Reactions from All Sides

Deep beneath Konoha, in a gloomy, terrifying underground chamber, Shimura Danzō, his body wrapped in bandages, stared darkly at the intelligence report in his hand.

Tsunade had returned to the village. Returning at a time like this, how could he not overthink it? Had she come back to inherit the position of Fifth Hokage?

Had Hiruzen summoned her back? Did Hiruzen want to step down?

No, absolutely not. The position of Hokage could only be his.

One thought after another surfaced in Danzo's mind. His small body harbored enormous malicious schemes.

As Konoha's princess, Tsunade could not be touched lightly. But the people around her—Shizune, for example, and the man she had brought back—if those two were secretly taken under control, he refused to believe Tsunade would not submit.

"Someone come." Danzo issued the order with a grim expression. The expressionless Root ninja below remained silent.

Elsewhere, in the Uchiha Clan, which prided itself on being the greatest ninja clan in the current Ninja World.

At the Naka River, the Uchiha Clan had once again convened a secret gathering because of Tsunade's return to the village.

Every clansman who had awakened the Sharingan had to attend the gathering.

At the very front sat more than thirty Uchiha with Three Tomoe Sharingan glaring in their eyes. They were the backbone of the gathering and the only ones qualified to speak.

They were elite jonin representing the Uchiha Clan's highest level of power. Every one of them could fight two enemies alone at the very least. They were the foundation that allowed the Uchiha to firmly occupy the position of Konoha's greatest clan.

Those at the back with One Tomoe or Two Tomoe Sharingan could only be considered ordinary clansmen. Even if some of them possessed the strength of ordinary jonin, in the Uchiha Clan, which revered bloodlines, they were simply not as noble as those with Three Tomoe.

It could be said that the Uchiha Clan pursued bloodline power to a pathological degree. But it was not only the Uchiha; every clan in the Ninja World that possessed a Kekkei Genkai inheritance was the same. After all, there was a massive gap between Kekkei Genkai ninja and ordinary ninja.

Speaking of which, the Uchiha Clan had also been unlucky. After the Fourth Hokage took office, he had actively communicated with the Uchiha Clan, and the Fourth Hokage and his wife's military strength had been enough to suppress the Uchiha hawks.

The Fourth Hokage had intended to win them over, while Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, had also wanted to change the Uchiha's circumstances. The two sides immediately hit it off.

If the Fourth Hokage had still been in office, with him mediating between them, the Uchiha Clan might truly have integrated into the village's ninja clan system.

Unfortunately, the Fourth Hokage died not long after taking office. When the man died, his policies died with him. The Third Hokage returned to power, and the policy toward the Uchiha Clan once again became one of suppression.

The Uchiha Clan could no longer endure it. The hawks rose to prominence again, and even many centrists, after sensing the threat from the Hokage faction, defected to the hawks. They were prepared to openly clash with the Hokage faction, fighting it out head-on. Whoever lost would be the rebels; at worst, they would perish together.

The conciliatory faction led by the clan head had less and less of a voice at clan meetings. When the hawks completely suppressed the conciliatory faction, even the clan head would have no choice but to be swept along by them and clash with the Hokage faction.

Having reached this point, the Uchiha Clan's future was actually predictable. They were bound to lose. No one had expected there to be so many traitors within the clan, or for their defeat to be so devastating.

Konoha had been established for over fifty years, yet the Uchiha Clan had always remained outside Konoha's entire political system.

Forget developing allies among the other ninja clans—they did not even have any clans they were superficially friendly with. From beginning to end, they had never integrated into Konoha's small circle of ninja clans.

As a result, when the Uchiha were destroyed, not a single ninja clan stepped forward to say a word.

Try replacing them with any other ninja clan. Even if it were a small ninja clan, the other clans would never allow the Hokage faction to wipe it out so easily.

"Latest news: Princess Tsunade has returned to the village. She may inherit the position of Hokage. How should the Uchiha respond?" the Uchiha First Elder said.

"Tsunade? That little Senju girl who fled in disgrace? Hmph, the Uchiha must never allow another Senju to become Hokage." Another elder spoke.

"Actually, it may not be a bad thing. With a different Hokage, at least that old dog Danzo won't be able to target us so recklessly anymore."

"You've become cowardly. Would the mighty Uchiha need to fear that old thief Danzo?"

"That old dog Danzo will be slaughtered sooner or later."

"And Sarutobi Hiruzen. He's no good either."

Very quickly, the topic went off track. The Uchiha elites present chimed in one after another, turning a proper gathering into a Xianglin's Wife-style complaint session and a speech denouncing the Hokage faction for being inhuman.

A vein faintly throbbed on Uchiha Fugaku's forehead as he visibly restrained his impatience.

"Enough. What we're discussing now is Tsunade's return to the village. Other matters can be discussed later," he growled.

"Clan head, are you afraid of that old bastard Sarutobi Hiruzen?"

Amid the noisy gathering, a youth seated near the front looked somewhat lost. He was Uchiha Shisui, the current pride of the Uchiha Clan, who had already earned the title of Body Flicker Shisui.

As a powerful ninja who had awakened the Three Tomoe, his seat at the gathering was very near the front. Aside from the clan head and several elders, he was at the forefront.

Shisui was deeply confused. The conflict between the village and the Uchiha was growing ever greater.

He truly could not find a way for the two sides to coexist peacefully. This troubled him greatly, despite his self-image as a clever man.

People said Uchiha Shisui was humble and polite, so much so that he did not even seem like an Uchiha. But in truth, he was also a proud Uchiha. It was simply that his pride lay in his bones, while the pride of other Uchiha was displayed openly.

Princess Tsunade? Would Tsunade's return to the village really be useful? Could she resolve the issue between the village and the Uchiha? Even the Third Hokage had been unable to solve it.

Amid the cacophonous clamor, the various factions had differing reactions to Tsunade's return. Some schemed in secret, some remained indifferent, and naturally, some prepared to visit and build goodwill.

A day later, Tsunade smilingly saw off the last group of visitors. These were the Senju Clan's connections. Even though the Senju Clan had already integrated into Konoha as a whole, as long as Tsunade remained, the Senju Clan had not truly vanished.

"Hey, don't tell me you're planning to stay in one place and rest for a while? You've been here for a day, but I haven't seen you go anywhere," Tsunade said, looking at Richard sitting in the courtyard.

Before this, he had always had a clear purpose and headed straight for his destination every time.

Yet this time, he had been in Konoha for nearly two days and had done nothing at all. It was far too abnormal.

"No rush. I've been observing," Richard said. Over the past two days, he had been using his spiritual power to sense Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke's conditions.

Those two had identities that were far too sensitive. He wanted to avoid trouble, so he observed discreetly.

It was simply that he had gained little. He had already figured out the Chakra reincarnation. Asura and Indra had died long ago. The Sage of Six Paths had used a method similar to reincarnation to have the two continuously reincarnate, much like the Ghost Immortal reincarnation spoken of in legends.

Accumulating foundations lifetime after lifetime—truly, the Sage of Six Paths was a good father. Richard sighed. He had never treated his own son in this life so well.

The truth was that he could not control reincarnation either. Perhaps once he grew strong enough in the future, he could ask the Death Sovereign about his wife and child's circumstances.