The news that Konoha had extracted massive compensation from Kumogakure spread like wildfire.
The villagers were ecstatic.
Every street and alley in Konoha buzzed with one topic: Uchiha Yusuke.
"You heard?"
"Because Lord Yusuke stood firm, Kumogakure handed over the Raikage lineage's secret techniques to Konoha."
"That's not all."
"I heard Lord Yusuke also secured Kumogakure's tailed-beast sealing treasure—the Amber Purifying Pot."
"That's nothing."
"They say Kumogakure paid fifteen billion ryō in war reparations alone—all thanks to Lord Yusuke!"
…
The villagers praised him endlessly, piling on compliments without restraint.
Some even compared him to the late 'White Fang of Konoha' Hatake Sakumo and 'Yellow Flash' Namikaze Minato.
This level of public fervor wasn't just "butterfly effect."
Behind the scenes, Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, and others were quietly fanning the flames.
Now Yusuke had all three:
MeritReputationPower
He lacked only one final leap—crossing the gate and formally entering Konoha's ruling circle.
But given Konoha's upper leadership's nature, they weren't going to gift him the tailwind he needed.
If they wouldn't hand it to him—
then he would create it himself.
Fortunately, he now had support from the Hyuga and Ino–Shika–Cho, no longer isolated like before.
Hokage Tower — Hokage Office
Under the Third Hokage's summons, Konoha's "F4" gathered again.
Staring at the latest reports, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened.
Uchiha Yusuke was being worshiped everywhere—so much so that even the "esteemed Third Hokage" was being outshone.
For someone in power, that was a terrible sign.
A ruler doesn't tolerate another sun rising at their bedside.
With Yusuke at his peak, every member of Konoha's upper leadership slept uneasily.
Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe and exhaled slowly.
"What are your thoughts on Uchiha Yusuke?"
Koharu turned serious.
"Yusuke is ambitious. We must be on guard."
Homura nodded.
"He's stirring public opinion for ulterior motives."
"I suggest we adopt Danzo's strategy—strike first."
Hiruzen's eyes slid toward Danzo.
Danzo, expressionless, dumped cold water on the idea.
"I did want to eliminate the Uchiha and remove future trouble."
"But now I have no position and no troops."
"Even if I want to—I can't do anything."
Last time Yusuke pressed the issue, Hiruzen removed Danzo's Hokage Advisor title and ordered Root disbanded.
Even if Root hadn't truly vanished overnight, Danzo still resented it deeply.
Decades as Konoha's "second emperor"… and you demote me with a single sentence to avoid offending Uchiha Yusuke?
Danzo was furious—and not in a forgiving mood.
Hiruzen fell silent.
Danzo was unreliable for now. Another approach was needed.
Hiruzen wasn't ready to openly tear with Yusuke.
He had always publicly declared the Uchiha "Konoha's comrades."
How could he risk being branded a hypocrite by attacking an ally?
If the Uchiha were to be dealt with, the proper way was:
First assign guilt. Then have someone else swing the blade.
That was exactly how it went in the original history.
Hiruzen kept himself clean.
Danzo gave the orders.
"Filial-son" Itachi and the unstable "masked man" did the killing.
Hiruzen? He merely had Itachi act as a double agent and infiltrate the Akatsuki.
Hiruzen took a breath and spoke calmly.
"Yusuke's wings are already grown. We shouldn't act rashly."
"Control the public narrative, and wait for the right moment."
The two advisors nodded.
Danzo snorted.
"Even now, you hesitate."
"Danzō, you'll regret this someday."
The three were used to his threats.
In the end, Konoha's upper leadership had no solution—and once again chose tolerance.
Public Opinion Breaks Loose
Yusuke seized the opportunity and used public sentiment to amplify himself.
Rumors spread:
The Third Hokage would make Uchiha Yusuke the next Hokage Advisor.
Some even claimed Hiruzen was preparing to step down and let Yusuke become Fifth Hokage.
Konoha's leadership tried multiple times to clamp down—
but it didn't work.
Stopping mouths is harder than stopping a flood.
Yusuke had become a national idol; sealing information about him was practically impossible.
"You heard? Lord Yusuke is going to be Hokage Advisor!"
"Is it true? The Third Hokage is wise—Konoha will flourish with Lord Yusuke assisting!"
"Exactly. Fifth Hokage should be Lord Yusuke!"
After two full months of momentum, Fugaku finally raised the demand at a high-level meeting:
Make Uchiha Yusuke the Hokage Advisor.
At first, Danzo and the two advisors strongly opposed it, claiming Yusuke was too young.
Even Hiruzen urged everyone to "reconsider."
Yusuke said nothing.
But Hiashi Hyuga and Shikaku Nara openly stood up to support Yusuke.
With Hyuga and Ino–Shika–Cho taking a stand, other clans—Inuzuka, Aburame, and more—joined in.
Even among civilian shinobi, many supported Yusuke.
With public opinion and clan backing aligned, the two advisors' opposition became feeble.
Danzo had been thinking he could someday reclaim his office—
only for Yusuke to pull the rug out from under him entirely.
In another round of political struggle, Konoha's upper leadership lost again.
Hiruzen was unwilling—
but he couldn't fight the will of the village.
Left with no choice, he begrudgingly granted Yusuke the title:
Hokage Advisor.
From that moment on, the influence that had belonged to Danzo was formally transferred to Yusuke.
A Leash Disguised as a Promotion
After becoming Hokage Advisor, Yusuke didn't rush to form his own organization.
Instead, following Hiruzen's proposal, he "received" a squad split from ANBU under his command.
Yusuke trusted none of them.
He didn't need to guess:
Hiruzen's spies were almost certainly inside.
And former Root members could easily be mixed in as well.
On the surface, Hiruzen had promoted him.
In reality, Hiruzen was still restricting him through structure and manpower.
Yusuke wasn't disappointed.
This was exactly what he expected.
Hiruzen wouldn't attack him openly.
Instead, the two elderly advisors would create endless petty obstacles.
But Danzo?
Danzo was the sort who would take crooked paths and cross lines.
That made him far more dangerous.
Yusuke's Real Power Is Still Thin
Even as Hokage Advisor, among Konoha's critical departments, Yusuke truly held firm control over only one:
the Police Force.
ANBU answered directly to the Third HokageAdministration and Medical were in the advisers' handsDanzo had "lost office," yet still spoke with absolute authority inside RootIntelligence was complex—Yamanaka Inoichi led it publicly, but it was riddled with Hiruzen and Danzo's eyes
Yusuke wanted to build a new organization loyal only to him.
But manpower, funding, and supplies were all choke points.
As long as the Hokage and advisers tugged even slightly, he would find himself stuck.
Acting too openly would be foolish.
So Yusuke chose to avoid the edge, endure, and wait.
As Hokage Advisor, he had the authority to touch nearly all governance.
What he needed was time—to seed and cultivate his own people inside every department.
Quiet Expansion
The first names Yusuke thought of were Inabi and Tekka—his childhood companions.
Under his instruction, the two selected reliable people and quietly withdrew from the Police Force.
Using his authority as Hokage Advisor, Yusuke placed:
Inabi into Logistics as a unit captainTekka into Intelligence as a unit captain
Hiashi and Ino–Shika–Cho also recommended talented younger members from their clans.
Yusuke accepted them all and assigned them positions.
These outsiders might not be as "Uchiha-loyal"—
but they were far better than the loyal claws of Konoha's leadership.
As long as Yusuke stayed friendly with the clans, those people would naturally work with him.
A Hokage requires broad support.
No solitary man becomes a ruler.
Yusuke's influence expanded rapidly.
Hiruzen could only half-close his eyes.
When Danzo was Hokage Advisor, he got everything he wanted.
Now that Yusuke held the same title, Hiruzen couldn't openly change the rules without looking ridiculous.
Having chosen to yield, there was no point in being stingy and inviting mockery.
Besides—
Hatake Sakumo once wore the Hokage's half-sleeve and had prestige greater than Yusuke's current popularity.
And yet, didn't he still fall before reaching the Hokage's seat?
Yusuke's support was loud, but Hiruzen wasn't "ready to step down" at all.
Even if he did, the Hokage faction still had Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Their fame could rival Yusuke's.
So the Fifth Hokage position would "probably" remain out of Uchiha hands.
After Jiraiya and Tsunade, Kakashi and others would mature.
If managed well, the Sixth and Seventh Hokage could still come from Hiruzen's faction.
Danzo and the "evil Uchiha" could keep dreaming.
Thinking of his two missing students gave Hiruzen a headache.
He had mishandled things in the past.
He needed a way to coax them back.
He once favored Orochimaru—
but Orochimaru had ambitions like a tiger, and he'd gotten too close to Danzo.
Hiruzen could tolerate "some forbidden experiments."
But teaming with Danzo to hollow him out?
That crossed the line.
The Massacre Night's Shadow Begins to Surface
After Yusuke became Hokage Advisor, Danzo grew strangely quiet.
That silence made Yusuke more wary.
Danzo was always calculating—and vicious.
If he was quiet, he was likely brewing something.
With careful probing, Yusuke soon noticed clues.
From the Police Force to his home—
he was being watched constantly.
He hadn't noticed earlier because the method was extremely subtle.
Based on his deduction, it was likely an Aburame clan technique.
Using insects as surveillance devices was indeed hard to detect.
Yusuke played along, followed the thread, and quickly identified the hand behind it.
The one watching him was Aburame Ryōma, an elite from Danzo's Root.
His infiltration ability was said to be exceptional even among past ANBU.
A right-hand man.
If Danzo sent someone like that to watch Yusuke, it couldn't be for anything good.
Surveillance, scouting, tailing…
Once he pieced Root's actions together, Yusuke understood.
Danzo was likely looking for an opportunity to eliminate him.
The assassination attempt on the battlefield had failed—
but Danzo clearly hadn't given up.
In one sense, Danzo was more decisive than the Third Hokage:
he didn't just think—he acted.
But Danzo loved preaching "shinobi must sacrifice themselves"—
and when it came time for him to sacrifice?
He never could.
Strict with others, lenient with himself.
A man who wants great deeds but cherishes his own life too much—
and ends up accomplishing nothing.
This move against Yusuke looked clever—
but would likely collapse halfway.
After all, even the Fourth Raikage and Killer B couldn't handle Yusuke.
Danzo's Root "scraps" weren't something Yusuke took seriously at all.
To read 40+ future chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554