To Save the Village, the Uchiha Must Suffer

Sarutobi Hiruzen had a rough idea of what was on Danzō's mind. "Danzō, you must not act recklessly."

Hearing this, the other two Hokage advisors could not help but cast worried glances toward Danzō.

They knew all too well that Danzō was a man who never considered the consequences of his actions, stopping at nothing to achieve his goals.

Meeting their gazes, Danzō offered a cunning smile. "Rest assured, your only concern is that a war between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan would drastically reduce the village's overall strength. I have my own ways to completely eliminate the Uchiha threat without losing a single soldier of the village."

Hearing the word "completely," both Hokage advisors frowned, their hearts chilled by the ruthlessness of Danzō's methods, yet they immediately hardened their resolve when they thought of the impending Uchiha rebellion.

Utatane Koharu sighed. "If that is the case, then this is the only way."

"What about Uchiha Izumi, who graduated just last year?" Mitokado Homura interjected. "For the past year, Fujiwara Chiya has been monitoring the Uchiha Clan and Uchiha Itachi for us."

"Although the intelligence provided did not differ much from Uchiha Itachi's reports, and Uchiha Itachi ultimately did not take any action to betray the village."

"It seems now that sending Chiya there was somewhat redundant."

"But his condition at the time seemed to be that Uchiha Izumi must be protected."

"That is absolutely out of the question. According to intelligence, that little girl has already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. If she were to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan due to this Uchiha rebellion and use it to retaliate against Konoha, she would inevitably become another Uchiha Madara. The consequences would be unimaginable. For the sake of the village, we must cut the weeds and dig up the roots," Danzō flatly refused.

"Then let us recall Chiya," Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke.

Saying this was equivalent to giving his tacit approval.

"That hardly seems necessary."

The corners of Danzō's mouth curled upward. From the moment Chiya became involved with the Uchiha Clan, he had already been placed on the Root Division's blacklist.

He had no intention of letting Chiya live.

The same went for Uchiha Itachi.

From beginning to end, these people were nothing more than his pawns.

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "Danzō, you must not act recklessly. Chiya is not an Uchiha; he is a pure successor of the Will of Fire."

"Of course I know he is a pure successor of the Will of Fire," Danzō said. "But have you considered that during his year as an undercover agent among the Uchiha, Chiya has also learned too much of the truth about them?"

"I fear that the fact the Uchiha are about to stage a coup has not escaped him either."

"Once he learns of Uchiha Izumi's death, he will inevitably harbor resentment toward the village and leak the truth."

"I assume you would not want to see such a thing happen."

"Everything is for the sake of the village."

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen fell into silence once again.

It was true; while Chiya loved the village deeply, and loved him, the 'strongest Hokage in history,' very much.

He also loved Uchiha Izumi just as much.

If Chiya had not been involved in this Uchiha affair, it would have been fine; they could have simply assigned him a mission and sent him out of the village.

Afterward, they could have just let him harbor hatred for the 'culprit' who slaughtered the Uchiha Clan.

But as it stood, Chiya knew too much.

One move affects the whole situation.

Once he, the strongest Hokage in history, lost his credibility.

It was inevitable that Chiya would start having wild thoughts in the future.

By then, not only would his faith collapse.

Whether he would still hold him, the 'strongest Hokage in history,' in high regard remained an unknown.

Even if he shifted the blame onto Danzō, who could guarantee that Chiya wouldn't turn around and be manipulated by Danzō to deal with him instead?

After all, Kakashi had once been manipulated by Danzō for a time.

Sigh.

What a pity.

If he had known, he wouldn't have let that child get involved.

He had originally made him Kurenai's student because he saw that his youngest son liked her, and he had intended for Chiya to assist Sarutobi Asuma in the future.

It seemed that was no longer possible.

Thinking of this, Sarutobi Hiruzen hardened his heart and said in a deep voice, "I will no longer concern myself with Chiya's affairs. But there is one point: do not tarnish that child's reputation. Like his parents, he is a successor of the Will of Fire and should be remembered as a hero."

"This is what Konoha owes him."

"Naturally. Ninjas must always sacrifice themselves. For the sake of the village, he deserves this honor."

Shimura Danzō gave a wicked smile and readily agreed. At this moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Before long, he would not only harvest a large number of Sharingan.

He would also be able to eliminate the inherently evil Uchiha Clan.

There was truly nothing that could make him happier than this.

Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a sigh filled with helplessness, murmuring to himself in a voice only he could hear, "For the sake of the village, the Uchiha must suffer. Chiya, do not blame me; everything is for the sake of the village."

Uchiha Clan compound.

A highly inconspicuous courtyard.

Space suddenly twisted, and a dark shadow emerged abruptly from another dimension.

An orange mask with black stripes and a single eye-hole, long black hair resembling Uchiha Madara, a black robe, and a pale purple katana worn at his waist.

This was Uchiha Obito's current appearance and attire.

He stood before a tree, thoughtfully picking up a pebble, when suddenly, sensing something behind him, he dropped the stone and twisted space with his right eye, vanishing from the courtyard via Kamui in an instant.

"You really are cautious enough."

Not long after Obito left, a figure wearing a smiling mask and Anbu attire slowly emerged from the roof. Removing the mask to reveal a handsome young face, it was none other than Chiya.

This was the Nth time in the past year he had sensed Obito's presence.

Three days from now was the annual Uchiha festival, the day the Uchiha clan would launch their coup d'état.

However, they would be wiped out the night before—tomorrow night—by Uchiha Itachi.

He had originally intended to approach Obito to discuss joining the Akatsuki, but who knew this guy would be so incredibly cautious now.

He would bolt at the slightest sign of trouble.

Forget it, there will be plenty of opportunities later. Thinking this to himself, Chiya's figure flickered, and he vanished from the courtyard.

Returning to Uchiha Izumi's residence, before he even stepped through the gate, Chiya sensed an aura that filled him with disgust. Frowning, he used a Body Flicker technique and appeared in the courtyard. "Come out."

As his voice fell, the sound of blades slicing through the air rang out. Four sharp kunai shot toward Chiya from behind, but he swayed his body and dodged them with ease.

Immediately after, a Root Division ninja in Anbu attire suddenly appeared before Chiya, haughtily declaring, "Fujiwara Chiya, Dan—"

Before the Root ninja could finish his sentence, a sapling suddenly sprouted from beneath his feet, transforming in the blink of an eye into a massive, ancient tree several zhang tall.

It bound him tight.

ps: First update, requesting recommendation tickets and monthly votes.