Elder Setsuna Didn't Let the Uchiha Down

The meeting in the Hokage's office ended, and Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped out onto the Hokage's balcony and lit his pipe again.

Since the Third Hokage's wife had died, he had been smoking more and more often, almost never letting the pipe leave his hand.

Looking toward the Uchiha Compound in the distance, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a puff of smoke and asked, "What do you think Uchiha Fugaku has decided?"

Shimura Danzō emerged from the shadows, but didn't answer Hiruzen Sarutobi's question. "Aren't you going to deal with the Sarutobi Clan's troubles?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, "Shinnosuke was listening in at the office. He'll handle it for me."

Shimura Danzō paused. "Your eldest son was listening in?"

"I didn't even notice him. That kid's really quite capable."

"With an eldest son who's more than capable of inheriting your position, no wonder Asuma was making a fuss about going to be the daimyo's dog. You didn't seem very angry about it, either."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly snapped his pipe in half. "Don't bring up that unfilial son! My blood pressure's rising!"

Shimura Danzō didn't care. "Fine. Let's get back to Fugaku."

"I don't think we need to worry at all. Given the Uchiha's brains and habits, no matter what evidence they find, they'll come straight to you and demand an explanation."

"When that happens, don't say a word. Leave everything to me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "Danzō, thank goodness I have you. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do."

Shimura Danzō gave a haughty snort. "Everything I do is for Konoha!"

[With Namikaze Minato dead, it's finally my turn to become Hokage. I'll never tolerate those inherently evil Uchiha causing trouble!]

Shimura Danzō didn't say his thoughts aloud, but Hiruzen Sarutobi had known him for fifty years. One glance at Danzō's expression told him what his old classmate was thinking.

Tch, sorry about that, Danzō.

Your personality is too gloomy, and you act too recklessly. If you became Hokage, you'd inevitably drag Konoha into endless wars.

I won't let you become Hokage!

In the night, the two old men, whose faces and hearts told different stories, each turned over his own thoughts as they silently watched the brightly lit central building of the Uchiha Compound.

That building was the Uchiha meeting hall.

By then, Uchiha Fugaku and the elders had settled on a plan and gathered evidence that the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mitokado clans had seized villagers' homes.

Once they got the idea, the Uchiha realized that gathering evidence was actually very simple.

All they had to do was take the maps kept by the Military Police Force and compare them with new maps drawn after the buildings were rebuilt. It would be obvious that the structures hadn't been repaired.

The Military Police Force also had records of property transactions. If the new buildings had no purchase or transfer documents, that proved they had been seized through illegal means.

Uchiha Fugaku was delighted. He thought they had this one in the bag.

But Uchiha Setsuna spoke up. "Clan Leader Fugaku, what if—I mean, what if Hiruzen Sarutobi flatly denies it and refuses to acknowledge this evidence?"

Fugaku waved a hand. "Come on, don't slander the Third Hokage. He's not the kind of man who'd lie through his teeth."

Setsuna sneered. "So the clan leader's willing to vouch for Hiruzen Sarutobi?"

"Fine. I believe you!"

After the meeting, Elder Uchiha Shiho asked, "Setsuna, what did you mean by what you said at the end?"

Uchiha Setsuna replied, "I regret choosing Fugaku as clan leader..."

"I never imagined Uchiha Fugaku could be so foolish!"

"Hiruzen Sarutobi never lies, but how many times has he simply kept his mouth shut and let Shimura Danzō jump in to stir up trouble?"

"Once Danzō has muddied the waters completely, Hiruzen steps in as the peacemaker, quietly making sure our Uchiha take the loss."

"How many times have they played the good cop, bad cop routine right in front of Fugaku, and he still believes Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

Uchiha Shiho frowned. "This time, we have solid evidence..."

Uchiha Setsuna shot back, "And we didn't have evidence during our previous disputes?"

"The people stealing villagers' homes belong to Hiruzen Sarutobi's clan. Even if they're found guilty, they'll be the ones carrying out the punishment. How can we know what the final result will be?"

Elder Shiho thought for a moment, then asked, "Setsuna, do you have an idea?"

Uchiha Setsuna said, "I remember two things came up tonight: the Sarutobi Clan's seizure of homes and Shanty Town."

"Didn't Fugaku say it was a living hell?"

"Good! Then let's drag that hell into the light and let everyone see it with their own eyes!"

"I have an idea. Tonight, we'll send people to raid Shanty Town and turn the place upside down. We'll see what's really going on in there."

"Root's ninjas are in charge of Shanty Town. If we find anything wrong, Shimura Danzō won't escape responsibility!"

"Even if we can't bring Hiruzen Sarutobi down this time, I'll be satisfied if we can deal with Shimura Danzō."

Uchiha Shiho closed his eyes and pondered for a while, then suddenly opened them. "Good! I support you!"

Half an hour later, four elite Uchiha squads assembled and quietly made their way toward the northeastern corner of Konoha.

The two Uchiha elders' move was sudden, and no one had seen it coming. But their operation didn't succeed.

The twelve Uchiha ninja—four jonin with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and eight chunin with the Two-Tomoe Sharingan—easily broke through the Root ninjas' blockade.

There was no question about the Uchiha's combat strength. They simply hadn't expected their vaunted Sharingan Genjutsu to be far less effective against these Root ninjas.

The plan had been to subdue the guards and sneak in afterward. Instead, it turned into a fierce battle.

The Root ninjas proved to be tools in every sense. Once they confirmed they couldn't hold back the Uchiha, they immediately resorted to a suicidal tactic, using Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, which caused massive damage and a tremendous commotion.

The fireballs exploded one after another outside the Shanty Town's walls, shaking all of Konoha.

It had been less than ten days since the Nine-Tails' rampage. Everyone in Konoha was on edge, in a state of heightened alarm.

The enormous explosions quickly drew the Anbu Ninja on duty, followed by the elite ninjas of the various clans. The alert civilian ninja were only a moment behind them.

Within minutes, more than a hundred jonin had gathered outside Shanty Town.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived too, and found himself staring in bewilderment at Uchiha Fugaku.

Shimura Danzō arrived with a large group of Root ninjas. Once he confirmed the Uchiha hadn't breached the walls, he relaxed and raised his chin high.

"You inherently evil Uchiha! Are you staging a rebellion?"

Just then, Uchiha Setsuna arrived as well. This old man, who'd dared to trade insults with the Second Hokage, wasn't about to let Shimura Danzō get away with anything. He opened his mouth and made sure the Uchiha Clan didn't lose face.

"Shimura Danzō! I curse your mother!"

"You eunuch of a dog, incapable of fathering a son! You're a useless coward who only picks fights with your own people because you can't beat the enemy. What do you have to be so cocky about?"

"You damn mutt! You just smack your lips together and accuse the Uchiha of rebellion. Who do you think you are, the Hokage?"