Chapter 43

Once he had power in his hands, and the Uchiha lent him support, only then would he have a chance to push that boy Asuma into the Hokage's seat.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his brush and swiftly wrote several lines on the scroll.

When he finished, he handed the scroll to an Anbu member, then left the Hokage Office Building in satisfaction.

Today counted as an early day back.

He had only just stepped into the clan grounds when he saw Asuma and Kurenai Yuhi chatting animatedly.

The expressions on their faces made Hiruzen Sarutobi's face fall at once.

At a time like this, that boy Asuma was not taking this seriously at all!

Couldn't he wait until the Hokage position was settled before talking about romance?!

The more Hiruzen Sarutobi thought about it, the angrier he became, his temper shooting straight to the top of his head.

His figure flashed, and he appeared directly in front of the two of them. "Kurenai, you go back first."

"I need to speak with Asuma."

Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed his anger and forced out a smiling face. "All right, Lord Hokage."

Kurenai Yuhi's face flushed, and she turned and left.

Asuma watched Kurenai Yuhi's departing back and raised a hand, wanting to call her back.

Then a wave of pressure bore down on him. He turned his head and saw—it was his old man. "Father, I—"

"Come to my study."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not wait for him to finish. After dropping that line, he vanished.

Asuma looked at Kurenai Yuhi as she walked farther and farther away, feeling a little reluctant.

But he did not dare disobey his old man, so he could only follow.

In Hiruzen Sarutobi's study. "Father, I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"

"My recent training has all met the standard."

"And just now, I wasn't fooling around either. I was making plans for the family's important affairs."

Asuma's mouth kept running.

He had not noticed at all that his old man's face had gone so dark it was almost dripping ink. "Are you done?"

"Asuma, let me ask you something."

"Between you and Shisui Uchiha, which one of you can fight better?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke without warning. "Shisui Uchiha?"

"He... Father, didn't you say he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan?"

"That kind of monster-level ability, I—"

Asuma was usually quite arrogant and had confidence in his own strength.

But the moment he heard the person he was being compared to was Shisui Uchiha, he lost every bit of certainty. "If you can't beat him, then you can't beat him."

"Let me ask you another question—have you ever thought about becoming Hokage?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi threw out another bombshell **. "Hokage..."

"I—"

Asuma had just been about to blurt out the three words "I want to," but when they reached his mouth, they got stuck. "You don't have the confidence, right?"

"Because you know very well that there are plenty of people your age in the village more capable than you."

"But now, you must bring that confidence out for me."

"The Uchiha will soon become an important force in the village."

"They will also fully obey my arrangements."

"What you need to do next is raise your strength and find the drive you once had to become Hokage!"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, even his voice began to tremble. "All right, don't put so much pressure on the child."

"For something like this, just let nature take its course."

Biwako Sarutobi walked out from the side and tried to smooth things over. "Mother, Father is right."

"If that fire is still in my heart, then I should put more effort into training."

"Fine, Dad, I understand. In time, I'll definitely give you a result that satisfies you."

After Sarutobi Asuma said this, he turned and left, walking straight out of his father's study.

Come to think of it, the Asuma of the past had been set on becoming Hokage.

But as time passed, in his father's eyes back then, there had only been his older brother.

Asuma had been left aside, feeling stifled and wronged, and in a fit of anger, he had simply run off to become one of those Guardian Shinobi of the Land of Fire.

That said, that trip out into the world had not been wasted. Asuma had indeed accumulated quite a lot of experience.

Now that he had finally heard the old man's approval and regard again, his whole body was filled with drive.

Right after that, he left the room to make arrangements for what he would train next.

Watching his son walk away, Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth spread into a grin, and he smiled in satisfaction. "Biwako, look. That boy Asuma hasn't lost what's in his bones."

"Very good. Next, he just needs to follow the path I've drawn for him."

"The next time I lecture him, don't interrupt from the side."

As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he casually grumbled at his own wife.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

Sasuke squatted alone on the training ground, practicing.

Today, Susanoo said he wanted to rest. He had been absorbing Sasuke's energy all the time and was afraid of delaying his progress.

So when such a situation came up, they changed the training method.

Following the arranged plan, after finishing the morning's lessons, Sasuke lay straight down on the ground and carefully sensed the movements of the power inside his body.

Once power was in his hands, it had to become something he could truly use. Only that could be called real ability. "These past few days, the clan has been pretty quiet."

"Old Dad and Big Brother are both away from home. This is just the chance to try that routine."

"Shadow Clone!"

Sasuke formed a hand seal and directly split off several clones, then used the Transformation Technique to change their appearances.

He had those clones turn into Uchiha Itachi, Shisui Uchiha, and Nagasawa Uchiha. "Let's go. Run a lap around the village and force my strength out."

After Sasuke finished speaking, he lifted his foot and set off.

In Danzo's room. "We checked. There isn't the slightest movement from the Uchiha."

"Itachi, Shisui, and the others are doing physical training with that kid Sasuke."

"The timing is about right. We can make a move."

A masked member of the Root Organization quickly explained the situation clearly.

In passing, he also offered a suggestion.

This guy was an old hand in Root. He knew exactly what Danzo was thinking. "Then do it."

"This place, Konoha, has been peaceful for far too long. Those people in the village have probably long forgotten exactly who is carrying the burden for them."

"Today, let them taste again what darkness is."

After Danzo finished speaking, he casually tossed out a scroll.

That Root Organization member caught it, and with a flicker, his figure disappeared.

Danzo himself still stood in the room, not taking a single step outside.

There was no need for him to personally enter the field for today's matter.

That was simply how this world worked.

For many things, there was no need to act personally at all, and they could still be handled beautifully.

Thinking of the good show that would soon unfold, the corners of Danzo's mouth curved upward, and he could not suppress it. "Orochimaru?"

"Since you're here, stop hiding, why don't you?"

"What, do you have some other plan?"

Danzo turned around and stared at the grass beside him.

A small green snake was lying on a branch covered with blades of grass. "Hiss, hiss, hiss..."

The little snake flicked out its tongue.

The corner of Danzo's mouth twitched as he watched that small snake open its mouth to an unbelievable angle.

Immediately after, Orochimaru crawled out of the little snake's mouth just like that, landing stickily on the ground like a snake shedding its skin. "Orochimaru, can you use a more normal ninjutsu to come out?"

Danzo frowned, his tone full of disgust. "Anyone who sees this thing will feel sick."

"It's safe."

Orochimaru shook out his wet hair, a smile hanging at the corner of his mouth. "I've already prepared the people for you. Whether it succeeds or not, Uchiha Sasuke's life must be left behind."

"Then I wish Lord Danzo everything goes smoothly."

He licked his lips. "By the way, there's a piece of news you'll probably be interested in—that kid from the Uchiha family left Konoha long ago."

As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru shrank back into the little snake's mouth. White smoke burst out, and both man and snake vanished.

Danzo froze where he stood.

The Uchiha were not in the village?

That was not what Root's people had just reported.

If Orochimaru had not lied to him...

A chill suddenly shot up his spine.

He was still under house arrest, and his subordinates had gone out with his orders.

Damn it!

Danzo cursed fiercely, turned, and went back inside to dig out a signal ninja tool. Before long, several masked Root members arrived. "Immediately investigate the people around Uchiha Sasuke and see whether they are real."

His voice was very low. "You may use force. You must confirm it in the shortest time possible."

If it was really as Orochimaru said, then this entire game of his was over.

Not only would his effort have gone to waste, he might even be dragged down with it. "Yes."

The figures of several people flashed and disappeared from the spot.

The scene shifted to a dirt road on the edge of Konoha.

Sasuke was running with his Shadow Clones for training. They had already left the busy district, and the surrounding houses grew fewer and fewer while the trees grew more numerous.

To be honest, training together with Shadow Clones felt rather strange.

Each clone's consciousness was connected, but their training experiences were different. It was like several versions of himself were each practicing different things, yet his brain was receiving all the information at the same time.

As Sasuke ran, his steps suddenly paused.

Someone was watching him.

That gaze was sticky, like it had pasted itself to his back and could not be shaken off.

Ever since Danzo had been confined, he had not felt this kind of gaze in a long time.

He was all too familiar with Root's aura.

These guys finally couldn't hold back and were going to make a move?

Sasuke did not turn around, but his intention had already reached all his Shadow Clones.

Almost in the same second, everyone reacted. "Get out here!"

Uchiha Natsume was the first to roar.

This guy had always had a hot temper. How could he stand being followed and watched?

After he roared, Nagasawa Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha also aimed their gazes at those hiding places at the same time.

The two moved in perfect coordination, one drawing a blade and the other taking a stance, their entire bodies taut with readiness to attack at any moment.

Only Sasuke himself stood where he was, tilting his head and looking around with a curious face, just like a little brother who knew nothing. "Sasuke."

Natsume did not even turn his head. "If a fight breaks out, you're the first one to run back and notify Father."

Uchiha Itachi tossed out a line in a flat tone, casually drawing ** from behind him, the blade pointed at those Root Organization ninja. "Don't misunderstand. We just happened to be passing by on the road."

One Root Organization member gave a dry laugh and stepped forward, his tone carrying a bit of embarrassment. "We're all Konoha ninja. Surely you wouldn't go so far as to kill us, right?"

"I hope we don't 'happen' to run into you again."

"Of course, we can also turn it around and 'happen' to follow you for a while."

Uchiha Natsume narrowed his eyes and directly revealed his Three Tomoe Sharingan.

The moment those eyes appeared, the Root Organization ninja had a sense of the situation.

The Sharingan could be faked, but that kind of ocular power that made a person's back turn cold could not be.

It seemed the intelligence Orochimaru had given was completely inaccurate.

The few of them exchanged a glance and did not waste words. They directly used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the spot, going back to report to Danzo.

Sasuke looked in the direction those people had left, and the corner of his mouth tugged upward. "Danzo, let's see how you stay alive this time."

After saying this, Sasuke turned around and continued burying himself in training.

--

Outside Konoha Village.

In a hidden dense forest, several dozen ninja had already set up an ambush.

On each person's shoulder, they wore the armband of the Uchiha Police Force.

And the group they were watching had not realized at all that they had already stepped into the encirclement. "Clan Leader, they're here."

"Should we leave anyone alive?"

When Uchiha Natsume said this, his voice was trembling.

All these years, he had been enduring.

Facing the higher-ups' exclusion and the villagers' cold looks, he had suppressed it all.

Now he finally knew that all of this had been caused by someone scheming behind the scenes.

Today, he could finally stop enduring.

Uchiha Fugaku lowered his voice, his tone very heavy. "No need to leave any."

"These people have already completely betrayed Konoha."

"Our mission is to stop them and keep them from threatening the village."

"As for anything else, that isn't our concern."

The moment he finished speaking, figures emerged from the shadows of the trees ahead.

The Sharingan of every Uchiha clan member lit up at the same time. "Go."

Uchiha Fugaku gave the order.

Dozens of black shadows lunged out at once. "Uchiha?!"

"Aren't you supposed to be in the village..."

"Quick, hurry and send word of this—"

A blade flashed. A line of blood split open across the speaker's throat, and before he could finish, he had already fallen.

The battle entered a fever pitch from the very beginning.

Every enemy who tried to escape and report back was forced back by the Uchiha and finished off with a single slash.

Because the Uchiha had always endured it before, those people in the village had come to think the Uchiha were nothing special.