Joining the Hawks

After leaving the command room, Uchiha Sanpo deliberately took a detour past the supply warehouse.

The warehouse was nearly empty, with only a small amount of stock left.

Uchiha Sanpo walked in and saw two clansmen taking inventory of the few remaining Military Ration Pills and ninja tools.

He lowered his voice and asked, "Did the higher-ups say when the supplies would arrive?"

One Uchiha clansman gave a bitter smile. "The clan head said... wait a little longer. The supplies Lord Hokage promised... will arrive soon. But we heard that Shimura Danzō intercepted our second shipment and sent it to the Kirigakure battlefield instead... Clan Head Fugaku once sent people back to protest... but there was still no result!"

A protest? During wartime, such weakness was practically sentencing the entire clan to death!

Thinking of the original history, it was precisely Uchiha Fugaku's weakness and compromises that had led the Uchiha Clan into the abyss of annihilation.

The outlook... seemed rather grim!

A wave of sorrow suddenly rose in Uchiha Sanpo's heart. It seemed this weak clan head was utterly unreliable.

Since the Dove clan head could not be relied upon, he could only seek another path for the Uchiha Clan's future.

Thus, he thought of Uchiha Yashiro, the clan's renowned Hawk elder.

The Hawks advocated tough measures to protect the clan's interests, standing in stark contrast to Uchiha Fugaku's Doves.

Moreover, this was wartime. More than 1,100 Uchiha clansmen had already fallen in battle. Death and hatred always drove people toward extremism, so the Hawks' influence within the Uchiha Clan was steadily growing stronger.

With his mind made up, Uchiha Sanpo straightened his clothes and strode toward Uchiha Yashiro's office.

Uchiha Yashiro slightly raised his head. When he saw who had come, a trace of surprise appeared on his face.

Uchiha Yashiro

He knew this junior was named Uchiha Sanpo and had once been a member of the Doves.

Now, with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, he had come looking for him. Clearly, something was going on.

"What brings you to me at this hour?"

Uchiha Sanpo did not bother with pleasantries. He directly laid out everything that had just happened, emphasizing Clan Head Fugaku's hesitation and Konoha's higher-ups' scheme.

After hearing him out, Uchiha Yashiro fell silent for a moment and did not immediately state his position.

His fingers lightly tapped against the desk, his tone carrying a faint hint of scrutiny. "Since you've guessed that the village intends to send Namikaze Minato here to steal the credit, what do you intend to do about it?"

Uchiha Sanpo did not shy away from the scrutiny. His gaze remained firm. "The solution is simple, but I need your support and some authority. In exchange, I am willing to join the Hawks and devote myself fully to the clan's future."

Looking at this junior, who possessed potential, ambition, and drive, Uchiha Yashiro raised a brow and said with interest, "Tell me your solution first."

Uchiha Sanpo took a deep breath and began explaining his plan.

"Namikaze Minato is the commander-in-chief of the eastern battlefield. In the war against Kumogakure, he has already earned tremendous achievements and prestige. The village sending him to Kannabi Bridge is nothing more than a staged performance. Once he completes the mission, the village higher-ups will package him as a hero who saved the entire village and push him onto the seat of Fourth Hokage! Of course, sending Namikaze Minato to steal our credit is also one of Konoha's higher-ups' methods for suppressing the Uchiha Clan."

Hearing this, Uchiha Yashiro was clearly somewhat surprised and interrupted him. "I'm not surprised that Konoha's higher-ups are suppressing the Uchiha Clan. But why are you so certain that Namikaze Minato will become the Fourth Hokage rather than Orochimaru?"

Orochimaru had been a legendary hero of the Second Shinobi World War and was now serving as the commander-in-chief of the Sunagakure battlefield in the Third Shinobi World War.

In many people's eyes, whether in seniority, achievements, or strength, Orochimaru was the undisputed choice for Fourth Hokage.

Uchiha Sanpo explained, "Orochimaru's achievements overshadow his lord, and he has too many followers. If he takes office, he will inevitably affect certain higher-ups' vested interests. Namikaze Minato, on the other hand, is extraordinarily talented but too young. He is also a commoner with shallow foundations. Even if he becomes Hokage, he can only rely on those Advisor Elders to govern Konoha."

Uchiha Yashiro silently nodded. Those words struck at the heart of the matter. The reason Konoha's higher-ups favored Minato was precisely because he was easy to control and would not threaten their power.

"After the war, in order to support Namikaze Minato's rise to power, Konoha's higher-ups will certainly make a great show of praising and promoting him, shaping him into a savior. At that point, we can publish some manga that truthfully records the cruelty and hardships of the battlefield, as well as the silent sacrifices of countless ninja. At the same time, we can expose the truth about Kannabi Bridge in the manga: in order to let Namikaze Minato seize the credit for the northern battlefield, the village higher-ups actually sent one hundred civilian ninja to Kannabi Bridge to die!"

"Once this lie is exposed, it will surely cause a huge uproar in the village! The furious populace and questioning eyes will turn toward Namikaze Minato and those higher-ups behind the scenes. By then, Namikaze Minato's heroic halo will completely collapse."

After listening, approval flashed through Uchiha Yashiro's eyes.

He clapped his hands and laughed. "Good! This method of borrowing strength to strike back is indeed brilliant. Use public opinion against the higher-ups and make them drop a stone on their own feet. But I have another question. Do you think our Clan Head Fugaku has any chance of becoming the Fourth Hokage?"

Uchiha Sanpo pondered for a long while before slowly replying, "Over the past year of fighting Iwagakure, our eight thousand men have faced Iwagakure's eleven thousand ninja without falling behind. That is enough to prove Clan Head Fugaku's achievements. If we release the casualty list of the thousands of Uchiha clansmen, we should be able to win him some sympathy and supporters. The only problem is that the clan head's personal record is far inferior to Orochimaru's and Namikaze Minato's."

At this, Uchiha Yashiro fell silent. In this war, although Clan Head Fugaku had earned the title of Wicked Eye, compared to those two, his battle record was indeed lacking.

Seeing the atmosphere grow heavy, Uchiha Sanpo suddenly lowered his voice. "Actually... the clan head has a Mangekyō Sharingan."

Those words struck like thunder from a clear sky. Uchiha Yashiro abruptly raised his head, wild joy flashing in his eyes. "You... is that true? The clan head really awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

If Fugaku truly possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, then his strength would rise to Kage level. He would be fully qualified to contend for the position of Hokage!

Uchiha Sanpo solemnly nodded. "Absolutely true. Every Mangekyō Sharingan has a different pupil pattern. If you want to know the clan head's Mangekyō Sharingan pattern, I can draw it for you."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yashiro rose to his feet and paced back and forth across the room, looking unusually excited.

He clenched his fists and said, "Good! Heaven is truly helping the Uchiha Clan. With the Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku's strength will be enough to intimidate all others. Combined with the weapon of public opinion in our hands, we can fully challenge the higher-ups. This time, the position of Hokage should finally be our Uchiha Clan's!"

After the shock passed, Uchiha Yashiro, an old-school Hawk who had spent his entire life amid blood and fire, suddenly changed expression slightly.

He reconsidered the question from earlier. "Why would Fugaku hide the Mangekyō Sharingan? The war has gone on for so long, and 1,132 clansmen have already died. If the clan head had used the Mangekyō Sharingan's power earlier, many clansmen could have been spared."

Thinking of this, Uchiha Yashiro no longer had the mood to continue talking.

He urgently wanted to find Fugaku and demand an explanation, so he took out two scrolls and handed them over.

"These are your rewards for the intelligence you just provided. Starting today, you are a member of my Hawks. I can secure you the position of squadron captain, but the Uchiha Clan respects the strong, so you must raise your own strength as quickly as possible."

Uchiha Sanpo carefully accepted the scrolls. Just as he was about to use his Three-Tomoe Sharingan to copy the ninjutsu written on them—

Two electronic notifications suddenly rang out in his mind again!

"Ding, obtained B-rank ninjutsu: Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame. Current status: not yet learned!"

"Ding, obtained A-rank ninjutsu: Transcription Seal. Current status: not yet learned..."