Compromise of the Hokage

Ten-year-old Ensei Uchiha was arguing with the Hokage of Konoha, the two of them trading barbs as they debated various interests.

Standing beside Ensei Uchiha were the current strongest member of the Uchiha clan and the clan head himself; both were acting like ostriches, wishing they could bury their heads in the sand.

To the two of them, this was perhaps the best-case scenario.

Of course, Shimura Danzō was equally silent.

At this moment, Shimura Danzō looked utterly wretched. Not only had he lost his right arm and right eye, but his body was also covered in tiny lacerations. Although the bleeding had stopped, the sharp, recurring pain was still difficult to endure.

But what angered Shimura Danzō even more were Hiruzen Sarutobi and Ensei Uchiha.

In just a few exchanges, these two had completely redrawn the landscape of Konoha, occasionally breaking into heated arguments over trivial matters.

At this moment, it was as if Ensei Uchiha had never doubted whether Hiruzen Sarutobi would keep his word. It was also as if Hiruzen Sarutobi had never doubted whether Ensei Uchiha could truly represent the entire Uchiha clan.

In short, the scene possessed a very bizarre sense of harmony.

The discussion lasted until late into the night.

It was only then that the trio led by Ensei Uchiha finally emerged from the Hokage Office.

By now, the bustling village of Konoha had begun to quiet down, and the dim streetlights stretched the shadows of the three men out long.

"I really didn't expect the Hokage to agree to all of your demands."

"Ensei, with this, our relationship with the village should ease up quite a bit, right?"

Once they reached a secluded area, Shisui Uchiha could no longer hold back and spoke up.

Hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha, standing to the side, seemed to recall something, a bitter smile appearing on his face.

As for Ensei Uchiha, he glanced at Fugaku Uchiha out of the corner of his eye before saying, "Not at all!"

"Our relationship with the village has worsened; we are practically at the point of being mortal enemies."

"Unless the Uchiha clan can guarantee overwhelming strength forever, as long as Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō are alive, they will continue to probe and target us until we are completely wiped out."

These words were unacceptable to Shisui Uchiha, who refused to believe them entirely.

"No! That's impossible. This is just your imagination, isn't it? How could the Hokage..."

In truth, Shisui Uchiha had vaguely sensed something as well; otherwise, he would never have awakened those eyes.

It was a pity that those eyes had appeared for the sake of change, yet their master had aimed that change in the wrong direction.

"Next, Hiruzen Sarutobi will likely attempt to win over you and Itachi Uchiha. I don't know what he will say to you two, but I hope you won't be foolish enough to choose to betray your own clan."

"If I discover it, I will not show mercy."

Ensei Uchiha offered no further explanation. He did not truly know the future, and the so-called plot points were of little reference value now.

But it didn't matter; as long as one possessed sufficient power, all conspiracies were merely paper tigers.

"Shisui, leave clan matters to Ensei. I will announce Ensei as a new elder, and once he comes of age, he will succeed me as clan head."

Fugaku Uchiha, lost in his own thoughts, suddenly spoke these words.

Ensei Uchiha did not refuse.

He had no desire to manage affairs, but the status of an elder would resolve quite a few headaches for him.

After Ensei Uchiha and the others left, a renovation crew that had been waiting for a long time began rapidly repairing the Hokage Office under the surveillance of the Anbu.

As for Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, after leaving the Hokage Building, they headed to a very ordinary house in the village and stayed there for a long time.

This seemingly plain residence housed the two Nine-Tails jinchūriki, as well as the still-unconscious Fourth Hokage.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi obtained enough information from Kushina Uzumaki, his attitude finally hardened, and he forced Shimura Danzō to hand over the personnel roster and experimental data of Root.

But after reading just two pages of those cruel human experiments, Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer bear to look.

Because of these matters, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō erupted into a fierce argument.

Ultimately, however, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to evade the issue again, merely placing some restrictions on Root's operations. As for the innocent lives that had died at the hands of Root ninja, naturally, no one cared.

One must realize that Root did not just target ordinary people; they also targeted many of Konoha's own ninja.

Even a Root ninja who had dedicated their entire life to Konoha would be unconditionally disposed of if there was even a shred of possibility of betrayal.

Cloaked in the name of nobility, they forcibly compelled others to sacrifice themselves for the cause.

This was the Root of Konoha—believing they were providing nutrients to the great tree of Konoha, while in reality, they were constantly gnawing away at its vitality.

And the Hokage, who should have stopped all of this, chose to compromise every single time.

The next day, the entire landscape of Konoha changed.

The duties of the Uchiha clan were partially altered, and the long-overdue compensation funds for the relocation of the clan grounds were finally paid in full that day.

At the same time, a large number of idle, powerful Uchiha members began to integrate into various parts of Konoha to carry out missions.

After some time, the entire ninja world once again witnessed the power of the Uchiha clan, and the major hidden villages began sending spies to Konoha, hoping to uncover the reason for the Uchiha clan's change in stance.

Meanwhile, the Uchiha clan restored the traditions of the Warring States period, establishing a Purge Squad composed of members with the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

The target of this Purge Squad was, naturally, any organization that coveted the power of the Sharingan.

This Purge Squad consisted of only ten people, but with the power of the Three Tomoe Sharingan, they no longer feared any organization in the world.

Yes, that is correct. Even when facing the Five Great Shinobi Villages, ten experts possessing the Three Tomoe Sharingan are enough to pose a significant threat.

On the battlefield, it takes at least three shinobi of equal rank to have a guaranteed chance of victory against a single member of the Uchiha clan wielding the Sharingan.

This squad, comprised of the elite chosen from the strongest of the Uchiha clan, possesses a combat power that no faction would dare to ignore.

This squad, which concentrates nearly half of the Uchiha clan's total strength, was once the very foundation that allowed the Uchiha to dominate the shinobi world during the Warring States period.

In the present day, it has become the leverage used to openly keep Konoha in check.

To this end, Ensei Uchiha specifically revealed a portion of his own power to become the captain of this squad, dispatching them out of Konoha to carry out various missions in broad daylight.

Under normal circumstances, any shinobi who accepts missions privately should be treated as a rogue ninja.

Yet, in the face of these actions by the Uchiha clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi acts as if he sees nothing, continuing to struggle to maintain that facade of peace.

Unfortunately, while he may be able to endure it, there are others who cannot.