Chapter 41

Before long, several people had hoods over their heads and were delivered into the Root Organization's territory.

Though the Root Organization had no one leading it at the moment, its territory and manpower were still there.

The six were led into a sealed, airless dark room. "Tch, Danzo's side really got everything ready?"

"Making a move at a time like this carries no small chance of crashing and burning."

"The set of things I have can hardly be called mature. If it goes wrong, their memories will be ripped straight out."

"Failure... means it's completely over..."

In the gloomy room, a hoarse voice tinged with evil rang out.

The speaker was none other than the man who had screwed Danzo over before—Orochimaru. "This is an order personally issued by Lord Danzo. You and I only need to do our jobs."

The Root member dropped those words, set the six boxes in his hands on the floor, and left without looking back.

The door to the secret room closed behind him.

Orochimaru opened the boxes one by one and took out what was inside, a hint of regret on his face. "Such high-grade materials, and they're being used for this lousy plan?"

But when he thought about how Danzo had provided them, and how that old man clearly intended to stir up something big, he found it rather interesting.

As long as it could make Hiruzen Sarutobi end up ruined in this way, it suited him perfectly.

Fine, he would leave the rest for Danzo to fuss over himself...

With that thought, Orochimaru raised one hand.

His fingers flicked, and six snakes suddenly shot out, lunging straight at the six people. "Aah—"

Screams instantly rang out in a chorus.

On the six people's necks, a curse mark slowly emerged.

Immediately afterward, their bodies began to twist, deform, and swell.

The screams came one after another, while the materials in Orochimaru's other hand did not sit idle either, beginning to fuse into the six people's bodies.

In the blink of an eye, a week passed.

The scene of the Uchiha being praised and admired gradually faded.

Instead, Hiruzen Sarutobi's name became the hottest topic in the village. "Clan head, what exactly is Danzo hiding up his sleeve?"

"We clearly stopped interfering, but people are still sending banners of gratitude to the Hokage Building every day."

"Is he planning to make a move against the Third?"

"Once the Third falls, won't our Uchiha be next?"

Shisui Uchiha stood before Fugaku and poured out all the guesses in his heart.

After he finished, however, his gaze could not help falling on little Sasuke beside him.

For some reason, Shisui always felt that this six-year-old child ought to have a grasp of the matter before them.

Maybe he could even come up with a solution. "I think Deputy Minister Shisui has a point."

"Danzo's target now should be Lord Third."

Uchiha Itachi picked up the thread:

"We have to do something, or all that fuss before will have been for nothing."

Once something happened to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha would definitely descend into chaos internally.

The people from those villages outside had been watching them like hawks for a long time.

Given this opening, they would definitely strike at the first opportunity.

When internal trouble and outside aggression came together, Konoha would truly be finished. "Clan head, in my opinion, we shouldn't move at all right now."

"Isn't it perfect to let them bite each other? If the higher-ups run into major problems, our Uchiha will have a reason to step forward and clean up the mess."

"When that time comes, won't the age of the Uchiha have arrived?"

Uchiha Natsume's face was full of excitement.

As a member of the radical faction, he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Why would he have any reason to lend a hand?

"It would be better to give the Third a heads-up."

"Even if we don't act, we still need to pass the word along."

"As for how the Third responds, that's his business."

After Sasuke said this, several people in the study exchanged glances.

Everyone present was someone of standing within the Uchiha Clan.

Whether in skill, combat experience, or the ability to make plans, they were all among the very top of the entire clan.

But the things everyone had been turning over and over in their heads were more than a little lacking compared with this six-year-old brat before them.

To put it bluntly, they were not even on the same level.

Sasuke's words sounded like a casual mention, yet every sentence struck the most vital point.

The longer they stayed around him, the more they felt this kid was uncanny.

At such a young age, the twists and turns packed inside his head were frightening just to hear. "Then what do we do now?"

"Since we've already guessed this situation might happen, there has to be some way to respond, right?"

No one present was stupid. With a little thought, they had all figured out the trick.

But understanding it was one thing; knowing how to act was another.

Shisui picked up the conversation, his gaze carrying a hint of expectation as it landed on Sasuke.

In his view, Sasuke was different from the other Uchiha.

He was not some slogan-chanting Will of Fire devotee, nor was he one of those self-righteous, arrogant hotheads in the clan.

What this little brat had in his heart was a practical cleverness all his own.

Fugaku's study was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Only after a long while did someone finally come back to his senses and walk out with unsteady steps. His head was buzzing. The things Sasuke had just said sounded more absurd the more he thought about them, yet he simply could not find any fault with them—as if that six-year-old little brat had already seen through the entire board.

"Just pass these words to the Third Hokage." Sasuke's voice still lingered by their ears. "There's no need to make him believe it. Just let him know there's such a thing. Once he becomes wary, he'll naturally follow this direction and act."

After speaking, the corner of his mouth curved slightly, revealing a somewhat wicked smile. Since Danzo wanted to play, they might as well muddy the waters even more.

The lamplight in the study gradually dimmed behind them. Everyone who walked out felt a chill down their spine. Some did not even dare to look back at that door—the ideas that had just popped out of the young master's mouth, any one of them, would be enough to poke a hole in the sky.

Even Uchiha Natsume, who had always been steady, could not stop his fingers from trembling.

Danzo right now probably still did not take the Uchiha seriously at all. The Uchiha in his mind were still that bunch of brutes who only knew how to get hot-blooded and charge straight ahead.

But the Uchiha of now were already different.

--

Deep in the valley, the sounds of battle exploded one after another. "Hah—!"

"Bang! Bang!"

"You're improving pretty quickly." Susanoo withdrew his fist and looked at Sasuke, who had been smashed into the dirt again, his tone as flat as if he were talking about the weather. "We'll have to increase the load tomorrow."

He paused, then added, "The situation your Uchiha are in right now isn't exactly peaceful. Are you really not planning to get involved?"

Susanoo was a humanoid Teigu, and his brain was no worse than a human's. Added to that, when he usually hung around Sasuke's neck as magatama, his ears were not blocked, so he could basically hear most of what happened outside. He had a good sense of all the recent movements among the Uchiha.

While Sasuke circulated chakra to recover from the injuries on his body, he lay on the ground and groaned. "Get involved? Mr. Susanoo, I only just had my sixth birthday not long ago. For something this big, a kid like me had better stay far away."

What a joke. He had only shown a little talent and had already been targeted by that poisonous snake Orochimaru. If he truly entered the stage himself this time and showed a bit of real skill in front of others, would that madman not come pouncing over like he had lost his mind?

Sasuke was a transmigrator, after all, and knew a good deal of the plot. But precisely because he knew so much, he was especially wary of Orochimaru. "I actually think you should get involved," Susanoo spoke again. "You are an Uchiha, and with your current status in the clan, you can do many things. Sasuke, you've always been too fixated on relying on your own strength—anything you can use, no matter what it is, is strength."

Sasuke slowly sat up, propping his chin in both hands, his gaze a little unfocused.

Susanoo was right. How could he have forgotten?

Fugaku now almost followed his words without question. As for Itachi, he would be even less likely to harbor the slightest suspicion toward his adorable little brother. Shisui had survived, and he was already changing. On the surface, the Uchiha already had three pairs of Mangekyo, and all of them had deep ties to him.

All of these were cards held in his hand.

Had the things he did before not also been borrowing these people's strength? Why did he instead feel now that borrowing strength was something shameful?

Sasuke tugged at the corner of his mouth in self-mockery. "I understand."

He patted the dirt off his body, his eyes steadying again. "But it's still training time now. Heal me up, and we'll continue."

As soon as Sasuke's words fell, a sharp aura immediately rose around him.

It was as if his entire body had been set ablaze, his fighting spirit so dense it had almost taken form.

At the same time, a layer of strange markings surfaced over his arm, giving off a faint but unmistakable sense of pressure.

That was the materialization of Haki. "Fine."

Susanoo wasted no words. He casually helped Sasuke restore his stamina, and the two assumed their stances once again. "Boom—!"

Their fists smashed fiercely together, and the bursting shockwave shook even the ground.

Sasuke's body still flew backward out of control, his feet scraping out a long mark beneath him.

But this time, Susanoo did not chase after him like before and give Sasuke another round of "loving education."

He froze for a moment, standing where he was, his brows slightly furrowed. "This kid's strength... rose again?"

No.

It was not simply that he had gotten stronger.

There had been something else mixed into that punch just now, a feeling completely different from before.

It seemed that during this time, what Sasuke had been polishing was precisely that power.

The thought circled once through Susanoo's mind, but he did not dwell on it. With a movement of his feet, he charged out again.

When training ended, Susanoo brought Sasuke and pushed open the gate to the clan grounds.

This time, Sasuke had no adverse reaction.

His body had already fully adapted to the rhythm of this high-speed movement.

In other words, his entire being had forcibly risen another level. "Sasuke, you're here?"

A familiar voice came from the side.

Sasuke turned his head and saw Uchiha Itachi quickly walking over. "Mr. Susanoo, hello. Is Sasuke hungry again?"

"Please go make the meal first. I'll have a few words with Sasuke."

Uchiha Itachi was speaking much faster than usual, clearly not very calm.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Had something happened in the clan?

"Mm."

Susanoo nodded and turned toward the kitchen. "Brother, what happened?"

Sasuke tilted his head, sizing up this elder brother of his who had always been calm. "You're so flustered. That's not like you at all."

"Not like me?"

Uchiha Itachi coughed dryly twice and lowered his voice. "Sasuke, those things... I've already arranged them."

"But I keep feeling that doing this might not be quite right."

"Isn't this kind of achievement just deceiving people?"

Uchiha Itachi's expression was somewhat conflicted.

For this operation, Uchiha Fugaku had directly appointed him as the captain.

But with Itachi's personality, he really could not bring himself to do something like this.

Sasuke sighed inwardly.

So whitewashing really does weaken someone by thirty percent?

In the original work, this was a ruthless man who could even bring himself to massacre his clan.

Looking at Uchiha Itachi's anxious appearance, the corner of Sasuke's mouth could not help twitching.

Please, you're the big brother here, okay?

In the Uchiha Clan, in terms of influence, boldness, and brains, which part of you did not leave others eighteen streets behind?

Was there any need to panic this much over such a small matter?

Sasuke ranted wildly in his heart, but his mouth did not say that. "Brother, this kind of thing is most likely Father's test for you."

"I'm guessing Father wants to push you down the path of becoming a candidate for clan head."

"So your way of thinking now has to stand from the perspective of a true clan head. Don't always force that whole 'Will of Fire' set onto yourself."

"What do you think?"

The moment Sasuke opened his mouth, the old smooth talk came out.

Once this set of PUA rhetoric was thrown out, the hesitation on Itachi's face visibly lessened. "You mean... I have to think about problems in different ways at different times?"

"Only like that will I avoid being limited by my own fixed ideas?"

Itachi's eyes slowly lit up. "I think... I understand."

"Thank you, Sasuke."

"Next time, I'll definitely accompany you properly in training."

As he spoke, Uchiha Itachi stretched out a finger and poked it toward Sasuke's forehead.

Sasuke instinctively mobilized Armament Haki.

Do not be fooled by how lightly his brother usually poked him. That jab really hurt!

"Uh..."

The moment Itachi's fingertip touched Sasuke's forehead, he could not help letting out a soft grunt.

This kid...

When had his head become so hard?