The Meaning Behind This Incident

After deciphering the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, Yun Yan casually tossed aside the head of that elite Root jōnin, then picked up another Root ninja's head and examined it in the same manner.

Sure enough, the other Root ninja also had an identical Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal at the base of his tongue.

After confirming it, Yun Yan casually discarded that head as well, as though he were throwing away trash.

Looking at the two headless corpses and the two severed heads, Yun Yan stood amid the dark trees and fell into thought.

Tonight's battle—or rather, tonight's little incident—had been completely under Yun Yan's control from beginning to end.

When those two Root ninjas had crept close to the sleeping Yun Yan, he had already awakened and begun setting things in motion.

The single-handed seal he had secretly formed where the two Root ninjas could not see had been Yun Yan preparing a genjutsu trap for them.

And sure enough, everything that happened afterward had unfolded entirely within Yun Yan's control.

Now that it was over, Yun Yan needed to consider what this incident meant.

Two Root ninjas had come to kill him: one jōnin and one elite jōnin. Danzo really thought highly of him.

At that thought, Yun Yan could not help but sneer.

Why was that old dog Danzo targeting him? Why kill him at this time and in this place? He had never stood in Danzo's way.

With only a little thought, Yun Yan could guess why he had suffered this unprovoked disaster.

What else could it be because of? Wasn't it because his surname was Uchiha? Because he belonged to the Uchiha Clan? Because he possessed the Sharingan!?

In truth, Yun Yan was not particularly well regarded within the Uchiha Clan. He was relatively solitary by nature, and his background was ordinary. The Uchiha Clan barely paid him any attention, which was one reason he had been able to leave Konoha and join the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

Yet even after Yun Yan had left Konoha and distanced himself from the Uchiha Clan, that old dog Danzo still would not let him go. That irritated Yun Yan greatly.

Yun Yan was certain that the strength and influence he had displayed were not enough to catch Danzo's eye.

The reason Danzo still targeted him now was, on one hand, because he was an Uchiha. On the other, it was likely because he was currently isolated.

In the Fire Country's capital, while he was among the Twelve Guardian Ninja and at the daimyō's side, Danzo had found it difficult to make a move.

But now, Yun Yan had been transferred away and was completely alone on his journey back to Konoha. How could Danzo possibly give up such a perfect opportunity?

He was an Uchiha, the Uchiha Clan had not yet been wiped out, Danzo was desperately short on Sharingan, and Yun Yan himself was not valued by his clan. Even if he died or vanished, it likely would not cause much of a stir.

Look at that—so many buffs stacked together, so many reasons piled on top of each other. Of course Danzo would make a move.

Once he understood this and figured out Danzo's motive, Yun Yan saw the situation clearly.

That old dog Danzo had obviously taken him for an easy target.

Danzo probably never could have imagined that the soft persimmon he thought he could squeeze at will was actually a diamond hard enough to shatter his teeth!

At that thought, Yun Yan's expression turned cold.

Danzo, Danzo. I never had the slightest favorable impression of you. I knew we would clash sooner or later, knew that we were destined to be enemies.

And now, you've made your move against me ahead of time. So this is officially beginning between us. Are you ready?

With a cold laugh, Yun Yan casually kicked the head at his feet away, sending it flying like a pebble—or a piece of trash.

After sorting out Danzo's side of things, Yun Yan organized his thoughts again and began considering another thread.

He had received Hiruzen Sarutobi's transfer order, and immediately afterward, Root ninjas had attacked him on the road back to Konoha.

If someone said there was no connection between those events and that it was all a coincidence, Yun Yan would not believe it in the slightest.

So the key question now was: what role had the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, played in this incident?

Or, to put it more bluntly and cruelly, had this been Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan?

He issued Yun Yan a dispensable transfer order and had him return to Konoha immediately, claiming there was another important use for him. In reality, he might have been signaling Danzo, giving Danzo an opportunity to act. Sure enough, Danzo had sent Root ninjas to ambush and kill him halfway there.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō working hand in glove, joining forces to target an insignificant Uchiha Clan nobody like him—this was the worst possibility Yun Yan could imagine.

After following that line of thought for a while, Yun Yan felt that while the possibility existed, it was unlikely.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was indeed no good man, but he was not wicked to that extent.

You could call Danzo Konoha's tumor, the darkness of the Shinobi World, but Hiruzen Sarutobi... had not reached that point.

He was the Hokage, after all. As long as he sat in that position, he had to maintain an appearance of righteousness. A Hokage could employ extremely dark and brutal methods, but they could not become the norm.

Moreover, Yun Yan believed he had concealed himself well from start to finish. The impression he gave others had always been that of an ordinary jōnin among the Twelve Guardian Ninja, with only jōnin-level strength and nothing special about him.

On top of that, he had never been valued within the Uchiha Clan and had stayed far away from the clan, Konoha, and the village. He had maintained this persona well for years. There was no reason for him to suddenly expose a flaw, much less give Hiruzen Sarutobi any reason to feel threatened.

Put plainly, Yun Yan currently seemed like nothing more than an insignificant nobody in the Shinobi World, completely unworthy of attention.

Which raised a new question.

Since his true identity and strength had not been exposed, why would someone as insignificant as Yun Yan be worth Hiruzen Sarutobi recalling to Konoha? And why would he be worth Danzo making such a fuss by sending an elite jōnin and a jōnin to assassinate him together?

Yun Yan organized his thoughts again and reconsidered everything.

Soon, he realized that he had overlooked someone earlier.

Asuma Sarutobi.

That was right. That guy had not had much presence in this incident and had nearly been overlooked, yet he was someone who could not be ignored.

After all, he was Hiruzen Sarutobi's son—and currently Hiruzen Sarutobi's only biological son.

So what was Asuma Sarutobi's relationship with Yun Yan like?

As mentioned before, not good. They could barely maintain the appearance of being friends.

Would someone with whom Yun Yan had such a poor relationship, who was also one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, have reason to scheme against him?

There was some reason.

Because Yun Yan had an excellent relationship with the Fire Country's daimyō. In Asuma Sarutobi's eyes, Yun Yan was a treacherous flatterer at the daimyō's side!

If that flatterer had been an ordinary person or an ordinary ninja, it would have been one thing.

But this flatterer happened to be an Uchiha, and he happened to enjoy the daimyō's deep favor. That likely made Asuma Sarutobi uneasy.

His innate distrust and wariness toward the Uchiha Clan, coupled with the fact that Asuma Sarutobi was naturally on his father's side, meant that his impression of Yun Yan had surely worsened by the day.

Asuma Sarutobi was somewhat of a hothead. Asking him to attack Yun Yan directly or scheme against him personally was probably beyond him.

But he could report Yun Yan to his father.

Although his relationship with his father was not very good, reporting work-related matters to the Hokage as a subordinate was entirely reasonable.

And while reporting on work, it would also be perfectly natural for him to casually mention that Uchiha Yunyan was deeply favored by the daimyō.

Could Hiruzen Sarutobi remain at ease after such a report from Asuma Sarutobi reached him?

What? A member of the Uchiha Clan had gained the daimyō's extreme favor, had become someone the daimyō deeply trusted and relied upon? How could that be allowed!?

If this continued over time, could the daimyō, influenced by Uchiha Yunyan, come to favor the entire Uchiha Clan?

That would not do. It would not serve the political interests of Hiruzen Sarutobi's Hokage faction. How could he allow his political enemies to gain the favor of the Fire Country's highest ruler!?

If the Uchiha Clan truly caught the daimyō's eye, would not the political position of his Hokage faction become precarious?

And if luck turned against him, even the position of Hokage might one day bear the Uchiha name. Wasn't that exactly what the Uchiha Clan hoped for!?

Absolutely not! How could he fulfill the Uchiha Clan's wishes!? His power and authority could never be infringed upon or shaken!

That was likely what Hiruzen Sarutobi had thought after receiving his son's report.