Not to mention, it was light.
A light Chiba had never seen before.
What blind person didn't yearn for light?
But why wouldn't it work for Chiba?
"Lord Danzo... should I investigate the Uchiha Clan?"
Danzo waved his hand.
"No."
"Recently, Sarutobi Hiruzen will make a move against the Uchiha Clan. Don't go near them for now!"
After saying that,
Danzo let out a heavy breath, unable to make sense of it.
Chiba, you rascal, what are you still hesitating about?
As for the matter at hand,
Danzo kept waiting.
But ever since his last contact with Danzo, Chiba hadn't given any of this a thought.
During this peaceful period,
he devoted all his time to training.
Daily Missions, developing the Press-Press Fruit—Chiba never stopped for a moment.
Almost every day, he trained until he was completely exhausted.
And the results were striking.
Both Chiba and Itachi had improved their strength by leaps and bounds.
Today, as usual,
Chiba waited for Itachi at their usual training ground.
Itachi did arrive.
But he didn't seem to be in the mood to spar.
"What's wrong?"
Itachi looked up at Chiba, his face full of worries.
"The battle between us and Iwagakure is over."
"Iwagakure's rear supplies were cut off, and they eventually withdrew."
"Konoha won a great victory!"
At that, Chiba slowly let out a breath.
Was the Battle of Kannabi Bridge over?
Everyone in Konoha was basking in their brief victory.
But only Chiba knew
that the flames of war were only beginning to spread.
Chapter 47
"Since Konoha won,"
"why don't you look happy?"
To those who didn't know the truth,
this was heartening news.
But there wasn't the slightest hint of joy in Itachi's words.
"No, Chiba, I'm not unhappy."
"Although we did win, the losses... were simply too heavy."
Having been to the battlefield,
Itachi knew what came after a war ended.
It meant counting the casualties.
The joy of victory was fleeting.
But the lives lost were all too real.
"Lord Hokage informed the whole village."
"Although Konoha won the battle against Iwagakure,"
"it was a victory built on people's lives!"
"In the decisive battle against Iwagakure, one of our Uchiha Clan members died."
"His death paved the way for Konoha's victory!"
"So, to honor this Uchiha hero,"
"Lord Hokage has summoned shinobi from every clan to the Cemetery to pay their respects."
The Uchiha Clan member who died should have been Uchiha Obito.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen claiming this was a memorial for a Uchiha hero,
Chiba could tell it was unlikely without even having to think.
How could Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the village's leader, raise up the Uchiha Clan?
Even with Iwagakure and Kumogakure acting so aggressively, Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't sent the Uchiha Clan to the front lines. Instead, he'd sent them to fight the least conspicuous enemy, the Mist Ninja.
He'd done it to keep the Uchiha Clan from earning merits on the battlefield.
Having lived through the Second Shinobi World War, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew all too well what victory in war could do for a clan's prestige.
Hatake Sakumo had been the perfect example.
With his own strength, he had eclipsed the Hokage.
In the end, his achievements had overshadowed his leader.
How could someone like Sarutobi Hiruzen summon all of Konoha to honor a dead Uchiha Clan member?
His true intentions were clearly elsewhere.
Uchiha Obito's death was nothing more than an excuse for Sarutobi Hiruzen.
What he really wanted to honor certainly wasn't the Uchiha Clan.
It had to be Namikaze Minato.
With his own strength, Minato had turned the tide of the battle between Konoha and Iwagakure, won the war, and forced Iwagakure to retreat. His military achievements were terrifyingly great.
They were even more impressive than Hatake Sakumo's during the Second Shinobi World War.
So it was impossible to imagine how much support Namikaze Minato would gain in Konoha.
It was obvious.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was paving the way for Namikaze Minato.
A path to becoming the Fourth Hokage.
"Since we're honoring a hero of the Uchiha Clan... let's go!"
With that, Chiba headed toward the Cemetery, leaning on his cane.
Itachi followed right after him.
"Chiba, tell me... what is war really for?"
"The reason for war? I suppose it's still [利益]."
"But no matter how much [利益] victory brings, what's lost is still people's lives. Can the meaning of life really be worth less than those [利益]?"
At that, Chiba slowly let out a breath and answered calmly.
"Itachi, remember this."
"利益 is only what war looks like on the surface!"
"In wars between countries like this,"
"what's being fought isn't just a war. Behind the war... lies politics!"
Itachi pondered his words.
Thinking about things from the perspective of life was Itachi's strength, but it was also his weakness.
"And you need to watch this memorial closely!"
Watch it closely?
Itachi was confused.
Chiba seemed to mean something by that.
By the time Chiba and Itachi reached the Cemetery, it was already packed with people.
Shinobi from nearly every clan had gathered there.
There were shinobi from the Nara Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Aburame Clan, Shimura Clan, and Sarutobi Clan. Even the Hyuga Clan, still fighting Kumogakure on the front lines, had sent quite a few shinobi.
Nearly every well-known clan in Konoha had gathered there.
Ordinary shinobi might genuinely and naively believe this was a memorial for the Uchiha Clan's fallen hero.
But the old hands in every clan knew better.
The Hokage's real target this time wasn't the Uchiha Clan.
It was Namikaze Minato.
The memorial for the Uchiha Clan's hero was just an excuse.
This not only created the image of a Hokage who honored heroes and cared for his people, but also silenced the few voices in the village that supported the Uchiha Clan taking the position of Fourth Hokage.
It was a stroke that served three purposes at once.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's real intentions lay elsewhere.
At the Uchiha Clan's gathering, the man at the front was none other than Uchiha Fugaku.
The Mist Frontline wasn't as tense as the fronts against Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
So when something important came up, he could easily return.
Yet although this was a memorial for a Uchiha Clan hero, his expression was grim.
"What's the point of this...?"
"Lord Hokage, I have no interest in becoming Fourth Hokage..."
"Why use my Uchiha Clan as an excuse?"
Uchiha Fugaku slowly let out a breath.
His heart was heavy.
He knew the Uchiha Clan's standing in Konoha, so he'd never considered becoming Fourth Hokage in the first place.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't see it that way.
All he knew was that there were voices in the village supporting the Uchiha Clan taking the position of Hokage.