Besieged on All Sides

The successive changes had made Shimura Danzō set his sights on a retired top spy who had become an orphanage director, and he also happened to pick up a promising seedling along the way.

However, even with the Fourth Hokage dead and one of the Three Ninja, Orochimaru, having defected, Konoha's combat power remained astonishing.

In the following year—the third year since Jinghuo Uchiha was born—Iwagakure saw the situation was hopeless and quietly withdrew.

Kumogakure sent an envoy group into Konoha to sign an armistice agreement.

The Konoha villagers were overjoyed.

"Great! My son can come back!"

"The war is finally over!"

"These two years have been too hard!"

"When we run into Kumogakure people, we need to be nice—at least don't cause trouble for the Third Hokage."

"Right, right, right. I'm putting up a sign right now—half price for Kumogakure directly!"

"Good one! I'm putting one up too!"

Compared to their jubilation, the Uchiha Clan Land was filled with oppression.

"The neighbor's son didn't make it..."

"My friend's father died too."

"My boyfriend never came back either..."

"Why do we Uchiha have to be sent to the front lines to die!"

"You can't say that..."

"What's there that can't be said! The ones dying are all Uchiha clan members. They're celebrating, but we Uchiha are supposed to be the ones with the most deaths?!"

"Shisui, tell me—are we Uchiha just meant to go die?!"

The surrounding Uchiha clan members had reddened eyes, all turning to look at the teenage Uchiha Shisui with his Dango Nose.

Konoha's Shunshin, Uchiha Shisui.

Not just his strength, but his thoughts as well—he commanded the clan's respect.

Faced with their complaints, Uchiha Shisui opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.

What was he supposed to say?

That this was an arrangement from Konoha's higher-ups, a chance for the Uchiha clan to earn war merit?

Trade clan members' lives for war merit, which would eventually win the villagers' goodwill?

Even if it hadn't been announced yet, and even if it were, he couldn't bring himself to say such things.

"I should go pick up Jinghuo." Uchiha Shisui used this excuse to evade the answer.

Along the way, he put on a show of blending in, comforting Uchiha clan members who had lost sons or husbands, while heading toward the forest behind the clan land.

In the forest.

A little boy with a flat-top haircut, wearing a tight black sleeveless T-shirt, was doing crunches on a tree branch two meters high.

In his mind, quests kept scrolling.

[Quest Name: You're That Easy to Manipulate?][Quest Content: Kill Uchiha Shisui!][Quest Reward: Eternal Mangekyo + Fire Release Chakra Mode]

[Quest Name: You Like Stealing Kids That Much?][Quest Content: Kill the Kumogakure Envoy Leader!][Quest Reward: Fire Release • Great Fire Dragon Flame Bomb]

[Quest Name: You Call That the Will of Fire?][Quest Content: Kill Sarutobi Hiruzen!][...]

[Quest Name: I'll Protect Hinata!][Quest Content: Kill Hyuga Hiashi!][...]

[Quest Name: You Like Stealing Things That Much?][Quest Content: Kill the Kumogakure...]

[Quest Name...]

[...]

[...]

At that moment, a figure approached.

"Jinghuo, time to eat."

"Okay." The little boy jumped down. He was one meter three centimeters tall, taller than most his age, looking like a four- or five-year-old.

They walked side by side toward home.

The Uchiha clan land had already been relocated—no longer at the center of the village.

Back then, after the Nine-Tails Attack broke out, during the village's reconstruction assembly, under Shimura Danzō's proposal and the tacit approval of the higher-ups, the Uchiha clan was forced to move to the edge of the village, far from the central gathering point, and accept round-the-clock surveillance.

Fugaku Uchiha naturally opposed it fiercely alongside his clan, but with the impending war against Kumogakure and Shimura Danzō's vague promises of verbal compensation, Fugaku Uchiha ultimately chose to let the matter rest.

Back then, over a dozen quests had popped up, five of which told Jinghuo Uchiha to go kill that big idiot Fugaku Uchiha.

So you're the only one who understands the bigger picture?

So you're the only one who sees clearly?

So you're the only one who knows that taking a step back opens up the vast sea and sky?

Even though Jinghuo Uchiha had long known how the plot would unfold, being right there in the thick of it, witnessing it firsthand, he still couldn't help wanting to pop out his Susanoo and smash him.

Damn! So infuriating!

Luckily, he held back.

After all, if he actually did pop it out, he still couldn't beat Fugaku Uchiha.

After the Uchiha Clan moved to the edge of the village, Fugaku Uchiha went to Shimura Danzō to demand the compensation he had promised.

The first few times, he was placated with the excuse that "we're in the middle of a war with Kumogakure." Later on, Shimura Danzō started berating the Uchiha Clan for being selfish, caring only about their own interests, and pestering him over petty gains while the village was at war!

Fugaku Uchiha's face turned ashen. He wasn't a fool—he could clearly see that Shimura Danzō was going back on his word.

But he still trusted Sarutobi Hiruzen, so he went to him to demand an explanation.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked troubled: "Fugaku, you've seen the village's situation yourself. Finances are extremely tight. And this matter was something Danzō promised you privately. If you want me to handle it, I... well, I'll try to talk to him for you."

At those words from Sarutobi Hiruzen, Fugaku Uchiha could only bow and say, "I'm sorry to trouble you, Lord Hokage."

When he returned from the Hokage Building, many clan members who were waiting for that money immediately crowded around him.

"Clan Head, when will the money be distributed?"

"Clan Head, my son is waiting for that money to get treatment!"

"Clan Head, the rent on my shop is about to expire. If I don't pay them, they'll shut me down!"

"Clan Head..."

"Clan Head..."

Not every Uchiha could awaken the Sharingan.

In the past, the Uchiha Clan might not have been overwhelmingly powerful, but they were never short of money. After all, the Uchiha were a major ninja clan that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Senju of the Forest.

But now, under surveillance, very few Uchiha clan members could leave the village for missions. Their only income came from the Police Force.

And the Police Force often had its funding docked due to complaints, with delays in payment being a regular occurrence.

On this matter, Fugaku Uchiha had also gone to see Sarutobi Hiruzen.

But it wasn't just his Police Force—the Root, the Medical Department, the Barrier Department, the Education Department... all of them were suffering from tight finances due to the war, with frequent payment delays.

However!

None of the other departments came nagging for money as often as he did!

After four or five visits, Sarutobi Hiruzen started to show some displeasure.

"Fugaku, if it really comes down to it, just hand over the Police Force."

Those words forced Fugaku Uchiha to grit his teeth and swallow his pride.

Inside the village: the doubts of the higher-ups, the estrangement of the villagers, the dissatisfaction of his clan members.

Outside the village: the greed of Kumogakure, the covetousness of Iwagakure, the casualties among his clan.

Even with his Mangekyo that could see the future, Fugaku Uchiha felt utterly hopeless about his current situation.

So, he chose the easiest path—forcibly suppressing his clan members' discontent.

This only made the clan members feel even more stifled.

But for Jinghuo Uchiha, aside from being shocked the first time by Fugaku Uchiha's naive thinking, he had no reaction. He just felt that Fugaku wasn't fit to be clan head—too weak.

The system, however, kept refreshing missions from time to time, telling Jinghuo Uchiha to go kill him.