16Danzo, I, Uchiha Fugaku, thank you!AI Model: gemini-2.5-flashChapter 16 Danzo, I, Uchiha Fugaku, thank you!
Uchiha Fugaku was full of vigor.
In the past, the clan was a scattered mess, so he naturally felt powerless, but now that Uchiha Shisui had pledged his loyalty, he could finally contend with certain individuals in the Village.
Did they really think his Uchiha Clan was easy to bully?
Now, let them try.
Uchiha Fugaku felt an immense surge of joy, and years of pent-up frustration vanished.
He just wanted to see Danzo's gloomy face right now.
Oh,
and Hiruzen Sarutobi too.
He was sure their expressions must be very interesting now.
"It's a pity I can't see it!"
Uchiha Fugaku chuckled softly.
Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, who witnessed this scene, remained silent.
How long had it been since the Clan Head had laughed so freely?
Were they really such scoundrels?
The two couldn't help but reflect on themselves.
It seemed,
they might have been a bit too much; the clan was theirs, sharing both prosperity and decline.
But its existence wasn't solely theirs.
It also belonged to the Hyuga Clan, the Ino–Shika–Chō clan, and countless other villagers.
"I understand!"
Shisui clapped his hands and, under Uchiha Fugaku's startled gaze, exclaimed with delight, "I know, Clan Head!"
Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you know?
Uchiha Fugaku was afraid Shisui would utter some more earth-shattering remarks.
"We need to bring in some allies to protect Konoha Village and pressure Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others."
"The Hyuga Clan is our first choice!"
Whew!
Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku breathed a sigh of relief, and on second thought, it wasn't a bad idea.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Hyuga Hizashi's situation was a breakthrough point.
It was worth a try.
"You're right, but for now, we still need to play along on the surface, keeping up appearances."
"There will be no shortage of covert maneuvering next."
This was a game of power, a war without the clash of blades or the smoke of gunpowder.
Before a victor was decided, none of them would act to disrupt the current tense standoff.
It all depended on their tactics.
It seemed the Uchiha Clan was still at a disadvantage, but what of it?
It was better than having no solution at all, as before.
…
"Failed?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, puffing on his pipe, sighed helplessly, "You were too impatient."
Danzo's face was ashen, and he said bitterly, "It wasn't me who was impatient; someone interfered."
"Who?"
Danzo took a deep breath, suppressing the raging anger in his heart, and said coldly, "When I made my move, Shisui told me someone had tipped him off."
"When I was chasing Shisui, someone secretly threw a few Ninjutsu, which allowed Shisui to escape."
What!!!
Hiruzen Sarutobi was shaken and could no longer remain calm.
There was someone else behind this, and it wasn't Danzo's mistake after all.
Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately thought of the Nara Clan, and then also the Hyuga Clan.
"I'm not saying for sure, but that Ninjutsu looked a bit like a Rasengan, except this Rasengan could turn invisible."
Danzo was, after all, someone who had experienced many things; what had happened had happened, and anger was useless.
After calming himself down, he stood by the window, leaning on his cane, watching the stormy weather outside, and calmly analyzed:
"Whether it was a Rasengan or not, there is indeed a third force operating behind our Konoha Village, and we cannot let them benefit."
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked over to Danzo and nodded.
That was true.
If they and the Uchiha Clan fought to the death, the hidden force would ultimately benefit.
What was this force's goal?
Hokage!
Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi exchanged glances, reaching the same conclusion almost simultaneously.
The position of Hokage held immense value.
It was almost considered a high-ranking official in the Land of Fire, with great power.
The allure of this position was obvious.
"It seems we need to do some thorough cleaning up."
"Let's join forces!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi puffed on his pipe, exhaling smoke, his voice cold and filled with killing intent.
The next day,
Root and Anbu joined forces, beginning a thorough sweep, determined to uncover the person behind this.
Unfortunately,
with only one Ninjutsu attack, it was impossible to pinpoint Naruto.
They could only perform futile work.
This was a problem of missing information.
Naruto was happy to be left alone; anyway, they wouldn't trace it back to him.
He was monitored all day long, so he had no time to commit the act.
Incidentally, this also caused cracks to appear in the previously somewhat united Konoha Village.
"What's going on?"
Akimichi Choza, Nara Shikaku, and Inoichi Yamanaka sat together.
Akimichi Choza and Inoichi Yamanaka both looked at Nara Shikaku.
Among the three of them, Nara Shikaku was the absolute strategist.
They were also staunch supporters of the Hokagefaction.
But now, such a significant mission had not been routed through them, which instilled some panic in their hearts.
When the higher-ups stop assigning you tasks, it's not a good sign.
It meant you had lost their trust.
But the two pondered, it seemed they hadn't done anything, had they?
Nara Shikaku gave a bitter smile.
As a strategist, he would subtly analyze certain Village matters and gather information.
Then, he would deduce from that information.
This time, he knew a little, and it was precisely because he knew that he felt a chill in his heart.
He used to think they were part of the Hokagefaction and would never end up like the Uchiha Clan.
The Uchiha had many problems, but they didn't.
Now it seemed they had been played.
And what horrified him was that he had no idea who was behind it.
Good heavens,
he briefly replayed the events and was shocked to discover the depth of the mastermind's calculations, which were rarely seen.
First, through Shisui and Danzo's falling out, the Uchiha's strength and the Village's strength were brought a little closer.
This alone made Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitant.
Because they couldn't afford to completely weaken their own Village just to eradicate the Uchiha Clan.
That would only benefit others.
In this way, even if the Uchiha harbored suspicions, they would still accept this favor.
The Village was weakened, the Uchiha's strength was increased, and they gained a favor.
A complete win.
Next, this incident would certainly infuriate Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.
When you don't know who it is, the more capable you are, the more you will be suspected.
In this scenario, wouldn't his Nara Clan be the first to be targeted?
No choice, who told them their reputation as strategists was so prominent?
If not you, then who would they suspect?
It was well-known that the Ino–Shika–Chō were closely linked; the three clans could not be trusted too much.
Konoha Village was once again divided by another crack.
Nara Shikaku continued to analyze, "And the Hyuga Clan, they were originally keeping a low profile and not daring to move, but now, with this situation…"
They certainly wouldn't mind making a slight move.
Don't think of the Hyuga Clan as too weak.
As a result, it seemed that Konoha Village began to face a collapsing situation at this very moment.
Terrifying!
Nara Shikaku finished his analysis and gasped…