If one were to describe the current mood of the Uchiha clan, only three words would suffice… Utterly aggrieved.
So aggrieved, that they were even the last to be informed of a disappearance.
Whenever a major event occurred, following tradition, the prominent ninjas of the Uchiha clan would sneak into the Naka Shrine. Only after confirming that the surroundings were soundproof did they begin to speak loudly.
Since Uchiha Shisui was a direct witness to the incident, he was also present in this meeting hall, seated in the outermost position. At the head of the room sat the Uchiha clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku. He wore a stern expression, remaining silent and uncommunicative.
But the other Uchiha clan members sitting on either side, who had come to participate in the meeting, were already in an uproar.
"Less than a year has passed since the previous disappearance, and now a second one has occurred so quickly. If this continues, everyone in the clan will be living in fear. Moreover, the last incident happened outside of Konoha, but this time they've become so brazen as to act directly within the Uchiha clan… They are constantly testing our limits."
"One step back, and you'll keep stepping back. Gradual concessions lead to gradual oppression. The Uchiha are on the verge of destruction!"
"We don't need Konoha's highest authority to improve the clan's situation. The Uchiha cannot simply wait for their demise."
"Decades of experience have shown that Konoha is not a good place to live. Even if we don't do that, we at least need to leave this place of trouble… Even if we find an island to hide on, our situation would be better than it is now."
Just like during the previous Jonin meeting, where some felt the Third Hokage was too lenient with the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku also found it difficult to unify the voices within the Uchiha… Clan leaders are not all the same. For the Hyuga clan leader, unifying the clan was very simple. For the Uchiha clan leader, unifying the clan was incredibly difficult, because Uchiha ninjas were the type of people with rich emotions and expansive thinking.
However, the Uchiha's thinking was too expansive, to the point of turning back the clock. Some wanted a single village to serve a single clan, wanting to return to a slave society; such thoughts didn't even warrant evaluation. Others wanted to separate from Konoha and return to the Warring States period's one-clan, one-power state. This idea might seem moderate and conservative, but they didn't consider what the outcome would be for a ninja clan that separated from a ninja village in this era.
Venting emotions is certainly not a skill; compromise and restraint are wisdom. Therefore, both Uchiha Fugaku and the Third Hokage were doing this. However, the problem was that, while both were compromising, in the long run, the Hokage's compromises benefited Konoha, while the Uchiha's compromises harmed the Uchiha.
After these people had argued for a while, Uchiha Fugaku finally spoke, "Shisui, tell us about the situation you encountered earlier."
"Yes, Fugaku-sama," Uchiha Shisui replied, and then roughly recounted the dangerous situation he had encountered before.
"Did you see the culprit's face?" Fugaku asked again.
Shisui shook his head. "No, I didn't. But I think that even if such a thing has occurred within the clan, we cannot jump to the conclusion that it was done by the village's higher-ups. Assuming someone in Konoha harbors hostility towards the Uchiha, this hostility might just be a personal grudge.
The village's higher-ups, at least the Hokage's faction, have no reason to do such a thing. If the Third Hokage were dissatisfied with the Uchiha, he could punish us openly and legitimately, without resorting to such underhanded tactics, as that would only damage his authority."
To accommodate the mood of his clansmen, Uchiha Shisui had already spoken very tactfully, yet most people were destined to ignore his words.
Someone sneered and shook his head, saying, "Shisui, you're still young. There are some things you simply don't understand."
Honestly, this kind of arrogance, so disdainful that it wouldn't even deign to argue, and could only use the other person's youth as an excuse, was the most disgusting situation. Whether Shisui was inexperienced or not was debatable, but his condescending attitude, relying on his seniority, showed that he had lived his life in vain.
Uchiha Fugaku raised his hand to silence them, and the noise in the secret room vanished. Then he said, "Shisui has a point. Currently, the Third Hokage has dispatched a large number of ninjas to investigate this matter. The higher-ups' attitude is very proper, and we also need to work hard to find the missing clansman… We'll talk about everything else after we find him. Listen, until then, do not act rashly."
After saying this, Uchiha Fugaku declared the meeting over, and this order from the clan leader greatly disappointed most of the Uchiha ninjas.
However, Uchiha Shisui breathed a sigh of relief. At least for now, the clan leader was still rational. They both clearly understood one fact: the gap in strength between the Uchiha and Konoha was too great.
In a daze, Uchiha Shisui also had a realization. Many clansmen didn't simply feel that the clan was being suppressed by the higher-ups. Fundamentally, some felt that the current status of the Uchiha clan didn't match their strength and pride!
The Uchiha had a long history, so many people unconsciously regarded the strength of their ancestors as their own strength. Therefore, what they wanted was not equal treatment from the higher-ups, but rather privileges that placed them above others.
To prevent the clan from walking down a path of no return, Uchiha Shisui finally made up his mind to take action. And the Konoha higher-up he could rely on…
A name surfaced in his mind almost immediately.
...
As night deepened, the lights in the Hokage's office were still burning brightly. Not long after the Uchiha clan's internal meeting ended, someone came to the Third Hokage.
It was Shimura Danzo. This time, the Third Hokage had summoned him.
"Danzo, what do you know about the current Uchiha incident?" the Third Hokage said, staring at Danzo. It was no wonder he was suspicious, because although the previous incident had been dropped, the Hokage knew that Danzo was behind it.
"I know nothing. Sarutobi, this matter has nothing to do with me." This time, Danzo's tone was very firm, because he truly wasn't the one who did it, although no one would believe him.
One could only say that at this time, Danzo's right eye was still the original. If he had already transplanted the Sharingan, then he would have had to take the blame.
The Third Hokage looked deeply at Danzo, because he didn't know whether he should believe the person in front of him.
"Hiruzen, this incident may just be an accident, but the Uchiha's rebellious spirit is growing stronger by the day. Now is the time to deal with them… It's impossible for the Uchiha to reintegrate into Konoha. Delaying will only harm the village." Danzo didn't admit to kidnapping any Uchiha, and instead urged the Third Hokage to take action quickly. He believed that resolving this matter sooner would be better for everyone.
In a sense, Danzo's thinking wasn't wrong. However, as the supreme leader, the Third Hokage could not easily issue an order to exterminate a clan. Those in power couldn't think that way.
Moreover, an order to exterminate a clan would severely damage the Third Hokage's political reputation.
So, the Third Hokage began to trigger his traditional skill, "The Uchiha problem can only be solved gradually, not through violent solutions. Your suggestion is not beneficial to the village. Do you think the Uchiha are beyond redemption?"
The Third Hokage decided to stall, observe the situation, look for opportunities, and solve the problem bit by bit.
Without waiting for Shimura Danzo to retort, the Third Hokage continued, "Danzo, I have an important mission for you. Currently, Sunagakure is our ally. Including Sunagakure and the surrounding smaller countries, I've decided to adopt a joint Chunin Exam system in the future. This will increase the level of competition in the exams and serve as a way to maintain the combat effectiveness of lower-level ninjas during peacetime… Now, you need to convince Sunagakure.
After Sunagakure, continue north. Amegakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Yugakure – you need to convince each of these villages. This is a very important political mission, and only someone of high status can carry it out. So, Danzo, this matter can only be entrusted to you."
The Third Hokage used an excuse to send Danzo out of Konoha. With this round of missions, Danzo wouldn't be able to return to Konoha for several months. And during Danzo's absence, the Third decided to thoroughly investigate Root… He couldn't allow Danzo to continue running wild.
After hearing the Hokage's order, Shimura Danzo also looked deeply at the Third. After about half a minute, he finally withdrew his gaze and slowly walked away.
And just as Danzo was about to reach out and open the door of the Hokage's office, he finally triggered his traditional skill. He paused, and then said in a low voice, "Hiruzen, you will regret this."
The Third Hokage completely ignored Danzo. He turned his head to look at the interconnected lights outside the window, thinking, You've never been Hokage, how would you know the difficulties of this position?
...
Tap, tap, tap. Habara's footsteps echoed clearly in the long underground passage. Another fork in the road lay ahead. He held an oil lamp in his hand, shining it left and right, momentarily unsure which way to go.
The reason he could walk around so openly in Konoha's underground with a large lamp was because, at this time, a large group of Jonin, including Habara, had special search authority. Therefore, as long as he didn't disturb the residents, it was perfectly reasonable for him to appear anywhere at this time.
And just as Habara was hesitating, with a rustling sound, a white snake crawled past him. Then, this snake made a very obvious "look back" movement before leisurely crawling towards the right fork.
"Uh? Is that a delivery guy?"
Habara thought he had seen this snake before, and now this snake was clearly leading the way for him.
If things went as expected, Orochimaru was ahead. Habara hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to follow the "guide."
Habara was a person with secrets. Therefore, in this kind of secret underground space, a "lawless zone" with absolutely no third parties, Orochimaru would become particularly dangerous.
Therefore, Habara secretly raised his guard.
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