Had he known this would happen,
Danzo would have sent another Jonin to the Land of Grass to gather intelligence.
It did not matter if the other Jonin died.
But his favored Utatane Banfeng was different...
Still,
Utatane Banfeng had already been tortured to death.
There was no point in dwelling on it now.
"My lady, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Please restrain your grief." Orochimaru, standing nearby, let out a sinister chuckle.
Although Orochimaru and Utatane Banfeng were both in Root, the latter had overstepped his bounds and contradicted him several times. Orochimaru had never liked him.
Utatane Banfeng had died outside the village.
All Orochimaru wanted to say was, Well done!
Ignoring Orochimaru's faintly mocking words, Utatane Koharu stared straight at Danzo and demanded sharply,
"Danzo, who killed Banfeng? I want revenge for him!"
If she learned who had killed her most beloved junior, Utatane Koharu would use every connection her clan had to avenge him!
Danzo glanced at the Root ninja beside him, who understood and spoke up.
"My lady, according to Root's investigation of the scene, Captain Banfeng likely encountered a Kage-level expert skilled in Fire Style and was killed without putting up any resistance."
"A Kage-level Fire Style expert?" Utatane Koharu froze.
Among the Five Great Hidden Villages, there were not many Kage-level experts who fit those conditions. The most likely target was Sarutobi Hiruzen!
But Utatane Koharu immediately shook her head.
Sarutobi Hiruzen could never have killed Utatane Banfeng.
The real murderer had to be someone else!
"A ninja proficient in Fire Style? If Fugaku Uchiha and Uchiha Shisui joined forces, they could have killed Utatane Banfeng. It must have been those damned Uchiha!"
At that thought,
Utatane Koharu flew into a rage.
She was about to rush back and gather people to avenge Utatane Banfeng!
"Koharu, calm down!" Danzo stopped her, then explained, "Uchiha Shisui has been secretly carrying out Anbu missions this entire time. He could not possibly have gone out to kill someone."
Root and the Uchiha had been clashing fiercely lately.
When he learned that Utatane Banfeng had been killed, Danzo's first suspicion had also fallen on the Uchiha.
After analyzing the intelligence they possessed,
there was no possibility that Fugaku Uchiha had joined forces with Uchiha Shisui.
Besides, Uchiha Shisui was an Anbu member and an inheritor of the Will of Fire. He could not possibly murder a fellow Root member.
Fugaku alone could not have killed him so effortlessly either.
Thus, Danzo had no choice but to dismiss that suspicion.
"Then tell me, who was cruel enough to do this?!" Utatane Koharu roared furiously at Danzo, her harsh face filled with endless resentment and grievance.
"I will identify the murderer as soon as possible!" Danzo appeared to make a promise, but he had no confidence in his heart.
Danzo was merely the leader of Konoha's Root.
Many matters lay beyond his capabilities.
Utatane Koharu let out a helpless sigh and left.
She swore that she would find the true culprit!
She would avenge Utatane Banfeng...
Two Years Later and Verbal Nonsense ### Konoha Year 53.
Two years later.
This period in the Shinobi World had been relatively peaceful.
The Five Great Hidden Villages occasionally had minor disputes and conflicts, but only a few ninjas were killed or injured.
For massive hidden villages, that was practically insignificant.
Perhaps that was also the sorrow and helplessness of ninjas...
At the same time,
a major event had occurred in the Hidden Leaf Village.
The Uchiha real estate venture had surged forward, flourishing with tremendous momentum!
At first, clans such as the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Ino-Shika-Cho had watched the Uchiha real estate project as a joke.
But once the Real Estate Installment System was introduced, it immediately caused an uproar throughout the village.
Ninjas spent their lives wandering and rushing from place to place. Who did not want a truly warm home, where they could grow flowers and plants or keep pets to heal themselves?
Thus, as soon as the Uchiha housing project was launched, it was welcomed and sought after by countless ninjas.
The first, second, and third phases all sold out quickly.
Although the real estate project required enormous initial investment, after two years, the Uchiha had already weathered the hardest period.
Now, vast amounts of cash flowed into the Uchiha accounts every day.
By the time many clans realized what was happening and wanted to imitate them,
they discovered that every prime plot in the village had already been acquired by the Uchiha.
The Uchiha had even bid for huge amounts of land in the capital of the Land of Fire.
The Uchiha had essentially monopolized the real estate industry throughout the Land of Fire.
They even showed faint signs of trying to expand into other hidden villages.
In short,
the Uchiha had earned enormous wealth from real estate.
With money, they could buy vast amounts of cultivation resources.
As a result, the number of Uchiha Jonin and Chunin had increased, strengthening the clan overall. Part of that was also due to the implementation of the Young Eagle Policy.
Because the real estate industry had brought in massive wealth, the Uchiha clan members' standard of living had steadily improved.
The Konoha Military Police Force could maintain normal operations without relying on financial appropriations.
Moreover, Konoha had suppressed and discriminated against the Uchiha for years, directly causing the Uchiha Military Police Force members to collectively slack off at work.
The Konoha higher-ups used to complain that the Uchiha were not diligent enough. And they still expected them to take the blame?
Fine!
Then the Uchiha would stop managing things.
They could have their freedom back!
Under such management, order in the village worsened considerably.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen publicly singled out Fugaku for criticism during a high-level meeting and asked him to state his position.
Fugaku cleared his throat and said at the meeting,
"Since Lord Hokage has asked me to say a few words, then I will say a few words. I only intend to say a few simple words, and I believe these few words are better than those few words. So today, I will first say these few words. If everyone feels these few words are not comprehensive enough, I will add a few more words later..."
Fugaku had learned this sort of verbal nonsense from Genya.
Sometimes, Fugaku wondered where Genya, at such a young age, got so many strange ideas.
The Konoha higher-ups listened as Fugaku rambled through a pile of nonsense.
Just when Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer endure it, Fugaku finally stated the Uchiha's position.
The village's criticism was correct!
When he returned, he would certainly criticize the Military Police Force members, then have them criticize one another, point out each other's shortcomings, and reflect on themselves.
At the same time, Fugaku expressed the Uchiha's heartfelt thoughts.
The meaning was that the Military Police Force bore great responsibility.
The Uchiha were not capable enough.
They suggested letting another clan do it.
One sentence
left the Konoha higher-ups staring at one another.
Honestly speaking,
the Uchiha Military Police Force had indeed worked diligently over the years. It was only because certain people with ulterior motives had smeared them that their reputation had steadily worsened.
Hearing Fugaku say that, Hiruzen fell silent for a moment before stating that the Konoha Military Police Force could not do without the Uchiha.
In the end, the matter was simply dropped.
After all, when one possessed enough strength and did not need to rely on others, one had the right to speak as equals.
Konoha.
Ninja Academy.
Inside the training ground.
Genya and Sarutobi Taro were sparring.
Sarutobi Taro had grown fatter and fatter. The flesh on his face jiggled during battle, yet he moved as nimbly as a monkey. Chakra flowed through his body as he fought with a Kunai in hand.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."
Three Shuriken shot through the air toward Genya.
To prevent students from being killed or injured during actual combat training, the Kunai and Shuriken had not been sharpened.
Still, being struck by them would cause intense pain.
The Ninja Academy was not a greenhouse for students.
It would gradually make them clearly understand the cruelty of the Shinobi World.
In the distance,
their homeroom teacher, Watanabe Yu, carefully observed the two sparring.
Genya remained as relaxed as ever.
Every one of his attacks suppressed Sarutobi Taro's offense, leaving him unable to cope.
A genius.
A true genius.
After two years,
the students had basically mastered the Chakra Refinement Technique.
Therefore, they were also permitted to use Ninjutsu during sparring.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" Sarutobi Taro formed hand seals and swiftly exhaled a blazing fireball. The roaring flames surged straight toward Genya.
Like the Uchiha, the Sarutobi clan was skilled in Fire Style.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Before you continue