Everyone was dumbfounded!
The one responsible for Hatake Sakumo's death was Shimura Danzo.
Danzo might not have wanted Hatake Sakumo to die. He might have even regretted it or been angry about it!
But Sarutobi Hiruzen definitely wanted Hatake Sakumo dead!
Do you even realize what you're saying?
"Don't understand?"
Itsuki looked speechlessly at the Uchiha Jonin and said, "Your brains… sigh, no wonder you all were played by Sarutobi Hiruzen. No surprise, you deserved it!"
"Let me remind you of something: the Will of Fire… never mind, I'll just say it outright!"
Itsuki said helplessly, "When Hatake Sakumo died, he was in his prime. He was at the peak of his power as a ninja, and at the same time, his prestige and popularity in Konoha were enough for him to become Hokage."
"Coincidentally, Sarutobi Hiruzen was getting old. He was over fifty, and as a ninja, his power was beginning to decline. Normally, he should have started grooming a new Hokage."
"Yeah, we know that!"
Fugaku said, "Danzo also wanted to become Hokage, so he used Hatake Sakumo's 'abandoning the mission for his comrades' against him, attacking him with public opinion and forcing him to commit suicide."
Itsuki sighed softly and said, "Do you really think Danzo is that useless?"
"Let me tell you, Danzo may be ruthless, selfish, devious, and shameless, and yes, he may look scary, but he's definitely capable."
"..."
"Danzo only tarnished Hatake Sakumo's reputation. That was enough to make him lose his eligibility to become Hokage. That was Danzo's goal."
"Danzo wanted to be Hokage; he wouldn't want to lose a sharp blade like Hatake Sakumo."
"The 'White Fang of Konoha' earned his fearsome reputation through battles!"
"If Danzo became Hokage, he would need such a sharp blade."
Fugaku frowned and said, "How is that different for Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
"It's completely different!"
Itsuki said without hesitation, "Totally different."
"Danzo was in the shadows at the time, plotting to become Hokage."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen was already Hokage. His task was to maintain his rule over Konoha."
"Their approaches to dealing with Hatake Sakumo were fundamentally different."
"That's why Hatake Sakumo had to die."
Itachi suddenly spoke up, "The Will of Fire?!"
Itsuki looked at Itachi and sighed, "Itachi, you really are something, understanding Hokage affairs at age seven..."
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Itachi quickly interrupted, "Can you stop with the sarcasm, brother Itsuki? I always feel like you're biased against me."
Biased?
If I weren't so kind-hearted, I would have already beaten you to death!
I'd have scattered your ashes by now.
Itsuki gave Itachi a sideways glance.
Knowing the original story, he really couldn't feel much affection for this brat who ruined his whole clan.
Fortunately, Itachi had started to change under his influence. Otherwise, Itsuki might have had to kill him with a smile.
"Hatake Sakumo gave up the mission to save his comrades. Isn't that the essence of the Will of Fire?"
Itsuki shrugged and said, "If the mission is more important than comrades, where does the Will of Fire stand?"
"So, Hatake Sakumo had to die!"
"As long as he lived, Konoha's ninjas would question what was more important: comrades or the mission?"
"If everyone abandoned missions for the sake of their comrades, Konoha might as well be marked with an 'X'!"
Fugaku disagreed and said, "Even if Hatake Sakumo dies, won't the things he did remain?"
Itsuki shrugged again and said, "It's better if he dies than lives."
Makes sense!
Hard to argue with that.
"Fine, Hatake Sakumo might be Sarutobi Hiruzen's failure, but you can't conclude that Konoha has no future under Sarutobi's rule because of this, right?"
Fugaku seemed to get serious.
In truth, he was determined to thoroughly discredit Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Although the Uchiha had left Konoha, they were somewhat forced out.
The bitterness lingered, which wasn't good.
That's why Fugaku and Itsuki were working together to erase any lingering feelings the Uchiha might have for Konoha.
Including the moment at the village gate when Fugaku kneeled in front of Itsuki.
That was also a clear statement.
Fugaku was showing the Uchiha that everything here was centered around Itsuki.
"The Sannin!"
Itsuki sighed and said, "My three teachers—one betrayed, one ran away, and one disappeared—doesn't that say something?"
"And my grandpa, Uchiha Kagami, his death was so mysterious."
"Can't believe the Senju Clan is only the brothers Hashirama and Tobirama. Where are the other skilled ninjas? Senju Nawaki died too, damn it!"
Itsuki shrugged again and said, "So many people who could've become Hokage were lost. Now Konoha is struggling to even find a Fifth Hokage. Are you telling me there's a bright future under Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
"Get lost!"
"Whether you believe it or not, I don't!"
This was a Konoha altered by Itsuki's actions.
Without Itsuki, Shisui would have died, Itachi would have betrayed the clan, and Fugaku would have perished.
The Uchiha would have been wiped out!
Tsk tsk!
If all these people had survived and supported Konoha, unifying the ninja world wouldn't have been a problem.
Itsuki shook his head, not wanting to talk about it anymore, and said, "Alright, let's talk about the future development of the Uchiha clan."
The Uchiha were still thinking about Hatake Sakumo's fate, but when they heard Itsuki's words, they were taken aback, their expressions growing tense.
On a large scale, this concerned the entire clan.
On a smaller scale, it concerned their individual families.
Itsuki pointed at the ground and said, "This used to be a forest. I've spent ten years transforming it."
Everyone looked at the village and couldn't help but marvel.
Even those who had grudges against Itsuki couldn't help but praise his work.
Actually, the entire village had only four buildings.
One was a proper residence in the center, where Itsuki had lived before.
The other three were simple residential areas, each able to house a thousand people.
These didn't seem like much.
But!
Itsuki had laid the foundation for the entire village.
He built a wall enclosing the village, setting its structure for future development.
Moreover, a large protective barrier was operating.
This provided the Uchiha with basic protection.
As long as Uchiha ninjas started patrolling and standing guard, it wouldn't be much different from the old clan grounds.
Also!
Although Itsuki hadn't built many houses, he had constructed roads.
Several main roads crisscrossed the village in a grid pattern.
The Uchiha just needed to build homes in the planned residential areas, and they could settle in.
"Food? We have it!"
Itsuki added, "Enough for five thousand people for a month. This is just the first batch. More caravans will bring in supplies, including fruit."
The Uchiha immediately asked, "Caravans? Itsuki, you have ties to caravans? Which ones?"
Itsuki calmly said, "I own two large caravans: the Full Moon Caravan and the Gemini Caravan. Plus, I collaborate with three other major caravans."
At this, everyone was stunned.
Itsuki had practically done everything he could.
And!
He actually owned large caravans?
Was he that amazing?
(Chapter ends)