Deterrence

The three elders exchanged glances. They had been comrades in arms for many years.

They quickly understood what the others were thinking.

What truly surprised them was that Danzo hadn't come out to object.

"Good. Since everyone agrees, let's discuss the details."

Seeing how readily the three had agreed, even Tsunade felt a little surprised.

What had convinced them was that this plan was ingenious: the thinner the bloodline, the harder it was to awaken a Kekkei Genkai.

So this was no different from wiping out the Uchiha Clan.

At the same time, it would earn them a good reputation.

In the original story, Itachi Uchiha took the blame, so it hadn't caused much of a stir. That could be passed off as infighting, but if anyone else did it, the other clans would easily grow wary.

Once they had a concrete plan, the details were simple.

They soon finished discussing everything.

"Who can speak for the Uchiha Clan now?"

Only then did Tsunade remember to ask about the Uchiha's current situation.

"There are two people at present: Fugaku Uchiha's son, Itachi Uchiha, and Qiuyu Uchiha, who has the highest standing."

Danzo spoke, explaining the Uchiha Clan's current situation.

Although Danzo had killed many members of the clan's upper ranks, new talents had awakened as well.

Qiuyu Uchiha was one of them.

He had been an ordinary Chunin, but no one had expected him to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan during this war.

He had become one of the Uchiha Clan's leaders. Strength ruled among the Uchiha, and Qiuyu Uchiha had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan on his own, in the middle of battle. Naturally, he had become a spiritual leader in the hearts of all the Uchiha.

As for Daohuo Uchiha, he had always had a bad temper. He had also received a transplanted eye from Itachi Uchiha, and his combat ability seemed rather lacking.

As for Itachi Uchiha, his identity had always been special. Now that all the upper ranks were dead, no one would have paid him any attention under normal circumstances. But given the current situation, Itachi Uchiha had stepped forward and revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan.

"What's going on? How does the Uchiha Clan have two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan?"

After hearing the details, Tsunade's expression darkened.

The others fell silent.

They had already witnessed how terrifying the Mangekyō Sharingan was.

"From now on, Jiraiya will take charge of the Anbu and Root."

Tsunade glanced at the two men.

Danzo didn't object.

The situation was that Danzo lacked the strength to deal with the Uchiha Clan, so he could only dump the mess in Jiraiya's lap.

"Take Naruto to the Uchiha Clan and explain the solution to them. If they refuse, eliminate their upper ranks."

Tsunade wasn't a saint. This outcome was already the best possible solution.

If they still wouldn't accept it, then she could only force them to comply.

And Tsunade's greatest source of confidence in doing this was Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto.

Others might not know how strong Jiraiya was, but as his teammate, Tsunade knew his abilities well.

With Naruto, the kid, by his side, dealing with the Uchiha would be easy.

"Okay!"

Jiraiya didn't waste any words. The group had already discussed everything on the way back.

Konoha's institutions began operating at full speed.

Night fell.

Jiraiya brought Naruto, followed by dozens of Anbu, to the Uchiha Clan's compound.

"Be careful, Naruto. Watch out for their genjutsu," Jiraiya warned him before they went in.

"Don't worry."

Naruto nodded. With his current abilities, genjutsu below the Mangekyō level wouldn't work on him.

The moment the two stepped inside, figures darted into view.

In an instant, more than a dozen people surrounded them.

"We're looking for Itachi Uchiha."

Jiraiya didn't waste time. He kept walking forward.

The Uchiha exchanged glances, but none of them rushed forward.

Naruto said nothing.

[Nine-Tails Golden Body Mode]

Golden flames rose up, and Naruto entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

The terrifying pressure made everyone recoil. Under its weight, even the chakra flowing through their bodies was affected.

"What is this? Such terrifying pressure!"

"Chakra made tangible!"

"So strong."

Everyone stared at Naruto warily.

At the same time, two people on the Uchiha side received the news.

Itachi and Qiuyu Uchiha hurried over.

The moment they drew near and saw Naruto, their pupils shrank.

Naruto's gaze turned cold.

"Kid, with that repulsive aura, it'd be better to kill him."

The Nine-Tails' voice rang out in Naruto's mind.

The Nine-Tails also knew the story from the original world, so it naturally had no fondness for these people. It felt Naruto was making things needlessly complicated. He should just wipe them out, as in the original story.

"I just feel like it'd be a shame to wipe out a bloodline like this. But those who've awakened the Mangekyō are different. Those two have to die."

Naruto explained. Those were his true thoughts, too.

He wanted to study the power of bloodlines, so he didn't want the Uchiha Clan wiped out.

But he had no fondness for the Mangekyō Sharingan, either.

Naruto was still young and made no effort to hide his killing intent.

The two sensed it at once, and their eyes instinctively changed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"That guy's a Jinchūriki. Does that mean he's got the Nine-Tails' power?"

"What's going on here?"

Everyone looked at Uzumaki Naruto with wariness and curiosity.

"Itachi Uchiha, Qiuyu Uchiha, Lord Hokage's order has been issued. Come with me."

Jiraiya wasn't worried about these Uchiha at all.

A barrier had already been set up around the entire Uchiha compound.

If they dared to resist, every shinobi would be killed.

As for the information about the Mangekyō, he had Danzo to thank for it. He had already gotten it out of him.

The two exchanged a glance and silently nodded.

Then the four of them entered the clan head's residence.

Five people sat down in the room.

Qiuyu Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Daohuo Uchiha, Uzumaki Naruto, and Jiraiya.

"Lord Jiraiya, please go ahead,"

Qiuyu said first.

Jiraiya told the three of them about the decision they had made the previous time.

They were already prepared, while Uzumaki Naruto maintained his chakra state the whole time.

As expected, after hearing the decision, the two of them flew into a rage.

Daohuo Uchiha, in particular, had always been hot-tempered.

"Impossible! If you want a fight, then let's fight. The Uchiha Clan will never compromise."

"Daohuo, shut up."

"You..."

Daohuo Uchiha wanted to fight back, but he was wary of their strength.

Itachi Uchiha stayed silent.

Qiuyu Uchiha closed his eyes and pondered.

"What will happen to the ordinary clan members?"

"Their memories will be sealed, and they'll be assimilated into Konoha."

Silence fell again.

Itachi Uchiha had been silent the entire time.

"Big Brother Itachi, what do you think?"

Qiuyu turned to Itachi beside him. He had been an ordinary Uchiha, but after awakening the Sharingan in battle, he had been forced into becoming the clan leader.

"That might be for the best."

Itachi Uchiha was still a little surprised. He had prepared for the worst, but he hadn't expected Konoha to let them off.

There were still dozens of Uchiha with awakened eyes. Though this would weaken the Uchiha Clan, it would allow the clan to survive.

For Itachi Uchiha, this outcome was already quite satisfactory.

Seeing what Itachi Uchiha thought, Qiuyu understood.

"We agree."

He looked up at Jiraiya.

Daohuo Uchiha had also calmed down by now.

Considering the mistakes they had made, simply disbanding the ordinary members of the Uchiha Clan was already a huge concession.