A distinguished record making one too powerful to control? Sarutobi Hiruzen could tolerate Danzo turning Root into his own private force, even after Hiruzen had earned the title of Shinobi Hero.
So why couldn't he tolerate Hatake Sakumo, a man of high morals who devoted himself to his missions?
In the end, it was because Hatake Sakumo had disrupted stability!
The stability upheld by Konoha's Will of Fire.
He had abandoned a mission for the sake of his comrades.
That violated the fundamental rule of the shinobi world: the village and the client came before the mission.
What would happen to Konoha's missions if everyone abandoned them to save their comrades?
The useless fools in the Land of Fire's Daimyo Palace cared most about results.
If Konoha's villagers decided that Hatake Sakumo had been right to abandon his mission for his comrades, the consequences would be unimaginable.
At last, amid the academy students' enthusiastic farewells, Sarutobi Hiruzen left the Ninja Academy.
Only Iruka, whose kind smile never wavered, and Mizuki, whose eyes flickered with uncertainty, remained behind.
Iruka cheerfully led the students back to their classroom.
He was a little sycophantic toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, but that was only natural.
After all, Hiruzen was his boss's boss. What was wrong with sucking up a little?
Iruka genuinely liked the children and loved his job as a teacher at the Ninja Academy.
Uchiha Yan patrolled the village with Izumi. With his keen hearing, he naturally picked up what the villagers had been discussing lately.
"Have you heard? Konoha's going to hold a joint Chunin Ninja Exam with the other villages."
"Really? Will the competition be fierce this time?"
"What's there to worry about? Konoha is the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. We're Genin from Konoha, so naturally we're the strongest among the four other villages."
At their bizarre logic, Uchiha Yan's mouth twitched.
"What does Konoha's strength have to do with their abilities as shinobi?"
Still, could Sunagakure have been the one to propose this so-called joint Chunin Ninja Exam?
With that thought, Uchiha Yan deliberately stopped and walked over to a nearby dango shop to buy a few skewers.
Izumi followed close behind, lost in thought.
Uchiha Yan stopped suddenly and said to the vendor, "A few skewers of dango, please."
At that moment, Uchiha Izumi, who had been looking down and thinking, walked straight into his back.
"Ah!" she yelped. The blow to her nose brought tears to her eyes at once.
Uchiha Yan had just paid. When he turned around, he saw what had happened.
He asked, puzzled, "Izumi, what's wrong?"
With red-rimmed eyes, Izumi said pitifully, "I hit my nose on you."
Only then did Uchiha Yan understand what had happened. He handed Izumi two skewers of dango, then wiped her tears with his other hand. "All right, don't cry."
After a moment, the pain began to fade.
She picked up the dango and started eating. As the sweet treats melted in her mouth, Izumi's eyes narrowed with delight.
Uchiha Yan took the opportunity to pat her on the head.
Mm, nice and soft.
But he hadn't forgotten his main purpose.
He took Izumi to a table and sat down.
Then he continued listening to the two villagers' conversation.
Izumi was bored with patrolling, so she was more than happy to take a break.
As Izumi worked on the dango in front of her, the two villagers started talking again.
"Come to think of it, this joint Chunin Ninja Exam must be the first of its kind. Who came up with the idea?"
"My grandma's neighbor, Old Zhang, has a grandson whose childhood friend's father's older brother had a classmate at the Ninja Academy who works in Anbu."
"Enough about your connections. Just get to the point."
The man glanced around. Seeing that everyone was eating and no one was paying attention, he leaned closer and whispered, "Sunagakure proposed it a while ago. The exams are going to be held in Konoha."
At the news, Uchiha Yan felt like laughing.
Was this a butterfly effect I caused?
Still, it was probably for the best. Better them than us.
By then, Izumi had finished most of her dango.
Looking at the single skewer left, she steeled herself and held it out to Uchiha Yan.
Seeing how reluctant she was to part with it, Uchiha Yan couldn't help pinching her soft cheek.
As Izumi gave him a slightly displeased look, he said calmly, "You eat it."
After Izumi happily finished the last skewer, a Uchiha came running over.
"Lord Yan, the clan head has something to discuss. You and Uchiha Izumi can skip patrol today."
Hearing this, he nodded. "No problem."
He habitually patted Izumi on the head. "Let's go."
Izumi nodded with narrowed eyes, like a little cat.
Uchiha Fugaku's home.
After Itachi disappeared, the place felt rather empty.
Uchiha Mikoto was training Sasuke.
Uchiha Yan stood at the entrance and knocked.
Soon, a servant opened the gate.
The Uchiha clan head's residence was an impressive place.
It stood at the heart of the Uchiha district.
A traditional Japanese dry garden came into view.
Gravel covered the ground, with several moss-covered rocks scattered among it.
The main building was a standalone Japanese-style house built of unfinished wood, surrounded by a winding wooden veranda.
Every few steps, a pillar bore the clan's Gunbai crest.
In one corner of the garden, a green bamboo water spout struck a stone with a hollow clack, its crisp sound echoing through the quiet courtyard.
The servant led Uchiha Yan to a room.
"Lord Yan, Lord Fugaku is waiting for you inside."
Uchiha Yan nodded, took off his shinobi sandals, and entered the main house.
Uchiha Fugaku was sitting on the floor. When he saw Uchiha Yan, he gave him a warm smile.
"Yan, come in. Have a seat."
The table was piled high with documents.
Uchiha Yan took a look and saw that they concerned the joint Chunin Ninja Exam between the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Once he had sat down, Uchiha Fugaku said, "Yan, these are the documents for next month's joint Chunin Ninja Exam between the Five Great Shinobi Villages and the other shinobi villages. Take a look."
Uchiha Yan took them and flipped through the pages. Then he looked at Fugaku. "Is the Uchiha clan responsible for security this time?"
Hearing Uchiha Yan's question, Uchiha Fugaku replied, "Of course not. Anbu will handle most of it. The Uchiha will just help coordinate."
Uchiha Yan nodded and began to consider the possibilities.
At that moment, Uchiha Fugaku looked at him and said, "Yan, there's actually something else I called you here to discuss."
Uchiha Yan looked up at him. Though he already knew the answer, he feigned confusion. "What is it, Clan Head Fugaku?"
Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath, as though he found the matter difficult to bring up.
He forced himself to speak. "I'd like you to help me find Itachi."
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