Uchiha Are "Rich Ore"

Uchiha Shisui stood up. "Senior Chujiu, I shall take Itachi home to rest now."

Yamanaka Chujiu said, "Whenever you two have fully recovered your spirits and have the courage to continue hearing about the Execution Line, you are welcome to return."

Uchiha Shisui thanked him sincerely, "Many thanks, Senior Chujiu..."

Yamanaka Chujiu wore an inscrutable smile. "If you are truly grateful to me, then grant me one request."

Uchiha Shisui hesitated for a moment before asking, "Please, Senior, speak your mind."

Chujiu's smile grew even stranger, tinged with a hint of nostalgia. "Rest assured, my request is simple. It will not require you to do anything that harms the village or the Uchiha Clan."

"Remember, you may tell Uchiha Fugaku about the Execution Line after you return, but when he asks who shared these insights, you must secure his promise not to implicate me in any trouble before you reveal my name."

Hearing such a simple request, Uchiha Shisui felt an immediate sense of relief.

The information revealed in the Execution Line theory was far too important to the Uchiha Clan; he had to tell Uchiha Fugaku.

He believed Uchiha Fugaku would be able to grasp the Execution Line and understand the value of this theory.

The mere notion that "the Third Hokage was never Shimura Danzō, and Root could never represent the Hokage" gave Uchiha Shisui hope.

It was the hope of breaking the awkward stalemate where the Uchiha were not trusted by the Hokage, and of resolving the isolation of the Uchiha.

Uchiha Shisui promised solemnly, "Please rest assured, Senior Chujiu. No matter how Clan Head Fugaku asks, I will never reveal your name until he has given his word."

"I guarantee that little brother Itachi will not speak of it either. We will not drag you or the Yamanaka Clan into the Uchiha's predicament."

"Very good!"

Yamanaka Chujiu was extremely satisfied with Uchiha Shisui's performance.

Gifted, powerful, honest yet clever, grateful, and possessing a grasp of social nuances.

If not for that loose mouth of his that spoke without thinking, Uchiha Shisui would be a perfect ninja.

Regardless, Uchiha Shisui was worth the risk for Chujiu to reach out and pull him from the brink.

Once Uchiha Shisui left with Uchiha Itachi, Yamanaka Chujiu brewed another pot of fruit tea, slowly savoring its sweet, clear taste.

But what satisfied him even more was the intense surge of affection that had overflowed from the two youths as their emotions were violently shaken by the dark truths.

Because of the two youths' trust in Yamanaka Chujiu, and because of the purity of their hearts, the Heart Severing Realm had absorbed the entirety of their mental fluctuations, converting them into Chujiu's spiritual power with almost zero loss.

In just this short while, he felt himself growing stronger.

He even faintly sensed the limits of his own body.

The limit was both the ceiling of a person's strength and the starting point for transformation.

It really has to be the Uchiha; they trust so easily.

Thinking of the children from the forty-three bereaved families—that was a full year of sincere devotion, plus the investment of real money and resources, yet not even a handful of those fifty-plus children trusted Yamanaka Chujiu wholeheartedly.

Therefore, the Uchiha were a "rich mine," and an easy one to extract from at that!

Even if only to protect the Uchiha, Yamanaka Chujiu had to stand against the Third Hokage's faction.

Since he was already standing against them, there was no need to endure any longer!

Yamanaka Chujiu admitted it: he could not tolerate the brutal atrocities of Shimura Danzō.

Sacrificing at least five Uchiha Jonin for a single arm—such monstrous behavior was truly despicable!

He also could not tolerate the cowardice of Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was outwardly benevolent but inwardly ruthless!

When an external enemy broke into the Hyuga compound to kidnap a child, the Third Hokage forced a Hyuga ninja to commit suicide to appease Kumogakure; that was not something a human being would do!

But what he could tolerate even less was the Third Hokage's vile act of seizing the Fourth Hokage's estate and bullying the hero's son!

In the future, the scarf that Sarutobi Konohamaru wore was one hand-knitted by Uzumaki Kushina, a gift intended for the unborn Naruto!

But what was most intolerable of all was the game played by the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō!

The elite Wood Style ninja codenamed "Kinoe" represented the lives of sixty children, and there were more than ten similar atrocities that had been brought to Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention.

Hiruzen Sarutobi would summon Shimura Danzō to question him on why he had done such things.

Then, they would perform a classic act:

Dan: You repent!

Sar: I am the Fire!

Door: Bang!! (Feeding me peanuts)

In the end, Hiruzen Sarutobi would sigh and helplessly accept reality.

No matter how grave the matter, no matter how many people had died, it would all be swept under the rug, and Danzō wouldn't even have to suffer a minor reprimand.

They weren't managing Konoha; they were playing a game!

A sixty-year-old reunion playdate!

Yamanaka Chujiu was determined to change all of this and make up for the various regrets that would befall Konoha in the future.

However, he would not step forward directly.

By the time Yamanaka Chujiu was born, Hiruzen Sarutobi was already the Hokage, and everyone in Konoha had long since grown accustomed to his rule.

Habit is one of the most terrifying forces in the world.

Even the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had grown accustomed to the Third Hokage's leadership, naturally finding himself sidelined as a puppet Hokage, unable to turn the tables even after a full year in office.

To openly oppose the Third Hokage with blade and spear was to make an enemy of all of Konoha, and to make an enemy of over twenty thousand Konoha ninja.

Unless one possessed strength that defied common sense, like Uchiha Madara, capable of crushing Konoha with the power of a single individual, it was impossible to defeat Konoha and overthrow the Third Hokage's reign.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was invincible, but Shimura Danzō, whom he protected so unreasonably, was not.

The greatest difficulty in killing Shimura Danzō lay in his secretive movements; his travel routes and schedules were classified secrets of Konoha, unknown even to the Third Hokage, making them even harder for an outsider to grasp.

But Yamanaka Chujiu was different.

No matter how secretive Shimura Danzō's movements were, he still had to inform a portion of his Root ninja, allowing them to design operational plans, prepare supplies, and resolve various tedious trifles.

As the leader of Root, Lord Danzō's time was incredibly precious, meant to be used as much as possible to ponder how to "protect" Konoha; he would never waste it on handling trivial matters.

If the Root ninja knew, it meant Yamanaka Chujiu knew.

As long as Shimura Danzō left the village, Yamanaka Chujiu could ambush him at any time.

The problem, however, was that Chujiu's raw strength was insufficient; it would be difficult to finish off Danzō cleanly and swiftly, and easy to leave behind evidence.

"No rush," Yamanaka Chujiu said to himself. "There is still plenty of time to spare; one must not be impatient to kill."

"Besides, not killing them doesn't mean I can't make their lives miserable."

With the Uchiha brothers taking the initiative to approach him, Yamanaka Chujiu had established a solid connection with the Uchiha clan; it would be quite difficult for Shimura Danzō to take them down now.

But the Uchiha family was not enough; the one who could truly threaten the Third Hokage was Orochimaru, who wanted to take Yamanaka Chujiu as his student.

As long as Orochimaru's mindset changed and he became willing to serve as the Fifth Hokage, everything in the future would change naturally.