"Liar, Hiruzen Sarutobi! You're a damn liar!"
Not only did he betray my trust, he also stole my money!
Danzo had just promised me great benefits—talking about making me president of the Konoha Newspaper. But Hiruzen Sarutobi's few words just shattered all my plans.
Could he really go back on his word so easily?
Looking into Hiruzen's sharp, cunning eyes, Danzo could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.
"Heh, not bad… not bad at all," Danzo muttered through clenched teeth, his face turning pale with frustration.
"Hokage Sarutobi, thank you for everything you've done for the village," Hiruzen said as he glanced toward the gate. He had secured his benefits and was now ready to cut people loose.
Danzo's blood boiled—his entire body screamed in rage.
As he left the Hokage Tower, Danzo refused to accept defeat. He summoned a Root ninja with a grim expression and whispered an order in his ear.
Without hesitation, the ninja disappeared into the shadows.
Meanwhile, several elders of the Uchiha clan received news about the shares in the Konoha Hayate Newspaper.
Many of these elders lived close by, so they quickly gathered, meeting one after another.
"This information about the newspaper shares must have come from Danzo—there's no doubt about it."
"Hmph. That man is always scheming."
"Should we deal with Uchiha Feng Huo, then?"
They held the documents carefully, considering the power of the newspaper. None could deny they were tempted.
The Uchiha clan's reputation in Konoha had always been tarnished, shadowed by suspicion. If they could reverse that through control of the newspaper, it would be a logical step toward securing a future Hokage position.
"Uchiha Feng Huo is still a child, but after a few articles in the paper, he's become a village prodigy idol. If this honor stays with the Uchiha... even if Danzo's intentions are questionable, we cannot simply give up those shares."
"Exactly. Feng Huo belongs to the clan. And since he's young, the shares under his name should be managed by us, the elders."
"The current generation of Hokage won't let us take those shares easily."
"Hmph, this is a family matter—no one should interfere, not even Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
Their voices grew louder and more confident as they spoke, and soon they were contacting the clan patriarch, Uchiha Chinatsu, and the Police Captain, Uchiha Fugaku.
Since becoming Police Captain, Fugaku's workload had increased drastically—leaving early, going to bed late, bags under his eyes even in youth.
Hearing the elders' report, Fugaku felt a strange unease. Some elders were too eager, almost strange.
They'd already sent assassins after him once. Now they wanted to take the newspaper shares from Feng Huo? How bold.
"Qianxia, Fuyue, I'll leave this matter to you," the elders declared confidently, expecting the patriarch and captain to handle the dirty work.
Uchiha Chinatsu and Fugaku exchanged wry smiles.
"Elder, I'm afraid this won't be easy."
An elder scoffed, "Patriarch Qianxia, this concerns our clan. Don't worry about the Third Hokage or Danzo. Just send someone to Feng Huo. If he agrees, fine. If not... you know what to do."
"…Alright, we'll try," Uchiha Chinatsu replied reluctantly.
As they left, Fugaku frowned, displeased.
"The elders are taking this for granted. The newspaper is now controlled by the Third Hokage—it's impossible for us to interfere directly."
Uchiha Chinatsu sighed, "Many elders hold key positions—over half of the jonin and chunin, and many in your police force."
Fugaku frowned deeper, "How did it come to this?"
"Uchiha Madara," Chinatsu said slowly. "When he led the clan, everyone followed him. He made peace with the Senju and helped found Konoha. Back then, no one could oppose him. But after his fight with Hashirama at the Valley of the End, which nearly destroyed the clan's reputation, the elders gained power to balance the patriarch's authority."
"Uchiha Madara…"
Hearing that name, Fugaku fell silent. Madara was a legend—on par with the gods of the ninja world.
"Let's go speak with Uchiha Feng Huo."
They headed to the Konoha Newspaper office near the Ninja Academy. Inside, Shikaku Nara was waiting.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had moved swiftly—after Danzo's departure, he reinstated Hatake Sakumo as head of the covert forces and appointed the brilliant Nara Shikaku as newspaper president.
"Ah, Patriarch Qianxia, Captain Fuyue, what brings you here?" Shikaku greeted lazily.
"We're here to see Uchiha Feng Huo," Chinatsu asked.
Shikaku frowned. "He's not been here in months."
That answer caught them off guard. But Shikaku's mind was racing, calculating every possible motive and countermeasure. His intellect was no joke.
"Not here for months?" Chinatsu snapped angrily, "That kid doesn't understand the importance of this office. He's probably caused a mess while gone."
Shikaku shrugged, "Ask Sakumo-sama—I just became president."
"Regardless, Feng Huo's absence is serious neglect," Chinatsu growled—only to be cut off.
"Patriarch Qianxia, the newspaper is privately owned. Whether Feng Huo shows up or not is none of your business," Shikaku said sharply. "But since Feng Huo is family, we do have the right to supervise and keep him in line."
He smiled, "Say 'family,' Patriarch Qianxia. Doesn't that guilt you?"
Fugaku scowled, "What do you mean by that?"
Shikaku sneered, "As Konoha Police Captain, surely you understand. The Taki no Kuni mission, the assassinations of Fox Uchiha and Hayashi Uchiha, the attacks afterward—all just misunderstandings, huh?"
Chinatsu snapped, "Those were misunderstandings!"
Shikaku ignored them, continuing, "Let me explain the Konoha Hayate newspaper setup. It's a joint-stock company. The Hokage owns 20% of the shares. My family, the Yamanaka, Akimichi, Inuzuka, and Hatake Sakumo each hold 10%. The remaining 10% goes to newspaper development."
"Though Feng Huo founded the paper, the real power lies with the Hokage, who holds the largest stake and our full support."
"From appointing the president and vice-president to editorial decisions, the Hokage has ultimate authority."
Shikaku watched the grim expressions of Chinatsu and Fugaku deepen.
"So even if the 10% owned by Sakumo-sama were taken over, that person couldn't influence the paper."
The two Uchiha looked at each other, their faces dark with frustration.
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