Deliberations Behind the Scenes (2)

He leaped down nimbly from the rooftop.

That person was Sakumo Hatake.

Back when Uchiha Yato had tried to persuade Sakumo Hatake, he had made a bet with him.

Uchiha Yato said, "Let's make a bet."

"If I can settle the Sand Shinobi's concerns, then move to the Uchiha side and become a teacher at Uchiha Kindergarten."

What Uchiha Yato meant was that Sakumo Hatake could not return to Konoha's upper ranks anyway. They would never accept him.

Rather than that, he might as well follow him. The Uchiha Clan's doors would always be open to him.

At the time, Sakumo Hatake was practically dead inside. He said bluntly, "I accept."

"If you win, I'll become your teacher."

"If you lose, please take care of Kakashi for me."

Now that bet had been fulfilled, and Uchiha Yato had clearly won.

Uchiha Yato began again, indulging his penchant for stirring up trouble.

"Even if you go back to the upper ranks, they'll just find ways to ruin you. You might as well follow me."

Those words made Sakumo Hatake, a grown man, feel more than a little uncomfortable.

Why did it feel like some bully was flirting with a respectable woman?

Sakumo Hatake said, "The Third Hokage has already approached me. He hopes I can continue infiltrating the Land of Lightning, and I agreed. I'll leave once the job is done."

The moment Uchiha Yato heard that, he understood what they were planning next.

In the original story, Sakumo Hatake had died by suicide because of the villagers' rumors.

It seemed they wanted to repeat the same trick and make Sakumo Hatake die once again in such a humiliating manner.

Uchiha Yato reminded him, "Remember what I said."

"No matter what they tell you, treat it all like dog shit."

"You don't belong to the Hokage's faction anymore. You belong to the Uchiha."

Uchiha Yato was fanning the flames a little at this point. The reason was simple: he could no longer wait to take Danzo Shimura's life.

The earlier Konoha Court had been established precisely so Danzo Shimura could be publicly and fairly executed.

During the earlier events, Uchiha Yato had already caused some degree of disgust to grow between the Third Hokage and Danzo Shimura.

While entertaining the Sand Shinobi, quite a few of the delicacies and benefits from the banquet had been shared with the other ninja clans.

But aside from the Shimura Clan, the other ninja clans had basically either received food or other benefits from Uchiha Yato,

or exchanged goodwill with the Uchiha Clan to demonstrate friendship.

Coupled with the earlier matter involving Sarutobi Kakuya and Hyuga Boya, the Shimura Clan was now in an isolated position.

All that remained was for Danzo Shimura to be abandoned by the common people and forsaken by his friends.

Then Uchiha Yato could deliver the killing blow.

So far, the only thing Uchiha Yato feared was the trump card every ninja possessed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, while Danzo Shimura had the Four Symbols Seal, and so on.

This was not the world of a book. He needed to consider things carefully and could not be overly arrogant.

Back to the present.

After giving Sakumo Hatake a few final reminders, Uchiha Yato ended the conversation.

The last person Uchiha Yato spoke with was Uchiha Kei.

Uchiha Kei said, "I understand all the considerations in your heart. Don't worry, I understand what you mean."

Uchiha Yato replied honestly, "I have no intention of becoming clan head. Clan Head, you can rest assured of that, and there's no need to listen to those people whispering in your ear."

To Uchiha Yato, it did not matter whether he was the clan head or not.

It was not as if the people of the clan would refuse to listen to him just because he was not clan head.

An uncrowned king like Uchiha Yato was the strongest of all.

Not only could he mobilize people without restraint, but he could also do things in his own eccentric style.

If he truly became clan head, he would have to worry about this and that in everything he did. It would only leave him constrained and unable to enjoy himself.

Besides, the system had never forcefully required him to attain any particular position. He could be an uncrowned king.

Uchiha Kei asked, "Then why did you insist on giving the Sand Shinobi more things?"

"If someone reports you afterward, they'll say you aided the enemy."

This was indeed what worried Uchiha Kei the most. If people learned what Uchiha Yato had done, he could be executed outright even during wartime.

Uchiha Yato explained, "A small amount of supplies and resources they need will buy their silence."

"Chiyo and the others aren't stupid. The place they live in is barren."

"They will be wary of the goodwill the Uchiha Clan has shown them, as well as the Uchiha Clan's current military strength."

Uchiha Kei still did not quite understand, so Uchiha Yato said bluntly, "Forget all that. There's another reason."

"The simplest explanation is that I'm using these resources to buy their silence, as well as Sakumo Hatake's wholehearted loyalty when he joins the Uchiha."

(This does not mean the Hatake Clan will cease to exist after he joins the Uchiha. I hope everyone does not misunderstand.)

Once he put it that way, Uchiha Kei understood.

This deal was truly too worthwhile. Some Uchiha specialties could buy them someone with Kage-level strength.

And it even came with a future Kage-level powerhouse, Kakashi. It was simply a guaranteed profit.

Uchiha Yato continued, "If our Uchiha Clan wants to grow stronger, we cannot rely solely on our own clan members."

"We can absolutely accept capable civilian ninja."

"And we can use those civilian ninja to slowly wear away the Uchiha Clan's arrogance and conceit."

This was also the grandest plan Uchiha Yato had laid out through all his earlier preparations.

He did not merely want the Uchiha Clan to stand at the summit. He also wanted the Uchiha Clan to perfectly accommodate others.

The Uchiha Clan was not evil. The fact that they were known as the Clan of Love was the best proof of that.

Uchiha Yato wanted to lead them in gradually breaking free from the Land of Fire's control and Konoha Village's rule.

Revealing his Mangekyo Sharingan had also been a display of strength, telling Konoha that he was not afraid of them.

And telling the Sand Shinobi that he was not afraid of them stabbing him in the back.

At worst, Uchiha Yato would begin plotting from this moment onward, preparing a path for the Uchiha Clan to leave Konoha.

And these behind-the-scenes discussions had clearly not yet ended.

Inside Mountain's Graveyard.

Watching Uchiha Yato's performance, Madara Uchiha was ecstatic.

This was what the Uchiha should be: Uchiha with great power, Uchiha who could flip the table.

As a seasoned political operator, Madara Uchiha naturally saw Uchiha Yato's intentions.

Bare his fangs and claws, and intimidate every enemy.

He was extremely satisfied with Uchiha Yato. Unfortunately, Uchiha Yato had never seen that ancestral stone tablet and knew nothing of the Eye of the Moon Plan. That was what gave him the greatest headache.

Black Zetsu was also extremely satisfied with Uchiha Yato's performance.

He had completely regarded Uchiha Yato as a second Madara Uchiha.

After Madara Uchiha died, he could use him as a new pawn.

Madara Uchiha said, "When the Sand Shinobi return, find some people and make half the members of this Sand Shinobi exchange delegation die."

The purpose was simple: to divert the Sand Shinobi's hatred away from Uchiha Yato.

Uchiha Yato had just displayed his power, so the chance of him making a move was small. But the chance of Konoha making a move was high.

Madara Uchiha was doing this so the Sand Shinobi would hate Konoha rather than the Uchiha.

That would give Uchiha Yato more time to grow and develop.

So Madara Uchiha was truly someone harsh on the outside but kind at heart. Whether he was helping Uchiha Yato now or training Obito into a true pawn,

Madara Uchiha treated his juniors rather well.

After hearing this, Black Zetsu began making preparations.

And Konoha Village was about to undergo a full-scale reshuffling.