Several hours later, Roy left Uchiha Fugaku's study.
"Clan Head, you're not actually going to... do what Roy just suggested, are you?"
Uchiha Nagasawa looked at Uchiha Fugaku with concern.
After all, every single thing Roy had just suggested would cause a huge uproar if it were discovered.
Winning over the rank and file, standing against the higher-ups, approaching the Tailed Beast Jinchūriki...
"Nagasawa, what do you think is the family's biggest problem right now?"
Uchiha Fugaku didn't answer. Instead, he asked a question of his own.
"Our Uchiha Clan..."
Uchiha Nagasawa thought for a moment, but still couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer.
"That's where we fall short."
"We can't even see our own shortcomings. We've lost the drive of the younger generation."
"Roy would be even better if he were stronger."
"Nagasawa, send all the resources to Roy."
After speaking, Uchiha Fugaku returned to his documents.
More than ten minutes later.
Roy stood in the courtyard, looking at the pile of resources.
"Roy, these are medicinal herbs that can aid your training. Here are the instructions."
"The Clan Head hopes you'll improve your strength quickly."
Uchiha Nagasawa left him with those words, then disappeared.
"It worked."
A smile tugged at Roy's lips.
The resources were certainly valuable, but what pleased Roy more was that Uchiha Fugaku's actions meant he'd approved of the plan.
With the Clan Head's support, carrying out the next steps would be much easier.
After preparing the herbs, Roy got into the medicinal bath.
"Ah..."
A wave of relief washed over Roy.
He could even clearly feel his chakra flowing more smoothly through his pathways.
Before long, members of the Konoha Military Police Force stepped up their routine patrols.
At first, there had been only two patrol teams. Now more than a dozen teams were patrolling the village.
Some Uchiha members had resisted at first, but after receiving heartfelt thanks...
They realized that helping ordinary people could be a source of happiness, too.
Meanwhile, outside Konoha...
"Have the Uchiha gone crazy lately?"
"Was our intelligence wrong? Weren't the Uchiha all arrogant, never bothering to show their faces around the village?"
"Our informants don't even dare send us any news now."
A shinobi wearing a strange Forehead Protector said anxiously.
They had no idea what was happening inside the village.
And staying here put them at risk of being exposed at any moment.
If they couldn't get accurate information by the end of the day, they'd have no choice but to retreat.
They'd spent more than half a year preparing. Were they really going to give up now?
"Waiting for intelligence?"
"You've waited long enough. Did you really think Konoha was a juicy piece of meat on a chopping board, ready for any stray cat or dog to take a bite?"
As the mysterious shinobi fretted, an amused voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Who's there?!"
"That's what I should be asking you."
"I don't recognize the symbol on your Forehead Protector. You're probably from some newly established village, trying to make a name for yourselves by taking on Konoha?"
Roy stepped out from behind a tree, one step at a time.
"A Konoha shinobi?"
"Damn it, does that mean..."
"Mm-hmm. They've already been dealt with."
Before the man could finish, Lu Yu cut him off.
Several more shinobi appeared nearby.
The strongest among them was Uchiha Nagasawa.
They also tossed out several corpses.
"Flame Hidden Village?"
"That's an awfully bold name. You can't live up to it."
After saying this, Uchiha Nagasawa launched his attack.
The man was quickly subdued by Uchiha Nagasawa.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
Just then, several figures landed on tree branches not far away.
"Anbu?"
"You're late. You couldn't even spot enemies who'd made it right to your doorstep. Your Anbu sure are impressive."
After mockingly taunting them, Uchiha Nagasawa disappeared with the corpses and the last shinobi.
The same scenes played out in several other parts of the village.
Even enemies who'd slipped past the hidden sentries were found by the Uchiha.
Not only did they find them, they wiped them all out without a scratch.
After all, anyone strong enough to hold a position in the Uchiha Clan and be at least a Chunin...
Was mostly an elite who'd survived the previous war.
Of course, Roy and the other newcomers were exceptions.
As one enemy after another was thrown into prison, the village's hidden agents began to be rooted out, one by one.
"I'm telling you, the Uchiha caught three traitors today. One of them was someone I knew. That was terrifying!"
"Do you think the Uchiha will use this opportunity to settle old scores?"
"I have no grudge against the Uchiha, and I've never been hostile toward them. I'm not worried."
"You... I'm still a little worried..."
For a while, the village was filled not only with praise for the Uchiha, but also with a growing unease.
People wondered whether the Uchiha would use this opportunity to retaliate against those who'd once been hostile toward them.
Suddenly, public opinion about the Uchiha split in two.
"Lord Hokage, if the Uchiha keep this up, our plans may... fall apart."
"Who knows? The next Hokage might even be one of the Uchiha."
Shimura Danzō slowly walked up to Sarutobi Hiruzen, his expression grave.
Yet his words remained casual.
He knew that he wasn't the one feeling the most anxious right now. That was the man standing before him.
"The Uchiha's newfound awareness is a blessing for Konoha."
"As for the Hokage Position, it should naturally go to whoever is most capable."
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even look up. He continued working through the documents in his hands.
"Fine..."
Danzō left him with a single word, then disappeared.
Danzō could never believe that Sarutobi Hiruzen would give up his power.
Otherwise, back then, he—the so-called Shinobi Hero and Professor of Ninjutsu—wouldn't have watched the Fourth Hokage go to his death.
After Danzō left, Sarutobi Hiruzen put down the documents in his hands.
His expression turned grim.
If the Uchiha had simply kept their heads down and taken care of their own duties as before, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't have felt any need to deal with them.
But now the Uchiha wanted to make a name for themselves in the village. So don't blame him...
The atmosphere in the village grew strange in an instant.
On one hand, most people were pleased by the Uchiha's change.
On the other, some feared the Uchiha would retaliate once they gained power.
The other clans were even more curious. Why had the Uchiha suddenly made such a move? What were they trying to do?
Before you continue