The Momentum Is on My Side

Conference room on the top Hokage Building.

Mitokado Homura's view of the Uchiha Clan was precisely the most orthodox view of the Uchiha by the Konoha High Command.

These elders of Konoha had witnessed Madara Uchiha's power firsthand; the title of "Asura of the Ninja World" was earned with countless lives.

The reverence for Madara Uchiha was almost ingrained in the bones of their generation.

In addition, the Second Hokage's earnest teachings instilled in them a constant vigilance against the Uchiha Clan, which explains why, even after so many years, they still outwardly fear the Uchiha rather than utilize them.

Danzo, that cunning old man Danzo was killed by Taiichi long ago; otherwise, if he were still in power, Minato might not have had the time to deal with these matters.

Minato looked at Mitokado Homura, who was talking eloquently, smiled but didn't say anything. He just gave Taiichi a wink, Taiichi immediately understood.

"The elder's words are somewhat biased—"

Taiichi straightened his posture, looked at Mitokado Homura opposite him, and directly stated his opinion, but before he could finish speaking...

"Taichi Matsushita, I'm talking to Minato, what right do you have to interrupt?"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room momentarily froze.

Taiichi's previously somewhat lazy demeanor vanished, replaced by a chilling aura of impending battle.

"Mitokado Homura, you interrupted me first because you didn't mention that the Hokage-sama was asking me a question."

I'm Konoha Jonin Konoha, and I have the right to advise and review all village affairs. Do you think I'm qualified to speak?

And you, in this public place, throughout the entire meeting, have repeatedly addressed the Hokage by his given name. What? Do you look down on the Fourth Hokage?

Taiichi's words grew increasingly harsh, and his voice grew louder with each sentence. In the end, he roared directly at Mitokado Homura.

"You----you----"

Mitokado Homura's fingers trembled, and he kept muttering "you" for a long time without being able to utter a complete sentence.

He stopped talking and turned his gaze directly to Minato. "Fourth Hokage, look at him. Is that how you talk to your elders?"

Minato gave an awkward laugh but didn't say anything, though he was secretly thrilled.

"Ha—elder!" Taiichi wasn't about to back down, and pressing his advantage was his forte. "Now you know to call me Fourth Hokage, now you know you're an elder? Are you trying to take advantage of your seniority?"

We're discussing an important village decision right now. If we just listen to whoever is older, what's the point of the discussion? We might as well just compare ages.

Mitokado Homura was truly enraged; he pointed at Taiichi, but couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing this, Minato knew he should stop.

"Alright, Taiichi, you should say less. He's Senior, so we should show him some respect."

He seemed to be trying to dissuade Taiichi, but if you hadn't emphasized the word "Senior" so much, it might have seemed more sincere.

Taiichi, knowing when to stop, rose and bowed to Minato, saying, "Yes, Fourth Hokage."

They made their respect for the Hokage crystal clear.

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. Taiichi, now you can share your thoughts."

Mitokado Homura wanted to speak, but was stopped by Utatane Koharu next to him. She gently shook her head at Mitokado Homura and then pointed in the direction of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Throughout the entire process, Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his eyes closed, even stopping his smoking, clearly showing his silent support for Minato Namikaze's decision.

Mitokado Homura then shut his mouth and sighed helplessly.

"Regarding the historical issues of the Uchiha, since the Second Hokage chose to punish only the ringleaders and let the others go, I think there's nothing more to say."

Regarding the Sharingan, I just want to say that the world is fair, and great power comes at a price, but to condemn an entire race because of this is too arbitrary.

In the nearly 50 years since Konoha was founded, how many cases have truly resulted in significant damage to the village due to the Sharingan? Apart from Madara Uchiha, there haven't been any.

If we were to cripple ourselves over something like this, I think the other four great ninja villages would be laughing in their sleep.

Taiichi surveyed everyone present, his expression suddenly becoming incredibly domineering.

"Even if one day, some Uchiha might have a mental breakdown, I think I have enough power to suppress them. The Mangekyo is powerful, but only Madara Uchiha was strong, not every pair of Mangekyou Mangekyo. Besides, even Madara Uchiha, I've clashed with him head-on before."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked at each other, opening their mouths as if to say something in rebuttal, but the words wouldn't come out.

Taiichi's achievements are genuine; he actually fought Madara Uchiha, although that Madara was an old man and his strength was unknown. But now there is no Madara in his prime who is an enemy of Konoha.

Mitokado Homura stood there for a moment, then could only sit down helplessly.

That's the Young and Vigorous Faction for you. They're full of energy in everything they do, and the key is that they also have the power to suppress everything, leaving you no choice but to submit.

"Haha, Taiichi is right, but Elder Yan's concerns are not without merit."

Minato then smoothed things over, giving the elder ample face.

"The Uchiha are, after all, members of the village, and I hope they can contribute more to it. Here's what we'll do: Taiichi, you have a good relationship with the Uchiha, so you can act as the middleman and find out what they have to say."

Minato ultimately made the final decision, bringing the meeting to a close.

Throughout the entire meeting, the Third Hokage remained silent, not even opening his eyes, simply serving as a backdrop and witnessing the entire event.

This changed Taiichi's opinion of the old man.

Since Danzo's death, Hiruzen Sarutobi's intelligence and emotional intelligence have been consistently high. He even stepped down decisively, and after stepping down, he only played a support role.

Looking back, Taiichi was incredibly grateful for his decision to directly eliminate Danzo. He couldn't even imagine what Taiichi would have done if the two had gotten mixed up again.

After the meeting ended, Taiichi accompanied Minato out of the conference room, leaving only the three Advisor inside.

Once the footsteps of Minato and the other man had completely disappeared, Mitokado Homura could no longer wait and went straight to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hiruzen, why aren't you saying a word? You're just letting those two juniors run wild. Do you think you can easily trust the Uchiha? You and your teacher spent so much time on this and still couldn't solve it, but they think they can?"

Mitokado Homura was already quite exasperated, and even his tone of voice became accusatory.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly opened his eyes, and just one glance was enough to shut Mitokado Homura's mouth.

He sighed deeply and said earnestly, "Yan, the Uchiha is trivial."

Mitokado Homura's eyes widened, thinking there was something wrong with his ears. He was about to speak when Hiruzen Sarutobi his Teuchi.

"Taiichi's strength is beyond our control. Even if his power hasn't reached Lord Hashirama's level, it should be on the same level as Lord Hashirama."

"What?! How could this happen?!"

Not only Mitokado Homura, but also Utatane Koharu nearby, stared wide-eyed at the news; it was simply too unbelievable.

Taiichi so young, yet he already possesses such strength. What will he be like in the future? And will Konoha be able to unify the Ninja World with this?

Utatane Koharu room, her mind raced, already envisioning a bright future.

But----

"That's just how it is," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied with absolute certainty.

As the Hokage, he certainly didn't believe everything Taiichi reported.

Whether it was the great battle between Taiichi and Madara Uchiha, or his battle against the Celestial Being, Hiruzen Sarutobi always sent his Anbu to Scout the scene afterward.

The scene was just as Taiichi described, even more terrifying. In any case, the battle scene reconstructed from the scene completely exceeded Hiruzen Sarutobi's imagination.

This is one of the reasons why he abdicated and relinquished power so decisively.

"Yan, there are some pieces of information that I can't reveal to you. In short, just know that Madara Uchiha is not our most troublesome enemy. In a corner of the Ninja World, there are even more terrifying and powerful enemies waiting for us."

Compared to them, the Uchiha Clan is nothing. What we need to do now is unite all the forces within the village and develop ourselves as much as possible.

Mitokado Homura's initially aggressive demeanor gradually subsided, and he muttered to himself, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is."

After hearing what Hiruzen Sarutobi said, he understood why Hiruzen had made those changes at the school and hospital before; it turned out they were all preparations for this.

But even he, the Advisor, couldn't know exactly what kind of enemy they wanted.

He opened his mouth as if to ask more questions, but in the end he kept his mouth shut. After all, he was a ninja, and he still had the basic principle of keeping secrets.

That evening, Ninja Academy, the three little ones went straight to Taiichi to do their daily training, as usual.

The golden rays of the setting sun lazily spilled onto the Training Ground, casting long, thin shadows of the three small figures.

Sweat streamed down Jiangtai's round face as he gritted his teeth and persisted in doing squats, his body trembling slightly.

Yami sat cross-legged to the side, eyes closed and mind focused, with an extremely faint whirlwind surrounding her. She displayed astonishing talent in the art of Wind Style.

Uchiha Itachi's movements were the most fluid and graceful. The Kunai in his hand transformed into streaks of black light, accurately hitting the bullseye that was constantly changing position in the distance. The angle and force of each throw were almost perfect.

He hadn't activated his Sharingan, but his composure and insight beyond his years were enough to make Taiichi, who was watching from the sidelines, nod in approval.

"Alright, that's all for today." Taiichi's voice broke the silence of the Training Ground. He put down the scroll recording the progress of the three people and clapped his hands.

Jiangtai felt as if he had been granted a pardon and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Yami slowly opened her eyes and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead. Itachi silently put away his Kunai and walked briskly Earth Flow Taiichi, his eyes questioning.

Taiichi walked up to Itachi, his face bearing his usual gentle smile, but his eyes held a more serious expression than usual. "Itachi, go back and tell your father," his voice clear and steady, "That I will be visiting your residence tonight; I have important matters to discuss."

Uchiha Itachi's clear black and white eyes widened slightly for a moment, then returned to calm.

He didn't ask any further questions, but simply nodded earnestly. "Yes, Taiichi- sensei." Although his voice was still young, it carried a maturity beyond his years.

Jiangtai and Yami looked at Taiichi curiously, but Taiichi just smiled at them, "You two should go home early too. Sitian's training is going well, especially Yami. Jiangtai, you should eat more too; Taijutsu training is very energy-consuming."

Watching the three boys leave the Training Ground, Taiichi looked up at the sky. The sun had already sunk most of its way down, leaving only a dark red glow on the horizon. He turned and went back inside, changing into a more formal dark-colored casual outfit.

As night falls, the lights of Konoha come on. The hustle and bustle of the streets gradually subsides, but the Uchiha's territory retains its unique atmosphere.

Even within such a large clan, not everyone possesses the talent of a ninja; most of those seen are simply Civilian with Uchiha blood.

Furthermore, unlike the Uchiha Hyuga, the Uchiha clan did not have strict requirements regarding marriage between clan members and outsiders, which resulted in a considerable number of ordinary people within the Uchiha clan.

Taiichi swaggered Earth Flow the entrance of the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha guards clearly recognized this renowned Konoha Jonin, who was also the teacher of the young clan leader Itachi.

A barely perceptible hint of wariness and reverence flashed in their eyes, but they still allowed them to pass with courtesy, and someone quickly informed the clan chief's residence.

Fugaku Uchiha's residence was ancient and solemn. Taiichi was led into a simply furnished yet dignified reception room.

Fugaku was already waiting in the main seat, with two steaming cups of tea placed on the small table in front of him.

He was dressed in dark tribal clothing, his face was calm, and his deep black eyes looked particularly sharp under the light. The nickname "Wicked Eye" Fugaku was really well-deserved.

"It is a great honor to have Taiichi visit." Fugaku's voice was deep and steady, with a hint of joy in it. He gestured for Taiichi to sit down. "What brings you here today?"

He First Gate, without any unnecessary pleasantries.

After the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Clan became extremely sensitive to any movement by the Konoha High Command. Taiichi's arrival, as someone with close ties to both sides, itself sent a certain signal.

Taiichi sat down calmly, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and savored the slightly bitter yet sweet taste spreading across his tongue.

He set down his teacup and looked directly at Fugaku: "Clan Head Fugaku, I dare not presume to offer my guidance. I have come today to tell you that the opportunity your clan has been waiting for has arrived!"

Fugaku's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, and he tapped his fingers lightly on the table. He forced himself to remain calm and continued speaking in a composed tone.

"Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."

"The Fourth Hokage," Taiichi emphasized the title "Hokage-sama," "intends to push the Uchiha Clan to integrate more deeply into Konoha's core system."

He paused, observing Fugaku's reaction. Seeing that the other remained unmoved, he continued, "This is not a test, but a show of sincerity based on practical considerations. Konoha needs the Uchiha's strength, especially in these turbulent times."

Fugaku paused for a moment, then slowly said, "The Uchiha Clan's determination to protect Konoha has never changed. It's just that—'integration into the core'—what exactly does that refer to?"

He deliberately avoided the implication of "the past being excluded" in Taiichi's words, and steered the conversation to the point.

Taiichi smiled slightly and made a crucial suggestion, "The Fourth Hokage wishes to invite outstanding ninjas from the Uchiha Clan to join the Anbu."

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Fugaku's eyes. The Anbu were the Hokage's elite troops, directly involved in the village's top-secret missions, holding a special position.

The Uchiha clan's joining the Anbu signifies their true entry into the core power structure of Konoha, granting them access to the most crucial intelligence and decision-making processes.

This is a very significant olive branch.