Internal Discord, The Family's Ambition Is Too Small Now

Internal Discord—The clan's vision was far too narrow now. Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, staring intently at the map on the table, where the location of the family whose child had gone missing was marked.

There were also the locations of other families with children.

Outside the window, the afterglow of the setting sun gradually faded, dyeing the sky a dark blue.

"From two in the afternoon until now, there hasn't been the slightest sign of anything."

She irritably rubbed her temples.

"Could our judgment have been wrong?"

Chiyo stood by the window, calmly watching the streetlights gradually come on outside, but did not answer immediately.

An Uchiha Guard Unit member pushed open the door and entered, reporting respectfully.

"Clan Leader, no suspicious individuals have been found at any of the surveillance points."

Tsunade sighed.

Chiyo spoke calmly.

"Keep watching. Hold on for another hour."

"Yes!"

After the guard left, Tsunade looked at Chiyo, a hint of exhaustion in her voice.

"Perhaps nothing will happen today."

Chiyo remembered that dozens of children in Konoha had once been abducted by Root.

And now, there had only been one.

Root's next move would surely continue.

Chiyo's voice was low but resolute.

"Starting today, I'll have the Guard Unit patrol day and night. After all, it's part of the Guard Unit's duty."

Tsunade stared at his profile and seemed to catch a glimpse of scarlet.

Was that the Sharingan?

Tsunade wanted to say something, but felt she was overthinking it.

In the end, she merely snorted.

Night had fully fallen, and there were fewer and fewer pedestrians on Konoha's streets.

"Looks like this is all we can do for today."

Tsunade stood up and rolled her somewhat stiff shoulders.

"I'll head back to the hospital first. Notify me immediately if anything happens."

Chiyo nodded.

"Alright."

After watching Tsunade leave, Chiyo returned to the Guard Unit Headquarters.

"Have all Guard Unit personnel gather at headquarters for a meeting!"

Seeing Chiyo's solemn expression, the Guard Unit members standing in the hall could not help but grow tense.

"Yes, Clan Leader!"

With that, they scattered and left.

Chiyo's gaze fell upon the entrance to the lounge.

The Great Elder emerged from within, his face gloomy as he looked at Chiyo.

"Clan Leader Chiyo, regarding today's matter, I want a satisfactory explanation!"

Chiyo swept his gaze over him, and his black pupils shifted slightly.

Scarlet Sharingan appeared in his eyes as he looked at the Great Elder.

"Great Elder, what would you have me do?"

The Great Elder's heart jolted as he stared at Chiyo's Sharingan.

The pressure from those Sharingan seemed far, far stronger than that of the other elders...

Could it be...

The Great Elder's heart skipped a beat, cold sweat breaking out across his back.

"A child went missing in the village, yet you concealed it instead of reporting it. Do you think this matter is insignificant?!"

Chiyo's icy voice reached him.

The Great Elder felt as though he had fallen into an ice cellar. Chiyo's Sharingan made him unable to meet his gaze, and he involuntarily lowered his head.

What was going on?

Chiyo Uchiha actually possessed such Dōryoku?!

Seeing that the Great Elder had finally behaved himself, Chiyo stopped paying him any mind.

Though he had only awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan, the powerful pressure brought by this Dōryoku was simply not something an ordinary Sharingan could contend with.

Footsteps sounded.

All members of the Guard Unit had arrived at the plaza outside the hall.

Feeling the faint yet ever-present pressure from Chiyo's Sharingan, everyone's hearts tightened.

Chiyo swept his gaze across them and gave a slight nod.

Everyone was here.

"Everyone, what is the duty of our Guard Unit?"

At Chiyo's question, a young Uchiha stepped forward.

"To maintain the village's security and stability."

Hearing that answer, Chiyo nodded at him.

"That's right. To maintain the village's security and stability. Is there a more specific answer?"

The crowd was slightly puzzled by his words.

More specific?

Wasn't that specific enough?

Seeing their confused expressions, Chiyo stopped beating around the bush.

"It comes down to one word: people!"

"You shout every day about Protect Konoha, protecting the clan... but in the end, what you protect is people!"

"People believe that the Senju Clan regards love, rather than ninjutsu, as strength. In contrast, our Uchiha Clan puts the power of ninjutsu first. But is that really true?"

At those words, some of the older Uchiha fell into thought.

"I'm telling you today: it isn't!"

Chiyo spoke with absolute conviction as his scarlet Sharingan slowly turned.

"No clan's love runs deeper than that of the Uchiha!"

The Uchiha before Chiyo widened their eyes at those words.

Then snickers rose from within the ranks.

"Clan Leader Chiyo, don't try to deceive us here! Our Uchiha Clan has always pursued great power. Who would chase after that pitiful thing called love?"

"If that's why you gathered us here, you might as well give us a day off to rest!"

"Our Uchiha Clan fights for love? What love? Where in this world is there so much love? Only the power of ninjutsu is real."

"..."

As one Uchiha after another spoke up, the others also looked at Chiyo in confusion.

As far as they remembered, since when did the Uchiha Clan, like the Senju Clan, start valuing love?

Not far behind Chiyo, the Great Elder watched his back with flickering eyes.

Even now, he remained silent.

If searching the book title doesn't work, try searching for the author instead. It may have simply been renamed!

The pressure from that Sharingan just now had been far too strong. It seemed to remind him of that Uchiha from long ago...

Chiyo suddenly laughed.

His laughter instantly silenced the entire plaza, as if even the evening breeze had frozen.

He slowly raised his right hand, his fingertips glinting coldly beneath the moonlight.

Icy Dōryoku spread outward from Chiyo's Sharingan, and the already intimidating Three Tomoe Sharingan began spinning wildly.

The Three Tomoe Sharingan rapidly twisted, transforming into a Six-Petaled Blood-Colored Manjushage pattern.

The terrifying Dōryoku forced several nearby Uchiha Clan Members back by several steps.

Staring at the pattern in Chiyo's eyes, everyone stood frozen in shock.

"You say... only great power is real?"

Chiyo looked at the Uchiha who had objected the loudest.

"Then let me ask you!"

"Do you acknowledge Dōryoku like mine?!"

The icy, suffocating Mangekyō Sharingan was like a hand choking everyone by the throat, giving them the feeling that they had glimpsed death.

Everyone's hearts jolted violently.

"Do you know why the Uchiha's situation still hasn't changed, even as the village's circumstances grow increasingly dire?

Where, exactly, is the strength you pursue reflected?

The war has only just ended. How many of us Uchiha went to the battlefield in this war? Did the elders stop you from taking part?

No. You simply didn't want to go die. You were afraid of death!

The Uchiha Clan controls the Guard Unit. Once you get into the Guard Unit, you can live an easy life for the rest of your days.

To put it bluntly, you've simply grown accustomed to your comfortable lives in the village. Why would you go to the front lines to die?"

"Isn't that what you're thinking?"

"Answer me!"

"..."

Their faces flushed as they wanted to say something, yet they did not know how to refute him.

They had given up mission commissions and done everything they could to get into the Guard Unit precisely for this comfortable life.

The plaza fell deathly silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the night wind.

Chiyo's Mangekyō Sharingan glowed with an eerie light in the darkness. He slowly swept his gaze across the crowd, his voice low and forceful.

"Strength? Have you fallen so far that you think awakening the Three Tomoe is the end?"

"A life of comfort has gradually worn away the Uchiha's fiery spirit!"

He sneered.

"Look at yourselves. You can't even carry out the most basic guard duties properly now, yet you still talk about protecting the clan?"

A young Uchiha Clan Member could not help but retort.

"Clan Leader, we have always fulfilled our duties diligently and have never slacked off!"

"Is that so?"

"Then why did the Senju Clan's child disappear without the Guard Unit noticing anything?

Why did the Great Elder specifically instruct you to avoid the Senju Clan's patrol areas?"

Everyone's gazes turned in unison toward the Great Elder. His face was ashen, but he did not dare meet Chiyo's eyes.

Chiyo continued.

"The Uchiha Clan has declined not because of a lack of strength, but because we have lost our original aspirations!

The clan's vision has become far too narrow!

Look at the Senju Clan, our so-called rivals. Search your hearts—are you still worthy of being compared to them?"

Chiyo glanced over the crowd and spoke firmly.

"From today onward, the Guard Unit will undergo a complete reform.

Every area must have someone specifically responsible for it. All unusual situations must be reported immediately, and the Senju Clan's territory will be no exception."

He turned to the Great Elder.

"As for certain people concealing intelligence, I will investigate it personally. If there is a problem within the clan..."

A red glint flashed through Chiyo's Sharingan.

"I don't mind cleaning house."

The Great Elder shuddered all over and finally lowered his head.

"Understood, Clan Leader."

Chiyo nodded, his gaze passing over every person present.

"Remember this: the Uchiha's glory is not earned by bullying the weak, but by protecting others.

Starting tomorrow, every Uchiha Guard Unit member who has finished their duties must train for one hour.

Although the war has ended for now, the conflict in the Shinobi World is only just beginning.

I want to see a different Guard Unit—a Guard Unit that can take to the battlefield at any time!"

"Yes, Clan Leader!"

Everyone answered in unison, their voices carrying a little more reverence and a long-lost fiery spirit.

After reprimanding the Guard Unit members, Chiyo slowly paced along the outskirts of the village, his gaze sweeping over every corner.

He was not in a hurry. The Uchiha Clan's "reform" could not possibly be completed overnight.

It had to proceed step by step, little by little.

As for the unstable elements within the Uchiha Clan, Chiyo would naturally weed them out gradually.

After walking for around ten minutes.

Chiyo's attention focused on the homes where families with children lived.

Root's members were undoubtedly Konoha's elite.

As an organization focused on conducting espionage abroad, when Root wanted to steal children...

They mostly used the most reliable methods to carry out their plans.

Securing the best route in and out was one step.

Stealing was another step.

Getting away with them was yet another...

Breaking down each of these steps, as long as they continued to act, they would eventually leave traces behind.

Chiyo arrived at the edge of the woods on Konoha's southeastern side. This place was close to a weak point in the barrier, and villagers rarely passed through it.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Two strands of red hair lay on the ground, standing out especially clearly beneath the moonlight.

Chiyo crouched down and lightly pinched the strands between his fingers. They felt soft yet resilient, with slightly curled ends.

Hair.

His gaze abruptly sharpened. The Sharingan opened soundlessly, his scarlet pupils gleaming coldly in the darkness.

In his field of vision, there were also several faint drag marks on the ground.

Chiyo slowly rose to his feet and followed the marks with his eyes toward the depths of the woods.

"Not stealing children? Are they planning to steal someone instead?"

He formed a hand seal with one hand, and two Shadow Clones appeared, quickly heading toward the Guard Unit and Tsunade to deliver the news.

Meanwhile, his real body silently slipped into the woods, tracking the trail.

In the distance, a blond-haired boy watched Chiyo Uchiha leave, his expression relaxing somewhat.

"The Guard Unit really is impressive. They found the hair too!

If it's that man, there shouldn't be any danger!"

The boy turned and left. The two strands of red hair clenched in his hand slipped free, drifting away on the wind.

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