Chapter 3: The Plan!
Swish!
In the next instant, Itsuki disappeared from there.
When the Nine-Tails appear, bystanders retreat.
This is the awareness of being a Uchiha! If an Uchiha appears within a hundred meters of the Nine-Tails, that guy with an 'x' on his face will probably shout again: "Evil Uchiha, how dare you..." and then he'll rush to the Hokage's office and argue his case!
In the end, it always ends with: "Hi... you'll regret this!"
Look at how agitated he gets, as if the Uchiha really committed some heinous crime.
On the other hand, the self-proclaimed strongest Hokage, while secretly wishing all Uchiha were dead, still speaks up for them, suppressing his comrade: "Dan... I am the Hokage!"
Sigh! Itsuki sighed.
It's not us who are wrong, it's the world.
He-tui!
...
At this moment.
In a dark, windowless room in Konoha, a piece of information was delivered.
A ninja wearing a bizarre mask knelt on one knee, whispered a few words, and then left.
An old man leaning on a cane, his face twisted in anger, stood up and walked out with large strides.
His cane could hardly keep up with his pace!
Just three minutes later, he appeared in the Hokage's office.
"Hiruzen!"
Danzo glared at the so-called strongest Hokage sitting behind the desk, slammed the information on the table, and with a ferocious expression, said: "This Uchiha brat is very problematic."
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up the information, looked at it, and appeared puzzled.
"Uchiha Itsuki?"
"I remember he is Shisui's brother, Kagami's descendant. Although he is a bit... mischievous."
His expression showed a hint of being at a loss for words.
"But overall, he is a relatively peaceful Uchiha, completely different from those radical Uchiha members."
"Nonsense!"
Danzo shouted angrily: "Hiruzen, believe me, this Uchiha Itsuki is absolutely a very dangerous and evil brat."
Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated: "Danzo, I know, Itsuki is very active and loves pranks. Last time, he made you... ahem."
Danzo's gaze was fierce, his expression ferocious, looking as if he was about to devour someone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but shrink his neck.
Better not talk about that!
Danzo would definitely fight to the death.
"This Itsuki, his behavior today was very normal!" Hiruzen Sarutobi called in the ANBU, reported Itsuki's activities for the day, and then said: "First, he met with Jiraiya... sigh, then he went to eat ramen. What's the problem?"
As he spoke, his gaze paused at a certain part of the report.
... Tsunade confirmed to have left the village, whereabouts unknown.
She's gone, huh?
He sighed inwardly.
"There's a huge problem!" Danzo said excitedly: "He ran away as soon as he saw the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, do you understand?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered: "What does that signify?"
"Guilt!"
Danzo's words were firm and resolute!
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
Danzo shouted agitatedly: "If Uchiha Itsuki had nothing to hide, why did he run away immediately after seeing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? Hiruzen, believe me, he must have done something shady. Maybe he has his eyes on the Nine-Tails..."
"Enough!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, feeling a headache, sighed: "Danzo, a month ago, Itsuki was eating ramen when Naruto walked in."
"At that time, Itsuki was about to finish and leave."
"The two were in Ichiraku Ramen together for just a few dozen breaths before going their separate ways."
"And you told me Uchiha Itsuki was trying to approach Naruto and almost made a move on him. If I hadn't intervened decisively, who knows how it would have turned out."
"And now, he leaves as soon as he sees Naruto, and you say he's feeling guilty."
The rest of his words went unspoken, but his expression was clear: What are you up to?
Danzo roared: "Are you saying I'm wrong?"
"Otherwise?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said helplessly: "Danzo, you're being too sensitive."
"Hmph, all Uchiha are evil, that's what our teacher said!" Danzo said sinisterly: "This Uchiha Itsuki, in particular, is inherently evil. There's a deep, dark power in his eyes, Hiruzen, you'd better remember my words!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew serious, and he said in a firm voice: "Danzo, I know you hate Itsuki because of that incident, but I hope you consider the bigger picture. Itsuki is Kagami's descendant, Shisui's brother, an important figure among the moderate Uchiha. He is very important to us."
"No, Hiruzen, you're fundamentally wrong!" Danzo said coldly: "For the Uchiha, we must use lightning-fast methods to completely eradicate them."
"And then?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said angrily: "Leaving behind a deeply scarred Konoha? Do you think the other villages will just stand by and watch? The war just ended a few days ago. Can Konoha withstand another war? And how will you explain it to the Daimyo?"
"Furthermore, the Uchiha haven't done anything wrong. On what grounds will we act against them? Do you want to destroy Konoha, Danzo?"
The Uchiha are a famous and powerful clan in Konoha.
The strongest ninja clan in Konoha!
Even if many ninja clans don't like them, they can't deny that the Uchiha are one of the representative clans of the ninja world.
If they act against the Uchiha without cause, what will the other clans think?
Because of Tobirama's policy of clan integration into civilian life, the ninja clans of Konoha already harbor a degree of distrust towards the higher-ups.
If you act recklessly now, the other clans will react accordingly!
This is the principle of shared fate!
In the original story, why did Itachi kill his entire clan?
Because he was an Uchiha!
An Uchiha killing Uchiha is internal strife!
What Konoha did was to eliminate traitors, avenging the Uchiha.
Even though everyone knew that one Uchiha Itachi couldn't have wiped out the entire clan on his own, there must have been intervention from the ANBU or the Root. At least on the surface, it was enough.
Moreover, the Uchiha's intent to spark a conflict was not only known by the Hokage faction, but other ninja clans also had some awareness.
No one could tolerate them anymore, which led to the downfall of the Uchiha.
But Danzo coldly said: "It's just short-term pain. Compared to the threat of the Uchiha, this is nothing."
"Enough, you need to rest!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze turned cold: "Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
"Hmph! Hiruzen, you will regret this."
Thud, thud, thud!
The sound of a cane striking the ground gradually faded away.
The office fell silent again.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows remained furrowed: "It seems something is wrong..."
He carefully recalled his conversation with Danzo.
He couldn't pinpoint the problem.
"Forget it!"
He picked up another file.
Uchiha Itsuki!
It detailed everything about Itsuki.
Expertise in ninjutsu...
Weaknesses...
Personality flaws...
Growth experiences...
Interpersonal relationships...
Including some activities of his that only the Uchiha higher-ups knew.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the file.
During the Third Shinobi War, countless excellent ninjas emerged, among them Yellow Flash Namikaze Minato and Shisui of the Body Flicker stood out the most.
Among them, although Shisui was excellent, he was promoted as a Uchiha ninja by Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.
The Uchiha clan's performance on the battlefield was too outstanding to suppress.
So, they decided to elevate Shisui, who was close to the Hokage faction, as a hero!
This was also an explanation to the Uchiha clan.
During this process, someone was deliberately or unintentionally overlooked.
Uchiha Itsuki!
Shisui's younger brother!
This was someone who gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a headache in every sense.
His personality was strange, making him hard to read, yet his talent faintly surpassed Shisui's.
During the Third Shinobi War, if he hadn't been deliberately suppressed, he would have already become famous in the ninja world.
At that time, he was only ten years old!
Danzo had said one thing that Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed with.
Uchiha Itsuki was a very dangerous individual.
"Uchiha Shisui... Uchiha Itsuki..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"Shisui, are you the jade I'm looking for?"
"If you are... then prove it to me!"