Inside the Hokage's office, the cordial atmosphere from the beginning had now seemingly solidified into heavy amber.
With a hiss, the match ignited.
A thin, straight wisp of blue smoke rose from the pipe burning between Sarutobi Hiruzen's fingers, twisting and curling in the sunlight streaming through the window.
Those eyes, usually carrying a hint of kind warmth, were now sharp as an eagle's, fixed tightly on the Uchiha Clan Head across from him.
He tried to catch even the slightest flicker of hesitation or probing on that wrinkled yet still resolute face.
Yet there was none.
The Uchiha Clan Head merely gazed back at him calmly. His eyes, weathered by the Warring States period and two Shinobi World Wars, were like two bottomless ancient wells, utterly still.
The demands he had just made—Uchiha Clan heading to the Eastern Front, becoming commanders of the shinobi forces, receiving independent command authority, and...
Holding Shimura Danzō and his "Root" division accountable for their repeated covert operations against the Uchiha Clan—once he had finished speaking, he said nothing more, throwing the pressure of silence back at Hiruzen in full.
This silence was not submission, but a confrontation founded on strength and resolve.
With a clan united in will standing behind him, the Uchiha Clan Head's back had never stood so straight before the Hokage.
Understanding this, Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe. The acrid smoke circled through his lungs before he slowly exhaled it with a long sigh.
He leaned back slightly against the Hokage's chair, breaking the suffocating silence.
"Becoming the commander of the Eastern shinobi forces, possessing independent command authority..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke slowly, his voice hoarse from tobacco.
"Uchiha Clan Head, you should understand what that means."
"Since Konohagakure was founded, there has never been a precedent for a shinobi clan to completely break away from the Hokage's command structure on the front lines—let alone take command of the shinobi forces across an entire front!"
"Lord Hokage."
The Uchiha Clan Head's voice remained steady, yet carried an unquestionable firmness.
"The Uchiha Clan is no ordinary shinobi clan. We possess enough strength to face Kirigakure's challenge alone. Unified orders would better bring out the Uchiha Clan's combat power. Besides..."
He paused slightly, then spoke with an implication that was nearly explicit.
"...entrusting our backs to untrustworthy 'companions' is more dangerous than facing enemies head-on."
"We cannot fend off Kirigakure's blades while also dividing our attention to guard against kunai from behind."
"Regarding this, Lord Hokage should know better than this old man, given the many 'accidents' in the past."
He mentioned Danzo and Root again. Though he did not name them outright, the cold implication was already like a drawn blade laid between them.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
Of course he knew what the other man meant—the Uchiha jonin who had vanished during missions, the unsolved cases without answers... Some lids could not be lifted. At least, not now.
"Danzo is an elder of Konohagakure, and Root exists to protect Konohagakure as well. They would not do anything to harm the village."
Sarutobi Hiruzen chose to skirt the issue, and his tone hardened.
"But during wartime, internal distrust and suspicion are a poison deadlier than any enemy!"
"Trust goes both ways, Lord Hokage." The Uchiha Clan Head did not yield an inch.
"When one side is continually subjected to suspicion, suppression, and even assassination attempts..."
"Is it not too much to demand that the other side alone maintain trust and loyalty?"
He leaned forward slightly, and a sharp light burst from his aged eyes, like a male lion looking down upon all before him.
"This old man has not come today to beg. I represent the entire Uchiha Clan, and I am stating the conditions under which we will go to war."
"The Uchiha Clan can bleed for Konohagakure, but every drop of blood we shed must have value. It must not become a sacrifice to political infighting, or be met with a blade in the back from our own people!"
"The Uchiha Clan's strength must be used where it can protect the clan and the village, not wasted on internal strife and vigilance. That is the Uchiha Clan's bottom line!"
As his low voice fell silent, another oppressive hush descended.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's fingers tapped the desk, producing soft thuds.
His gaze lowered to the pipe emitting curling white smoke as his mind weighed the matter at high speed.
He desperately needed the Uchiha Clan's combat strength. If Kirigakure broke through the eastern coast, the consequences would be unthinkable.
But the Uchiha Clan's conditions, especially their demand for command authority—
Were no different from carving out a state within a state in Konohagakure's military system.
And their relentless pursuit of Danzo as a banner directly challenged his authority as Hokage.
If he agreed, there would be endless future troubles.
If he refused, the Eastern Front would be in danger.
He could not even be sure what those unruly Uchiha Clan madmen might do.
Could Danzo have been right? Were the Uchiha Clan pests that had to be removed?
Had Danzo done something behind my back again and provoked the Uchiha Clan?
After a long while, Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his eyes, the sharpness in them greatly subdued.
"Konohagakure naturally values the Uchiha Clan's strength."
He spoke slowly, choosing compromise, though not complete acceptance.
"But the Eastern shinobi forces are a matter of great importance. Even as Hokage, this old man cannot decide it alone."
Sarutobi Hiruzen skipped over the matter of Danzo and Root, as though that portion of their conversation had never occurred.
"Go back first and wait for my notice."
The Uchiha Clan Head listened quietly, without the slightest change in expression.
Only after Sarutobi Hiruzen finished did he slowly rise. His tall figure cast a long shadow across the office.
"Then this old man, on behalf of the Uchiha Clan, shall await good news from Lord Hokage."
The Uchiha Clan Head did not bow. He merely gave a slight nod, then turned and walked steadily toward the door.
The moment he pulled open the office door, the noisy voices and bright light outside rushed in, creating a stark contrast with the silent, oppressive space behind him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen watched his retreating back vanish beyond the doorway. At some point, the pipe between his fingers had gone out.
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his brow, an indescribable gloom settling over his heart.
The Uchiha Clan's eagle had spread its wings, and the chains binding it were snapping one by one.
"...Troubled times indeed."
A faint sigh eventually dissipated within the empty Hokage's office.
Not long afterward, the heavy wooden door was gently pushed open.
Having considered that "the Hokage faction's money would be returned in full, while the Uchiha Clan's money would be split seventy-thirty," Utatane Koharu entered the Hokage's office.
When she heard from Sarutobi Hiruzen that the Uchiha Clan had "forcibly seized" the Eastern shinobi forces, she felt as if the sky were falling.
She seemed to see Uchiha Clan shinobi like unleashed beasts, rampaging freely along the eastern coastline.
The mission rewards, wartime profits, and even the resources of the entire eastern region that should have flowed into the Hokage faction's pockets...
Would all be devoured without a trace!
"Hiruzen, we absolutely cannot agree!" Utatane Koharu shrieked.
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