Within Konoha, the wind direction changed faster than expected.
The fact that young people are openly questioning the attempts of those in power to manipulate history is itself a strong signal.
Many of the previously silent neutrals, and even some villagers who had previously harbored doubts about the Uchiha, began to re-examine everything.
"Those kids have a point... Madara is Madara, and a missing-nin at that, and so many years have passed."
"Yes, last time my child got lost, it was the Uchiha Guard Unit who patiently brought him back; they were very kind."
"It's a fact that Lord Chiyo ended the war. We can't stop them from having a good time just because there was a missing-nin in the Uchiha, can we?"
"Yes, if that's the case, then when Orochimaru defected, the Third Hokage, as his teacher, should have been affected as well!"
" The Third Hokage Master is indeed a bit anxious this time..."
"..."
Such dialogues began to replace the dark speculations and gradually became the mainstream.
The Uchiha Clan sensed this change.
The humiliation and anger in the hearts of the people did not disappear, but they felt a sense of pride and a stronger belief.
The Clan Leader is right!
Quiet efforts and changes will eventually be noticed!
Fugaku finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his admiration for Chiyo deepened even further.
All of this seemed to be within the Clan Leader's expectations.
That evening, Chiyo, unusually, Earth Run the mansion without any attendants, and simply strolled through the Uchiha Compound.
The tribespeople they encountered along the way all bowed respectfully, their eyes filled with fervor and trust.
Chiyo nodded slightly in response, her expression as calm as ever.
He walked to the Training Ground near the edge of the clan's territory and saw several Uchiha children practicing shuriken throwing diligently, with a slightly older Uchiha girl standing nearby instructing them.
The girl had a delicate face and was quiet and lovely.
She has beautiful long, jet-black hair, a beauty mark under her right eye, and wears a purple coat with the Uchiha symbol.
She was none other than Izumi Uchiha.
Izumi Uchiha
Upon seeing Chiyo, Izumi and the children immediately stood up straight and bowed respectfully.
" Clan Leader!"
Chiyo walked over, looked at the target, and asked gently.
How's the training going?
One of the bolder children answered excitedly.
"Reporting, Clan Leader! We're learning from Sister Izumi! We'll definitely become as powerful as you, Clan Leader!"
Chiyo smiled and patted the child's head.
"Very good. Becoming stronger is to protect what's important. Remember that."
"Yes!"
The children answered in unison, their little faces flushed with excitement.
Izumi looked at Chiyo with bright eyes.
" Clan Leader... thank you for everything."
Izumi's father was not a member of the Uchiha Clan. After her father's death, she and her mother moved back to the Uchiha Clan.
He changed his surname to " Uchiha ".
The Uchiha Clan accepted the mother and son.
Because the family consisted of only a mother and daughter, the Uchiha Clan provided them with special treatment.
To ensure the livelihood of the mother and daughter.
This matter was approved by Mikoto herself at Chiyo's behest.
However, this is to prevent girls from developing a habit of wanting something for nothing.
Conditions were set at the beginning.
When Izumi grew a little older and was able to learn basic ninja skills, she was asked to give simple "lessons" to the children in the clan.
It's been a year or two since then.
Izumi gazed at Chiyo Uchiha, her large eyes filled with stars and admiration.
She knew that without the Clan Leader's constant help, her family would never have been so peaceful and stable.
Chiyo looked at her.
He reached out and ruffled her soft hair, his gaze deep.
"Spring!"
"You're still young, so remember not to overtrain! The body has its limits; exceeding them will backfire!"
"Yes, Clan Leader!"
She gazed at the spring before her, and at the child standing beside her.
Chiyo smiled calmly and said.
"You've probably heard some of the things being said outside lately!"
"What I want to say is that the path of the Uchiha must be walked step by step by ourselves, and proven with our actions."
Listen to what others say, good or bad, but don't take it too seriously.
Just stay true to yourself.
Izumi looked intently at Chiyo and nodded emphatically.
"Yes!"
Just as Chiyo was about to leave.
Leaving the Training Ground, Chiyo strolled to the area where the clan's territory met the village.
He saw several members of the Uchiha Guard Unit patrolling, nodding to villagers when they encountered them, and even helping an elderly man carry some heavy objects.
Although the villagers were still somewhat reserved, the obvious rejection they had shown in the previous days was gone.
Everything is moving in a positive direction.
Chiyo stood under a large tree, gazing at the portraits of the Hokages on the Hokage Rock in the distance, his gaze finally settling on the statue of the Third Hokage.
His gaze was calm and unwavering, as if he were looking at an object that had nothing to do with him.
" Hiruzen Sarutobi, you lost not to strategy, but to the times."
"The ships of the old era are destined to never sail the oceans of the new era. And you..."
"He was just the most stubborn, and also the most pathetic... captain on that ship."
He turned around, his figure slowly merging into the twilight rising over the Uchiha Compound, as steady as a mountain.
The air in the Hokage's Office seemed to have solidified into heavy Kohaku. The sunlight seeping in from the window not only failed to dispel the gloom, but instead made the floating dust particles look like restless ghosts.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat idly behind his large desk, the long-extinguished pipe between his fingers icy cold.
Several newly delivered reports lay spread out in front of him, the words on the pages like poisoned Senbon, each one piercing his eyes.
One is a public opinion analysis:
Negative rumors about Madara Uchiha are still circulating, but they no longer evoke simple fear.
The report frequently uses phrases such as "young ninjas questioning", "believing what they saw with their own eyes", and " the Uchiha has changed in recent years".
There were even sharp questions raised, such as, "What is the purpose of the Third Hokage of officials bringing up this old matter at this time?"
The other document is a summary of surveillance footage in the Anbu:
Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, and even the younger generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans have all expressed their support for the Uchiha Clan or their doubts about the current public opinion in public or semi-public settings.
Their words are spreading rapidly among their peers.
The last document was a brief secret report about the Uchiha Clan.
Although there was indignation within the Uchiha Compound, it was suppressed and no extreme actions were taken.
"Puff!"
He exhaled a mouthful of stale air that had been building up in his chest.
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed violently, his aged face turning bright red.
The guards Anbu beside him instinctively took a step forward, but he rudely waved them away.
His hands trembled as he braced himself on the table, his knuckles turning white from the force.
how so?
Where was the panic, rejection, and collective condemnation of the Uchiha he had anticipated?
The "historical evidence" he carefully presented failed to become a boulder to suppress the Uchiha.
Instead, it's like a stone thrown into a mud pit, splashing up some dirt.
It was quickly washed away and even lifted up by the surging clear water below!
Those young people...
Those children he watched grow up...
What do they know?
They only care about immediate petty gains and so-called "comradeship."
They simply don't understand the complexities of politics!
They don't understand the danger hidden deep within the Uchiha bloodline!
And there's Hatake Sakumo!
His son actually led the way...
What exactly is he trying to do?!
After endless anger comes a deeper chill and anxiety.
He felt as if he were standing on a constantly collapsing ice floe, surrounded by surging, incomprehensible waves.
His political maneuvering, which he relied on for many years, and his unwavering belief in checks and balances, are now facing the tides of this new era.
It looked so clumsy and ridiculous, even... counterproductive!
Moreover, a sense of powerlessness washed over me.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt as if he were fighting against the entire village all by himself!
Aren't I the Hokage of the village?
Is it the heart of the village?
Chiyo Uchiha's prestige remained unaffected...
On the contrary, this incident made him appear more composed and magnanimous, and even won him a lot of sympathy.
And himself, the Hokage.
However, he was subtly pushed into the awkward position of being "narrow-minded," "manipulating power," and "ostracizing meritorious officials."
"Did I... did I do something wrong?"
A faint voice echoed in his heart, but it was immediately suppressed by an even stronger obsession.
He suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and his gaze swept across the office.
Finally, it landed on the portraits of the First Hokage and the Second Hokage on the wall.
" Teacher Tobirama... if you were here, what would you do?"
He muttered to himself, seeking answers that did not exist.
The portrait of Tobirama Senju a cold, unwavering gaze, seemingly fixed on something that has remained unchanged since time immemorial, offering no response whatsoever.
A profound sense of powerlessness and a panic of being abandoned by the times.
Like an icy tide, it completely overwhelmed the old man who had held power in Konoha for many years.
He was somewhat dazed, wondering if he was really...
Getting old?
Meanwhile, they ventured into a dark cave thousands of meters underground.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path stood lifeless, like withered deities supporting hell.
Countless twisted white pipes, like parasitic vines, continuously transported pure Life Energy to the decaying body sitting on the Gunbai in the center.
The White Zetsu's twisted, playful voice had barely faded when it began gesturing wildly as it recounted the "interesting events" that had recently occurred in Konoha.
-- Hiruzen Sarutobi spread rumors, the new generation of ninjas collectively refuted them, and the Uchiha's reputation rose instead of falling.
The detailed report is now complete.
The cave was plunged into an even deeper, more deathly silence than ever before.
a long time.
A barely audible, yet chilling snort, capable of freezing the air, escaped from deep within Madara Uchiha's throat.
"Hmph... Hiruzen Sarutobi, the fool Tobirama trained, all he's left with are these laughable tricks."
His voice was dry and hoarse, like two rusty pieces of iron rubbing against each other, yet it carried an extreme indifference that looked down upon all living beings.
"Trying to use my name to intimidate future generations? How... disgustingly pathetic."
He slowly raised his head, and beneath his tightly closed eyelids, a faint crimson light seemed to be flowing.
The White Zetsu report contained the words of the young ninjas who defended the Uchiha, especially statements like "only believe what you see with your own eyes" and " the Uchiha have changed."
Like a tiny speck of dust falling into this stagnant, unchanging water, it stirred up a ripple that was almost imperceptible.
But those ripples were not of relief, but rather...
Murderous intent.
A pure, cold, and profoundly superior force, directed at the ants' attempt to break free from their destiny...
Murderous intent.
"Did you see that, Hashirama?"
Ban's deep voice echoed in the empty cave.
"Is this the 'offspring' you wanted? Is this the ' Mirai ' you pinned your hopes on?"
"Can such a tiny, insignificant change really make them forget history, forget their pain, forget the indelible curse and the inevitable fate brought about by the power deep within the Uchiha bloodline?"
"Naive! Foolish!"
His tone remained calm, but the contempt and disgust it conveyed made White Zetsu, who was laughing beside him, subconsciously restrain his expression.
" Konoha... from the moment it was founded, it has been filled with hypocrisy and compromise."
" Hashirama, your dream has long been tainted and distorted into a laughable mess by these incompetent successors."
"Internal strife, short-sighted power struggles, fear and rejection of true power..."
All of this proves that this world is rotten to the core!
Madara Uchiha's eyes suddenly snapped open!
The crimson Sharingan emitted an eerie light in the darkness, a light that no longer contained only mockery.
It added a tangible, chilling killing intent, enough to incinerate everything!
This murderous intent was not directed at any specific person.
Rather, it is aimed at the entire Konoha, at the status quo that dares to "change" and try to break free from "fate," and at all those who oppose the " Eye of the Moon Plan."
Potential obstacles...
variable.
" Chiyo Uchiha..."
Madara murmured the name, his Sharingan swirling slightly.
"To end the war and win some hearts in Konoha, one must have some skill."
But is it an attempt to seek change within the old framework? An attempt to truly integrate the Uchiha into that decaying village?
"Ridiculous!"
"True peace does not require understanding, integration, or this fragile, easily broken so-called 'temperature'!"
"All that's needed is absolute power and an Eternity dream!"
"..."
White Zetsu sensed the terrifying aura emanating from Madara, his body trembled slightly, yet he still managed to force a twisted smile.
" Lord Madara, then... then we..."
Ban closed his eyes again, concealing that terrifying killing intent within his decaying body.
The voice returned to its stagnant calm, yet issued the coldest of commands.
"Let's begin preparing the plan!"
" Konoha's struggle is nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot."
When the time is right, all superfluous, discordant voices that attempt to rebel against fate will be silenced...
"They will all be thoroughly wiped out, along with that hypocritical village."
"As for now..."
The corner of Ban's mouth seemed to twitch very slightly.
Let them perform for a while longer.
"Hope before despair makes final destruction all the more... delicious."
The cave fell into absolute silence once again, with only the faint hum of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's energy transmission emanating from it.
Madara Uchiha's heart was like an ancient, frozen ice.
His killing intent toward Konoha and the entire Shinobi World deepened and intensified.
Even at dusk in Konoha, the noise continues.
But beneath this clamor, the undercurrents of the old and new eras collide with ever more intensely...