A Way to Tear Open the Ceiling and Create a Skylight That Doesn't Work

Konoha Year 41, the war between Konoha and the Cloud Village has ended!

It ended so abruptly that it caught the Konoha villagers, who were still tense due to the Uchiha's erratic maneuvers, completely off guard.

This news simply crashed into their world.

Early this morning, the Cloud Village surrendered unilaterally and had already dispatched personnel to discuss war reparations; this news spread through all of Konoha like the wind.

Not to mention the lower-class citizens, even Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned by this sudden news.

There was absolutely no mention of such a thing in last night's intelligence reports! They only detailed the combat situation!

"In other words, this is the negotiation you concluded with the Raikage last night?"

"The Third Raikage is no match for me. His son was there at the time, and he had no way to deal with my teleportation; he couldn't protect his son or his subordinates." Uchiha Yuji crossed his arms, displaying the Uchiha pride to the fullest.

"Even if they had rejected my proposal, I could have easily charged into the Cloud Village alone and slaughtered them; they couldn't have stopped me."

The various jonin, who usually only felt the Uchiha were arrogant, now felt that this arrogance was well-deserved.

This guy is truly capable of fighting!

After all, the person before them had defeated the Raikage, who was known for possessing the [Strongest Shield] and the [Strongest Spear]; it was only natural for someone who had defeated a person bearing the title of Kage from the Five Great Nations to be a little proud.

"Although his appearance and some actions make the Third Raikage look like a hot-headed brute, anyone who views him that way will eventually be killed by him."

"He sees things very clearly."

Staring directly into Uchiha Yuji's eyes, Sarutobi Hiruzen understood his metaphor.

He was just saying that he himself was blind; it was nothing major.

"The reward for this mission will be issued as an S-rank emergency mission. Aside from that, do you have any other requests? I can provide you with some compensation depending on the circumstances."

"After all, it was almost entirely through your own efforts that the current war situation was changed; you brought about this victory."

Uchiha Yuji waved his hands repeatedly. "The war was already coming to an end; I merely acted as a catalyst to bring that result about sooner. I cannot claim this credit."

That the war was coming to an end was something everyone knew in their hearts.

After all, the intensity of the war had dropped to the level of small-scale raids; anyone who wasn't completely brainless would understand this logic.

This Sarutobi Hiruzen is full of traps everywhere. If I were to accept this credit now, how would that make the ninjas who guarded the borders for so long and blocked attacks with countless lives feel?

Our Uchiha reputation is already poor, and if you, you bastard, play dirty tricks again, the rumors will surely be a disaster.

The shameless Uchiha who plucked the fruits of victory?

You old monkey don't have a single good intention; even your butt is black! It's a good thing I, Uchiha Yuji, have some quick wit.

"Heh, your humility reminds me of Kagami." Sarutobi Hiruzen acted as if he had no idea he had dug a hole for someone, smiling and skipping over the topic.

"I am not a good person like Senior Kagami, who would open his heart to his teammates without any defenses, only to be harmed by the Root, which claims everything is for the sake of Konoha."

The exchanges between the two were always laced with thorns, and the various ninja clans had already grown accustomed to it.

The ninja clans that had been slightly leaning toward the Hokage, upon hearing the word "Root," silently distanced themselves from Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The existence of Shimura Danzō was undoubtedly more detestable than any enemy; as soon as he was mentioned, everyone felt their teeth itch with hatred.

Many elite descendants within their clans had been ruined by this guy, used as mere tools.

After all, external enemies are easy to deal with, but internal enemies are the most terrifying.

You only need to erase the life of an external enemy, but with an internal enemy, you cannot even determine who they are, or whether their actions are for their own selfish interests or for the collective.

If they were to believe that Sarutobi Hiruzen knew nothing about Shimura Danzō's actions, they would rather believe that the Uchiha clan would become the Hokage.

That is absolutely impossible!

"If the Hokage insists on providing an extra reward for this, I hope that next year, a few of our outstanding Uchiha clansmen can enter the Anbu." Uchiha Yuji spoke nonsense.

Don't look at how we are chatting happily now; don't you understand the current relationship between the Uchiha and the Hokage's faction in the shadows?

Are you really entering the Anbu not to prepare for assassinating me, the Hokage?

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even think about it and directly rejected Uchiha Yuji's proposal.

"Then, it wouldn't be too much for me to have a few positions for team-leading jonin next year, right?" Uchiha Yuji finally showed his hand.

"The entire capability of the Uchiha clan lies in their Kekkei Genkai; I'm afraid it would be difficult to teach students who have learned through standard knowledge." Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke glibly, saying things even he didn't believe. "In this ninja world, only the Uchiha possess the Sharingan."

"Eye-based bloodlines are very rare; there aren't that many possessors of ocular Kekkei Genkai in Konoha right now."

"If the Hyuga clan agrees, I wouldn't mind."

This is simply hell-level difficulty!

Just as the Hyuga are actually very suitable for medical ninjas, the Uchiha clan would actually be very suitable as team-leading jonin.

The copying ability of the Sharingan and the information passed down within the clan give the Uchiha clan a wealth of ninjutsu resources; for the wealthy Uchiha, they wouldn't care about those few ninjutsu.

As long as they arrange a few teams of jonin leaders, as time passes, the Uchiha could completely possess the power to overthrow the Hokage's faction.

However, Sarutobi Hiruzen clearly thought of this as well.

After the initial proposal to lift the ceiling was rejected, he then proposed opening a skylight, which Sarutobi Hiruzen also mercilessly rejected!

Uchiha Yuji did not expect that someone could be shameless to this extent. After being stunned for a moment, he slowly spoke, "In the future, for things you cannot do, I ask that the Hokage think twice before speaking."

"Hahaha, after all, the Uchiha clan truly lacks any talent for education. If it had been any other request, I might have agreed." Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed, looking exactly like a monkey from Mount Emei that had just swiped a tourist's backpack.

Infuriating to the extreme.

Regarding Sarutobi Hiruzen's proposal, Uchiha Yuji simply shrugged and said nothing more.

If I were to trust you again, there would have to be something wrong with my brain.

Then, Sarutobi Hiruzen began to boast grandiosely about the Will of Fire—a concept he himself didn't even believe in, or perhaps more accurately, a Will of Fire he had completely "forgotten."

The tedious meeting quickly slipped away while Uchiha Yuji dozed off, and when his stomach began to protest, Uchiha Yuji was jolted wide awake.

Without bidding anyone farewell, Uchiha Yuji vanished the moment he snapped out of his slumber.