Hashirama, Are You Really Coming?

Hearing Yutaro's well-reasoned speech, the Uchiha in the ancestral hall felt their emotions stirred, empathizing deeply with his words.

Many ninjas who had awakened the Sharingan were the very ones who had lost parents, siblings, and family members across the several Great Ninja Wars.

They had bled for Konoha and suffered injuries at Kannabi Bridge...

Listen to those words; how well-spoken they were.

Even those Uchiha who supported Fugaku felt that Elder Yutaro was right.

Moreover, both sides currently held the same stance: they advocated for mobilizing troops to support Konoha's war against Kumogakure.

"That monkey Sarutobi Hiruzen should just step down!"

"Exactly! As the supreme leader, he indulges Danzo and Orochimaru; as Hokage, he fails to lead by example; as a teacher, he lets the Legendary Sannin go to ruin. He is the textbook definition of incompetence and inaction."

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, unworthy of being Hokage!"

"..."

After finishing their tirade against the Third Hokage, they naturally moved on to comparisons, with some beginning to recount the virtuous deeds of the Uchiha clan.

"We Uchiha are the true role models of Konoha!"

"Well said! Our Police Force members treat ninjas from both large and small clans equally. Even if the Hokage's own son breaks the law, he is punished just like any commoner. Our law enforcement is fair and just."

"I'd like to add a few words here: in terms of work, the Police Force holds small meetings every five days and large ones every ten. We are proactive and our summaries are always on point."

"Let me add to that: in our daily lives, we Uchiha keep our distance from the masses. We insist on not taking a single needle or thread from the people, and we don't monopolize medicinal herbs to exploit the common folk. We are truly the model for all clans, big or small."

One by one, their good deeds were brought to light, and the monthly clan meeting, which had started with bitter grievances, finally returned to its proper track.

The scene became somewhat uncontrollable, with many Uchiha breaking down on the spot, men silent and women in tears.

Another day of feeling heartbroken for our Uchiha.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Elder Amano struck his cane, bringing the scene back to calm.

"Everyone has said what they wanted to say; the matter of impeaching the Hokage can be discussed later. Today's agenda is: 'Will the Uchiha accept the Hokage's mass mobilization' to participate in the war?"

Amano paused, and seeing no one object, he continued:

"Then, let us begin the vote by show of hands."

Kazuhiko didn't need to look at the voting results to know the outcome in advance—

The Uchiha would definitely accept the mobilization and participate in the war against Kumogakure.

As for how he knew, it was because he had a cheat.

At this moment, the text displayed on [Deep Blue] was very clear:

[World line unfolding...]

[Uchiha Yutaro: Our Uchiha and Konoha are indeed sick. We must perform surgery immediately to excise the malignant tumor from Konoha! The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, must step down!]

[World line has unfolded—]

[World line one: The butterfly wings you flapped are brewing a storm that will sweep through all the Uchiha. Actively participate in the war against Kumogakure, successfully end the war, and push for the impeachment of the Hokage.]

[Reward: Kage-level trait draw chance +2; Yutaro's favorability increases significantly. (The Uchiha's destined fate seems to be shifting. Is this an acceleration toward destruction, or a path to rebirth?)]

[World line two: You retracted a flap of your wings, believing safety comes first. Do not participate in the war, and secretly obstruct the impeachment of the Hokage.]

[Reward: Kage-level trait draw chance +1; Sarutobi Hiruzen's favorability increases significantly. (The Uchiha must return to the correct trajectory of fate; you will personally bury a budding seed.)]

[World line three: You flap your wings, causing the storm to rage. Actively participate in the war against Kumogakure, successfully end the war, and support a new Hokage.]

[Reward: Kage-level trait draw chance +2; Yutaro's favorability increases significantly; unlock designated ninja trait card pool. (The fate of the Uchiha will be held in your hands...)]

Kazuhiko looked at the world line missions, his mood somewhat complex.

"Butterfly wings..."

If not for him, the Uchiha would likely still have accepted the mobilization and participated in the foreign war.

Otherwise, given the deep-seated contradictions between the Uchiha and Konoha, it wouldn't have taken years for the coup to be planned, leading to the night of the clan's annihilation.

But the matter of impeaching the Third was definitely a result of the "butterfly wings he flapped."

According to the original plot, the Third Hokage remained Hokage until he was killed by Orochimaru.

Moreover, judging from Yutaro's speech and the world line prompts, his idea to impeach the Third originated from Kazuhiko.

Just as [Deep Blue] described:

[The butterfly wings flapped by Kazuhiko are brewing a storm that will sweep through all the Uchiha.]

Kazuhiko looked at the three world lines and fell into deep thought.

Impeach the Hokage, secretly obstruct it, or support a new Hokage.

Considering the current state and future of Konoha, all of these were indeed possible.

Impeaching the Hokage was something that had indeed occurred in Konoha, and the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was a firsthand witness to it.

During the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha had won a pyrrhic victory over Iwagakure.

Because the Third Hokage advocated for and pushed through a policy of compromise and peace, refusing to demand reparations from the Land of Earth and Iwagakure in order to end the war quickly, he faced backlash.

This decision led to severe dissatisfaction throughout Konoha, from the top down. Danzo saw an opportunity and united with the upper echelons of Konoha to hold him accountable.

The result was that the Third Hokage resigned in disgrace, which paved the way for Minato Namikaze to be pushed into the position of Hokage, while Danzo's attempt to seize power failed.

Therefore, impeaching the Hokage was not mere hearsay; it simply required a ready-made justification to set the process in motion.

And that justification already existed!

Furthermore, it was about to happen.

The Hyuga Incident!

Kumogakure sent a delegation to visit Konoha under the guise of signing a peace treaty.

However, their true objective was to covet the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan. On the night the treaty was signed, they sent a jonin to infiltrate the Hyuga compound to kidnap the young Hinata, only for him to be discovered and killed on the spot by Hyuga Hiashi.

The Kumogakure delegation flatly denied the incident and turned the tables, claiming instead that Konoha had murdered a peace envoy and lacked any sincerity in negotiations.

Using the threat of war, the upper echelons of Kumogakure made an unreasonable demand of Konoha:

They insisted that the body of the "culprit," Hyuga Hiashi, must be handed over as compensation.

The outcome was that the Third Hokage and the Hyuga clan were forced into a humiliating compromise, sacrificing Hizashi Hyuga to secure the peace treaty with Kumogakure.

"If I make an issue out of this to impeach the Third Hokage... it would actually be quite easy!"

Kazuhiko's eyes lit up.

Uchiha plus Hyuga plus Danzo, who was coveting the Hokage seat—he couldn't see how this combination could lose.

As long as there was a suitable candidate for Hokage, the mission to support a new leader would be easy to complete!

It seemed it was time for our Konoha to have a Hokage who mastered top-tier lightning-style magic.

I have decided on you—

Princess Tsunade!

Kazuhiko no longer hesitated. He decisively selected Mission Three and began to check the rewards.

Two chances to draw Kage-level traits, boom!

Yutaro's favorability increased significantly; that's maxed out.

Unlocked the designated ninja trait card pool, absolutely insane!

Hashirama, are you really coming?

Kazuhiko began to look forward to it.

"Mama Tsunade, where are you? It's so hard to guess."