How to Distinguish a Mango from Zhu Yuanzhang's Face

First, Ryobu's Sharingan had not evolved step by step. Madara had simply used his own Pupil Power to force it open for Ryobu.

Ryobu still had no way to bring out one hundred percent of the Sharingan's Illusion Technique ability.

Second, though the Third Hokage was old, he was still a Kage-level Strong Person, and in his youth, he had experience fighting Kagami Uchiha's Sharingan.

His resistance to Illusion Techniques naturally far surpassed that of an ordinary Jonin.

Third, Ryobu's current body had been generated from Life Spore. Though it was stronger than an ordinary White Zetsu Clone, to the point that it could even copy bloodline limits and Forbidden Techniques, a clone was still a clone, after all.

Seeing that he could not control the Third Hokage, Ryobu stopped wasting Chakra and shouted across at him, "Monkey, I have nothing left to say to you. Whatever you want to say, I won't listen!"

Monkey?!

Quite a few ninja present widened their eyes.

A faint, nostalgic smile tugged at the Third Hokage's lips.

Monkey was the Third Hokage's childhood nickname, because his surname was Sarutobi, meaning "leaping like a monkey." It was also because his Summoning Beast belonged to the ape clan.

So when he was young, many of his peers had called the Third Hokage Monkey.

Especially the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, Danzo, Koharu, and those comrades of his back then—they would call him that too.

But at some point, no one had called the Third Hokage by his nickname anymore.

Because he was the Hokage, and the people around him had to uphold the Hokage's dignity, even his companions.

Avoiding a leader's name was a rule of the workplace.

It was like a joke from the Ming dynasty:

Once, Zhu Yuanzhang and Shen Wansan went out to eat.

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at a pig's trotter and asked what it was.

Shen Wansan answered that it was Pig Round Palm; since it weighed eight taels and eight mace, it was also called Pig Heavy Eight; since this pig had to be fed five times a day, it was also called Pig Five Feed; since it tasted spicy and numbing, it was Spicy Big Foot; since the meat was rather fatty, it was also called Pig Fat; and since the pig was still young, it was also called Pig Brother.

Shen Wansan had never been able to tell the difference between a mango and Zhu Yuanzhang's face.

So Zhu Yuanzhang taught him: the one whose skin you can peel is a mango; the one who peels your skin is Zhu Yuanzhang.

It had been a very long time since the Third Hokage had heard anyone call him by his childhood nickname. Hearing it so suddenly stirred a little nostalgia in him, but in a blink of an eye, his expression turned serious.

The Third Hokage looked at the Ryuchi Cave Serpent beneath Ryobu, a flicker of pain passing through his eyes. Even Orochimaru's Summoning Beast had been taken. Clearly, something terrible had happened to him.

The Third Hokage set aside his pain over Orochimaru and looked at Ryobu solemnly.

"Ryobu, you should have heard the history of the Uchiha Clan's. Do you know what Madara Uchiha represents?"

Ryobu gave a Cold Laugh. "What does he represent? A Loser. My Ancestor was one of the founders of Konoha. Even the name Konoha was chosen by My Ancestor."

"But he was Ostracized from Konoha by the Senju Brothers!"

"On the surface, Konoha believes in the Will of Fire and Jonin elections, but in truth, it's still the hereditary system of the Senju Lineage."

"The Uchiha are livestock raised in Konoha's pen. One day, they'll be eaten clean."

The Third Hokage roared, "Madara Uchiha was the one who betrayed the original dream he shared with his comrades! Otherwise, why didn't a single Uchiha person follow him back then?"

"The Uchiha are not livestock kept in the village. They are comrades—our comrades."

Ryobu roared even louder than the Third Hokage. "Monkey, stop being such a hypocrite! If the Uchiha are really comrades, then why isn't there a single Uchiha ninja here?"

"..."

The Third Hokage had nothing to say.

At that moment in Konoha, Anbu ninja had completely surrounded the Uchiha Police Force.

The Police Force and the Anbu stood in a rigid standoff.

Fugaku asked the leaders, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, "Two Elders, why are you restricting us Uchiha ninja from leaving the Police Force?"

Utatane Koharu said, "Fugaku, this is Hiruzen's order. Specifically, it has to do with the commotion Uchiha Ryobu Caused."

Fugaku and the people of the Police Force were shocked.

"Ryobu! Ryobu isn't dead?!"

"Impossible. I saw him get Stabbed Heart by Minato Namikaze with my own eyes, and then he blew himself up with an Explosive Tag."

"Hokage Is Lying To Us! They must be planning some conspiracy against the Uchiha!"

Utatane Koharu frowned. Right now, the village's Elite had all been transferred away by the Third Hokage.

If the Uchiha rebelled at this critical moment—

"Captain Fugaku!"

"Fugaku!"

The elites of the Uchiha Police Force all looked at Fugaku Uchiha, each of them hoping the Uchiha would show a little backbone against the Anbu.

After being ostracized by Konoha High Command for so long and swallowing this resentment for so many years, they had long since lost patience.

The time had come. Raise Army Today!

Fugaku raised a hand, signaling for the Members Of The Police Force to be quiet.

"Calm down! None of you act rashly. I believe the Hokage won't harm us."

"Fugaku!"

Yashiro glared at Fugaku. Tekka, Inabi, and the other Uchiha Jonin all wore faces full of resentment.

The Anbu had already surrounded them in the open—did they still need to calm down?

Fugaku activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan, suppressing the unruly Uchiha Jonin.

"I said, calm down! We are Leaf Ninja. We absolutely cannot defy the Hokage's orders."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance. Fortunately, this Fugaku Uchiha had no spine.

Uchiha Itachi secretly watched from the nearby forest, growing somewhat nervous when he saw the Anbu and the Uchiha Police Force standing at swords drawn and bows bent.

Had the clan and the village already stiffened to this extent?

The Third Hokage had nothing to say, so the others had to share their lord's worries for him.

"Ryobu, the village has indeed always been wary of the Uchiha, because we fear the Uchiha's power, and fear Madara Uchiha even more."

Yūhi Shinkō looked at Ryobu with those red eyes of his.

Aside from the Third Hokage, Yūhi Shinkō was the only one who dared look directly into Ryobu's Sharingan, because he was Konoha's Number One Illusionist Jonin, and also the chief instructor responsible for guiding Chunin and Genin.

Asuma, Kurenai, and those Chunin and Genin were under Yūhi Shinkō's responsibility, and he had once been Ryobu's superior as well.

"Shinkō-senpai!"

Ryobu's Sharingan met Yūhi Shinkō's red eyes, and this time, Ryobu did not release a Sharingan Illusion Technique.

Because they knew each other. Ryobu and Yūhi Shinkō were of the same generation, and Yūhi Shinkō had even been Ryobu's senior.

Back at the Ninja Academy, Yūhi Shinkō and Hatake Sakumo had been one year above Ryobu, Tsunade, and the others.

Aside from the Third Hokage, most of the ninja here had graduated from the Ninja Academy. Everyone had the relationship of juniors and seniors.

Even so, an illusion still had to be cast.

Ryobu had even backstabbed his fellow countryman, so would he care about this bit of senior-junior affection?

Ryobu cast an illusion on Yūhi Shinkō, only for Yūhi Shinkō to reflect Ryobu's illusion right back at him. Ryobu hurriedly undid it in a fluster.

"As expected of Konoha's Number One Illusionist!"

Yūhi Shinkō was a ninja without Sharingan, without Five Senses Control, yet he was able to become Leaf's Foremost Illusionist. That was not merely Konoha High Command politically belittling the Uchiha.

Yūhi Shinkō's skill in illusion techniques was powerful in its own right.

Yūhi Shinkō looked at Ryobu and said, "Ryobu, you should know how destructive Madara Uchiha is to the Ninja World. Why would you help him restore his strength?"

Ryobu didn't know whether Madara's White Zetsu was eavesdropping, so he simply assumed Madara's White Zetsu was monitoring him, and whenever he mentioned Madara, he had to use an honorific.

"Shinkō, I don't want to hear your nonsense. Hashirama Senju's shinobi world is a mistaken world. My Ancestor was resurrected precisely to purge this chaos."

"If you Konoha people know what's good for you, surrender obediently and offer up your wives and children. Otherwise, the day My Ancestor emerges from the mountains will be the day you lot perish."