Jonin were senior personnel in a ninja village, and those in the Jonin Squad had a certain degree of access to information. They usually knew a thing or two about what was going on.
Uchiha Yuzhen was a Uchiha prodigy who had risen to fame only in the past year.
They weren't strangers to him at all.
He had killed Biwa Juzo, fought Sasori of the Red Sands, and was one of only two people in the village who could use the Flying Thunder God.
Everyone knew about those feats.
But knowing about them was one thing. They had never imagined he was strong enough to wipe out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
"Yuzhen-kun is actually this strong? He wiped out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen... That kind of strength should rival a village's Kage, right?!"
"Absolutely. That power belongs in the realm of a Kage!"
"He's only around ten, isn't he?"
"To be precise, he's thirteen..."
The Uchiha really are lucky. Someone like him has appeared at a time like this.
"Who can argue with that?"
The excited discussion around the room left another group of Jonin secretly thrilled.
These people were none other than the Uchiha Jonin present.
To be honest, Uchiha Yuzhen was quite popular among his clan.
Every faction thought highly of him.
There was no other reason.
He was closer to becoming Hokage than any other Uchiha.
For them, the Hokage position had long been a cherished dream.
Uchiha Yuzhen was the clan's brightest star!
Now, this record was enough to prove his strength—and that he deserved the Hokage position.
At the thought, the Uchiha Jonin stared at Uchiha Yuzhen with blazing eyes.
Seated above them, Uchiha Fugaku took in every detail.
Especially the feverish looks in the eyes of the Uchiha Jonin!
He couldn't help feeling helpless.
Earlier, Uchiha Yuzhen had taken them by surprise.
Without thinking it through, he had simply followed Yuzhen's lead and gathered everyone.
Now, he had finally come to his senses.
Uchiha Yuzhen had done something truly shocking!
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, along with the heads that needed to be examined by the Intelligence Division.
They made up a Jonin squad of more than ten.
And Uchiha Yuzhen had wiped out a force capable of fighting a small-scale battle, even of defeating a small country.
It left him so stunned that he was almost numb.
He had no choice but to be numb!
He had watched this boy grow from having a Two-Tomoe Sharingan to reaching his current level.
Could he honestly say he could beat Uchiha Yuzhen now?
He couldn't!
There was no way he could beat him!
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were Kirigakure's famed force, made up of Elite Jonin.
As the commander of this stretch of coastline, Fugaku had crossed blades with them more than once during this period.
He knew very well that just three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen could take him down.
But Uchiha Yuzhen had killed every last one of them.
There was no question about who was stronger.
He had watched Uchiha Yuzhen go from having a Two-Tomoe Sharingan to surpassing him in strength.
His shock at the boy was greater than anyone else's!
Was this boy...
A Genius?
A monster?
He couldn't say.
But it didn't matter.
All he needed to know was that the boy was on his side!
With that thought, Uchiha Fugaku cut off his train of thought and looked at the noisy room.
He coughed softly.
"Cough... cough... Everyone, please quiet down for a moment."
"Yuzhen-kun said the Seven Ninja Swordsmen aren't the most important thing. What matters is the information contained in these heads."
At that, Uchiha Yuzhen stepped forward and addressed everyone in the room.
"I'll remember your praise, and I'll use it as motivation to keep contributing to Konoha."
Then his expression grew serious as he pointed to the heads of the Root ninja.
"But during this encounter, I noticed that these ninja were acting strangely."
"Something about it left me shaken, so I asked Lord Fugaku to call everyone here."
"So... seniors from the Intelligence Division, whatever you find, please tell everyone directly."
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
The Jonin present all looked grave.
Their thoughts were simple.
Did these people possess some crucial intelligence about Kirigakure?
Otherwise, why was this boy being so serious?!
Judging by the expressions around the room, Uchiha Yuzhen could guess what they were thinking.
He was looking forward to seeing the uproar that would erupt once the Intelligence Division ninja revealed what they had found in the minds of the Root ninja.
Uchiha Yuzhen loathed Shimura Danzō, who had arranged for him to be sent to this battlefield.
He wasn't the type to take a loss lying down.
You sent me here, then joined forces with outsiders to assassinate me.
Don't blame me for hitting back hard!
After all, Konoha had always promoted the Will of Fire.
It encouraged friendship, Bonds, and sacrifice.
Though in the hearts of the higher-ups, sacrifice was the most important part.
In public, the first two were the main tools of political propaganda.
Shimura Danzō had sent ninja he disapproved of to a specific location.
Then he had conspired with outsiders to assassinate a comrade.
If all the Jonin present found out about it—
Given the Bonds between him and Sarutobi Hiruzen, even an assassination like this would be forgiven.
Danzō probably wouldn't fall from power.
But once word of this spread among the Jonin, his reputation would be utterly ruined, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen covered for him afterward.
That alone—
Danzō's dream of becoming Hokage...
Would be forever out of reach!
At the thought, Uchiha Yuzhen sneered to himself.
Isn't becoming Hokage what you want most, Danzō?
You picked a fight with me, so I'll make sure your dream and your Obsession both vanish.
Surely that would be worse than death for him!
At that moment.
Three ninja from the Intelligence Division stepped forward and bowed slightly to Uchiha Fugaku and everyone else in the room.
Then they went to the heads.
They didn't waste time. They immediately began the jutsu to probe the minds and extract information.
As the jutsu progressed, their expressions grew more and more troubled.
Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
Seeing this, everyone in the room except Uchiha Yuzhen was at a loss.
"What could these guys have done to make them look so troubled?"
"Exactly. They're ninja from the Intelligence Division. Shouldn't they stay calm no matter what information they uncover...?"
Everyone's curiosity was piqued.
Including Uchiha Fugaku!
Uchiha Yuzhen had emphasized the matter again and again.
And the Intelligence Division ninja's changing expressions...
Curious, Fugaku watched them finish their work, drenched in cold sweat.
Then he asked with interest:
"Everyone, can you tell us what you found?"
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