Leaf Village: I, Uchiha, Am Done Lying Flat! Part 17

Fortunately.

No matter what conclusion they reached in the end, at least Uchiha Jin was safe.

Just then, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke.

"Shikaku, tell us."

"I want to know what you think!"

As the Hokage spoke, everyone else's gazes also focused on Shikaku Nara.

That was right.

When it came to strategy, the Nara clan was the gold standard throughout Leaf Village.

You could place complete trust in the Nara clan's wisdom.

Meanwhile.

Shikaku Nara had been pinching his chin with his left hand, thinking ever since earlier.

Now.

Seeing everyone looking at him, he could not help but let out a breath before speaking with a hint of uncertainty.

"Actually, I've been thinking."

"Have we made this matter too complicated?"

"Perhaps this matter itself is very simple."

"How about this."

"I'll start from the beginning. Everyone can also consider whether my speculation is reasonable."

"Two years ago, a Cloud Village squad came to Leaf Village to capture someone with a Kekkei Genkai. But as everyone was either killed or captured, one Cloud Ninja ultimately became afraid."

"So, he fled."

"Then, some time ago, Cloud Village captured that ninja again."

"Cloud Village and Leaf Village are currently at war, so they simply decided to make use of him rather than waste him, resulting in this whole affair."

"As for their goal, it was simple."

"They wanted Leaf Village to fall completely into internal turmoil."

"After all, at a time like this, Cloud Village had no reason to make a move."

"But in reality, that made Cloud Village look even less involved."

"Making the various clans of Leaf Village suspect one another, and choosing the Uchiha clan was an especially brilliant move."

"Everyone knows the Uchiha clan's temper."

"Under normal circumstances, this matter would definitely trigger a massive dispute within the Uchiha clan."

"The Moderate Faction might be manageable, but the Radical Faction would never let it go."

"Especially since the Uchiha clan controls the Military Police Force. Once this matter was pursued, it would surely throw Leaf Village into chaos."

"When that happened, Leaf Village would definitely descend into disorder."

"Not to mention Leaf Village itself—even within the Uchiha clan, turmoil might break out."

"Try to imagine it. Leaf Village is currently fighting on all sides."

"If internal strife were to erupt under such circumstances, what kind of situation would that create?"

"There are experts in Cloud Village!"

Gasp!

After hearing Shikaku Nara's speculation, everyone was stunned.

However.

After thinking it over carefully, everyone realized that it really did seem to be the case.

At such a critical juncture, the enemy would naturally want Leaf Village to descend into internal turmoil.

That way.

The other ninja villages would not need to exert much effort to destroy Leaf Village, the strongest ninja village, outright.

Could they really remain unmoved by such a huge temptation?

Instinctively.

Everyone accepted this explanation.

"Yes, that's exactly it."

"Cloud Village is too sinister. They're utterly shameless."

"We absolutely cannot fall for it!"

"Especially at a time like this, we must stand united."

"..."

The people present all spoke up.

Cold sweat streamed down their faces; this speculation had frightened them badly.

Especially the Uchiha clan.

After hearing this, Fugaku immediately made a military pledge.

"Lord Hokage, everyone."

"I, Fugaku, guarantee here that nothing will happen within the Uchiha clan."

"I swear on the honor of my ancestors: during the war, if anyone dares cause trouble, I, Uchiha Fugaku, will be the first to refuse!"

He was covered in cold sweat.

If the Third Great Ninja War were truly lost because of the Uchiha clan, that responsibility would be far too heavy for him to bear.

So, without any nonsense, he immediately began swearing oaths.

In fact, it was not just the others.

Even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had broken out in a cold sweat.

Good lord, that was terrifying.

He had nearly fallen for it himself.

One could imagine.

If he had truly investigated this matter further, it would have caused a serious problem.

After all, Leaf Village was currently surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Cloud Village, Stone Village, Sand Village, Mist Village.

The four ninja villages had declared war on Leaf Village, which was already desperately short of ninja.

Even Fifth Grade Students now had no choice but to be sent onto the battlefield.

If an internal conflict broke out over this matter, then things would truly become a disaster.

No matter what the truth was, this matter could not be investigated any further.

The most important thing now was to stabilize the hearts of Leaf Village's people.

Having considered this, he immediately stood and spoke.

"This matter ends here."

"This is Cloud Village's scheme, an attempt to throw Leaf Village into internal turmoil."

"Fortunately, Jonin Squad Leader Shikaku Nara was clever enough to expose Cloud Village's conspiracy directly."

"Announce this matter to the Ninja World. I want the entire Ninja World to know the viciousness and malice of petty villains like Cloud Village."

"And solemnly warn everyone: any attempt to use such vile methods against Leaf Village is absolutely doomed to fail."

"Do not say that I did not warn you!"

Leaf Village Makes Its Move, Cloud Village Takes the Blame

Hiruzen Sarutobi was quite clever.

He understood very clearly that the truth of the matter was no longer important.

Just as Shikaku Nara had said, stabilizing people's hearts was what mattered most now.