In the outskirts of Konoha, in an area where insects are denser than elsewhere, stand a few small houses, home to the Aburame clan. This clan, renowned for its secret techniques in raising insects, requires a spacious area to rear their bugs, hence their scattered houses within the village, which is still safe.
However, on this particular day, nearly all the Jonin of the Aburame clan gathered in the village. There weren't many, just about ten.
"They've gone too far, the Uchiha clan is too arrogant," they complained.
"We don't need to pay them any attention. I don't believe the Uchiha would dare," another added.
"Let's report to the Third Hokage. We'll see how bold the Uchiha really are."
After returning, Aburame Shibi convened all the Jonin of the clan to discuss the day's events. They were naturally indignant, especially considering the Uchiha's arrogant attitude, essentially threatening them to align with the Uchiha. This felt like a demand for their submission.
Most couldn't believe the Uchiha would dare do such a thing, but Shibi, with a frown, pointed out, "The Third Hokage is aging. Uchiha Yoru, only eighteen, has already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Even if he doesn't become the Fifth Hokage, with his age, he could compete for the next generation."
Shibi didn't really believe the Uchiha would act, but he thought further ahead. With the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Yoru was indeed eligible to compete for the position of Hokage. If not this time, he could wait for the next.
Unless Konoha could find another young Hokage like the Fourth, the only current candidates powerful enough were Jiraiya and Tsunade, but they wouldn't outlast Yoru in age.
"The clan head is right. If the Uchiha produce a Hokage in the future, we'll have a hard time," they concluded.
After much discussion, the Aburame decided they must appease the Uchiha, respecting the pride of a major clan.
"Let's bite the bullet and go all out. After such a significant offer, the Uchiha would be petty not to relent," they resolved.
"If the Uchiha really have the guts, they should take it up with the roots!"
Shibi, seeing the consensus, nodded solemnly, "Alright, our clan will have to make a huge sacrifice, but it's our fault after all."
"Send someone immediately with our clan's generous gift, and make sure the gesture is sincere."
"Yes!"
In the end, the Aburame clan decided to resolve the issue by offering a substantial gift, accepting their lack of a solid stance.
…
Inside the Hokage's Office.
Today, the Konoha F4 gathered together, with both Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura looking uneasy, still recalling the recent sighting of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Humph! I've always said, the Uchiha clan is an evil race and should not exist in this world."
At this moment, Shimura Danzo, biting his teeth in anger, spoke, but it was clear from his one good eye that he harbored fear more than anything else. Though he spoke of annihilating the clan, he was inwardly intimidated by the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Especially now, with the Root suffering heavy losses. Before the Uchiha clan had revealed the Mangekyō Sharingan, and while they still harbored illusions of grandeur, this made them increasingly brazen, underestimating the Uchiha.
But now, with the Uchiha clan, these evil beings, being stimulated by the Mangekyō Sharingan, have awakened their inner malice and excitement, turning into wild beasts.
Faced with such a powerful Uchiha clan, the three turned their gaze to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, frowned deeply as he took a puff from his pipe, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. He wearily tossed a scroll for everyone to see.
"The Uchiha clan has made their stance clear, especially Uchiha Yoru. He's young and impulsive, it's best not to provoke him."
"And the most pressing issue is not the Uchiha, but the Aburame and your Root, Danzō!" Hiruzen said sternly, glaring at Shimura Danzo.
Upon seeing the content of the scroll, Danzō's expression turned sour, and though he seemed somewhat guilty, he finally rasped out, "I never expected that evil brat to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan under the pressure of his family."
They all started to miss the days when Uchiha Fugaku was the clan head – a mature, family man who thought things through, unlike the young Uchiha Yoru.
Clearly, the activation of the Mangekyō had been a trigger. They knew well that the emotional turmoil caused by the Mangekyō could last a long time, and any slight misstep could ignite this powder keg.
"What should we do now, Hiruzen?"
Both Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura were troubled. Angering Uchiha Yoru could lead to a conflict, something none of them wanted to see.
Hiruzen fell silent, taking another drag of his pipe, and then looked firmly at Danzō, saying, "Hand over the Aburame ninja from the Root to the Uchiha clan and make it clear that this has nothing to do with the Root, that it's the work of enemies from other nations."
Danzō, though frustrated with Hiruzen's cautious approach, felt less confident considering his Root's recent losses.
An inadvertent spark of civil war within Konoha would be disastrous, making his dream of becoming Hokage impossible. Finally, Danzō nodded reluctantly.
"I understand."
Seeing Danzō showing some sense and not being petty, Hiruzen also breathed a sigh of relief, at least his own people wouldn't be too much of a headache.
"But Hiruzen, how should we handle the Aburame clan now? The Uchiha's stance is so clear."
Mitokado Homura asked with some concern, to which Hiruzen shook his head, "The Aburame clan has always been cautious. They won't provoke anything this time. I believe they will resolve everything. The most troublesome issue now is the unrest within the Land of Fire and the assassination of Fugaku!"
At this moment, the gazes of three people shifted over. Faced with such stares, Shimura Danzo's complexion turned an ugly iron blue as he said resentfully, "The incident at the Fire Temple has nothing to do with the Root. At most, the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Daimyo's court might have some influence from the Root."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen almost burst out in anger, but still maintained his composure and coldly snorted, "Danzo, with such a big mess at the Fire Temple, I'm afraid the traces of Root in the Daimyo's court will be suspected, along with the Fire Temple!"
Thinking of this, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt overwhelmed. He rubbed his forehead and sighed, "The Fire Temple had finally started leaning towards Konoha, and now with such a huge upheaval, coupled with the support of the Daimyo's court, the Fire Temple might completely stand behind the Daimyo."
This seriousness of losing face was also understood by Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Shimura Danzo, but they felt helpless, not expecting things to converge this way.
Coincidentally, just at this moment, an Anbu member appeared respectfully, presenting a scroll with both hands, and reported, "Through interrogation, we have obtained specific intelligence from the three people sent by Uchiha Fugaku. The leak of Uchiha Fugaku's information indeed came from this squad."
The Uchiha clan's approach this time was truly different from before, seemingly unrestrained in their actions.
These actions were thought to be stimulated by the assassination attempt on their clan head.
After seeing the intelligence, Sarutobi Hiruzen gestured for the Anbu to leave. Upon reading the information, he gasped in shock and anger.
"Danzo!"
Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's fierce gaze, Shimura Danzo knew he was at fault and remained silent, his face clearly showing his guilt.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane also hurried forward to check the intelligence, wondering what could have so angered the usually composed Hiruzen.
After reading, both showed shocked and angry expressions. Sarutobi Hiruzen, in a fit of anger, threw the scroll at Danzo's face.
"Danzo! Look at the trouble you've caused!"
With a furious look, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and pointed at Danzo's nose, scolding angrily, "Danzo, it's one thing for Root to ambush Fugaku without informing me, but you also secretly used the intelligence network of the intelligence department. Do you realize the impact of this?"
Root was one thing, as they were ninjas without any traceable records and numerous seals to prevent leaking information. However, the intelligence department was different.
The intelligence department, known as Konoha's official organization and one of the six departments, led by Inoichi Yamanaka. Once the intelligence department was involved, the nature of the situation changed completely.
It could be said that the higher-ups of Konoha had set an ambush for Uchiha Fugaku.
"Lord Hokage, there's trouble! Something has happened at the Uchiha clan's location!"
At this moment, another Anbu member burst in. The furious Sarutobi Hiruzen's intimidating look frightened the Anbu, but he still hurriedly reported his urgent news.
"What happened?"
At this moment, it was Shimura Danzo who was most afraid of an incident happening, as his involvement in this matter had been exposed, severing his ties with the title of Hokage for life.
"The Uchiha clan has gathered all the village's Chunin and higher-ranked forces, distributing war materials in a grand manner, proclaiming a slogan of avenging their former clan head!"
As the report from the Anbu came in, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt dizzy, holding his forehead under the concerned gazes of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. He nearly passed out from the shock.
"Hiruzen, are you alright?"
Looking at the worried faces of his old friends, Hiruzen, despite his exhaustion, gritted his teeth and said, "Hurry! Go investigate everything. Why would the Uchiha clan do this? What exactly happened?"
"Yes!"
After the departure of the Anbu, Hiruzen's body felt drained, and he slumped into his chair. Homura Mitokado expressed his urgent concern, "Hiruzen, you must hold on, don't lose your temper."
"Yes, Hiruzen, you are the shadow of Konoha, and the village still needs you."
Under the care of his old friends Homura and Koharu, Hiruzen always had a confident smile. However, this time he felt an unprecedented level of fatigue and weakness.
Since the night of the Nine-Tails, it seemed nothing had gone his way. Ever since he came out of retirement, Konoha had faced one disaster after another.
First, Orochimaru's actions caused instability at the borders. Then his own son was involved in an incident, which he found deeply distressing, only for the Fire Temple to encounter trouble.
He was physically and mentally exhausted, having to deal with the unstable borders and internal affairs of the Land of Fire. As a man in his sixties who had just lost his son, continuing to work this hard without collapsing was a testament to his strength.
Yet now, his own people were hindering him. Danzo had ambushed the Uchiha clan head, causing significant losses to the Root organization and leaving him vulnerable to blackmail. Instead of causing instability, the Uchiha clan, under pressure, developed a new Mangekyo Sharingan.
At this moment, Hiruzen felt the world was full of malice. Looking angrily and helplessly at Danzo, his hands trembling, he roared, "Danzo, from now on, the Root will follow my orders. Anyone acting without my permission will be killed without mercy!"
Danzo felt incredibly frustrated at this turn of events. After all his careful planning and the heavy losses suffered by the Root, he had removed a significant threat to the village and obtained a Mangekyo Sharingan. Yet, before he could enjoy his success, things went awry.
The Uchiha clan, through misfortune, had gained a new Mangekyo Sharingan wielder, a young and powerful new clan head.
"Hiruzen! I..."
Danzo was at a loss for words, not knowing what to say. Hiruzen was overwhelmed with a multitude of issues: managing the Daimyo's estate, the Fire Temple, the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and the border instability.
He was just a man in his sixties, still grieving the loss of his son, and even someone as strong as him could only take so much.
…
Uchiha Clan Grounds.
At this moment, every Uchiha household had closed their doors. Ordinary people were looking through their windows in shock at everything happening within the clan grounds. Today was too surreal for them.
The clan head had died, and suddenly a new head emerged, the genius Uchiha Yoru. That wasn't all; the news about the final evolution of the Sharingan, the Mangekyō Sharingan, left countless people bewildered. Then, the terrifying abilities of the Mangekyō were revealed, instantly uniting the clan members in an unprecedented way.
The entire clan area was immediately put under martial law. All Uchiha ninjas were summoned; the lower-ranked ninjas maintained public order on the streets, and shadows flickered on the rooftops.
It felt like a storm was coming, a sense of oppression as if dark clouds were looming over a city about to collapse.
"All members, be on the highest alert for combat. Lower-ranked ninjas, be fully equipped and ready for battle within clan grounds. Also, each lower-ranked ninja is to receive fifty exploding tags."
"Middle and higher-ranked ninjas, form into battle legions and await orders from the clan head!"
In an instant, the Uchiha ninjas formed into a legion, a system more familiar to them than the regular police force's command structure.
At the Uchiha's ancestral hall, a messenger from the Aburame Clan showed a look of fear, seeing all the elite Uchiha members fully prepared for battle. He truly felt a chill, scared for the first time.
Even the elder Setsuna showed a grave expression, while the younger clan members displayed more of a blind fanaticism towards the legendary powers of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
~~~
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