"Sharingan."
Uchiha Yusuke glared, and the two Konoha jōnin instantly fell into his genjutsu.
He stepped forward and asked casually,
"Who sent you to kill me?"
The two jōnin opened their mouths, yet no sound came out.
"This is… the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal?"
Uchiha Yusuke's gaze sharpened, and understanding dawned on him immediately.
So it was you, Shimura Danzō.
I haven't even gone looking for trouble with you yet, and you dare to come after me first?
Snapping back to reality, Hyuga Hiashi, Uchiha Shisui, Ino–Shika–Chō, and the others hurried over.
There was no doubt that Uchiha Yusuke was the greatest contributor to Konoha's victory over Kumogakure.
The army was about to return in triumph, yet Yusuke was suddenly attacked by his own people.
Even as outsiders, they felt a surge of anger.
Hyuga Hiashi stepped forward with concern.
"Are you alright, Yusuke?"
"Have the ones who ambushed you been dealt with?"
Uchiha Yusuke replied with a smile,
"It's nothing—just a minor scratch."
"These two are already caught in my ocular technique. They won't cause any trouble."
Hearing this, everyone finally felt somewhat reassured.
Fortunately, nothing catastrophic had happened. If Uchiha Yusuke had met with an accident here, Kumogakure—under the Fourth Raikage—might very well have launched a counterattack.
After all, the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, Killer B, was still in their hands.
Nara Shikaku let out a breath.
"As long as you're fine, Yusuke."
"That really gave me a scare just now."
Uchiha Shisui hesitated, his expression troubled.
"Brother Yusuke… these two people, their background is—"
Uchiha Yusuke shook his head and said lightly,
"I already asked."
"But these two can't speak."
They can't speak?
Hearing that, everyone instinctively set their sights on a certain symbol of darkness.
Konoha's filth is fifty percent Danzō's fault, forty-nine percent also Danzō's fault, and the remaining one percent can be ignored.
The title of 'First Pot Shadow' wasn't given for nothing.
Once the rabbit is dead, the hunting dogs are cooked.
Once the birds are gone, the bow is put away.
The battle with Kumogakure had just ended, and already someone in Konoha was eager to eliminate Uchiha Yusuke.
Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, and the other clan heads felt a chill in their hearts.
First, no reinforcements.
Then, an attempt to erase the war hero who had shed blood on the battlefield.
The actions of Konoha's higher-ups were truly despicable.
Uchiha Shisui looked dejected.
He had originally been ordered by the Third Hokage to monitor Uchiha Yusuke—to prevent him from doing anything that might harm Konoha's interests.
Yet throughout this entire period of surveillance, Yusuke hadn't done a single thing that endangered Konoha.
Instead, it was Konoha's leadership that repeatedly laid traps, trying to harm Uchiha Yusuke.
At this moment, Shisui's mind was in complete turmoil.
He had begun to doubt the Will of Fire he once believed in without question.
That man known as Konoha's darkness—Danzō—had actually sent assassins after Uchiha Yusuke.
Did Konoha truly no longer have a place for the Uchiha clan?
Uchiha Yusuke said nothing. Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, and the others also remained silent.
Everyone understood clearly: given the Third Hokage's level of tolerance toward Danzō, even if this matter were brought into the open, Danzō would still not face any severe punishment.
Shisui had originally wanted to speak up in defense of the Third Hokage, but recalling the recent actions of Konoha's leadership, he abandoned the thought entirely.
The Third Hokage might truly be unaware—but someone like Danzō should not be allowed to roam free.
After a long silence, it was finally Uchiha Yusuke who broke it.
"Detain these two."
"When we return, hand them over to the Third Hokage for judgment."
Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, and the others nodded.
It was obvious that Uchiha Yusuke had no intention of letting this go.
They didn't want to get involved in the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha's leadership—but if Yusuke wanted to go after Danzō, they would be more than happy to help fan the flames.
Was Danzō only targeting Uchiha Yusuke?
He was clearly trying to drag them all down as well.
We can't offend you head-on, but there's nothing wrong with stirring things up from the sidelines, right?
Even if we can't strike back directly like Uchiha Yusuke, we can at least curse you out and vent some anger.
You schemed against us on the battlefield and still want to walk away unscathed?
We're the kind of people who hold grudges too.
...
Uchiha Yusuke ordered the Konoha allied forces to rest in place for two days.
Only after scouts confirmed that Kumogakure had fully withdrawn did he give the order to return.
Not long after Kumogakure retreated, the Fourth Raikage received intelligence that Uchiha Yusuke had been attacked on the battlefield.
A spark of hope ignited in his eyes once more.
With Konoha's leadership behaving like this, they were bound to fall out with Uchiha Yusuke sooner or later.
As long as Konoha's internal strife continued, Kumogakure would have opportunities—whether to demand Killer B's return or to regroup and strike again.
External threats weren't truly frightening.
Internal chaos—that was the deadliest of all.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and the others were already at odds with the Uchiha clan.
Konoha was destined to descend into turmoil sooner or later.
Though Kumogakure had been utterly defeated this time, as long as they waited patiently for the right moment, a comeback was not impossible.
Uchiha Yusuke was now caught in Konoha's political whirlpool—there was no way he could focus entirely on external threats.
Their most important task now was to negotiate with Konoha and find a way to ransom Killer B back.
The Fourth Raikage believed that, given the Third Hokage's soft, peace-obsessed nature, it wouldn't take much to get his brother back.
After all, Konoha had once gone through hell to defeat Iwagakure, and in the end, didn't they gain nothing from it?
Kill a thousand, lose eight hundred.
War only ever ended with both sides injured.
As long as Kumogakure took a firm stance, Konoha wouldn't dare push too far.
If Kumogakure truly fought Konoha to the death, the only beneficiaries would be the other three great hidden villages.
Among the Five Great Nations, none were easy targets.
Without special circumstances, no one would gamble on mutual destruction.
...
Under Uchiha Yusuke's leadership, the army marched mightily toward Konoha.
Along the way, every Konoha ninja wore a bright smile.
They had won a spectacular victory against the powerful Kumogakure.
At this moment, every one of them was a hero returning from the battlefield.
The most talked-about subject, of course, was Uchiha Yusuke's astonishing record.
First, he defeated the Two-Tails Yugito Nii in single combat.
Then, he took on Kumogakure's AB Combination alone—and won.
At this point, Uchiha Yusuke's prestige had reached its peak, just like Namikaze Minato's at the end of the Third Great Ninja War.
Many people were already whispering privately that Uchiha Yusuke might become the next Hokage.
Yusuke himself felt deeply satisfied.
Everything was progressing exactly as he had planned.
With public opinion on his side, Konoha's higher-ups would have to think twice before laying hands on the Uchiha clan again.
After all, once the masses turned against them, even the image-conscious Third Hokage wouldn't be able to carry that blame.
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