Konoha's Military Police Force belonged to the Uchiha. It was what the Uchiha Clan was proudest of.
So when Uchiha Yuan said the family had been pushed out of the village's center of power because they commanded the Police Force, the others found it hard to accept.
"What, you don't believe me?"
Looking at the disbelief on their faces, Uchiha Yuan said, "Though I dislike Senju Tobirama, I have to admire his political cunning."
"It was Senju Tobirama who proposed putting the family in charge of Konoha's Military Police Force. On the surface, it seemed he was entrusting the family with an important duty and granting them considerable authority."
"But in reality, he made the family a target, setting them against the other Ninja Clans. They became a threat those clans feared, making it difficult for the family to befriend them."
"The Police Force was responsible for maintaining order in the village and guarding against and hunting down outside enemies. But what happened in practice? After the family took charge of the Police Force, Senju Tobirama created the Anbu. The Anbu's authority was nearly identical to the Police Force's. The only difference was that the Anbu answered directly to the Hokage."
At his words, the restless crowd gradually quieted down. They realized Uchiha Yuan was right; it just had never occurred to them before.
Uchiha Yuan continued, "I'm saying all this because I want everyone to understand that the village has always been wary of the family."
"I'm sure the clan head and the others know some of this, too. For years, the family and the village have been at odds behind the scenes. The family doesn't want to fall out with the village, and the village doesn't want to lose the Uchiha, a powerful force. So the two sides have maintained a balance of trust to a certain extent."
"But that balance was broken a few days ago."
At this, one person's expression shifted. His name was Uchiha Daishi.
"The beast that caused the Fourth Hokage's death—the Demon Fox?"
"That's right. That Demon Fox is called the Nine Tails. It's the strongest of the nine Tailed Beasts."
"The Tailed Beasts are terrifying forces known as natural disasters in the Ninja World. The only powers capable of subduing them are the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan and the Senju Clan's Wood Style."
"And on the night the Nine Tails appeared, the mark of the Sharingan was visible in its eyes."
At those words, the crowd's expressions changed.
"Leader, is that true?"
"Could the family have controlled the Nine Tails?"
A boy named Uchiha Kaede spoke up. "The Nine-Tails' Rampage had nothing to do with the family."
Another boy, Uchiha Kijin, added, "That's right. The day before yesterday, my father and older brother went to the clan meeting at Naka Shrine.
"When they came back, I happened to overhear them talking. The family was also wondering where the Sharingan that controlled the Nine Tails had come from."
"I also heard my father say that someone was watching us from around the clan grounds."
Uchiha Yuan said, "The family didn't cause the Nine-Tails' Rampage. But because the Sharingan was involved, the family is the only suspect. The village has definitely begun to suspect us."
At this, Uchiha Yuan sighed softly. "Now that things have come this far, even if we find the person who controlled the Nine Tails, the village's suspicion and suppression of the family probably won't change. They'll only grow worse."
"Because the village's long-standing fear of the Uchiha came true on the night of the Nine-Tails' Rampage."
"From now on, the village will intensify its suppression and surveillance of the family. The family certainly won't accept being treated that way, and the conflict between them will keep growing until the day it erupts."
As he spoke, Uchiha Yuan's gaze suddenly sharpened, so piercing that the others felt a sting in their eyes.
"When that day comes, neither the village nor the family will be able to back down."
"There will be only two possibilities: the family wins and gains the power to rule the village, or the family loses, and you, me, and our families are destroyed along with it."
"Of course, if we're lucky, a few clan members might escape. But they'll spend their lives being hunted by the village."
"As Uchiha, are you willing to accept that fate?"
Silence. The warehouse sank into a heavy, oppressive quiet.
Though these Uchiha children had been trained from a young age and were skilled in killing, this was the first time they'd heard about political struggles.
After a long while, pairs of eyes lifted to meet Uchiha Yuan's. They showed neither fear nor unease, only flames burning with fighting spirit.
Uchiha Yuan smiled. "Those are the eyes I like to see. There are no cowards among the Uchiha."
"Leader, what should we do?"
Uchiha Yuan slowly looked over them. "For now, you need to train hard, grow stronger, and keep yourselves hidden."
"Keep ourselves hidden?"
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Uchiha Yuan said calmly, "That's right. Until the family and the village actually come into conflict, you're just ordinary Uchiha with average abilities."
"And aside from the village, there's another hidden enemy who bears the family ill will: the person behind the scenes who used the Sharingan to cause the Nine-Tails' Rampage."
"Remember! We will be the family's... trump cards."
The Nine-Tails Night not only destroyed more than half of Konoha, but also began to shift the balance of power across the Ninja World.
All Five Great Shinobi Villages had spies embedded in one another, and the enormous commotion that night couldn't be concealed.
Soon, all the great villages learned that the Nine Tails had gone on a rampage in Konoha, that Konoha had suffered heavy casualties, and that the Fourth Hokage, the "Yellow Flash," had died sealing the Nine Tails.
At once, small clashes began to break out along borders that had been quiet for a long time. The great villages began sending in more troops.
Sunagakure, which had been preparing to seek peace, grew ambitious again, while Iwagakure and Kumogakure, whose strength remained intact, were delighted.
Everyone wanted to take a huge bite out of a suddenly weakened Konoha. The war, which had been gradually subsiding, flared up again.
The Shinobi World War began anew.
Faced with several great villages sending forces against Konoha almost simultaneously, Konoha—still rebuilding—couldn't afford to be careless. It immediately dispatched large numbers of Ninja to fight back.
Konoha knew perfectly well that it couldn't afford to show even the slightest sign of weakness. Otherwise, the other great villages would pounce on it like bloodthirsty mad dogs.
With four great villages converging on them, Konoha first targeted Sunagakure and Kirigakure.
If Sunagakure and Kirigakure were forced to retreat right away, the encirclement would be broken, leaving Konoha free to deal with Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
The Uchiha Clan excelled at Fire Style and possessed the Sharingan, which made them especially effective against Kirigakure Ninja. So the village set aside its suspicions and immediately ordered the Uchiha Police Force into action, sending them to the front against Kirigakure. They soon checked Kirigakure's advance.
Sunagakure had already suffered heavy losses. Under Konoha's defensive counterattacks, Sunagakure suffered repeated defeats and began to wait and see. For the time being, it no longer dared to invade the borders of the Land of Fire.
Konoha's greatest fear—the encirclement—was thus averted.
But the war continued to intensify, because Kumogakure and Iwagakure knew full well that Konoha was at its weakest.
The two great villages deployed heavy forces along the borders of the Land of Fire and launched one fierce attack after another.
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