Doing Things That Hurt Danzo Is What I, Fugaku, Love Most!

You kept targeting us all this time. Now it was your turn to be unlucky—not just unlucky, but cursed with abysmal luck.

Watching Danzo suffer was one thing, but more importantly, among those targeting the Uchiha, Danzo was absolutely the main force.

The Third Hokage and the others merely advocated surveillance and caution. Only Danzo had always been obsessed with wiping out the Uchiha.

With Danzo in trouble and falling from power, the Uchiha could finally catch their breath.

"Well done, well done! Hahaha!"

Fugaku laughed more and more wildly, no longer caring about his status as clan head. He slapped the wooden floor twice, making Yan, who sat across from him, feel as though he had gone mad.

Was there really any need to be so exaggerated?

Still, Danzo's misfortune was indeed cause for great celebration.

"All right, the child is sleeping."

Mikoto approached with amused exasperation, set out the low table and tea, and reminded Fugaku not to make a fool of himself.

It was not that she feared Yan knowing, but the child was asleep. Disturbing the child would not be good.

Besides, it would not sound good if word got out.

The dignity of the clan head he usually carried had vanished completely.

His sense of decorum had already been thrown all over the floor.

Seeing this, Yan naturally found himself speechless.

Having lost his composure, Fugaku knew it really would not sound good if it got out.

So he stopped laughing, put on a serious expression, and signaled Yan with his eyes:

What happened tonight could not get out. Otherwise, he would be too ashamed to show his old face.

You know that, yet you still laughed like that?

Yan rolled his eyes and continued.

"Besides that, I recommend sending Shisui to the Daimyo's Mansion to protect the daimyo. First, he is strong enough. Second, his wavering stance cannot inspire confidence. He has already become notorious within the clan. Rather than suffering in the Anbu, he might as well go to the Daimyo's Mansion."

"Your idea is good. Shisui really is the most suitable person."

Fugaku thought it over and agreed with Yan's proposal.

He had previously sent Shisui into the Anbu for the sake of the clan, but now, did Shisui still need to remain in the Anbu?

There was absolutely no need!

As long as Shisui protected the daimyo well, the daimyo's interference would only reduce the village's pressure on the Uchiha.

Once that pressure eased...

Suddenly, Fugaku realized something. He did not even bother drinking his tea before jerking his head up.

"You intend to make a move against the Great Elder and the others?"

It seemed he had realized it.

"Calling it making a move sounds a little harsh."

Yan shook his head slightly.

"We are all members of the same clan. If possible, I would not want to do this either. Unfortunately, the existence of the Hardline Faction has always been a major problem.

If we do not deal with them properly, the clan will never truly unite. Those people may even drag the clan into the abyss."

Never underestimate the power of a ticking time bomb.

It could be either a minor issue or a major one. If it blew up badly enough, it could even push the Uchiha into opposition against all of Konoha. That was not something Yan wanted to see.

Yan knew that although Fugaku was a timid clan head, at least on this matter, his thoughts aligned with Yan's.

"Mm."

Fugaku answered without voicing any opinion.

Whether it was the clan or the village, whenever trouble arose, Fugaku's response was as consistently passive as ever.

Yan did not expect much from him. He did not need Fugaku's full support; as long as Fugaku did not hold him back, that would be enough.

"Of course, it is still a little too early to act against the Hardline Faction. At present, aside from sending Shisui to the Daimyo's Mansion, the most important thing is finding someone to spread news unfavorable to Danzo. Clan Head, you should be able to handle that, right?"

How could such good news be kept hidden?

If it was not publicized, the Third Hokage could deal with it quietly. Yan did not want that situation to occur. He wanted the matter to blow up.

Ideally, it would spread like wildfire until the entire shinobi world knew about it. They would pin the blame for plotting to assassinate the daimyo directly on Danzo, leaving him unable to explain himself and forcing him to bear the charge.

Fight you within the village?

Sorry, your home ground did not suit me. I could cause trouble from outside the field.

The rumors could not be spread within the village, either. It would be best to spread them from the outside in—circulate them outside first, then have outsiders bring them into Konoha.

By then, even the Third Hokage would be unable to suppress the news.

He could only watch helplessly as the rumors became fact.

If it was handled well, even if Danzo did not die this time, he would lose a layer of skin.

"Leave this matter to me."

It was only spreading some information, nothing major. Fugaku had even already thought of a solution.

He did not even need to send anyone to do it, lest the village catch hold of evidence against them.

The Third Hokage did not want the matter to grow bigger, so he would certainly keep an eye on them. Once he did, any slightest movement would be blamed on the Uchiha.

So they needed outside help... such as the Ninja Cat Clan. As long as they were willing to pay, the cats surely would not mind earning some extra money.

What did rumors spread by ninja cats have to do with the Uchiha?

"Then leave Shisui to me."

Yan decided to try changing Shisui's impression of the higher-ups.

He would see whether he could pull Shisui out of the deep pit that was the Will of Fire!

As for whether the daimyo might try to poach him, Yan was not worried in the slightest. With Shisui's personality, it would be a miracle if the daimyo could sway him.

When a person had no interest in wealth, power, or beautiful women, and cared only about the clan and village, no matter what methods one used, that person's heart would not waver in the slightest.

Once everything had been settled, Yan took his leave.

Fugaku had lost all desire to sleep. Whether the Uchiha could escape their predicament depended on this opportunity.

He immediately contacted the Ninja Cat Clan and laid out both his demands and the payment.

The Ninja Cat Clan happily accepted this opportunity to earn extra money.

To ensure secrecy and prevent anyone from discovering that the Uchiha were behind it, the Ninja Cat Clan also had to sign a contract promising not to reveal the secret.

Under Fugaku's monetary offensive, the summoned ninja cats' eyes turned into little stars, and they happily pressed their paw prints onto the scroll.

"Have Danzo come see me immediately. Also, notify the two elder advisors. Tell them there is an important matter in the village that needs to be discussed with them."

Sitting in the Hokage Office Building, the Third Hokage grew angrier the more he thought about it.

He had originally thought there was only a minor issue at the Daimyo's Mansion, something that could be resolved with a little communication. Instead, there had been no minor issue at all—the daimyo had directly thrown out a bomb.

It had blown him to pieces, leaving him thoroughly shaken and scorched.

Upon receiving the notice, the ever-dutiful Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado soon arrived at the Hokage Office Building.

As for Danzo... he was still slowly making his way down the road, leaning on his cane.

"Hiruzen..."

Koharu Utatane had just begun to speak when Homura Mitokado stopped her.

One look at the Third Hokage's expression told him this was serious—serious enough to put him in an exceptionally foul mood.

So it was better not to ask yet. They could wait until Danzo arrived and discuss it slowly.

Koharu Utatane nodded slightly, then sat down calmly to wait for Danzo.

But... five minutes passed and Danzo had not arrived. Ten minutes passed, and Danzo still had not arrived.