First, Ryou's Sharingan didn't evolve step by step; it was purely forced open by Madara using his own ocular power.
Ryou still couldn't exert 100% of the Sharingan's genjutsu capabilities.
Second, although the Third Hokage was old, he was still a Kage-level powerhouse, and in his youth, he had experience fighting against Uchiha Kagami's Sharingan.
His resistance to genjutsu was naturally far superior to that of an average Jonin.
Third, Ryou's body was generated from life spores; although stronger than ordinary White Zetsu clones, it could even copy bloodline limits and forbidden jutsu.
But a clone is a clone, after all.
Seeing he couldn't control the Third Hokage, Ryou stopped wasting Chakra and shouted at the other side, "Monkey, I have nothing more to say to you! I won't listen to anything you want to say!"
Monkey?!
Many Ninjas present widened their eyes.
A nostalgic smile played on the Third Hokage's lips.
Monkey was the Third Hokage's childhood nickname because his surname was Sarutobi, meaning to leap like a monkey. It was also because his Summoned Beast was from the monkey clan.
So when he was young, many peers called the Third Hokage "Monkey."
Especially the First Hokage and Second Hokage, and comrades like Danzo and Koharu would also call him that back then.
But at some point, people stopped calling the Third Hokage by his nickname.
Because he was the Hokage, those around him had to uphold the Hokage's dignity, even his comrades.
One must avoid using a leader's name directly; that's a rule of the workplace.
The Third Hokage hadn't heard anyone call him by his nickname for a long time; and so hearing it suddenly brought back memories, but he turned serious in an instant.
The Third Hokage looked at the Ryūchi Cave giant snake beneath Ryou, a flash of heartache in his eyes; Orochimaru's Summoned Beast had been taken, clearly indicating he had met with misfortune.
The Third Hokage set aside his heartache for Orochimaru and looked seriously at Ryou, saying:
"Ryou, you should have heard the history of the Uchiha Clan. Do you know what Uchiha Madara represents?"
Ryou sneered, "What does he represent? He represents a loser. My ancestor was one of the founders of Konoha; the name 'Konoha' itself was given by my ancestor."
"But he was marginalized and pushed out of Konoha by the Senju brothers!"
"On the surface, Konoha believes in the Will of Fire and Jonin elections, but in reality, it's still a hereditary succession system for the Senju lineage."
"The Uchiha are just livestock raised by Konoha, destined to be devoured one day."
The Third Hokage roared, "It was Uchiha Madara who betrayed the original dream he shared with his comrades! Otherwise, why didn't a single Uchiha follow him back then?"
"The Uchiha are not livestock in the Village; they are comrades. Our comrades."
Ryou roared even louder than the Third Hokage, "Monkey, stop being so hypocritical! If the Uchiha were truly comrades, why isn't there a single Uchiha Ninja here?"
"..."
The Third Hokage was speechless... At this time in Konoha, Anbu Ninjas had completely surrounded the Uchiha Police Force.
The Police Force and Anbu were in a tense standoff.
Fugaku asked the leaders, Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, "Elders, why are you restricting our Uchiha Ninjas from leaving the Police Force?"
Utatane Koharu said, "Fugaku, this is Hiruzen's order. Specifically, it's because of the commotion caused by Ryou."
Fugaku and the members of the Police Force were shocked.
"Ryou! Ryou isn't dead?!"
"Impossible! I saw with my own eyes Minato pierce his heart, and then he blew himself up with Exploding Tags."
"The Hokage is lying to us. They must be plotting some conspiracy against the Uchiha!"
Utatane Koharu frowned. Currently, the Village's elites had all been deployed by the Third Hokage.
If the Uchiha were to rebel at this critical juncture—
"Captain Fugaku!"
"Lord Fugaku!"
The elites of the Uchiha Police Force all looked at Uchiha Fugaku, hoping he would stand firm against the Anbu.
Having been marginalized by the Konoha higher-ups for so long and enduring years of frustration, they were already impatient.
The time has come! We rise today!
Fugaku raised his hand, signaling the members of the Police Force to be quiet.
"Calm down! Don't be impulsive. I believe the Hokage would not harm us."
"Fugaku!"
Yashiro glared at Fugaku, and Uchiha Jonin like Tekka and Inabi all had looks of resentment.
The Anbu have already surrounded us openly; do we still need to stay calm?
Fugaku activated his three tomoe Sharingan, suppressing the defiant Uchiha Jonin.
"I said, calm down! We are Konoha Ninjas; we must never defy the Hokage's orders."
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado exchanged a look; fortunately, this Uchiha Fugaku was a pushover.
Itachi watched secretly from the nearby forest, feeling tense at the sword-point standoff between the Anbu and the Uchiha Police Force.
Have the clan and the Village reached such a state of tension?
...The Third Hokage had nothing to say, so others had to step up to share his burden.
"Ryou, the Village has indeed been wary of the Uchiha because we fear the Uchiha's power, and even more so, we fear Uchiha Madara."
Kurenai looked at Ryou with his red eyes.
Kurenai was the only person besides the Sandaime who dared to look directly into Ryou's Sharingan, because he was Konoha's number one genjutsu Jonin and also the head instructor for Chunin and Genin.
Asuma, Kurenai, and these other Chunin and Genin were overseen by Kurenai; he was also Ryou's former superior.
"Shinku-senpai!"
Ryou's Sharingan met Kurenai's red eyes; this time, Ryou did not release a Sharingan genjutsu.
Because they knew each other; Ryou and Kurenai were of the same generation, and he was Ryou's senior.
Back at the Ninja Academy, Kurenai and Hatake Sakumo were one year ahead of Ryou, Tsunade, and the others.
Except for the Third Hokage, most of the Ninjas here had graduated from the Ninja Academy; they were all in a junior-senior relationship.
Even so, genjutsu still had to be used when necessary.
Ryou had already backstabbed his fellow villagers; he wouldn't care about this bit of sentiment for his senior.
Ryou cast a genjutsu on Kurenai, but unexpectedly, Kurenai reflected Ryou's genjutsu right back at him, forcing Ryou to hurriedly dispel it in a fluster.
"As expected of Konoha's number one genjutsu master!"
For a Ninja like Kurenai, who had neither the Sharingan nor Five Senses Control, to become Konoha's top genjutsu master was not merely a matter of political disparagement of the Uchiha by the higher-ups.
Kurenai's own mastery of genjutsu was incredibly strong.
Kurenai looked at Ryou and said, "Ryou, you should know how destructive Uchiha Madara is to the Ninja World. Why would you help him regain his strength?"
Ryou didn't know if Madara's White Zetsu were eavesdropping, so he assumed they were monitoring him; when mentioning Madara, he had to use respectful terms.
"Shinku, I don't want to hear your nonsense. Hashirama's Ninja World is a mistake. My ancestor was resurrected precisely to clean up this chaos."
"If you're smart, Konoha will surrender obediently and hand over your wives and children. Otherwise, the day my ancestor returns to the world will be the day of your destruction."