Sarutobi Hiruzen Got Wet...

Hokage's Office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the crystal ball before him, his expression grim.

The image within the crystal ball showed the Cloud Ninja leader being carried away in disgrace by his subordinates.

The reason those Cloud Ninja had gone to make trouble at the Uchiha Clan Compound was, at its core, something he had orchestrated himself.

The Konoha ninja who had gone to contact the Cloud Ninja at their lodging inn had been specially arranged by him.

Even the wording used had been carefully considered.

The goal was to provoke those Cloud Ninja!

To make them go after Uchiha Mirai without regard for the consequences.

Kumogakure's temperament was known throughout the ninja world.

The Uchiha Clan was equally unruly by nature.

When those two powder kegs collided, the outcome was bound to be interesting.

Uchiha Mirai's remarks in the meeting room still echoed in his ears.

The carefully planned denunciation meeting had turned into an interrogation of him.

After Uchiha Mirai left the meeting room, amid the deathly silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen could vaguely feel the profound gazes of the Konoha ninja seated around the conference table.

The Hokage's prestige had taken a severe blow at that moment.

Uchiha Mirai's words were like a resounding slap, landing heavily across his face.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could only respond with silence.

Yet deep inside, a raging fury had already risen.

That was why he had provoked those Cloud Ninja—to force Uchiha Mirai into an impossible choice.

If Uchiha Mirai chose to swallow his anger, his prestige within the Uchiha Clan would inevitably suffer. It would be tantamount to indirectly admitting that he had been in the wrong for killing the Cloud Ninja envoy.

If Uchiha Mirai chose to arrogantly crush them, it would inevitably further intensify the conflict between Kumogakure and the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Mirai would likewise find himself isolated and helpless within the village.

This was his counterattack against that meeting!

But he had not expected it.

Uchiha Mirai had chosen the second path, but he had done so in Konoha's name.

The Cloud Ninja who had gone to cause trouble at the Uchiha Clan Compound had become ninja who were challenging Konoha's authority.

That final shout of "Get out of Konoha!" had stirred the emotions of the watching ninja even further!

The bitter war with Kumogakure had only just ended, and many Konoha ninja had been left behind forever on that battlefield.

The public's hatred toward Kumogakure had already reached an extreme level.

It was only that, compared to the normally arrogant Uchiha, that hatred had been suppressed.

But Uchiha Mirai's actions had undoubtedly ignited those emotions outright, making him a... "hero" who defended Konoha's dignity?

Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have aged considerably, his eyes filled with deep worry.

What worried him was not Uchiha Mirai's strength, but his insight into the situation, his clear mind, and his way of thinking.

The Uchiha Clan had always been known for being brainless.

They possessed nothing but power, yet understood not even the slightest bit of politics or strategy!

That was why Sarutobi Hiruzen had never considered the Uchiha threat particularly serious before.

Through certain schemes and methods, without provoking an Uchiha rebellion, he could slowly wear down and even erase the entire Uchiha Clan bit by bit.

The Uchiha Clan was like frogs being boiled in warm water.

That had been his confidence.

But now, that confidence had been shattered.

Uchiha Mirai.

This impossible Uchiha!

Not only was his strength absurdly powerful, but more importantly, he possessed such control over the situation and such mastery of strategy.

For the first time in his life, Sarutobi Hiruzen was drenched...

The clothes on his back had already been soaked through with cold sweat.

Ever since Uchiha Mirai had emerged, he and Uchiha Mirai had already clashed several times.

The last time, at the Uchiha Clan Compound, he had lost and chosen to retreat.

The pressure Uchiha Mirai brought had allowed him to taste death for the first time.

Then came the denunciation meeting in the Hokage Building.

He had lost again.

Faced with Uchiha Mirai's pressure, he could only respond with silence.

Could it be that he would have to live under Uchiha Mirai's shadow for the rest of his life?

A rare trace of bitterness appeared at the corner of Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth.

"Perhaps I should have listened to Danzo's advice back then..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed wistfully out the window.

Three years ago, the Third Shinobi World War had just ended.

The threat posed by Uchiha Mirai had already filled the Konoha F4, led by him, with alarm.

This twelve-year-old Uchiha prodigy had made a fearsome name for himself during the Third Shinobi World War, striking terror into the ninja of enemy villages.

Konoha's Yellow Flash, Calamity Uchiha.

The four great ninja villages had issued the same order.

If encountered... flee at all costs!

After the Third Shinobi World War ended, Konoha was in desperate need of rebuilding. The greatest problem before the Konoha F4 was how to deal with Uchiha Mirai.

If only he weren't from the Uchiha Clan.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had sighed over that more than once.

Unfortunately, Uchiha Mirai's birth could not be changed.

Nor was he like Uchiha Shisui, who had a predecessor like Kagami Uchiha. It was practically impossible to bring him into the Hokage faction.

The Uchiha Clan absolutely could not be allowed to produce such a terrifying ninja!

Minato becoming the Fourth Hokage had already been decided. Once he stepped down, who in Konoha would be able to stand against Calamity Uchiha?

Thus, a conspiracy began...

Danzo had scoffed at this.

He had forcefully demanded that Uchiha Mirai be assassinated before he fully matured, eliminating all future trouble.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had rejected it.

His reason was that it would completely enrage the Uchiha Clan.

In a clash of "Sarutobi, you'll regret this!" and "Danzo, I'm the Hokage!"

The Hokage's office door became a little more battered...

Time passed.

Days and months flew by.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

Uchiha Mirai had fully spread his wings and emerged once more.

Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed to have aged considerably.

He began to regret why he had not listened to Danzo's advice back then.

If not for that moment of softness, why had he brought about such a calamity?

The current Uchiha Mirai was no longer someone he, an old man in his twilight years, could contend with.

Konoha... also had no second Yellow Flash capable of keeping him in check.

"Ah..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long, heavy sigh.

The incident on the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage had been exceedingly strange.

There had been no signs of any human sabotage to Konoha's barrier, yet Kushina had been attacked and the Nine-Tails directly released.

The three tomoe in the Nine-Tails' eyes that night undoubtedly proved that the Uchiha were intricately connected to the matter.

The greatest suspect was Uchiha Mirai.

In terms of strength, it was not impossible for him to control the Nine-Tails.

In terms of benefit, he had become the greatest beneficiary after the Night of the Nine-Tails.

The Yellow Flash who had kept him in check had died. That beast had broken open his shackles, leaving him unrestrained from then on.

But when Uchiha Mirai had gone into seclusion three years ago, he had already arranged for ANBU to monitor him.

The night Kushina gave birth was far too important. To prevent any accidents, there had been virtually no blind spots in the surveillance of him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was certain that Uchiha Mirai had not had any opportunity to release the Nine-Tails!

That made things strange.

He was the most likely culprit, yet also the least likely one...

"We must make long-term plans..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples in unbearable frustration.

He was gradually becoming unable to see through the future situation.