Autonomy (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

The gloomy sky resembled a solemn face, bringing an endless sense of oppression upon the land.

The Uchiha Clan had caused such a huge commotion that anyone in Konoha with even the slightest source of information already knew about it.

In front of the Hokage Building.

More than four hundred Uchiha ninja and over a thousand ordinary clan members had forced five or six hundred civilians to the ground in the open square.

Any slight noise from those civilians would earn them a vicious beating.

On the surrounding rooftops, utility poles, and streets stood a vast number of ninja—at a rough glance, already more than two thousand.

Many Ninja Clan heads were also watching from afar, silently awaiting the outcome.

Just then, the doors of the Hokage Building opened, and more than a dozen ninja emerged.

The civilians captured by the Uchiha were overjoyed when they saw the ninja at the front.

"It's Lord Hokage! Lord Hokage has come to save us!"

"You're finished!"

"Lord Hokage, save me! The Uchiha have gone mad!"

"..."

However, before the civilians could shout for long, the Uchiha ninja guarding them rushed over and began punching and kicking them.

Other than not being allowed to kill anyone, they held nothing back.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth twitched when he saw this.

Wasn't this a blatant slap in his face?!

Sarutobi Hiruzen strode forward and called out, "Please rest assured, everyone. You'll be fine. I will definitely save you."

"I believe in you, Lord Hoka—Smack!"

"I will surely stand with you—Smack smack smack!"

"..."

Seeing that the civilians who had spoken up were beaten again, anger appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face as he shouted.

"Stop! Where is Uchiha Yan? I want to speak with him."

Uchiha Yashiro, standing at the very front, sneered and waved toward those behind him.

The crowd immediately parted like a tide, revealing the path through the middle.

At the end of that gradually clearing path, the young man with short hair and delicate features was especially eye-catching.

A faint, inscrutable smile rested on his lips as he calmly walked toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Uchiha Yan!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.

He had not expected their first meeting to happen under such circumstances.

"Lord Hokage!" Yan slowly walked up to Sarutobi Hiruzen and smiled. "Have you been well lately?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced past Yan at the civilians who were still being beaten, then snorted coldly.

"Thanks to you, not very well."

"Release them first. Then we can have a proper talk. There's no need for things to escalate to this point."

Yan shook his head, rejecting the request. Then he pointed at his clansmen behind him and said, "Whether they're released or not isn't up to me. You'll have to ask them."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face turned ashen. "Uchiha Yan, what exactly do you want?"

Yan smiled faintly and gestured with his chin toward Uchiha Hideto standing behind him.

"What I want, that traitor should have already told you."

"I want Konoha to designate an area for the Uchiha Clan to govern autonomously. No one in Konoha may interfere."

"Impossible!" Sarutobi Hiruzen refused outright. "I will not allow two 'Hokage' to exist in Konoha."

Hearing that, the corners of Yan's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Yashiro!"

"Here!" Uchiha Yashiro answered from behind Yan.

"Pick some people, then execute them as spies."

"Understood, Lord Yan!" Uchiha Yashiro grinned savagely.

He turned and walked toward the civilians.

Then Yan turned and shouted, his voice loud enough for everyone present to hear.

"Don't blame me when you reach the Pure Land, everyone. Your Lord Hokage is the one unwilling to save you."

Seeing Uchiha Yashiro approach them and hearing Yan's words, the civilians immediately panicked.

"Lord Hokage, save me!"

"Save me! I don't want to die, Lord Hokage!"

"I'm really not a spy, Lord Hokage! I've been framed!"

"..."

Cries for help pierced the skies, echoing throughout Konoha.

The Uchiha guards did not beat them into silence. They merely stood with their arms crossed, coldly watching the farcical scene before them.

As the villagers' cries for help rang in his ears, the anger on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face grew even stronger.

"Stop! Stop this at once!"

Uchiha Yashiro ignored him completely and directly pulled more than twenty villagers from the crowd.

He made them kneel on the ground, facing Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Seven or eight ninja stood behind them, ninja swords in hand, ready to strike at any moment.

"Stop this!" Sarutobi Hiruzen lost some control of his emotions and roared at Yan.

Yan wiped his face with a look of disgust, his tone calm. "Disgusting, Lord Hokage."

"I'll ask you one last time. Will you grant the Uchiha Clan autonomy or not?"

"If not... heh heh!"

"Then let's go to war!"

As his words fell, the ninja behind him opened pairs of blood-red Sharingan. Some drew their ninja swords, some held shuriken, and some formed hand seals with both hands.

When the surrounding ninja saw this, it was as if it triggered a chain reaction. They all assumed combat stances.

The atmosphere instantly became taut with tension.

The dark clouds of war slowly shrouded Konoha's skies like a massive black hand.

The light gradually dimmed, thunder boomed, and soon rain poured down in torrents.

Raindrops fell onto Sarutobi Hiruzen's slightly aged face, making him narrow his eyes.

The pressure from all sides bore down upon him, and everyone's gaze was fixed on him.

Whether to fight or make peace depended on his single word.

Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a soft sigh, his body seeming to hunch over.

"Autonomy... I can grant it to you!"

"Hiruzen!" Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and the others beside him cried out in alarm.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly cut them off.

"Say no more!"

Then he fixed Yan with a gaze tinged with hatred and added, "But there must be certain restrictions. I absolutely cannot allow a second Hokage to emerge in Konoha."

"If you refuse..."

"Then we go to war!"

"..."

"Fine!" Yan answered decisively. "But you must hand over the traitor Uchiha Hideto to me!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked back.

A trace of panic appeared on Uchiha Hideto's face, yet he seemed exceptionally composed.

"Lord Hokage!" He stepped forward. "If handing me over can keep Konoha from being dragged into war..."

"I'm willing!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression grew complicated.

At first, he had also believed that Uchiha Hideto was an undercover agent sent by Uchiha Yan.

Especially after Uchiha Shisui had also sided with Uchiha Yan, he had become even more wary and distrustful of the Uchiha.

But judging from the situation now...

For a moment, he could not make up his mind either.

At that moment, Nara Shikaku suddenly came to Sarutobi Hiruzen's side and whispered in his ear.

"Lord Hokage, whether Uchiha Hideto is an undercover agent or not, we cannot hand him over."