Everyone Plays Their Part

Konoha, the residence of the Uchiha Clan Head.

Fugaku spoke with a hint of bitterness, lamenting how the Uchiha clan, which co-founded the village with the Senju, had fallen to such a state. It was truly pitiful and lamentable.

Ignoring Fugaku's thoughts, Taiichi was full of confidence. "Clan Chief Fugaku doesn't need to say much to them. Just make them understand that since Root can take the Sharingan from the Uchiha, they can take the Byakugan from the Hyuga, the Five Senses Control from Kurama, and the unique Ninjutsu of various secret technique clans. These are more likely to become Root's targets."

Once an organization crosses its bottom line, there's no such thing as a one-time thing; they will always continue to plot to seize more bloodlines and secret techniques that don't belong to them.

They weren't helping the Uchiha Clan, but rather helping themselves; they were upholding the village's bottom line. I believe the heads of the various clans aren't short-sighted; they can all understand this basic principle.

Fugaku Uchiha no longer dared to underestimate Taiichi. This guy was not only powerful, but also had a superior mind. If the Uchiha could really follow behind him and Yohei, there might really be hope for their revival.

"Taiichi, I understand. Don't worry, I will make sure all the clans understand that they are not helping the Uchiha Clan, but their own."

Taiichi smiled, but his smile quickly faded. "Clan Chief Fugaku, this is our counterattack against Root and Danzo. This is all we can do now, but I'm not entirely sure how much we can achieve."

"What, Taiichi? Even in this situation, can the village still stubbornly Danzo despite the voices of so many families?" Fugaku asked incredulously.

"Under normal circumstances, Danzo would certainly be severely punished, but right now he's leading the Root against Iwagakure on the Western Front. For the sake of stability at the front, the village might not be able to bring themselves to use excessive force. Besides, the Hokage-sama is getting old and prone to nostalgia."

Fugaku was speechless. Taiichi's words made sense, and this sense of reasoning might actually become a reality.

"Then... shall we just let this opportunity slip away?" Fugaku was quite unwilling.

"Of course not. The village will punish Danzo no matter what, otherwise how can they Uchiha and those clans? It will depend on how you negotiate with the village. I won't get involved in that."

Fugaku Uchiha was also grateful. Taiichi had gone to great lengths for Yohei's sake, and he, Uchiha, would appreciate this kindness and repay it properly if he had the chance in the future.

"Alright, that's all I have to say. So, Clan Chief Fugaku, I hope everything goes smoothly with the remaining plans."

After finishing his tea, Taiichi bowed to Fugaku Uchiha and then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave.

Silence fell over the Reception Hall again. Soon, Mikoto Uchiha came over, knelt down opposite Fugaku, and looked at him with a worried expression.

"What, did Taiichi bring some bad news?"

"It's certainly not good news, but it could also be an opportunity, a chance for the Uchiha to reintegrate into Konoha," Fugaku muttered to himself.

Seeing this, Mikoto remained silent, simply sitting quietly beside her husband.

On the other side, Taiichi, who had left, did not linger in the village and went straight back to the Northern Battlefield. However, what happened in Yohei today served as a reminder to Taiichi that Danzo truly had no bottom line when it came to doing things.

Nonō is currently on the Western Battlefield, working under Danzo. This incident has made Taiichi worried about Nonō's safety.

Although Nonō participated in the war as a Medical Ninja, there's no guarantee Danzo wouldn't act according to the rules, or that the rules were just a mask he used to cover up his true nature—ruthlessness was the essence of his actions.

The only thing that comforts Taiichi now is that his specially made Flying Thunder God Kunai n't been triggered. With the examples of Yohei and Saori, Taiichi is quite satisfied with his innovation. As long as Nonō isn't instantly killed, there will definitely be time to call for help.

Time flowed slowly forward in this eerie calm. The day after Yohei returned to the Camp, an urgent report from Jiraiya, the Commander of the Southern Front, was delivered to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the scroll marked "Special Grade," he was quite curious. The Southern Front was currently very calm, with Sunagakure holed up at home playing coastal defense games with Mist Village, and there were no other external enemies. What kind of emergency could there be?

With his mind at ease, he naturally slowed down his movements. He smoked a cigarette while enjoying this rare moment of leisure. The situation on all three battlefields was currently very favorable, and he hadn't been able to enjoy such relaxed days since the start of the war.

As he slowly unfurled the scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi's previously serene expression gradually vanished. His hands trembled slightly, and the cigarette holder in his mouth slipped from his lips. As he read deeper, anger, disappointment, and disbelief filled Hiruzen Sarutobi's face.

After reading the entire scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi slumped in his seat, completely deflated.

Seriously, he never lets anyone have a moment's peace! Danzo, can't you just stay in your role as a frontline Commander? Why do you have to do this unnecessary thing at a time like this? Do you really think life in Konoha is easy?

He had countless complaints in his heart, but he still had to deal with the situation. Since the information had already reached him, he believed that the Uchiha would receive it soon as well.

We must devise a countermeasure before the Uchiha reacts, otherwise—even Hiruzen Sarutobi dared not imagine that with enemies on all sides, if a rebellion were to break out within Konoha, the entire Konoha might decline as a result.

"Go and fetch the two Advisor immediately; tell them it's extremely urgent."

At his command, a member of the Anbu service immediately took his leave. Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his pipe again and began to puff away, but this time he was no longer as leisurely as before. The dark red glints in the pipe proved how frustrated his master was.

Hiruzen Sarutobi long; in just over ten minutes, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura rushed to the Hokage's Office.

As soon as they entered, the pungent smoke made them involuntarily take a step back. They looked at each other, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes. This was a rare occurrence, and each time it happened, it was because something extremely difficult had occurred.

The two reluctantly went inside. Utatane Koharu immediately went to the side and opened the window; she couldn't stand the heavy secondhand smoke.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the two arrive, he finally put down his pipe. With so much time to process, he had recovered from the complex emotions he had just experienced.

Once the two had stopped, he handed the scroll containing Jiraiya's report to the nearest person Mitokado Homura.

"Let's take a look first, and then we'll decide."

Mitokado Homura suspiciously took the scroll and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had his eyes closed. So, he could only look at the scroll first.

But after watching only the beginning, Mitokado Homura looked up in shock, his eyes fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Keep watching, we'll talk about everything after we've finished watching."

As if aware of Mitokado Homura's reaction, Hiruzen Sarutobi's unhurried voice rang out.

Mitokado Homura had no choice but to continue looking down, but the more he looked, the more shocked he became.

How could someone do such a thing at this time!

Utatane Koharu next to her, was getting impatient. What on earth was written in there? Why were they all acting so strangely?

Seeing that Mitokado Homura had already finished reading the scroll, she didn't wait any longer, snatched the scroll away, and began to read it carefully herself.

As it turned out, Utatane Koharu wasn't much better than Mitokado Homura; after reading the entire scroll, she couldn't help but yell out.

"What is Danzo trying to do? Does he even respect the rules of Konoha?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, hearing Utatane Koharu's angry roar, knew that the two of them had finished reading, and then he opened his eyes.

"The scroll clearly states that Yohei Uchiha was lured to the Land of Rain by a fabricated mission, where he was ambushed by Root ninja."

This incident was already quite serious in itself, and what's worse is that although Jiraiya had ordered a news blackout, too many people had witnessed Yohei Uchiha collapsing at the Camp entrance, and the news had now spread to the front-line Camp.

What do you all think we should do about this?

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged glances, both feeling awkward.

"Danzo went a bit too far in this matter—"

"Is it just a little excessive?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face instantly darkened. "Planting Secret Agent next to the frontline Commander, fabricating missions, and attempting to kill fellow villager ninjas—which of these isn't a serious crime? He actually committed them all at once! He's really something!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi grew angrier as he spoke, recalling how he had recently spoken with Fugaku Uchiha about Yohei and the Uchiha Clan.

The result was quite ideal. As the head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku was inclined to coexist peacefully with Konoha. With the addition of a Mangekyo user on their side, he could imagine that the Uchiha problem might be resolved during his term.

Therefore, he even wrote a letter to Danzo explaining his views, urging Danzo not to do anything out of line recently.

But how did Danzo repay him? He directly cut off his lifeline, showing that Danzo no longer respected him as the Hokage.

And all of this made the higher-ups of the Uchiha, and even other Konoha clans, think of him as Hokage —it turned out that the Hokage's words had no effect whatsoever.

Utatane Koharu knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious. To be honest, she was angry too. She had finally seen a glimmer of hope in resolving the Uchiha problem, but her teammate had betrayed her. Anyone would be furious, but at this moment, it was really not the time to deal with Danzo.

She carefully chose her words and slowly said, "After all, he is a high-ranking official in the village and has made countless contributions to the village over the years. Moreover, he and Root are currently holding up the entire western front. It's really not appropriate to give him any severe punishment at this point in time."

Hearing Utatane Koharu, Hiruzen Sarutobi impatiently waved his hand, signaling him to stop talking. He was well aware of the situation.

He could forgive Danzo's mistakes, but what about the Uchiha Clan? How could he appease the Uchiha Clan Head who had just come to his side?

"Danzo? Even Jiraiya has sent a report, but there's been absolutely no response from him."

Mitokado Homura thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, apart from the routine work reports, I haven't received any other information."

"Is he planning to keep this a secret for as long as possible?" Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered. "Send him an inquiry letter, demand an explanation, and give me a satisfactory reason. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged glances, both relieved. They knew this was an opportunity given to Danzo by Hiruzen Sarutobi, a chance for him to clean up his mess. Only then could Hiruzen find a way to protect Danzo.

"Furthermore, I will summon Fugaku Uchiha and personally explain this matter to him. Yohei Uchiha is not only an excellent ninja of the Uchiha, but also an excellent ninja of Konoha. The village will not let him suffer these framings for nothing."

"Yes, we'll take care of it right away."

They only know part of the story from Jiraiya so far. Although it is mostly true, they still need to verify it with the other party involved. In Danzo can give a different explanation, it is possible.

After the two Advisor and elders left the Hokage's Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in his seat, his eyes glazed over, his mind racing as he considered how to handle the aftermath.

Danzo cannot be severely punished, not only because of his current position, but also because, from a personal perspective, he is unwilling to punish Danzo severely.

The two had worked together, one in the open and one in the shadows, for so many years that he deeply understood that the reason the Root was called the Root was not because it was the root of Konoha, but because it was the root of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He didn't possess the invincible power of the First Hokage, nor the political acumen of the Second Hokage. That's why he had to allow Danzo to establish Root within the Anbu to stabilize and expand his power.

It can be said that Danzo and he are two sides of the same coin in the position of Hokage. Although he has now completely consolidated his power, this political structure has also been established and cannot be changed at will.

If Danzo is not severely punished, then the Uchiha must suffer some injustice. After all, if you don't suffer injustice, you can't let the Hokage suffer injustice.

It's likely that, guided by a brighter future, the Uchiha will understand his good intentions. Just bear with it a little longer; once this period is over, everything will get better.

While Hiruzen Sarutobi in thought, Fugaku Uchiha arrived at his office.

The knocking on the door interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts.

Come in!

Fugaku Uchiha pushed open the door and entered. His eyes were met with swirling smoke and the Hokage's worried expression. Having already guessed what was going on, Fugaku remained impassive, approached the desk, and bowed slightly. "Hokage-sama, what can I do for you?"

"Fugaku! I just received a message from Jiraiya about Yohei."

"Yohei? What happened to Yohei? Did something happen to him? That's impossible. He has the Mangekyō Sharingan; nothing should have happened to him."