhouses, or that as Hokage, he never went to the front lines.
Besides that, there was also praising himself!
Nonsense about how much he, the Darkness of the Shinobi World, had sacrificed for Konoha.
And in response,
the various Konoha clans curled their lips, privately thinking that the Uchiha were nothing special after all.
They had actually been so easily dealt with by the Konoha Higher-ups. Thinking of this, their wariness toward the Konoha Higher-ups grew even stronger, while they continued treating the Uchiha as they always had.
No contact, no getting close, complete indifference!
That was only normal!
Perhaps they had once believed that after Uchiha Jin rose to power, the Uchiha's situation might change somewhat. But now, it seemed they could not place too many hopes on it. The Uchiha were absolutely no match for the Konoha Higher-ups.
Of course.
Danzo's slander against Sarutobi Hiruzen and his praise for himself?
Heh, just ignore it!
Only Ino-Shika-Cho was different!
More precisely, Nara Shikaku!
As someone who had truly interacted with Uchiha Jin, he understood better than anyone how difficult Uchiha Jin was to deal with. Thus, he did not believe Uchiha Jin would be defeated so easily.
He had even vaguely felt all along that he might have overlooked something!
Danzo merely showed disdain at this.
The mere Uchiha wanted to contend with him? The facts proved they were nothing but jumping clowns!
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief.
As expected of his black glove, Danzo had actually handled it!
Uchiha Compound.
Several elders came to find Uchiha Jin again, concern visible on all their faces.
Fugaku had come as well!
Clearly,
after learning Sarutobi Hiruzen's true nature, he had become completely willing to follow Uchiha Jin's commands.
"Jin, the situation doesn't look good!"
"We need to think of something. The village is too cunning. Who would have thought they could break out of their predicament this way?"
"..."
Everyone present discussed the matter heatedly.
In response,
Uchiha Jin's expression remained unchanged.
Without any hesitation, he spoke directly. "Spread another rumor. Say there was a problem with Sarutobi Hiruzen's Hokage Position."
"They were members of Senju Tobirama's Kage Guard. Jingwan encountered danger outside, yet they abandoned the Hokage. Who knew whether Senju Tobirama had truly made him Hokage back then?"
"Maybe, heh!"
"Maybe Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others deliberately colluded with Kumogakure back then to get Senju Tobirama killed, then forged Senju Tobirama's orders to take the Hokage Position."
"After all, what was the Kage Guard for? Weren't they supposed to take the blade for the Hokage?"
Hiss!
Hearing Uchiha Jin's words, everyone felt their scalps tingle.
Damn!
Now that he mentioned it, it really made fucking sense!
Fugaku could not help asking, "Jin, is that true?"
"Of course it's false!" Uchiha Jin rolled his eyes. "What kind of person was Senju Tobirama?"
"He was a real old schemer. If Senju Tobirama had not been willing, could trash like Sarutobi Hiruzen have gotten Senju Tobirama killed?"
Everyone nodded at those words.
Indeed!
Even though they held many grievances against Senju Tobirama, they had no choice but to admit that his cunning and ruthlessness were formidable. Sarutobi Hiruzen truly could not have been Senju Tobirama's match.
Immediately afterward,
Uchiha Tadashi left at once to spread the rumors.
Then,
all of Konoha was instantly shaken.
There was no helping it!
If that rumor were true, then Sarutobi Hiruzen's rise to power had no legitimacy whatsoever!
Almost in an instant,
all the rumors Danzo had fabricated, as well as Uchiha Jin's previous rumors, nearly vanished without a trace. Everyone began discussing the legitimacy of Sarutobi Hiruzen's rise to power.
One day later.
Hokage Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen smashed his desk and roared at everyone.
"Slander! This is slander!"
"How could I possibly collude with Kumogakure and deliberately get my teacher killed?"
"Uchiha, you bastards!"
"How dare they?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was somewhat hoarse, and he had already reached the brink of fury.
In response,
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were grinding their teeth in hatred as well.
However,
they had no solutions and could only look toward Danzo beside them.
Danzo waved a hand. "Don't panic. Watch me work!"
Immediately afterward,
he had Root exert itself once again, and fresh scandal news about various powerful figures began spreading through the village.
Kakashi loved reading comic books, Jiraiya of the Sannin loved peeping, Tsunade loved gambling, and so on.
Besides that, he slipped in some private goods!
He secretly began spreading rumors that the Sannin, as Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciples, had practically been led astray by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
One day later.
The Uchiha began their counterattack.
They began spreading new rumors that the Jonin Council had long existed in name only!
When the village was founded, they had promised Uchiha Madara the Hokage Position. Yet after the Uchiha and Senju cooperated, Senju Hashirama took office instead. Then the Hokage Position was privately handed over to Senju Tobirama. When Sarutobi Hiruzen took office, the Jonin Council was still never consulted, as Senju Tobirama had directly appointed him.
Konoha's supreme Hokage authority had already been completely monopolized by the Hokage Faction!
Danzo's side refused to be outdone and began attacking the Uchiha for the damage they had caused Konoha.
For a time,
all of Konoha was filled with monsters and demons, with every sort of rumor flying everywhere. It had descended into complete chaos.
The Uchiha's clash with Danzo had turned Konoha into a complete mess, but everyone overlooked one point: what had caused this matter to erupt in the first place?
Nara Family, Tea Room.
Akimichi Choza still looked calm. Even in the Tea Room, he had not forgotten to eat. Yamanaka Inoichi, however, could not help speaking.
"Shikaku, what's wrong?"
"You called us here so urgently. Did something major happen?"
In response,
upon hearing this, Akimichi Choza put down the snacks in his hand and looked solemnly at Nara Shikaku.
Nara Shikaku smiled bitterly and nodded.
"Yes, something major happened!"
"I already felt that something was wrong before. I kept feeling as if I had overlooked something."
"Now I've finally figured it out. It was the Uchiha's objective!"
"The Konoha Higher-ups were played. Uchiha Jin launched this public opinion war not because he wanted to take down the Konoha Higher-ups, but merely to divert attention."
"Did you notice?"
"We all overlooked the Konoha Military Police Force. That was where this confrontation began."
"At the start, it was because the Konoha Military Police Force wasn't doing its job that the Konoha Higher-ups began fighting the Uchiha. But now, it seemed nobody cared about the Konoha Military Police Force anymore."
"What was the Konoha Military Police Force doing now?"
Before you continue