Insufficient Defense, Powerless to Break the Stalemate

Master Kaisuke in the Uchiha Clan Compound is a renowned master craftsman of ninja tools. In his youth, he forged ninja tools for the Second Hokage, and now, in his advanced age, he occasionally crafts some ninja tools for the clan.

Because the mission rewards were distributed early, the two agreed with their teacher Xuan on a place to dine that evening before heading to the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Although they had escorted Yue home half a year ago, they had only stopped outside the gates. Now, entering the compound, Senba truly felt how much Uchiha Fugaku could endure.

Walking on the damaged bluestone streets, they saw the worry etched on the faces of the surrounding Uchiha Clan Members. Upon noticing Senba lacked a clan emblem, their eyes immediately became guarded.

These were ordinary Uchiha Clan Members, many of whom were not even ninja, yet they showed such wariness towards him. It made him wonder what kind of treatment they faced outside the compound.

They were Konoha Villagers just like anyone else, yet they seemed like strangers from different worlds. All of this was due to the mass migration of the entire clan over the past six months.

No matter how grand the Third Hokage's reasons were, the fact that the Uchiha Clan was being pushed to the most remote part of the village, far from its center, was undeniable.

"What, you don't want to move? Easy," Danzo was very familiar with this tactic. How did White Fang die, remember?

Gossip is a fearsome thing. From the moment they stepped out, they had to face the constant murmurs of others. Over time, even the best person would inevitably become depressed and eventually have to submit to the village's orders.

And in all of this, Uchiha Fugaku's role was almost nonexistent. This was information Senba learned from Grandma Momoka.

Regarding the current Uchiha Clan Head, Grandma Momoka gave her evaluation.

"Insufficient to maintain, powerless to break through!"

This was the only time Senba heard her elderly self evaluate a ninja clan head, and it was certainly not high.

Sensing the scrutinizing gazes around him, Senba remained calm. However, Uchiha Yue beside him felt deep regret, perhaps she shouldn't have brought Senba here.

With this sense of guilt, her Sharingan manifested in front of everyone. To others, being able to awaken the Sharingan at 13 years old was considered quite talented.

At this moment, a hand gently brushed her forehead, partially obscuring her eyes. Senba smiled at her.

"Let's go, Yue. I'm curious about the craftsmanship of the ninja tool master you mentioned. Don't forget, we still have to meet Iruka for dinner later?"

Sensing the deeper meaning in Senba's eyes, Uchiha Yue let out a soft breath, calmed her emotions, and her slight redness subsided. She then smiled and nodded, and the two hurried towards the end of the street.

Watching Uchiha Yue and Senba leave, the Uchiha Clan Members behind them couldn't help but start discussing. After all, the father of the Uchiha Yue sisters was not an Uchiha Clan Member and had lived outside the clan compound in his early years.

Therefore, the sisters had a natural distance from the Uchiha Clan Compound.

At the end of the Uchiha Clan Compound, in a dilapidated house, a massive weapon rack occupied two-thirds of the room, displaying neatly arranged ninja tools.

Senba gently picked up a kunai and flicked it with his finger. A long metallic sound rang out, confirming its extraordinary quality.

As he scanned the surrounding ninja tools, Uchiha Yue walked towards the room behind the counter, followed by her respectful voice, clearly indicating the other person's unusual status.

"Yue, stop fooling around. The consumption of ninja tools in the clan has been quite high recently. The ninja tools provided by those guys in the village are just ordinary ones. For now, these can only be provided to the clan elders and elites."

A rough voice spoke, indicating the speaker's straightforward personality. Recalling that he had forged tools for the Second Hokage, Senba marveled at how vigorous the old man was despite his age.

With that thought, heavy footsteps sounded from behind the counter. The door opened, and an old man with graying hair walked out, followed by Uchiha Yue, who was apologizing profusely.

The old man impatiently waved his hand, "Yue, it's no use even if you give up the chance to upgrade your Rain Cutter. None of these items can be sold. I am now an Uchiha blacksmith."

"Wasn't it in the early years, helping the Second... uh... Second Hokage?"

Uchiha Kaisuke couldn't believe his eyes. He wondered if he had developed presbyopia, otherwise why would the Second Hokage appear before him?

While it might sound a bit sentimental, every time Senba received preferential treatment by virtue of his resemblance to the Second Hokage, he felt deeply grateful to Tobirama Senju in his heart.

However, at this moment, Senba felt even more keenly the gap in governing ability between the Third Hokage and the Second Hokage.

If it came to guarding against the Uchiha Clan, the Second Hokage could easily outmaneuver the Third Hokage. Yet, apart from a few stubborn individuals, most of the Uchiha Clan didn't harbor much hatred towards the Second Hokage.

In contrast, the Third Hokage, in collusion with Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, a total of four people, ultimately planned the clan extermination. It was utterly crude.

This must have made other ninja villages incredibly happy.

Seeing Uchiha Kaisuke still looking at him with suspicion after Yue's explanation, Senba knew his ninja tools were secured.

While Senba was selecting his ninja tools, in the heart of the Uchiha Clan, within the exclusive residence of the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku was lost in thought, gazing at a photograph in his hand.

It was a photo of Senba and Uchiha Yue entering side-by-side. In such turbulent times, any outsider entering the Uchiha Clan Compound was recorded.

However, this time, someone noticed an issue with Senba's appearance and immediately submitted all obtainable information to Uchiha Fugaku.

"Just looking at his appearance, I know where he's from. And he's teamed up with our Uchiha Clan Members to complete a mission. Why wasn't this reported sooner!"

Uchiha Fugaku, suppressing his anger, opened his Three Tomoe Sharingan and coldly stared down at the subordinate until he was trembling uncontrollably before retracting his Sharingan.

"Investigate the other party's identity, growth history, and other details as quickly as possible. Inform the clan's intelligence operatives. We are not isolated from the world. I don't want to see a repeat of this."

After sternly reprimanding his subordinate, the man retreated fearfully under Uchiha Fugaku's wave. The Sharingan hierarchy was strict, and facing a higher-level tomoe exerted immense pressure.

As his anger subsided, Uchiha Fugaku looked at the photograph in his hand, a flicker of apprehension crossing his face. This was the oppressive feeling Tobirama Senju had left in his heart.

In his youth, he had seen Tobirama Senju when he accompanied his father to a clan meeting. The man had walked alone into the Uchiha assembly and sat down, yet no one dared to object.

No, Uchiha Setsuna had an objection. The rebellion was planned in the morning, and by the afternoon, he was knocked unconscious by Tobirama Senju. Yet, no one around dared to say a word of protest.

If possible, he truly did not wish to see a second Tobirama Senju rise.