The Wavering Hokage!

"Not bad, Shisui has awakened the Mangekyo!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen lit his pipe, took a drag, and spoke the news aloud.

He did not dwell on how Danzo had obtained this intelligence; after all, the upper echelons of the Uchiha clan were aware of it, so it was not impossible for Root to have intercepted the information.

"Hiruzen, the Mangekyo is too dangerous. Hand him over to Root; I will certainly make good use of this pair of Mangekyo!"

Danzo was secretly delighted at these words and immediately put forward his proposal.

If he could control Uchiha Shisui, then...

"No!" Sarutobi Hiruzen refused flatly. "Uchiha Shisui cannot be handed over to you!"

He was well aware of Danzo's ambitions, so it was truly impossible for him to agree to this suggestion.

"Hiruzen, I know what you are worried about, but surely you don't want to end up a puppet of Mangekyo genjutsu, do you?"

Danzo brought up the threat of the Mangekyo.

It could control a target forever without them even realizing it; even if one knew the other party was loyal, one would instinctively remain wary and guarded.

If this were not the case, Sarutobi Hiruzen would not have needed to ensure others were present every time he met with Shisui.

"...I trust Shisui!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke as if he were trying to convince himself.

"But if we don't act first, and we truly let the Uchiha command Shisui to strike at us, it will be too late. Hiruzen, give him to me, and I guarantee he will no longer be a threat to the village!"

Danzo prepared to push his case further.

Unfortunately, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew his old friend too well to give him any opportunity.

"No, Shisui will be the bridge for our reconciliation with the Uchiha!"

He explained the importance of Uchiha Shisui.

The village needed a channel of communication with the Uchiha, and with Shisui there, there was no need to worry too much about the clan causing trouble.

And with Shisui as a piece placed in the Anbu, the Uchiha could also see that the village had no intention of moving against them.

Thus, Shisui's role was vital; he was the chip that stabilized both sides.

Therefore, no matter what Danzo said, Sarutobi Hiruzen would not budge.

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

Danzo turned and stormed out of the Hokage office in a rage.

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen instinctively retorted.

Just as he was about to strictly forbid the other from laying a hand on Shisui, Danzo's warning from moments ago involuntarily surfaced in his mind, and he swallowed his words.

Clearly, this was a silent "tacit approval."

If things went wrong, he would naturally reprimand and punish the other party, making it clear that it had nothing to do with him, the Hokage.

If it succeeded, not only would his inner anxieties be resolved, but he would also have ways to take the prize from Danzo's hands whenever he deemed it necessary.

On the other side!

White Dove did not know that Danzo's initiative was so exaggerated; having just met him, he had immediately gone to see the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, to poison the well against Shisui.

At this moment, he was "paying salaries."

No, that wasn't right!

In the ninja world, it should be called distributing compensation.

He might leave other matters to others, but when it came to distributing money and promoting people, he always handled it personally.

To buy people's hearts, he naturally had to keep the power of finance and personnel firmly in his own hands.

It wasn't that he was worried about these Uchiha betraying him, but rather a precaution.

Human hearts could not withstand testing, so he would naturally not be careless.

Finance Department.

"Here, Uncle Tensui, this is your pay."

White Dove handed an envelope to Uchiha Tensui, the old man standing before him who was missing an arm and now responsible for guarding the warehouse and counting inventory.

The man's sons had all died on the battlefield, leaving him with only a young grandson; if not for his employment, the man might truly have starved to death.

There were quite a few such cases within the Uchiha clan.

The village had driven the Uchiha from the center of the village to the periphery and refused to release the promised compensation, creating this predicament with malicious intent.

Because without money and resources, there was no way to cultivate ninjas.

Without ninjas, their influence and power would naturally wither away.

The village leadership was clearly intent on dragging the Uchiha to their deaths.

It is no wonder that the number of hawks within the clan is growing, while the doves are dwindling.

Because if they do not rebel, they will simply die a slow death.

Rebelling now offers a sliver of a chance at success; if they do not, their clan will eventually decline. Then, with their Sharingan coveted by all, they would either be snatched away as test subjects or raised as tools, with no possibility of survival.

One only needs to look at the Senju Clan, the Uzumaki Clan, and the bloodline clans of the Mist Ninja to understand the fate of those with a Kekkei Genkai who lack the power to protect themselves.

Extermination!

That is the only possibility.

It is not as if you can simply choose to accept decline and expect to survive.

Therefore, it is not that the hawks fail to see the situation clearly; it is that they have no choice at all.

Even Uchiha Fugaku, who had always stood on the side of the doves, is increasingly leaning toward the hawks.

Otherwise, why would the voices of the hawks clamoring for rebellion within the clan grow ever louder?

As for White Dove's One Heart Chamber of Commerce, it is beloved because it continuously absorbs the impoverished members of the Uchiha clan, providing them with work and wages. Even those who have not joined are influenced by those who have, which is why his prestige is truly high.

Take the patrol squads of the Police Force, for instance; there is always a team patrolling around the Chamber of Commerce. If anyone dares to come looking for trouble, they will be made to understand the meaning of the Uchiha's iron fist in a matter of minutes.

"Thank you, President!"

Uchiha Tensui took the envelope and bowed excitedly toward White Dove.

If not for him, his young grandson would never have survived last winter, let alone been able to purchase the medicinal herbs needed to build a foundation and prepare for becoming a ninja.

"As an Uchiha, this is what I ought to do. If you have any difficulties, feel free to speak up; I will do my best to help!"

White Dove said these words with a sincere tone.

He was not acting.

He had long since regarded the Uchiha as his own "base of operations," the sharp blade for reshaping the ninja world in the future.

Otherwise, he would not have shared the majority of the Chamber of Commerce's profits.

These clansmen support him precisely because he gives them so much.

"By the way, the Chamber of Commerce is expanding recently. If you have friends in the clan who want to work, tell them to sign up with Aunt Yezue!"

White Dove added this instruction just as the other man turned to leave.

Recruiting!

It was naturally the logical next step.

The reason he did not expand before was not a lack of ability, nor an inability to find profitable paths; it was entirely because he needed to keep a low profile.

Now that he has stepped onto the stage, there is naturally no need to remain as low-key as before, so expansion has become the expected course of action.

"That's wonderful!"

An expression of excitement appeared on Uchiha Tensui's aged face.

The situation within the clan is dire right now, and many people can barely afford to eat, so the One Heart Chamber of Commerce hiring is essentially a lifeline for them.

After Uchiha Tensui left the office, a chorus of excited voices erupted from outside.

"That's great!"

"I have to go tell Ayaka immediately!"

"No, wait until after work; we can't cause trouble for the President!"

"That's right, let's repay President White Dove by working hard!"

"Zongcheng!"

Sitting inside the room, White Dove naturally heard the voices outside.

His act of buying people's hearts is not exactly a secret, yet no one feels there is anything wrong with it.

Since he is paying out real money without a hint of deception, it is no wonder his prestige within the Uchiha clan continues to rise.

Furthermore, as the Chamber of Commerce expands and hires more Uchiha personnel, his prestige will naturally climb.

Of course, this will also make him a target for everyone.

After all, no one wants to see the Uchiha rise again, whether it be the high-ranking officials or other ninja clans.

The high-ranking officials go without saying, and as for the other ninja clans, it is because much of the resources and power they occupy were obtained at the expense of the Uchiha; if they were to rise again, those resources and power might have to be surrendered.

Therefore, even if only for the sake of power and resources, they will not allow the Uchiha to rise again.

And this was the reason White Dove dared not let go and act freely in the past.

It was too dangerous!

But now that he has voluntarily plunged into the storm, even knowing it would be this way, he can only bite the bullet and push forward.

Who told Uchiha Fugaku to be so unreliable? If he continues to hide behind him, he can only watch as he leads the Uchiha clan into the abyss.

And just as White Dove was handing out wages to win over hearts, on the roof opposite, two masked figures were watching him.