News of Konoha extracting massive reparations from Kumogakure spread like wildfire.
The village was ecstatic.
Every street, every corner—people were talking about one name:
Uchiha Yusuke.
"Because Lord Yusuke held firm, Kumo had to hand over the Raikage's exclusive techniques!"
"It wasn't just that—he even got the tailed-beast sealing treasure, the Amber Purifying Pot!"
"And the war payment alone was fifteen billion ryō—that's all Lord Yusuke's merit!"
The praise was endless.
Some even began comparing Yusuke to the legendary White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, and the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato.
This wasn't just random rumor.
Behind the scenes, Fugaku, Hiashi, and Shikaku were clearly fanning the flames.
At this point, Yusuke had everything:
Merit.
Fame.
Strength.
Only one thing was missing—
a final step into Konoha's ruling circle.
And Yusuke knew the top brass would never "kindly" hand him that wind at his back.
So he decided to create it.
Now that he had Hyūga support and the Nara–Yamanaka–Akimichi bloc behind him, he wasn't alone anymore.
The movement to push Yusuke upward grew louder by the day, until the leadership realized they couldn't steer public opinion the way they used to.
Hokage Tower — Hokage Office
Under Hiruzen's summons, the "Konoha F4" gathered again.
Reading the newest reports, Hiruzen's expression was grim.
Yusuke was being worshipped so hard that even the "Revered Third Hokage" was starting to look like background scenery.
For someone in power, that was a dangerous signal.
"Regarding Uchiha Yusuke," Hiruzen said, exhaling smoke, "what do you think we should do?"
Homura spoke first.
"Yusuke has the heart of a wolf. We must guard against him."
Koharu nodded.
"He's stirring public opinion and plotting."
"I suggest we adopt Danzō's approach—strike first!"
Hiruzen's eyes slid toward Danzō.
But Danzō, expressionless, poured cold water on them.
"I did want to wipe out the Uchiha once and for all."
"But now I have no post and no troops."
"Even if I want to act, I no longer can."
He hadn't forgiven Hiruzen for stripping his titles and ordering Root "disbanded."
He'd been the village's "second emperor" for decades—
and Hiruzen shoved him into the mud with one sentence just to appease Yusuke.
Danzō's fury wasn't hidden.
Hiruzen fell silent.
Danzō was unreliable for now.
So Hiruzen chose the only "safe" option left:
Don't tear the mask off yet.
He couldn't openly attack the Uchiha while still claiming they were "Konoha's comrades."
If he wanted to crush them, it had to be the classic method:
First convict them.
Then let someone else swing the blade.
Just like the original tragedy.
Hiruzen inhaled slowly.
"Yusuke has grown wings. We must not act rashly."
"Control the rumors… and wait for an opportunity."
The two advisors agreed.
Danzō only sneered.
"Even now you hesitate."
"You'll regret it someday."
But the others had heard that line a thousand times.
In the end, the leadership—again—could only swallow their fear and tolerate Yusuke's rise.
The Rumor Storm
Yusuke used the opening perfectly.
He drove public momentum even harder.
Before long, an explosive rumor spread:
The Third Hokage intended to make Uchiha Yusuke the Hokage Advisor.
Some went even further:
Hiruzen was preparing to step down and let Yusuke become the Fifth Hokage.
The leadership tried repeatedly to "control opinion"—
and failed repeatedly.
Stopping mouths was harder than stopping a flood.
Yusuke was a national idol now.
You couldn't erase him from conversation even if you wanted to.
The Move That Forced Hiruzen's Hand
After two months of pressure, Fugaku finally raised it in an official high-level meeting:
Uchiha Yusuke must be appointed Hokage Advisor.
Homura and Koharu opposed fiercely, claiming Yusuke was "too young."
Hiruzen also tried to stall.
"Let's consider it further."
But then the wall collapsed.
Hiashi and Shikaku openly backed Yusuke.
Then Inuzuka, Aburame, and others followed.
Even among civilian shinobi, support for Yusuke was strong.
At that point, the advisors' objections sounded weak—
almost laughable.
Danzō had once expected he'd regain power someday—
but Yusuke used public pressure to pull the rug out from under him.
Once again, the top brass lost the power struggle.
Hiruzen hated it—
but he couldn't fight the tide.
So in the end, he "held his nose" and granted Yusuke the title:
Hokage Advisor.
And just like that—
what used to belong to Danzō began sliding into Yusuke's hands.
The Reality of the Seat
After becoming Hokage Advisor, Yusuke didn't immediately build his own organization.
Instead, following Hiruzen's "arrangement," he took a squad from ANBU under his command.
Yusuke didn't trust them for a second.
He already knew what was inside that gift box:
spies.
Maybe even former Root members mixed in.
Hiruzen gave him the title—
but still tried to choke him on actual authority.
Yusuke wasn't disappointed.
He expected exactly this.
Hiruzen wouldn't hit him openly.
He'd use the two old advisors to tug small strings.
But Danzō?
Danzō was the type to go off the rails.
And that made him more dangerous.
Even as Hokage Advisor, Yusuke's true solid power base was still basically:
The Police Force (Uchiha-controlled)
Everything else was either:
Directly under Hiruzen (ANBU)Controlled by the two advisors (Administration, Medical)Secretly still under Danzō (Root's remnants)A messy web (Intelligence, with Yamanaka on top but plenty of hidden eyes)
To build a new organization, he'd need people, funding, supplies.
And if the old guard wanted to block him, they easily could.
So Yusuke chose the smarter path:
Lay low.
Expand slowly.
Plant people.
Hokage Advisor had the legal right to touch nearly all government affairs.
He only needed time.
The first names he thought of were his childhood friends:
Inabi and Tekka.
With Yusuke's approval, they took trusted men, left the police force, and were placed as unit leaders in:
LogisticsIntelligence
The Hyūga and the Nara–Yamanaka–Akimichi bloc also recommended talented younger members.
Yusuke accepted them all.
They might not be "Uchiha-loyal,"
but they were still far better than the old guard's dogs.
As long as Yusuke stayed allied with the clans, those people would naturally work under him.
A Hokage needs broad support.
A lone wolf never becomes a true ruler.
Hiruzen's Calculation
Hiruzen watched Yusuke's influence expand—
and forced himself to tolerate it.
Because if he treated Yusuke differently than he treated Danzō back when Danzō was advisor, it would look like obvious suppression.
And Yusuke was exactly the type to make Hiruzen lose face in public.
Also—
Hiruzen wasn't planning to step down anytime soon.
Even if he did, the "Hokage faction" still had Jiraiya and Tsunade as banners.
After them, there were people like Kakashi.
In Hiruzen's mind, the future still belonged to his faction.
Not Danzō.
Not the "evil Uchiha."
The Shadow That Didn't Move
After losing his position, Danzō became unusually quiet.
And that silence made Yusuke more alert.
Danzō wasn't the type to accept defeat peacefully.
The quieter he was, the more likely he was brewing something.
Yusuke investigated carefully—
and quickly found traces.
From the police building to his residence…
he was under constant surveillance.
The method was extremely hidden.
Yusuke suspected Aburame techniques—bugs as eyes.
Hard to detect.
So he played along and traced the line back.
The one watching him was:
Aburame Ryōma—an elite Root infiltrator and Danzō's right-hand man.
Monitoring.
Scouting.
Tailing.
Once Yusuke understood the pattern, the intent became obvious:
Danzō was looking for an opening to kill him.
The wartime assassination failed.
Danzō still wasn't giving up.
Yusuke didn't underestimate Danzō's ruthlessness—
but he also didn't fear Root's combat strength.
Kumogakure's AB Combo couldn't take him down.
Root's "crooked melons and cracked dates" weren't going to do it either.
What mattered wasn't whether they could win head-on—
but what kind of dirty move Danzō would try next.
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