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Early spring, 47th year of Konoha.

Inside the top-floor room of the Hokage Building, the Konoha F4 were gathered.

"You have all seen Minato's report. Tell me your thoughts."

Hiruzen Sarutobi pressed the tobacco into his pipe, his expression calm.

Utatane Koharu frowned slightly, glancing at Minato, who sat in the corner.

"Hmph! As for Uchiha Yashiro, I think he has grown senile! We must demand an explanation from the Uchiha."

As her voice fell, the room descended into a heavy silence.

The four elders present were all disciples of the Second Hokage and had long upheld the policies of Tobirama.

It was not surprising to hear such remarks, but Hiruzen Sarutobi had no desire to listen to such hollow nonsense.

"Reports from the front lines indicate that the Land of Wind has suddenly dispatched a large number of ninjas to operate along the border; we must make preparations early."

Mitokado Homura took over the conversation.

The content seemed unrelated to the current incident, yet the implication was clear.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, sitting behind his desk, stopped his movements; this was the original intent behind his summoning them to discuss countermeasures.

"I have already dispatched Orochimaru to the front lines, and the second wave of troops will arrive in a few days."

Speaking of this, a flash of exhaustion crossed the Hokage's eyes as he continued:

"We must prepare for the worst. Once a conflict breaks out, the Rock Ninja and Cloud Ninja will certainly not stand idly by. If there is the slightest mistake, war will be inevitable."

For some unknown reason, the Sand Ninja had been acting like madmen lately, as if they were searching for something.

The specifics remained unknown, as the scouts at the front had not sent back any useful information; it stood to reason that the security clearance for this event was extremely high.

The man sitting in the Hokage's seat sensed the scent of a conspiracy and was fully prepared for the worst-case scenario.

"My opinion is... let the Uchiha resolve the trouble they started. I will speak with Fugaku later."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude was very clear: he wanted a stable rear, especially with the external situation becoming increasingly chaotic.

"Sarutobi, you are too soft!"

Danzo struck his cane heavily against the floor to express his dissatisfaction.

"The Uchiha clan is full of wild ambition! Leave this matter to me, and I will give you a satisfactory answer."

His sinister voice rang out, drawing side-glances from the others.

Beneath the bandages lay an aging body, but Danzo was unwilling to exit the stage just yet; he still had too many unfulfilled ambitions.

"Danzo, I said... I will handle this. Let this matter end here. We still know nothing about the activities of the Sand Ninja; you should know what to do."

"Hmph!"

Danzo stood up abruptly.

"Sarutobi! You are far too womanly in your benevolence."

The sound of the door slamming still echoed in the room as Danzo left in a rage, yet the Hokage remained the Hokage.

Next, Hiruzen Sarutobi discussed material preparations and transport routes with the two advisors based on the current situation.

Minato Namikaze remained silent throughout, like an invisible man, silently learning how a violent organization ought to function.

The preliminary discussions were nearly concluded.

An Anbu member arrived to report that the Uchiha clan leader, Fugaku, requested an audience.

"We shall return to make preparations. Sigh! Another autumn of troubles."

The two Hokage advisors stood up and exited the Hokage's office with measured steps.

A few minutes later, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

After entering, Fugaku Uchiha first apologized to Minato.

"Minato-kun, it was my failure to supervise that caused you trouble. I am deeply sorry."

The Uchiha's reputation as a prestigious clan did not come solely from their combat prowess; in terms of etiquette, Fugaku was impeccable.

"Clan Leader Fugaku, you are too kind. I believe this was not your intention, so please do not take it to heart."

Minato's reply allowed the heart hanging in Fugaku's chest to settle slightly; it seemed the other party would not harp on this matter, and Fugaku received Minato's goodwill.

"Sit down and speak, Fugaku. I have great faith in your loyalty to Konoha, and I believe there must be some misunderstanding here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put on a kind face, his words devoid of any blame.

The more he acted this way, the more uneasy Fugaku felt.

He did not fear the Hokage's punishment; if he had been scolded harshly, the matter would have been easier to resolve.

Now, looking at the kind-faced Hiruzen Sarutobi, Fugaku's heart sank once more.

His tenure as clan head was like walking on thin ice; within the clan, there was a group of brawny, simple-minded men who clamored daily about why the Uchiha could not hold the position of Hokage.

Externally, Danzo kept a predatory eye on the Uchiha, waiting for a suitable pretext to strike them a heavy blow.

Beset by internal and external troubles, Fugaku Uchiha had become a master of patching over cracks, forever trying to appease both sides.

Reflecting on this, he knew that without a sacrifice, there would be no way out; he had to act decisively.

Fugaku stepped forward and placed two documents on the Hokage's desk.

"Lord Hokage, these are the deeds to two mines; consider them a humble token of the Uchiha's apology."

Having said this, Fugaku pulled another document from his robes and placed it alongside the deeds.

"This incident occurred because I, as clan head, failed to exercise proper discipline, leading to such a rebellious act from within the family. From this moment on... Uchiha Sen is expelled from the clan, never to be accepted again."

"Fugaku."

"Present. Please, Lord Hokage, speak."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was satisfied with his attitude; he had managed to both deliver a reprimand and secure benefits for Minato.

At this point, he intended to let the matter rest.

The old adage remained: Uchiha affairs should be handled by the Uchiha themselves. What he wanted was the stability and balance of Konoha.

"I know you have your own hardships, but I must say... Konoha does not belong to any one person or clan; it is the Konoha of all, including the Uchiha. Do you agree?"

"Please rest assured, Lord Hokage. This Humble One guarantees that such a thing will never happen again."

Fugaku departed, leaving behind the deeds to a coal mine and an iron mine, along with the document expelling Sen from the clan.

With only the two of them left in the room, Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed the deeds toward Minato.

"Take them. Fugaku ought to pay this price for his apology."

"Is this appropriate? I fear Clan Head Fugaku might harbor resentment, I worry..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi struck a match and held the flame to his pipe tobacco.

"Puff, puff."

He took two deep drags and exhaled a cloud of white smoke with a look of contentment.

"You fear he will turn against us? He won't. Fugaku is a man who is good at planning but lacks decisiveness; he is perfectly suited to be the head of the Uchiha clan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Minato with appreciation.

"Minato, you already possess the mindset of a Hokage, but it is not enough. One person cannot achieve great things; you need many people to help you. Beyond ideals, interests are also a means to gather hearts, regardless of whether you like them or not."

He pushed the deeds toward Minato once more.

With the matter stated so bluntly, Hiruzen Sarutobi had clearly established Minato's status as the successor to the Hokage.

Minato accepted the benefits representing the Hokage's faction with grace.

"I understand. Take care of your health, Lord Hokage. I will take my leave."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. Once the sound of the door closing echoed, the face hidden behind the swirling smoke became increasingly difficult to discern.

Uchiha Sen waited for several hours.

He had not been thrown into the Konoha prison, nor was he qualified to enter the mysterious dungeons of Root.

An Anbu wearing a cat mask had tossed him into an empty room in the Hokage Building and left him to cool his heels.

With nothing to do, he decided to review the recent battle.

Details he had overlooked at the time were recalled one by one, and he replayed the fight in his mind over and over.

This was a habit he had retained from his previous life. To put it modestly, there are no geniuses; I am merely someone who...

After the 33rd failure, Sen's understanding of himself deepened.

First, looking at the "Nature" and "Life" attributes, they represented far more than just surface-level data.

How should he put it? The 20 points in "Life," judging solely by physical stats, were equivalent to the physique of a Chunin.

However, the technique he used during the fight to extend his arm by an inch was something no Chunin possessed—not even a Jonin.

It seemed that his development of the "Nature" and "Life" attributes was not even at one percent; he could certainly cultivate along this line of thought.

Sooner or later, he would become a well-rounded warrior; this was the correct way to utilize the system panel.

On the other hand.

The benefits brought by Water Element Mastery (Beginner) were obvious: precise chakra control, the ability to activate techniques from multiple parts of the body at any time, and super-simplified hand seals.

Thinking it over, the advantages were truly numerous, and this was only at the beginner level. What about intermediate or advanced?

From this, Sen associated many things, and gradually, he began to construct a combat system suited to himself.

The benefits did not stop there; he could sense that his chakra contained a substance that was difficult to describe or define.

It was impossible to grasp, yet it truly existed.

Because of its presence, Sen's chakra behaved more fluidly, as if it possessed a consciousness of its own.

This was merely his personal feeling; whether it was truly the case would require slow observation in the future.

Therefore, trading the Sharingan for Water Element Mastery was not a loss at all.

On the contrary, this path was better suited for him, and Sen believed that by utilizing the Balance of Fate, he could fully integrate these resources into himself.

The capacity of a ninja had its limits.

But he had none; one day, he would place the entire Ninja World upon the scales.

[Reputation from Hiruzen Sarutobi +1]

[Reputation from Shimura Danzō +10]

[Reputation from Fugaku Uchiha +2]

Hm?

Since entering the Hokage Building, this was the second wave of reputation he had farmed.

The first wave mostly came from the ninja clans, with the majority providing him with 1 point of reputation.

It stood to reason that the news of his assassination attempt on Minato Namikaze had already spread among the clans.

This current wave of reputation was also understandable; it meant that the name Uchiha Sen had been placed upon the Hokage's desk.

But what the hell was that 10 points from Danzō?

Even when he earned the recognition of Minato Namikaze through his own strength, he had only barely managed to farm 10 points of reputation.

One had to understand that the acquisition of reputation was related to how others perceived him, regardless of good or evil.

If one were to say that Danzō deeply admired him, Sen would never believe it, no matter what.

Eliminate all other possibilities, and what remains must be the truth.

Danzō had already set his sights on him, harboring deep malice.

Was it because of his conflict with the Uchiha?

Thinking about it that way, it made perfect sense; Danzō's malice toward the Uchiha clan needed no elaboration, and if he didn't try to exploit this situation, he wouldn't be Danzō.

"Sigh, I knew it; there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

Although he said that, it was merely a sigh.

Once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back.

Since he had made his choice, then—the blade was already unsheathed.

Others could use Wood Release to suppress the world.

Why shouldn't I carve out a future for myself!