Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado immediately turned grim. Hiruzen had clearly ordered all knowledgeable Ninja not to tell the Uchiha about Madara.
So how did the Uchiha learn about it?
The resurrection of Madara naturally couldn't be concealed. Jiraiya's severe injuries, Orochimaru's death, and Tsunade's capture were events that simply couldn't be suppressed.
Even if the Uchiha didn't have the Ninja Cat as an information channel, they could still find out from other sources.
With a flash of the Sharingan, they'd expose the color of your underwear, old feng.
The Third Hokage walked out of the Hokage Building and looked at Fugaku, saying, "Fugaku, Uchiha Madara has indeed resurrected."
"However, your Uchiha Clan has already betrayed Uchiha Madara once. Can you still pledge allegiance to him again?"
Fugaku remained silent. Yashiro said, "Hokage-sama, that was a matter of the previous generation. I believe Lord Madara will not refuse the Uchiha's power."
The Third Hokage's expression instantly became serious, and Anbu members appeared in unison, standing on the surrounding rooftops.
"You Uchiha—are you trying to rebel?"
"..."
The Uchiha members all activated their Sharingan, confronting the elite Anbu Ninja without hesitation.
The elderly people who had come to collect eggs were instantly stunned. Was this a rebellion?
Fugaku shouted loudly, "Quiet everyone! The Uchiha will not rebel, nor will they betray the Village to join Uchiha Madara!"
Immediately, all the Uchiha Clan members deactivated their Sharingan.
The Third Hokage's Anbu also retreated one by one, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The Third Hokage spoke to Fugaku with a pleasant expression, "Fugaku, it's not that the Village is deliberately targeting your Uchiha. The matter of Uchiha Madara cannot be taken lightly."
Fugaku nodded, "We all know that. We are here only for a promise."
"A promise? What kind of promise do you Uchiha want?"
Utatane Koharu looked sternly at these Uchiha, who seemed to be trying to ride over them. She wished Danzo was there to tear them apart.
Yashiro said, "People from the Senju lineage have been Hokage for three terms. We Uchiha hope that the next Hokage must be a Uchiha."
As soon as Yashiro spoke, Senju Gyokushun jumped out, "Impossible! Your Uchiha will never be able to become Hokage!"
Fugaku, Yashiro, and the other Jonin all looked at Gyokushun.
"Why? The Uchiha are one of Konoha's founding pillars. Why can't the Uchiha become Hokage?"
"Fine, the Senju lineage wants to control the Village for generations and forever exclude the Uchiha from the circle of power."
"If you don't let the Uchiha play, then no one gets to play. Let's go, we'll join Lord Madara and establish a Ninja World that belongs to the Uchiha."
The Third Hokage quickly called out, "Wait, let's discuss this. Don't just talk about betraying the Village."
The Third Hokage had several Uchiha high-ranking members enter the Hokage's Office, and they closed the doors to talk.
From time to time, the Hokage Building would erupt with the sound of Uchiha cursing or the roaring shouts of Konoha's high-ranking officials. In any case, both sides were arguing fiercely.
Shisui and Itachi watched anxiously from the side.
Itachi was somewhat worried, "Is the clan's pressure on the Village lacking a sense of the bigger picture?"
In Itachi's mind, the problem of Madara was the core issue right now. Everyone should work together to deal with Madara first.
Solve the main contradiction first, then the secondary contradictions.
The country comes before the family!
Shisui nodded, "However, the conflict between the clan and the Village is also urgent. It should be resolved as soon as possible under the pressure of Uchiha Madara."
Itachi was still worried, "Can the Ninja World without the First Hokage truly deal with Uchiha Madara?"
Shisui said firmly, "Yes, it definitely can. He is just one person, and we are a Village, and the entire Ninja World."
If it truly came to an irreversible point.
Shisui subconsciously touched his eyes, his gaze sharpening.
Then he would use his own eyes to rewrite all the disadvantages!
It was probably when the sun was about to set.
Konoha's high-ranking officials and the Uchiha's high-ranking officials finally reached an agreement, and both sides walked out together hand in hand.
The Third Hokage and Fugaku held hands, looking like everything was fine and dandy.
Everyone present felt relieved, and the Uchiha members also felt at ease.
It was good that they reached an agreement. The fear was that if they fought, the Uchiha would vanish, and Konoha would be severely weakened.
Shisui observed the reactions of the high-ranking officials with his Sharingan.
Fugaku, Yashiro, and Inabi were all grinning, their mouths never closing. It seemed Konoha's high-ranking officials had agreed to their requests.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado were so grim they looked like they were about to bleed, their faces as if they wanted to devour someone.
Fugaku's eyes met Shisui's Sharingan, and Shisui quickly deactivated his eyes.
"Shisui!"
Fugaku and several Uchiha Jonin walked over. Fugaku patted Shisui's shoulder and said, "From today onwards, you and Inabi will be part of the Anbu."
Anbu?!
Shisui was greatly surprised.
Konoha Anbu, full name "Assassination Tactics Special Forces," was founded by the Second Hokage and was the first special organization directly under a Kage in the Five Great Nations.
Its core role was "Konoha's Shadow Blade," responsible for highly confidential and high-risk missions.
To see if a clan was highly valued in the Village, one would look at whether there were Ninja from that clan serving in the Anbu.
Shisui never expected Konoha's high-ranking officials to make such an unprecedented move, allowing Uchiha members to join the Anbu?
It seemed Madara had put immense pressure on Konoha!
Was he really as strong as the rumors claimed?
The elite Ninja of the new generation grew curious about Madara's strength.
If he knew the news of the Sannin's complete defeat, he wouldn't be curious, but terrified.
Shisui looked at Fugaku, "Lord Fugaku, what about you all?"
Fugaku smiled, "Tomorrow, all the Ninja of our Uchiha Clan will depart for the Land of Fire's coastal border to hold back Kirigakure."
Konoha's high-ranking officials couldn't let the Uchiha participate in the subjugation of Madara, fearing they might turn against them at a critical moment.
But keeping them in the Village also risked them causing trouble, so they handed over the entire Kirigakure front-line war to the Uchiha.
This was both to negotiate with Kirigakure, to win them over to fight Madara, and to guard against Kirigakure incursions.
Getting the Uchiha far away was better for everyone.
Shisui didn't want to hear about this. "Lord Fugaku, is it about the Fourth Hokage?"
Yashiro interjected, "Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, those two old geezers, absolutely refused to let an Uchiha become Hokage."
"Those old geezers played a trick; the election of the Fourth Hokage requires high-ranking officials' nominations, and not one of them would nominate an Uchiha."
"However, the Third Hokage promised us that he would nominate Fugaku, and all Uchiha Jonin will have electoral votes."
In the original story, Konoha's high-ranking officials indeed played a trick on the Uchiha. The election of the Fourth Hokage required high-ranking officials' nominations, and none of the four high-ranking officials nominated an Uchiha.
This led to only Minato and Orochimaru being candidates for the final Hokage election, making the Uchiha grit their teeth in hatred.
Inabi felt a bit regretful, "It's a pity. It would have been great if Lord Fugaku had been directly appointed Fourth Hokage."
Fugaku shook his head, "That's impossible, but this is good too. This way, it will be a fair competition."
The Uchiha had heard rumors that the Sannin were completely defeated in their confrontation with Madara: Jiraiya was severely injured, Tsunade was captured, and Orochimaru was killed in action.
Now, the only one in all of Konoha who could contend with Fugaku was Minato.
Minato was a commoner Jonin. Even if his military achievements were outstanding, what did it matter? Without the support of a Ninja Clan, he could only be supported by some commoner Ninja.
At that time, if the Uchiha made some moves and exchanged benefits with the various Ninja Clans of the Village, then the position of Fourth Hokage would be a sure thing.
The Uchiha's dream of having a Hokage from their clan, spanning three generations, was finally about to come true in this generation.
Fugaku was in a great mood. Madara's resurrection was a good thing!
Seeing the Uchiha rising, other Ninja Clans came forward to congratulate them. The position of Fourth Hokage was very likely to be born from the Uchiha.
They needed to pick a side quickly.
Itachi watched from the side, somewhat puzzled. His young mind didn't think that far ahead.
But he also understood that with Madara as a great enemy, Konoha could be destroyed by him at any moment.
How could these people still be so enthusiastic about the Hokage position?