Elder Shana Didn't Disgrace the Uchiha

The meeting in the Hokage's office concluded, and Hiruzen Sarutobi walked out onto the balcony, lighting his pipe once more.

Ever since the passing of his wife, he had been smoking with increasing frequency, the pipe rarely leaving his hand.

Gazing toward the Uchiha compound in the distance, Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled a cloud of smoke and asked, "Tell me, what kind of decision do you think Uchiha Fugaku has reached?"

Shimura Danzō emerged from the shadows but did not answer the question, instead asking, "Are you not going to deal with the trouble regarding the Sarutobi clan?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, "Shinnosuke is listening in at the office; that child will handle it for me."

Shimura Danzō paused, surprised. "Your eldest son is listening in?"

"I didn't even notice him there. That boy's strength is truly impressive."

"With an eldest son capable of succeeding you, it's no wonder you weren't particularly angry when that brat Asuma made a scene about wanting to be a dog for the Daimyo."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly snapped his pipe stem. "Do not mention that rebellious son's name; it raises my blood pressure!"

Shimura Danzō said indifferently, "Fine, let us return to the matter of Fugaku."

"I don't think there is any need to worry. Given the brains and habits of the Uchiha, no matter what evidence they find, they will only come directly to you for a confrontation."

"When that time comes, do not say a word; leave everything to me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed a smile. "Danzō, it is fortunate I have you, otherwise I truly would not know what to do."

Shimura Danzō let out a proud, cold snort. "Everything I do is for the sake of Konoha!"

Namikaze Minato is dead; it should be my turn, Shimura Danzō, to become Hokage. I will absolutely not tolerate the naturally evil Uchiha causing chaos!

Shimura Danzō's inner thoughts remained unspoken, but having known each other for fifty years, Hiruzen Sarutobi only needed a glance at his old classmate's expression to know what he was thinking.

Tsk, my apologies, Danzō.

Your personality is too dark, and your methods are too unscrupulous. If I let you become the Hokage of Konoha, you will inevitably drag the village into endless war.

I will not let you become Hokage!

In the night, the two old men, estranged in heart despite their outward harmony, each harbored their own secrets while silently watching the brightly lit central building of the Uchiha compound.

That building was the Uchiha meeting hall.

By now, Uchiha Fugaku and the elders had finalized their plan and gathered evidence of the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mitokado clans seizing property from the villagers.

Once their line of thinking opened up, the Uchiha found that gathering evidence was actually quite simple.

They only needed to take the backup maps from the Military Police Force and compare them with the new maps after the buildings were reconstructed to see that these were not mere repairs.

The Military Police Force also held archives of property transactions; confirming that the new buildings lacked purchase or transfer documentation served as proof of illegal seizure through trickery and force.

This made Uchiha Fugaku very happy, as he believed this move was completely secure.

However, the elder Uchiha Setsuna spoke up, asking, "Clan Head Fugaku, if—and I mean if—Hiruzen Sarutobi flatly denies it and refuses to acknowledge this evidence, what then?"

Fugaku waved his hand. "Eh, do not slander the Third Hokage like that; he is not a man who would lie through his teeth."

Setsuna sneered, "Is the Clan Head intending to vouch for Hiruzen Sarutobi?"

"Fine, I will trust you!"

After the meeting dispersed, the elder Uchiha Shiho asked, "Setsuna, what did you mean by your final words?"

Uchiha Setsuna replied, "I regret choosing Fugaku as our Clan Head..."

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

"Hiruzen Sarutobi never tells lies, but when has he ever failed to simply keep his mouth shut and let Shimura Danzō jump out to stir up trouble?"

"Only after Danzō has thoroughly muddied the waters will he step out to act as the peacemaker, quietly causing us Uchiha to suffer losses."

"He has played this 'good cop, bad cop' routine in front of Fugaku countless times, and yet he still trusts Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

Uchiha Shiho frowned. "This time, we have obtained concrete evidence..."

Uchiha Setsuna countered, "Do you mean to say we lacked evidence in the previous conflicts?"

"Those who seized the villagers' property were all from Hiruzen Sarutobi's clan; even if a conviction were to be made, they would be the ones executing it. How could we possibly know what the final result would be?"

Elder Shiho thought for a moment and asked, "Setsuna, do you have any ideas?"

Uchiha Setsuna said, "I recall two things being mentioned tonight: the Sarutobi clan's property seizure and the Shanty Town."

"Didn't Fugaku say that place was a living hell?"

"Good! We shall dig up that hell and place it before everyone's eyes so they can see for themselves what it looks like!"

"I have an idea: tonight, we shall send men to raid the Shanty Town and turn it inside out to see exactly what is going on inside."

"The Shanty Town is under the responsibility of the Root ninjas; as long as we uncover the problems, Shimura Danzō will not be able to escape the blame!"

"Even if we cannot make Hiruzen Sarutobi stumble this time, I would be quite satisfied if we could take down Shimura Danzō."

Uchiha Shiho closed his eyes to think for a moment before snapping them open. "Good! I support you!"

Half an hour later, four elite Uchiha squads assembled and quietly snuck toward the northeast corner of Konoha.

The two Uchiha elders' actions were sudden and caught no one by surprise, yet their operation did not meet with success.

Twelve Uchiha shinobi—four jonin with three-tomoe Sharingan and eight chunin with two-tomoe Sharingan—easily broke through the blockade set by the Root shinobi.

The combat prowess of the Uchiha was beyond doubt, yet they had not expected their pride and joy, the Sharingan genjutsu, to be significantly weakened against these Root operatives.

The plan for a secret infiltration after neutralizing the guards thus devolved into a fierce, large-scale battle.

The Root shinobi truly lived up to their reputation as mere tools; upon realizing they could not stop the Uchiha, they immediately resorted to suicide tactics, unleashing the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique with its massive destructive power and deafening roar.

The continuous explosions of fireballs outside the Shanty Town walls shook the entire village of Konoha.

With less than ten days having passed since the Nine-Tails incident, the nerves of everyone in Konoha were stretched to their breaking point, leaving the village in a state of extreme paranoia.

The massive explosions instantly drew the attention of patrolling Anbu, followed by elite shinobi from various clans, with vigilant civilian shinobi arriving only a beat behind.

In just a few short minutes, over a hundred jonin had gathered outside the Shanty Town.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, also arrived, only to find himself staring blankly at a bewildered Uchiha Fugaku.

Shimura Danzō arrived with a large group of Root shinobi, and upon confirming that the Uchiha had not breached the walls, he felt relieved and immediately lifted his chin high in arrogance.

"The naturally evil Uchiha, are you planning to revolt!"

Just then, Uchiha Setsuna arrived. This old man, who had once dared to trade barbs with the Second Hokage, was not about to let Shimura Danzō off the hook, and he opened his mouth without losing a shred of dignity for the Uchiha clan.

"Shimura Danzō! Go f*** yourself!"

"You sonless, castrated dog! A piece of trash who can only bully his own kind because he can't defeat the enemy—what do you have to be so arrogant about!"

"You just flap your lips and claim the Uchiha are revolting; do you think you're the Hokage?"