The Foolish Boy Uchiha Fugaku

The Senju are gone, but isn't there still the Uchiha Clan?

As long as they can be made to uphold the Will of Fire, this battle is not without hope.

With Uchiha Kagami's persuasion, the chances of his plan succeeding are high.

Some of the shrewd clan heads noticed Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze, and their emotions became incredibly complex.

Is he intending to have the Uchiha Clan take the place of the Senju Clan and become the main force in this war?

On one hand, they didn't care much about the life or death of the Uchiha Clan; they had never truly accepted them. They couldn't help but admire Senju Tobirama's schemes—not only could he trick his own descendants, but more importantly, he could trap the Uchiha Clan. The establishment of the Police Force, given the Uchiha Clan's arrogance, would inevitably offend those in Konoha who did not follow the rules, keeping them perpetually at odds with the other ninja clans. Ninja clans were, by nature, representatives of privilege.

On the other hand, Sarutobi Hiruzen's behavior made them feel cold. The Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan were the most important founders of Konoha, yet they were being treated in such a manner. Would he use such underhanded, malicious tactics to deal with their own clans in the future?

"Danzo, what do you think about sending the Uchiha Clan to the battlefield in the Land of Rain?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice softened as he asked for Shimura Danzo's opinion, simultaneously showing weakness to mend their relationship. Every time in the past when Shimura Danzo disagreed with him, he only needed to express his dissatisfaction with the Uchiha Clan, and Shimura Danzo would stand on his side. This was because when the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was selecting his disciples, Shimura Danzo had been passed over, and the person who took his place was Uchiha Kagami. Later, through the efforts of the Shimura Clan and the persuasion of Senju Hashirama, he had finally accepted Shimura Danzo as his disciple. Because of this, Senju Tobirama had harbored a slight prejudice against Shimura Danzo.

"You are the Hokage; I will listen to you."

Shimura Danzo closed his eyes and replied mechanically, lacking the usual hostility. If this were before, he would have forgiven Sarutobi Hiruzen long ago. Now, however, Shimura Danzo only felt a chill throughout his body, as if he were drowning in the sea. He had never truly seen Sarutobi Hiruzen for who he was, but after Senju Nawaki's warning, he had become wary of him. Recalling his interactions with Sarutobi Hiruzen, he always felt a sense of hypocrisy. Could it be that Sarutobi Hiruzen had even deceived their teacher? A thought sprouted in his mind, though he did not show it, maintaining his usual demeanor. Everything would depend on what Sarutobi Hiruzen did in the future.

"Lord Hokage, the ninjas of the Uchiha Clan excel at Fire Style; they might be somewhat weakened on the battlefield in the Land of Rain. It would be better to head to the Land of Fields to fight against the ninjas of Sunagakure, where they would have a certain advantage."

Uchiha Kagami pursed his lips, hesitating for a long time before offering his opinion.

"The Land of Rain is where the most important battle lies. The Uchiha Clan should not harbor feelings of avoiding hardship. I will dispatch a portion of Konoha's registered ninjas to support the Uchiha Clan. As for the Land of Fields, the scale of the battle is small right now; we only need to maintain vigilance there."

Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, feeling a hint of dissatisfaction toward Uchiha Kagami. He had originally thought the biggest obstacle would be that young brat Uchiha Fugaku, but he hadn't expected Uchiha Kagami to be the first to oppose him. The war in the Land of Fields was closer to the Land of Fire and less dangerous; naturally, he wanted to leave that for the Sarutobi Clan and his own loyal clans, as he had many assets there. That was the key to controlling and suppressing the Senju Clan. The grain from the Land of Fields and the medicinal herbs from the Nara Clan would surely replace the Senju Clan. He would make the Senju Clan realize their own stupidity—that without Konoha's protection, they were nothing and could achieve nothing. The Land of Rain was the future meat grinder; a strong shield had to be placed there to become the target of the major ninja nations, consuming their vital strength.

Uchiha Kagami felt Sarutobi Hiruzen's dissatisfaction and shook his head helplessly. In his heart, he didn't want to preserve the Uchiha Clan's strength, but rather the strength of all of Konoha. He wanted to continue persuading him, but Uchiha Fugaku cut him off.

"Lord Hokage, the Uchiha Clan accepts the arrangement and is willing to contribute our strength to the peace of Konoha."

Uchiha Fugaku lifted his head, his gaze fixed on Sarutobi Hiruzen, his eyes resolute. With the Senju Clan betraying Konoha, as long as the Uchiha Clan showed enough affinity and made contributions to the village, they would surely be able to truly integrate into Konoha. He would fulfill the wish that the Uchiha Clan had failed to achieve for decades, giving them a chance to ascend to the position of Hokage. All of this was predicated on maintaining a good relationship with the Third Hokage. Originally, he had wanted to become a disciple of Sarutobi Hiruzen, but the timing was wrong; at that time, Sarutobi Hiruzen had just taken on the Legendary Sannin and had no energy for anything else.

He believed that what lay before him was his opportunity, and likewise, the opportunity for the Uchiha Clan.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened, his heart filled with surprise and delight.

Is the current Uchiha Clan head really this naive? It seems my education in the Will of Fire has not gone to waste.

Uchiha Fugaku was the newly appointed Uchiha Clan head, only five years older than Senju Nawaki and five years younger than the Legendary Sannin.

Inside the meeting room, the other jonin wore strange expressions on their faces.

Senju Nawaki had left, and now Uchiha Fugaku had come.

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen hoodwink one naive boy after another, they were more than happy to watch it happen.

Uchiha Itachi's eyes flickered, and he ceased his attempts at persuasion.

With both the village and the clan having made their decisions, what more could he say?

Doing so would only disrupt Uchiha Fugaku's plans and provoke Sarutobi Hiruzen's dissatisfaction.

"Good, good, good. Let it be decided as such. The Uchiha Clan shall be stationed at the Land of Rain front and select their own commander. Once victory is achieved on the battlefield, the Uchiha Clan may nominate one person to join the Council of Elders. I will also take you as my disciple; the Uchiha Clan shall be Konoha's greatest heroes."

A smile played on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face as he repeated the word "good" three times.

Having the Uchiha Clan fill the vacancy left by the Senju Clan was a move that killed two birds with one stone.

It would allow him to achieve his goals all the faster.

Every ninja clan that surpassed the Sarutobi Clan would be weakened one by one, and when that time came, he would hold the greatest authority in Konoha.

By offering the Uchiha Clan an irresistible temptation, he shifted his own attitude toward them.

Losing the support of the Senju Clan and turning to seek the support of the Uchiha Clan—they were all just tools in his hands anyway, merely changing the method of their eventual demise.

"Lord Hokage, the Uchiha Clan will surely give our all, and Konoha will undoubtedly achieve victory."

A look of fervent excitement shone in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, his heart racing with exhilaration.

He felt as though he could already see the Uchiha Clan becoming the premier clan of Konoha.

With the Uchiha Clan taking the initiative, the subsequent matters became easy to handle.

Konoha had yet to realize the true brutality of this ninja war, believing everything was under control; they assumed the worst-case scenario would simply be heavy losses for the Uchiha Clan.

Konoha assembled a coalition force led primarily by the Uchiha Clan and dispatched them to the Land of Rain.

Within the Uchiha Clan, having swallowed the grand promise painted by Sarutobi Hiruzen, they mobilized their entire force. In just three days, they recaptured Konoha's front lines.

In one fell swoop, they suppressed the native ninjas of the Land of Rain, as well as Sunagakure and Kumogakure.

It was not until Chiyo of Sunagakure entered the fray that her puppet techniques and poisons caused heavy losses for Konoha.

Konoha was shocked to discover that Sunagakure was preparing for a full-scale invasion.

Sunagakure's most fatal weakness—insufficient logistical supplies—had vanished.

Only then did the Konoha Anbu realize that the food supplies of the Senju Clan, which they had smugly believed were the lifeline they held over the Senju, had become the first blade turned against them.