In the office of the Security Department, after reviewing the documents, Uchiha Fugaku leaned back in his office chair.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura had already been eliminated.
Because they were disguised as Wood Release Kekkei Genkai ninjas, their deaths were blamed on the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai ninja.
He was not worried that Uchiha Obito, who was also a Wood Release Kekkei Genkai ninja, would expose him after hearing the news.
As an enemy of Konohagakure, no matter what he said, it was impossible for anyone to trust him.
No one would believe the truth, and they couldn't defeat him either.
Even though Obito knew he was being blamed, all he could do was think of it as bad luck.
Thinking of this, Fugaku felt inexplicably pleased.
"How can I improve my reputation?"
Sitting up straight, he tapped his fingers on the desk, pondering the issue he had been contemplating recently.
According to the plan, what he needed to do at this stage was to improve his reputation within the village.
If he wanted to gain a very high reputation, relying solely on the policies implemented by the Security Department would not be enough.
Although they had some effect, they certainly wouldn't be enough to earn him widespread acclaim.
"The best way to improve reputation is indeed on the battlefield, but I can't do that kind of thing."
Uchiha Fugaku shook his head.
The battlefield was indeed the best place to earn prestige. But now there was no war. According to Koharu Utatane's mindset, she would initiate war just to create that opportunity.
But he would never do such a thing.
He had his principles and would never start a war deliberately for the sake of his own reputation. If he did that, how would he be any different from the Koharu Utatane he so despised?
Bang, bang, bang!
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Uchiha Fugaku spoke, and Uchiha Yakumi walked in, handing over a document.
"Captain, this is a document sent by the Third Hokage."
"A document from the Third Hokage?"
Uchiha Fugaku opened the document and read it. His brow slowly furrowed.
"Captain, what does the document say?"
"The Third Hokage is going to hold a joint Chunin Exam."
"Joint Chunin Exam?"
Uchiha Yakumi was surprised.
"Yes, a joint Chunin Exam held together with other ninja villages."
Uchiha Fugaku frowned as he spoke.
To showcase the strength of their younger generation and to assess the capabilities of other villages' young shinobi, the major ninja villages held joint Chunin Exams every few years.
In his opinion, such events posed more risks than benefits.
While it did provide a stage to showcase and assess strength, it also allowed foreign shinobi to enter Konoha freely—creating potential openings.
In the original timeline, Konoha was attacked during one such joint Chunin Exam, giving Orochimaru and Sunagakure the chance to strike.
"Increase patrols during this period and make sure nothing goes wrong."
Uchiha Fugaku instructed Uchiha Yakumi.
"Yes."
Uchiha Yakumi responded and left the office.
...
Iwagakure Village, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Surrounded by rocky mountains, the village had formidable natural defenses that made enemy infiltration extremely difficult.
At this moment, a high-level meeting was being held inside the Tsuchikage Building.
"According to reliable intelligence, three days ago, the Third Hokage clashed with the Uchiha clan—Konoha's strongest clan—and a brief battle broke out."
The Third Tsuchikage, Ohnoki of Both Scales, said as he glanced at the Hidden Stone Village executives seated on both sides.
He was short, with white beard and eyebrows, looking like a harmless old man.
But he was not someone the shinobi world dared to underestimate.
He wielded the Kekkei Tōta Dust Release, a bloodline elimination technique more advanced than Kekkei Genkai, and his strength far exceeded an average Kage.
"It seems the rumors are true. The relationship between the Third Hokage and the Uchiha clan is strained."
A man wearing the Iwagakure jonin uniform, his right arm bare, said with some delight.
Konoha had always been a village Iwagakure both feared and monitored, and internal discord in Konoha was something they welcomed.
Several other attendees at the meeting also smiled.
An enemy with internal conflict was far less threatening than a united one.
"The discord between the Third Hokage and the Uchiha clan is indeed good news."
The Third Tsuchikage nodded, but then his expression turned grim.
"But this report also contains some bad news."
"What bad news?"
An old man with a bald crown and a ring of white hair on the back of his head frowned and asked.
"During the conflict, the Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, displayed Kage-level strength—surpassing even the Third Hokage."
Ohnoki's voice was heavy.
"Konoha has another Kage-level shinobi, and stronger than the Third Hokage?"
Panic and gasps rippled through the high-ranking members of Iwagakure.
Just over a year ago, Uchiha Shisui had already been confirmed as having Kage-level power.
Now Uchiha Fugaku had also been confirmed—and he was stronger than the Third Hokage.
A Kage-level shinobi was the peak combat power of any village, someone capable of shifting the tide of war. The fact that Konoha kept producing such powerhouses left them shaken and uneasy.
The atmosphere in the room turned tense. Everyone wore grim expressions.
"Konoha has produced new Kage-levels in succession, while Iwagakure hasn't produced one in recent years. This is a critical crisis."
The Third Tsuchikage's eyes swept over the room, and his tone became stern.
"To resolve this crisis, while we must work to train our own Kage-level shinobi, we also need to restrain Konoha's growth."
"How do we contain Konoha?"
A middle-aged man with a beard asked curiously. He was Kurotsuchi's father and Ohnoki's son, Akatsuchi.
"My plan is to kidnap the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki from Konoha."
Ohnoki put forward an astonishing strategy.
"According to intel we've gathered over the years, it's been confirmed that a boy named Uzumaki Naruto is the current Nine-Tails jinchūriki."
"Our observation indicates that he's not treated well in Konoha. If we can capture him and bring him back to Iwagakure, we may be able to convince him to submit to our village and become our jinchūriki."
"This would not only add a future powerhouse to Iwagakure but also weaken Konoha's strength."
"The Nine-Tails' jinchūriki...?"
The upper echelon of Iwagakure were stunned by the boldness of Ohnoki's plan.
But soon, their eyes began to burn with ambition.
Among all the tailed beasts, the Nine-Tails was the most powerful.
If they could bring the Nine-Tails jinchūriki back and have him submit to Iwagakure, a Kage-level shinobi would surely be born in the next few years.
However, a voice of concern was raised.
"But even setting aside Konoha's likely heavy guard, infiltrating the village won't be easy."
"There is already a way to infiltrate."
A sharp gleam flashed in the Third Tsuchikage's eyes.
"Konoha will soon host the joint Chunin Exam, and Iwagakure is among the invited. I plan to accept the invitation—and send an elite team in with it."
(End of this chapter)
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