"Bang!"
" Hiruzen, Uchiha Fugaku is utterly outrageous!"
After Haruma left, Koharu spoke angrily.
Sarutobi a long sigh; troublesome things kept happening one after another.
Ignoring Koharu's complaints, Sarutobi to the strategist and said in a deep voice, " Shikaku, what do you think?"
Shikaku stroked his chin, his tone grave. "First, let's establish a premise: the Uchiha Clan cannot leave Konoha, at least not at this stage!"
Sarutobi lit his pipe and nodded. "That's right."
" Orochimaru, Itachi, Danzo's defection has undoubtedly put Konoha in a precarious situation."
"Especially Danzo; many important figures from various countries are wary of Konoha, and Danzo and the Root certainly played a significant role in that."
Sarutobi didn't explicitly state why those people feared Danzo, but the others understood that it was precisely because of Danzo's unscrupulous and ruthless methods of achieving his goals.
Espionage, instigation, assassination, bounty, poisoning, family, close friends...
In previous Shinobi World Wars, the various underhanded yet highly effective strategies all originated from Danzo.
It's fair to say that Danzo's departure has already stirred up quite a few people in secret.
Therefore, the Uchiha Clan cannot leave Konoha at this stage.
Shikaku nodded and calmly analyzed, "So now it's not that the Uchiha Clan can't live without Konoha, but that Konoha can't live without the Uchiha Clan."
" Shikaku! You..."
"Shut up, Koharu!"
Sarutobi said coldly, "Though the words are harsh, what Shikaku said is the truth!"
" Sarutobi! You..."
" Koharu, stop talking."
Mito interrupted again, " Shikaku is right, this is the current situation in the village."
Xiaochun, who Utatane Koharu rooms, turned pale and trembled with anger, "You! You..."
Sarutobi his hand dismissively, " Mito, you take Koharu back first."
Mitokado Homura nodded, helped the furious Utatane Koharu up, and left the meeting room.
After the two left, Shikaku continued his analysis, "Regardless of whether Fugaku's statement about leaving Konoha is true or false, the higher-ups' attitude towards the Uchiha clan must first change."
"At the very least, we need to show Clan Chief Fugaku the sincerity and attitude of the higher-ups."
"Otherwise, even if it's just a lie, it might become the truth."
Sarutobi puffed on his cigarette and nodded. "I'll remove the Anbu, and I'll make the covert ones operate even more secretly."
Shikaku added, "It would be best to send a few shops near the village center over as well."
"It's just a shop; they won't have too many clansmen living there. Even if something unexpected happens, they can suppress it quickly. Plus, it can test whether he really has that kind of intention."
"If they accept the offer and send people to be stationed there permanently, it means the Uchiha Clan still intends to reconcile with the village."
"If it is not accepted, or if it is accepted but no one is assigned to manage it..."
Sarutobi's gaze sharpened. "Does this mean he's truly considering leaving Konoha?"
Shikaku nodded, then asked with a puzzled look, "And Chief Fugaku seemed to be behaving rather strangely today."
Sarutobi frowned, somewhat agreeing, and said, "Indeed, Fugaku today is quite different from before."
He's not as composed as before, and he's gotten much more irritable.
Shikaku nodded, "Especially the way he deliberately provoked Koharu before leaving; his temper is like that of a teenager."
"Do you think... it's possible that it's not actually him?" Sarutobi asked uncertainly.
Shikaku pondered for a moment, "It's possible, but very unlikely."
"It's normal for someone who has been suppressing their feelings for too long to finally explode."
Back at their base, Haruma was excitedly telling Mikoto everything that had happened in the conference room.
Mikoto asked with some concern, "Won't this make the Third even more hostile towards us?"
Haruma scoffed, "Even if that old fox had a hundred lives, he wouldn't dare to touch the Uchiha Clan right now."
"Maybe after I finish this performance, that old man will send someone to deliver gifts."
"How could this be?" Mikoto looked at Haruma in surprise.
A good horse is ridden, a kind person is bullied.
"If I stiffen my body, he'll have to go limp if he doesn't want internal strife in Konoha."
Haruma Mikoto patiently explained, " Konoha can't withstand any turmoil right now. With Danzo, that mad dog, gone, Sarutobi will definitely back down for the sake of stability."
"As long as they don't discover any signs of rebellion from our Uchiha Clan, even if we do something foolish, that old man will turn a blind eye."
Mikoto nodded thoughtfully after listening. "Don't worry, I've written all of that down."
"When Fugaku returns, I will tell him everything."
The reason Haruma told Mikoto all this was to tell Fugaku not to give himself away in front of Sarutobi after he changed his identity.
Why not wait for Fugaku to return and tell him in person?
Talking to a beautiful woman is always more pleasant than talking to a puppet, isn't it?
"By the way, how's that kid Sasuke doing?"
Although Haruma has been dressed as Fugaku during this period, he has spent most of his time training in the office.
I occasionally go back to the Fugaku for meals, but I never see that little brat.
When Sasuke was mentioned, Mikoto looked melancholy. "That child has become much quieter since Itachi left."
"He trains like crazy every day, saying he'll definitely surpass Itachi, then defeat him, tie him up, and make him apologize."
Pfft
Unable to hold back, Haruma burst out laughing.
Even with the protagonist's plot armor so strong in the original series, Itachi still had to hold back to defeat him in the end.
Now that it has its own existence, the weasel's eyes and its ailing body are no longer problems.
If he surpasses Itachi and then tries to bring him back, Sasuke will probably never be able to finish this in his lifetime.
Seeing Mikoto's somewhat resentful gaze, Haruma immediately said seriously, "Bringing Itachi back is a good target. More training at such a young age will help him avoid the hardships of being a ninja when he grows up."
Seeing that Mikoto was still upset, Haruma gently comforted her, "The result is already very good."
"In the future I envision, after the Uchiha Clan Massacre, Sasuke, unaware of the truth, endured much hardship in order to kill Itachi."
"She grew up surrounded by hatred and was not well-liked by the villagers."
Mikoto gazed at the Haruma, her large eyes filled with gratitude. Compared to the bloody conflict between her brothers, things were indeed so much better now.
Haruma rested her chin on her hand and said softly, "Let's wait until Fugaku returns to address Sasuke's problem."
To be honest, Haruma doesn't want to have any contact with Sasuke and Naruto, the two main characters from the original story.
When the two main characters were on the verge of death after fighting Madara, the Sage of Six Paths appeared in their minds and imparted to them the Six Paths Yin–Yang Power.
Haruma is unsure what state the Sage of Six Paths is in.
What is certain is that Haruma is no match for Six Paths right now.
Rushing into contact with the two main characters could lead to some unexpected complications, which wouldn't be fun.
If the Sage of Six Paths were still conscious and noticed this variable in the Shinobi World, it's hard to say whether he would be slapped to death.
It's still early; the two main characters are still many years away from growing up. There's no need for Haruma to take this risk.
At his current rate of growth, it won't be long before he surpasses the Sage of Six Paths!
As long as funding continues, becoming the strongest is only a matter of time!
Thinking of this, Haruma looked out the window. "I wonder if Fugaku is seriously making money in the Land of Fire."