After Zhang Miao left home, he headed straight for the house of Hiruzen, situated in the west of the village.
It was deep into the night; every household in Konoha had shut its doors and turned off the lights for rest. However, as Zhang Miao approached the western side of the village, he noticed that the house of Hiruzen was still brightly lit.
"It seems that Old Man Hiruzen knew I was coming!"
Thinking this, Zhang Miao smiled slightly and leaped, directly jumping in through the window of Hiruzen's house.
As soon as Zhang Miao landed inside, the voice of Hiruzen sounded in his ears.
"Is the Nether King visiting late at night regarding the Uchiha clan's matter?"
When Hiruzen's voice rang out, the system's voice sounded in Zhang Miao's mind.
"Ding! Congratulations to His Holiness, for obtaining 7-Star Kage-Level Sarutobi Hiruzen Ninja Fragment x10!"
Upon hearing this system prompt, Zhang Miao quickly turned his head and saw Hiruzen, who was holding a pipe and wore a serious expression.
Seeing this scene, a smirk formed at the corner of Zhang Miao's mouth.
"The Uchiha clan's matter is Konoha's concern. How to handle it is your responsibility as the Hokage. It's none of my business unless you actively seek my involvement."
"I see!"
Hearing Zhang Miao's words, Hiruzen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and nodded.
"I understand your point. If possible, please advise the Uchiha clan. If it's coming from you, they might take it more seriously."
Hiruzen's words clearly hinted at something else, something Zhang Miao's intelligence quickly picked up on, causing him to furrow his brow.
"What do you mean by that, Grandpa Third? Do you think there's a connection between the Uchiha of Konoha and those in the Land of Waves, leading to inappropriate thoughts?"
Observing Zhang Miao's furrowed brow, Hiruzen didn't say much but directly handed a scroll to Zhang Miao.
"This is information just obtained by the Anbu. Take a look!"
Upon hearing the words "Anbu," Zhang Miao's expression turned serious because he knew that once the Anbu was involved, the nature of the matter changed.
After taking the scroll handed by Hiruzen, Zhang Miao immediately opened and read it.
According to the records on the scroll, among those Uchiha who previously defected to the Land of Waves, only a small fraction truly grew tired of Konoha's environment. The majority of the Uchiha had the purpose of temporarily staying out of the higher-ups' sight in Konoha, preparing for a counter move at a crucial moment.
This was not baseless speculation as the Anbu of Konoha had already discovered these "defectors," secretly contacting the Uchiha in Konoha, evidently plotting something.
After reading the contents of the scroll, Zhang Miao suddenly understood, with a hint of realization and a cold sneer.
"Hmph, I was wondering earlier, after experiencing a large-scale defection event, why the Uchiha clan would choose to rebel again. Turns out, they intended to play both sides, but unfortunately for them, they've made a miscalculation!"
Saying this, Zhang Miao looked back at Hiruzen, wearing a serious expression.
"I know what's going on. I'll go advise Fugaku now. As for those Uchiha in the Land of Waves, rest assured, they won't cause you trouble."
Finishing his words, Zhang Miao's figure immediately disappeared. Witnessing this scene, Hiruzen put his pipe back in his mouth, took a drag, then exhaled a long plume of smoke.
"Hopefully, he can persuade the Uchihas. Otherwise, things will get troublesome."
For Hiruzen, if not absolutely necessary, he didn't want to harm the other people in the village, especially the Uchiha clan.
The Uchiha clan was incredibly powerful. The phrase "Run away if you had to face them one-on-one" was not mere boastful talk but a reputation built by generations of the Uchiha clan.
They were like a double-edged sword; because of them, Konoha had its strength today. But if they rebelled, it would deal a devastating blow to Konoha, even if it were suppressed, at an extremely heavy cost.
When the time comes for an external invasion, Konoha might face destruction, which was the last thing Hiruzen wanted.
So, he could only hope for Zhang Miao to persuade Fugaku to resolve the conflict through discussion.
Unfortunately, Hiruzen overlooked one thing: Zhang Miao was not the kind of person to mediate others.
When Zhang Miao met Fugaku, the first sentence he spoke left Fugaku stunned.
"Hey, Uncle Fugaku, I heard you're planning a rebellion?"
Upon hearing Zhang Miao's question, the corners of Fugaku's mouth twitched several times before he managed to speak.
"Nonsense. Who told you that?"
Zhang Miao had anticipated that Fugaku wouldn't admit it, so he waved his hand dismissively.
"It doesn't matter who told me, and your denial doesn't matter either. I'm here to tell you one thing: those Uchiha who ran to the Land of Waves won't come back. They can't assist you. If you rebel, you're doomed!"
Hearing Zhang Miao's words, Fugaku's eyebrows twitched slightly, then he looked puzzled.
"I don't understand what you're saying. I don't need any help, and those defected Uchiha have nothing to do with us anymore. Did you misunderstand something? Or is it something the Third told you?"
Fugaku spoke meticulously, trying to fish out some information from Zhang Miao. If Zhang Miao hadn't been familiar with the plot, he might have been fooled.
But unfortunately, that wasn't the case. As soon as Fugaku finished speaking, Zhang Miao once again impatiently waved his hand.
"Whether you understand it or not is none of my concern. I came to tell you one thing: if they rebel, the Uchiha clan will surely perish. You decide for yourself!"
Finishing his words, Zhang Miao immediately disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving Fugaku alone in the room, lost in thought.
Zhang Miao had no idea what Fugaku was thinking about. As he exited the Uchiha settlement, he was intercepted by two Anbu operatives wearing animal masks.
"Ryunosuke-sama, Danzo-sama requests your presence!"
Hearing this, Zhang Miao immediately recognized the identity of the Anbu operatives in front of him and nodded, "Ah, so you're from 'Root.' Alright, I understand. Lead the way."
"Yes!"
As Zhang Miao spoke, the two "Root" ninjas acknowledged and led him to the underground base belonging to the "Root", where Danzo had been waiting for him.
Danzo remained unchanged, with bandages wrapped around his head, concealing his right eye within white cloth. He leaned on a cane and slowly opened his left eye when he saw Zhang Miao arriving.
"You're finally back. So, should I address you as Ryunosuke? Or the Nether King? Or perhaps the Kamikage of the Land of Waves?"