The Uchiha Problem

Saying the Uchiha refused to integrate into the village was not Sarutobi Toru talking nonsense.

The clearest proof was that the Uchiha still treated their clan as their stronghold and maintained their so-called clan grounds.

Nearly every clan in Konoha had clan grounds, but the Uchiha were the only ones whose entire clan still lived there.

Even the conservative Hyuga Clan had fewer than thirty percent of its members living on the clan grounds. Most had spread out into Konoha's residential districts.

The Sarutobi Clan was even more so. They only gathered at the clan grounds during holidays to mingle and talk; ordinarily, everyone lived their own lives.

To put it bluntly, if Sarutobi Hiruzen were not Hokage, then when he, as clan head, gave an order to the Sarutobi Clan, obeying it would be doing him the courtesy of respecting the clan head. If they refused, there was nothing he could openly do about it.

While some ninja clans still formed cliques and held shared clan property, the clear distinction between superiors and subordinates had vanished. They could be said to have fully integrated into Konoha.

The only two exceptions were the Hyuga and Uchiha.

The Hyuga Clan had always kept a low profile. And although they had the Caged Bird Seal, at least it had the justification of protecting the Byakugan. They had also always obeyed the Hokage's orders.

The Uchiha were different. Things were fine at first, but after the Senju brothers died, they thought they were back in the game. They stirred up trouble for quite a while, hoping to push Kagami Uchiha into power.

On the battlefield, Kagami Uchiha had disregarded the drain on his Dojutsu power and fought one bloody battle after another. Perhaps it was also because he was caught between the village and his clan, unable to look after both sides. He might have wanted to simply blind himself and extinguish the clan's ambitions, or even die and be done with it all.

Yet unexpectedly, even after Kagami Uchiha died, this bunch could still make trouble.

Danzo snorted coldly. "That's right. The Uchiha refuse to integrate into the village, yet covet the village's power and want to turn it into a clan-based system. Do they take Konoha's ninja for blind fools?"

That was true enough. If they wanted to preserve a clan-based system, then they should forget about becoming Hokage. It was like trying to establish hereditary rule in modern society—simply impossible.

The Hyuga Clan understood this very well. They never involved themselves in the affairs of Konoha's High Command, because they knew perfectly well that as long as the Caged Bird Seal remained, the Hyuga could never enter Konoha's High Command.

After all, if you became Hokage and promoted only your own clansmen, you would be harming the interests of all Konoha. Some Konoha ninja might not have understood this deeply, but instinctively, they felt that these old-fashioned clan ninja did not share their interests.

That was the main reason the Uchiha were disliked in Konoha. It was like advocating Imperial restoration in modern society. The fact that no one had bashed the Uchiha Clan's heads in was only thanks to their strength!

"We can't make a move against the Uchiha right now, can we? After Senior Kagami's death, there are barely any Uchiha left who advocate integrating into Konoha!"

"Even while Kagami was alive, there weren't many Uchiha willing to integrate into the village! Otherwise, he would never have been forced into that state." Shimura Danzō shook his head. "But the Uchiha must be punished! Otherwise, they may very well push their luck. After all..."

Danzo did not say the rest. If the Uchiha continued pursuing the Mangekyo like this, they might try to artificially kill loved ones to achieve enlightenment.

And once such a thing succeeded, the Uchiha it produced would basically not be normal people. Who knew what they might do?

Perhaps they would think that their loved ones had died because Konoha rejected the Uchiha, so they should destroy Konoha?

Honestly, if Danzo knew that the Uchiha would later be exterminated by one of their own, he would not find anything strange about it. The more developed the Sharingan became, the more insane its users became—and what wouldn't insane people do?

"We have no way to punish them. After all, this transplantation was approved with the signature of Senior Kagami's orphan."

"Heh, a signature obtained after a group of people took turns persuading them every day for three months?" Danzo said disdainfully.

"I'll ask Hiruzen and see whether he, as Hokage, has any ideas."

"Mm, I'll come too. I actually have some thoughts regarding the Uchiha."

"What thoughts?"

"Let's discuss them when we get to Lord Hokage."

The Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage looked at the intelligence report in his hand, his gaze deep and shadowed. The ember of his pipe flickered uncertainly as his good mood from the previous days vanished without a trace.

"Uchiha..."

Bang! Danzo shoved open the doors and said coldly, "Hiruzen, can you still endure the Uchiha's rampant behavior?"

Yes, that was the feeling.

Although Danzo always acted like he feared neither heaven nor earth nor anything else in front of the Third Hokage, he actually had some sense. During their private discussion just now, he had been fairly rational.

The reason he put on this act every day was more like starting with an outrageous demand before bargaining down. First, he put on a fierce posture and proposed an impossible plan. Then, after backing down a few steps, it became easier to get it approved.

Of course, the Third Hokage understood this quite well too. Otherwise, he would have removed Danzo long ago.

What he needed was a frontman, not a firecracker!

"What is your opinion? After all, what they did followed the rules!"

"Followed the rules? Hmph. Do you think they'll stop here if you don't teach them a lesson?"

"Then what do you want to do?"

"Imprison the Uchiha who advocated Mangekyo Transplantation, interrogate the ringleaders, and destroy the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Was he trying to start a war with the Uchiha?

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not even blink. "The first two are impossible. As for destroying the Mangekyō Sharingan, leave them a warning, but do not leave behind any evidence."

As expected of old partners—he had immediately seen through Danzo's true intentions.

Although Danzo still put on a show of arguing his case, what remained was merely a war of words over bargaining.

In the end, they decided to destroy the Mangekyō Sharingan first, then have the Uchiha ringleader carry out missions with Root and seize an opportunity to eliminate him.

In truth, this was no longer an assassination at all. It was a warning and a test for the Uchiha Clan. If they handed over the ringleader, then everyone would be happy. If they refused, then it was war!

Compared to Danzo's plan, they were not openly tearing off the mask, but it was still practically an explicit and severe warning.

Only after the two had finished their verbal sparring did they turn their attention to Sarutobi Toru.

In the Third Hokage's eyes, Sarutobi Toru actually had considerable political acumen—he could lie with his eyes open and had a thick skin—and fairly good big picture thinking. His bonds with the village were also strong enough. His only problem was that he lacked the Will of Fire.

Of course, if he were merely an ordinary ninja, this would not really be a problem. Although the Third Hokage preached the Will of Fire every day, he did not expect every person in Konoha to be a believer. He would be delighted if even one-tenth of them believed in it. If he truly wanted the entire village to believe in the Will of Fire, he would need Infinite Tsukuyomi.

But if one wanted to become part of Konoha's public-facing high command, then this was somewhat fatal. Differing political stances often gave rise to conflict.

That was why, now that Sarutobi Toru wanted to become the second Pot Kage, the Third Hokage did not particularly oppose it.