Chapter 135: The Uchiha's New Faction!
In the vast main hall of the Naka Shrine, four cushions were suddenly empty.
"Ikeizumi's justice… has, after all, influenced many people." Mikoto's eyes showed a look of surprise, but after thinking about it, it didn't seem strange at all. Uchiha Ikeizumi's method and magnanimity of upholding Absolute Justice were very much in line with the values of many young Uchiha.
Even if Ikeizumi didn't actively form a faction, some clan members would still passively stand on his side. Including her…
Mikoto sighed softly. If she hadn't approved of Ikeizumi's 'Absolute Justice,' why would she have wanted to entrust Sasuke to Ikeizumi and ask him to take care of him?
On the platform, it was hard to tell the emotional fluctuations in the poker-faced Fugaku's heart. But Setsuna Uchiha's face, which was as grim as a puddle of water, was almost distorted!
He recognized those three Uchiha jonin. Those three guys were originally core members of the Uchiha hardline faction. But for some reason, they hadn't been listening to his orders recently. Only now did Setsuna realize it. These three bastards had actually chosen to side with Uchiha Ikeizumi!
Even though that extreme justice kid wasn't even here today, these three bastards still wanted to kiss his shoes! Setsuna almost crushed the cane in his hand! The veins on the back of his hand were trembling madly!
"Indeed, there's one person missing." Suddenly, another young ninja from the Uchiha Military Police Force stood up and said, "Compared to Lord Fugaku and Elder Setsuna, I approve of Uchiha Ikeizumi more."
"That guy might not have the intention to lead our Uchiha clan to glory, but I admire his magnanimity. I will only follow the person I truly approve of, that's it."
He also left.
Mikoto, who was Ikeizumi's mother, also stood up silently. Since her daughter had already left, it was not appropriate for her to stay here for long. After Mikoto bowed to the two people on the platform, she turned and left.
With a "crunch," the cane in Setsuna's hand was finally crushed due to his extreme emotional fluctuations. The wooden splinters pierced his palm, and blood seeped out.
"I'm sorry, Elder Setsuna." A few young people from the Uchiha hardline faction hesitated, took a deep breath, and stood up. They said, "We're not really interested in the coup plan. The Uchiha clan doesn't have to become the Hokage to be respected by everyone in the village."
"Didn't Uchiha Ikeizumi also earn everyone's respect? So, perhaps the Uchiha clan has another way out. The few of us have decided to tentatively explore this new path."
With a "bang," a fake tooth in Setsuna's mouth was chipped in half because he was gritting his teeth so hard.
No one present had expected such a thing to happen, especially the hardline ninjas who had chosen to side with Setsuna. They looked left and right and then looked at each other. Their rational side told them that they should stand up and scold those who were leaving and argue with them.
However… they suddenly felt that those who were leaving seemed to be making a lot of sense. Did either Fugaku Uchiha or Setsuna Uchiha really have the ability to lead the Uchiha clan? The former had become so cowardly that everyone couldn't stand him anymore. If the latter had any ability, he wouldn't have been caught by the Second Hokage and thrown into prison for so long decades ago.
This led to no one speaking up for Setsuna. The scene fell into an eerie silence.
"Cough…" An old man from the Uchiha clan stood up. He chuckled and said, "My eldest son just left, and I feel a bit embarrassed to stay here."
Setsuna's eyes widened. This person was also one of the hardline elders! He was also present when Setsuna was forcing Fugaku to step down!
At this moment, looking around, at least one-tenth of the Naka Shrine's main hall was empty. Some of the remaining nine-tenths of the clan members were also hesitating, as if they were unsure whether to stand up.
The clan members' silence was deafening.
As Setsuna's face turned as dark as a pot and his mind was in a daze, the silent Fugaku, who had a blank expression, let out a sigh of relief and slowly said, "Elder Setsuna… you didn't win, and neither did I. We both lost. The real winner didn't even have to show up to defeat us."
Fugaku stood up and continued, "After what happened tonight, there probably aren't many people in the Uchiha clan who will see me as the clan leader. The title of Uchiha clan leader is probably just an empty name."
"Elder Setsuna, you don't have to be so angry. At least you've achieved half of your goal, and I'm helpless against your coercion, aren't I?"
Setsuna: "..."
Who only achieved half their goal?! I want to be the Uchiha clan leader! I want to be the Konoha Hokage!
Setsuna, with a face as dark as a pot, was roaring in his heart.
"...What's going on?" Not far from the Naka Shrine, Itachi Uchiha looked at the clan members who were leaving the shrine one after another. He found that most of the people who walked out first were ninjas from the Military Police Force, and they were also well-known Uchiha jonin.
After that, he saw Ikeizumi Uchiha walk out, followed by many other Uchiha ninjas or civilians. The unexpected situation caused the murderous intent brewing in his chest to pause for a moment. It also made his eyebrows furrow deeply.
Finally, he even saw his father leading his mother and Sasuke out of the Naka Shrine. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that his father had glanced in his direction.
"It's over so quickly?" Itachi murmured. He didn't understand.
"Kakashi, look! They're all coming out." Might Guy's sudden pat almost knocked Kakashi off the tree. Kakashi quickly grabbed the tree trunk and barely managed to stabilize himself.
"...I'm not blind!"
Kakashi's droopy dead-fish eyes were full of a speechless expression. Then, he looked at Fugaku Uchiha.
"This Uchiha clan leader doesn't look like he's in a good mood."
Kakashi said in a low voice, "Maybe, just as the rumors from the day say, his position as the Uchiha clan leader is in jeopardy. This is a problem. The ones competing with him are the hardline Uchiha ninjas, and those guys aren't easy to deal with."
At that moment, Kakashi saw another group of people walk out of the shrine, and it was the hardline faction led by Setsuna Uchiha. He was surprised to find that this Uchiha clan elder's expression seemed even more grim than Fugaku Uchiha's. It was as if he had stepped on dog shit in the morning, accidentally fell face-first, and got some dog shit on his face.
"He… didn't become the new Uchiha clan leader?"
Kakashi was stunned. Who won?
Ten minutes later.
When Itachi returned to the Hokage Building, Homura's first reaction was to look at his shoes, sleeves, and other parts, trying to find traces of fresh blood. Fortunately, there were none.
"There was an unexpected situation at the scene." Before Homura and Koharu could ask, Itachi lowered his head and said expressionlessly, "I secretly followed a Uchiha civilian and used my Sharingan genjutsu to ask about the specific situation."
He told them everything he had found out, which made Homura feel half-relieved. It made Koharu's face turn dark.
"It's him again?!" Koharu suddenly felt that Uchiha Ikeizumi's shadow was everywhere in Konoha! Even though that kid wasn't in Konoha at the moment, many things in the village revolved around him, and they were all major events.
Homura said, "Koharu, this is actually a good thing. It shows that the Uchiha clan is no longer just two factions. Now they have three factions. The more factions there are in the Uchiha clan, the more stable they are and the harder it is for them to cause trouble."
"Fugaku's faction and Ikeizumi's faction have balanced the group of hardline Uchiha ninjas very well. They realized that not everyone supported their so-called coup plan."
Homura's words were not sure whether they were for Koharu or for Itachi next to him.
Koharu frowned. "The problem is… those who approve of Uchiha Ikeizumi won't side with Konoha like Fugaku, and they won't side with us."
"In fact…"
Koharu said in a deep voice, "Their danger is even higher than that of the Uchiha hardline faction! I probably understand that those so-called hardliners want the Uchiha to have a bigger say in things, and they at least see themselves as part of Konoha."
"But Uchiha Ikeizumi is different! That extreme kid has no concept of Konoha or the village in his eyes. Those who approve of him will probably imitate his actions."
"Do you know how terrifying it would be if a group of Uchiha who don't approve of the village suddenly appeared? They would be the biggest cancer within Konoha!"
"They would be even more unpredictable than Orochimaru back then!"
These words made Homura also fall into deep thought. Itachi, who had his head lowered, had a strange look in his eyes.
The next day, in the capital of the Land of Fire, Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned when he suddenly received a piece of information.
"Ikeizumi is gone?!"
An Anbu ninja reported seriously, "Uchiha Ikeizumi's whereabouts were unknown last night, and he hasn't been seen in the capital of the Land of Fire today. And Anko Mitarashi and that ninja cat have also disappeared."
The Anbu ninja paused and continued, "We guess that Uchiha Ikeizumi has likely killed all the criminals he saw, so he feels that there's no need to stay in the capital of the Land of Fire."
"Or, he's already on his way back to Konoha. And at his speed, he might already be halfway there."
Hiruzen was a little dazed. Killed all of them…
Oh, right!
The capital of the Land of Fire had indeed been drenched in blood by him in the past few days. When he wanted to stop him, the Daimyō's eldest son quickly told him not to. As a result, Hiruzen felt that he, the Konoha Hokage, had come to the capital of the Land of Fire for nothing. Besides attending the simple funeral of the Daimyō, he didn't do anything else.
At this moment, the Fire Daimyō's eldest son, surrounded by several of his retainers, hurried over.
"Lord Hokage." The eldest son wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and asked cautiously, "Last night, Lord Ikeizumi found me and told me to become the new Daimyō of the Land of Fire. He also warned… ahem! He also reminded me that if I commit any evil deeds or condone evil deeds, he will kill me."
"Then, he left. Does this… does this mean that Lord Ikeizumi is leaving the capital of the Land of Fire? Otherwise, there would be no need for him to visit me in the middle of the night to say these things, right?"
Hiruzen was silent.
A ninja had decided the new Daimyō of a great nation with just a few words, and no one had any objections. The Daimyō's eldest son, who had been designated as the next Daimyō by Ikeizumi, was still a nervous and cautious person at this moment. His actions were as if he was afraid of saying a single wrong word.
Is this guy still considered a ninja?
This was too disrespectful! It was a rebellion against the heavens!
"...He probably left," Hiruzen took a deep breath and replied helplessly.
"Then… Lord Hokage." The eldest son swallowed hard. "Do I really have to become the Daimyō of the Land of Fire?"
This question made all the hairs on Hiruzen's body stand on end.
Hiruzen quickly said, "Your Highness, the succession of the Daimyō is decided by the Daimyō's Mansion. Although I am the Konoha Hokage, and there is no hierarchy between the Fire Daimyō and me, it's not appropriate for me to meddle in some things. It will attract a lot of rumors."
The eldest son was stunned. "But Lord Ikeizumi…"
"He is him, and I am me!" Hiruzen was sweating profusely as he tried to distance himself. "Your Highness, you may not understand the relationship between me and Ikeizumi… In any case, please do not see Ikeizumi's will as my will."
He didn't want the rumors to get worse! Unfortunately, it was too late.
"The Fire Daimyō died in a conspiracy by the Konoha Hokage. And the person who killed the Fire Daimyō in broad daylight was a Konoha ninja named Uchiha Ikeizumi?!"
In the capital of the Land of Earth, the Tsuchikage's face was filled with a look of shock. He quickly asked his retainer, "Is the news true? The Konoha ninja really bit back at their Daimyō?!"
The retainer quickly replied, "The news we've gathered so far is like that."
The Tsuchikage took a deep breath. Although the two countries weren't on good terms, he felt a sense of sadness for the Fire Daimyō's death at the hands of a ninja. He even felt a faint sense of unease.
"That Onoki from Iwagakure…"
He swallowed hard and said with an uncertain tone, "He shouldn't be as ambitious as Hiruzen Sarutobi from Konoha, right?"
The retainer was speechless for a moment. If it were in the past, he could have confidently said that Iwagakure was very loyal to the Tsuchikage. But now, with the precedent of the Land of Fire, he really didn't know what to say.
Iwagakure.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi…" Onoki's old face was filled with uncertainty. "I didn't expect that monkey to be so crazy. He has broken a taboo that shouldn't be broken. His actions will definitely cause a great disturbance in the ninja world!"
Onoki didn't need to think to know that the current Tsuchikage of the Land of Earth would definitely start to be wary of Iwagakure. In fact, many Daimyō of different countries would also start to be wary of their own ninja villages because of this matter. They were afraid of ending up like the Fire Daimyō.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi has opened a Pandora's box!"
Onoki sighed with emotion. "I really underestimated him."
Kumogakure.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi…" The Fourth Raikage, "A," had a hint of irritable gloom in his eyes. He grunted and said, "That's a very familiar name! A Uchiha kid with two kekkei genkai, and a Lava Release kekkei genkai that's almost unkillable, he's really left a deep impression!"
A looked at the document in his hand carefully, and his expression became serious.
"Hmph, I've always felt that this kid was not normal. Now it seems that my initial feeling was correct. He even dared to kill a Daimyō who governs a country. This kid is really crazy…"
He slowly stood up and threw the document scroll to a Kumogakure ninja.
"Take this to B to have a look. The kid who almost melted off his arm has appeared in our sight again."
A paused and continued, "And he has appeared in our sight in this kind of stance where he's against the whole world!"
He could already see that Uchiha Ikeizumi's actions would not be tolerated by the entire ninja world. As long as the Daimyō and nobles cherished their lives, they would do everything they could to get rid of the person who had broken the rules.
"Yes, Lord Raikage!"
Evening.
Konoha's gates.
The seven-year-old Shikamaru Nara, with his listless dead-fish eyes, looked at Choji Akimichi next to him helplessly. "Stop eating. Hurry up and sweep the ground! I didn't expect to get caught by Iruka-sensei the first time I skipped class and get punished to sweep the Konoha gate… This was a miscalculation. When I get home, my dad will definitely laugh at me…"
Choji said while eating a bag of potato chips, "It's still early. Let me finish eating… Huh? Shikamaru, why are your eyes so wide?"
Choji suddenly found that Shikamaru's expression was a little off. He looked as if he had seen a ghost during the day, with a face full of shock.
"You… behind you…"
Shikamaru was sweating profusely.
"Uchiha Ikeizumi!"
.....
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