Conflict Escalates

"Does Father trust Brother that much!" A trace of disappointment flashed in Itachi's eyes.

"Heh, Itachi! You truly underestimate your father. How could Father watch your brother bear such pressure all alone? I have already sent your Uncle Yashiro to provide support!" Fugaku's lips curled into a faint smile.

However, Fugaku's words did not comfort Itachi; instead, they felt like the sky collapsing. "So Father knew the whole situation, yet why didn't you stop it beforehand!" Itachi suddenly questioned loudly.

Fugaku was momentarily stunned. He had assumed Itachi said that out of concern for his brother, but Itachi's reaction was bizarre.

"Itachi, what nonsense are you spouting? This was always meant to be a probe against the Hokage!" Fugaku scolded in a deep voice.

"A probe? What is there to probe with the Hokage? Does Father not know that Brother Shisui has already joined the Shadow Guard! The bridge between our clan and the village has been built; isn't this what you once hoped for?"

Looking at Itachi, who wore a slightly pained expression, Fugaku didn't know what to say. Was this son of his too biased toward the village?

Fugaku's face gradually turned serious. "Itachi, that kind of bridge is only a one-way passage!"

After saying this, Fugaku said no more and walked quickly toward the Hokage Building. He needed to go there to observe the situation at all times, lest this probe turn into a large-scale conflict.

Itachi felt a chill in his heart. He blankly recalled the words Shisui had said to him when they were together.

"Itachi, you must keep a close eye on your brother. Unlike you, your brother is not full of trust for the village; he harbors deep caution. As his younger brother, you must advise him in time and not let Yu walk down the wrong path."

Yet now, not only was his brother like this, but even his father's originally pro-village attitude was slowly changing. Itachi felt a sense of oppression in his heart.

Hokage Building.

At this moment, Yu had already arrived downstairs with his clansmen. There were no earth-shattering slogans as one might imagine; the Uchiha clansmen were exceptionally disciplined in this regard, with ninjas in the front protecting the ordinary clansmen behind them.

They stood silently beneath the Hokage Building, waiting for the Hokage to come out and explain. The surrounding ordinary citizens, who were initially confused, had now cleared out entirely.

It had to be said that the Uchiha's reputation was shockingly poor. Everyone who saw the Uchiha procession treated them as if they were enemies.

Yu felt a slight chill in his heart. At first, he thought that once these citizens understood the injustice done to the Uchiha, someone would stand up for them.

But the result was that everyone treated it as none of their business, guarding against the Uchiha as if they were enemies. No wonder the Konoha high-ups dared to act this way without fear of inciting public outrage!

Sometimes Yu couldn't help but wonder, what exactly had the Uchiha done to make the villagers feel this way? But after thinking for a long time, Yu still couldn't grasp the reason.

Yu agreed that the Uchiha were prone to extreme emotions. After all, compared to ordinary Konoha villagers who only gave +1 Malice Points even when they were disgusted, his own clansmen would provide +10 or +100 points at a time for any feeling, whether it was gratitude or disgust. This was something Yu truly could not deny.

But even so, the Uchiha had never oppressed ordinary citizens! They rarely even interacted with civilian ninjas. It could be said that the Uchiha were quite insular; the only ones they interacted with were those who had committed crimes or those who found them arrogant. Just for that, they became the object of the villagers' hatred!

As for evil, sometimes Yu felt that the Uchiha's "evil" was worthless compared to the Konoha villagers. To say nothing else, the way they shifted their hatred onto a newborn infant was beyond human comprehension.

At least from the original story, it could be seen that the Uchiha's feelings toward Naruto were very indifferent. Although there was no intention of closeness, there was no malicious mockery either.

Just as Yu was thinking about these things, several notifications rang in his mind:

Malice Points +10000

Malice Points +5000

Malice Points +2000

The prompts pulled Yu back to reality. His expression stiffened, and he hurriedly began to search for who had provided him with such a high reward all at once.

He saw two men and one woman, all in their sixties or seventies, walking out. They were none other than the Council of Elders, led by Utatane Koharu, Danzo, and Mitokado Homura, followed by Anbu ninjas.

Looking at Danzo's cold, gloomy gaze, Yu instantly understood who had generated this intense malice.

A smile curled on the corner of Yu's lips. "Yo! Isn't this Lord Danzo! What a coincidence! We've met twice in one day."

"Brat!"

Yu felt another wave of intense malice and couldn't help but feel delighted. "A bumper harvest! A bumper harvest!"

"Is this the Uchiha's attitude? Actually sending a child to make trouble at the Hokage Building," Utatane Koharu said, glancing at Yu indifferently.

"Elder Koharu, you jest. This is our Young Clan Head, Lord Yu. The clansmen follow him here only because they trust him," Uchiha Yashiro hurriedly stepped forward to explain.

As Fugaku's confidant, he naturally would not oppose the title of Young Clan Head for Yu.

"Hmph! Unprovoked assault on the Hokage Building—do you Uchiha know your crimes!" Utatane Koharu ignored Yu's existence and looked directly at Uchiha Yashiro.

"Unprovoked assault!" Uchiha Yashiro was stunned, his expression darkening as he looked at Utatane Koharu.

"Has Elder Koharu misunderstood something? The village canceled our clan's relocation funds without cause; are you saying the Uchiha clan isn't even allowed to come and ask why!" Uchiha Yashiro raised his voice.

Hearing this, the clansmen began to wave their hands and echo him loudly.

"That's right! Why was it canceled!"

"We need a reasonable explanation!"

Seeing this, Utatane Koharu frowned. It seemed that words alone were no longer enough to appease the Uchiha clan. Damn it, it's all because this brat is leading them. Utatane Koharu looked with annoyance at Yu, who stood in the crowd, well-protected by the young clansmen brought by Uchiha Lieyang.

Yu just laughed happily. He wished for these looks to come more often; one look was worth two thousand points, and with a few more, he could upgrade another skill.

Just as the crowd was clamoring, a cold snort rang out.

"An explanation! Koharu, this matter cannot be left to continue like this. Leave the rest to me!"

Looking at the smiling brat, Danzo's anger flared up. After speaking, Danzo turned to look at Uchiha Yashiro.

"Konoha is currently in a standoff with the Cloud Village, yet you lot don't think about serving Konoha and instead bring people to the Hokage Building to cause a scene. You are truly ignorant of the bigger picture, and you still have the nerve to ask the village for an explanation."

It had to be said that Danzo was truly skilled at shifting blame. In just a few words, he had transferred all the guilt onto the Uchiha.

Uchiha Yashiro's expression turned completely cold.

"The village broke its word first; how can you blame the Uchiha for being unreasonable? While our clansmen are fighting desperately on the front lines, the village is bullying their elderly, weak, women, and children back home. If the village doesn't provide a reasonable explanation today, don't blame the Uchiha clan for refusing to let this go."

Danzo cast a cold glance at the Uchiha clansmen, who had fallen completely silent. At this moment, many Uchiha ninja had already assumed an offensive stance.

Yu also looked coldly at Danzo.

"In that case, let's see if the Uchiha have the strength to back that up." Having said this, Danzo removed the bandages from his left hand.

Large numbers of Root ninja leaped out from the streets on both sides.

The Uchiha ninja reacted immediately. The young ninja surrounding Yu in the front row drew their waist blades one after another, activating their Sharingan, their scarlet eyes watching the surrounding ninja with vigilance.

Seeing that Lieyang was about to unleash his Mangekyo, Yu hurriedly grabbed his arm and shook his head, signaling him not to act impulsively.

Although the tension of the battle seemed to have reached its peak, Yu knew that a fight would not break out. Within his Divine Sense, the Third Hokage and Fugaku were both still hiding in the shadows.

Though he could not grasp Yu's intentions, Uchiha Lieyang faithfully executed Yu's order, and his reddened eyes immediately dimmed.

"Is Elder Danzo determined not to give the Uchiha a reason!" Uchiha Yashiro radiated intense killing intent. As one of the top experts of the clan, he possessed the pride unique to the Uchiha.

Even a clay figurine has a temper. Although he was part of the moderate faction that leaned toward the village, it was clear that this matter was no longer a dispute between the moderate and hardline factions, but a matter concerning the interests of the entire clan.

A dangerous glint flickered in Danzo's single eye.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!"

Without any wasted words, Danzo decisively spat out a sharp gust of wind, similar to a kamaitachi, slashing toward Uchiha Yashiro's position.

The gale swept through, the massive wind blades sharper than any sword.

Utatane Koharu's previously calm expression changed in an instant. "Danzo, what do you think you're doing!"