At first, Shiyu Uchiha just went through the motions with the other party. But when he recalled how Hiruzen Sarutobi had silently approved or even orchestrated the White Fang incident, his dislike toward Hiruzen grew stronger.
He believed that the current Hiruzen was being blinded by power and his heart being eroded. Therefore, Shiyu Uchiha no longer wished to waste time on him. He interrupted the indoctrination with an excuse, falsely claiming he needed to meet his fiancée, then left the Hokage building.
As he departed, a flicker of killing intent surged within Shiyu Uchiha. However, thanks to his sharp emotional control, the killing intent slipped past Hiruzen's awareness.
Nonetheless, Shiyu Uchiha's resolve for reforming Konoha became firmer than ever. And this transformation must begin with the Uchiha Clan itself, for that was where his roots lay.
Coincidentally, the aftermath of Sakumo Hatake's incident combined with Shiyu Uchiha stirring things up caused Hiruzen Sarutobi to become overwhelmed with recent affairs, leading to a slackening in surveillance over the Uchiha Clan—an excellent opportunity for Shiyu Uchiha to consolidate family power.
Meanwhile, as he watched Shiyu Uchiha walk away, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood deep in thought. He decided to re-examine Shiyu Uchiha's background files and requested Anbu to provide more detailed intelligence. He hoped that by better understanding Shiyu Uchiha, he might find a way to bring him under his influence.
From Shiyu Uchiha's words and actions, Hiruzen keenly sensed the young man still harbored deep affection for the village—exactly what he needed. He planned to reinforce this feeling and guide Shiyu Uchiha to stand firmly on the village's side.
Once successful, as Village Headman, he could redefine the terms under the radar and turn Shiyu Uchiha into a useful tool. This was exactly how he had led Shisui and Itachi down a path of tragedy.
Regarding that hint of suspicion, Shiyu Uchiha hadn't guessed wrongly—he had noticed it, yet Hiruzen chose to pretend he didn't understand. In his opinion, Shiyu Uchiha was simply too young to accurately judge the broader situation of the ninja world.
To him, another Great Ninja World War wouldn't possibly break out for at least five or even ten years. Just as Hiruzen was lost in thought, Danzo Shimura walked in.
He originally came to discuss matters regarding the Uchiha Clan with Hiruzen, so this unexpected timing provided a perfect opportunity to delve deeper into the topic together.
"Hiruzen," Danzo began immediately upon entering, using Shiyu Uchiha as his opening topic, "I heard that kid Shiyu Uchiha has returned. What do you think of him? Do you believe we can make use of him?"
"Not bad," Hiruzen replied. "Through our conversation, I could truly feel his love for the village. I believe there's a good chance he will inherit Shizhi Uchiha's ideals and become one of the peace-oriented faction."
They both knew well that before his death, Shizhi Uchiha would certainly choose a suitable successor—an understanding shared silently among all involved. Moreover, considering the overall situation, selecting the next clan head from the peace-oriented faction seemed highly likely in order to maintain Konoha's stability and security.
After all, if another conflict like the Naraka Yomi War were to break out, the Uchiha Clan could not afford such massive losses. This time around, we in Konoha also lack someone as powerful as Lady Mito to stabilize the situation, so we would likely become entangled and chaos might ensue.
Neither side dares take risks nor bear such consequences. Furthermore, this is an internal matter for a ninja clan; we mustn't overstep our bounds. This was the agreement made at the village's founding—it's the foundation for maintaining unity within the village.
Once violating this agreement, we risk losing support from other ninja clans. However, having a clan leader who is friendly toward us and leans in our favor is extremely important.
He might be one of Uchiha Shizhi's potential candidates, and due to his status, he may even be the one Uchiha Shizhi values most highly. Therefore, I believe we should at least try to gain his favor—our minimum goal being to confirm where he stands.
It's just a shame about young Uchiha Xuan. He originally should have been the most suitable candidate, after all, since that position rightfully belonged to his father, and Uchiha Shizhi is his own aunt by blood. Most crucially, he was an outstanding inheritor of the Will of Fire, backed by the peace-oriented faction and myself."
Hiruzen Sarutobi expressed his judgment, and by the end, his voice carried deep regret. After all, it had taken him ten years to cultivate that boy. How could he not feel sorrow when he hadn't even invested such effort into his own son?
In fact, through their efforts, the doves within the Uchiha Clan had already expressed willingness to support Uchiha Xuan, which represented an excellent opportunity for Hiruzen Sarutobi. Unfortunately, Uchiha Xuan died unexpectedly during a mission, abruptly cutting their plan in half. It would now be too late to train another new candidate.
The two fell silent, considering how to respond to this turn of events. Although they couldn't directly control decisions within the Uchiha household, they still hoped to find a way forward.
Eventually, Danzo Shimura broke the silence: "If that's the case, then let's observe Shiyu Uchiha for now and see how Uchiha Shizhi ultimately chooses or whether any other opportunities arise."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, "Alright, we'll proceed this way. Meanwhile, we must also monitor the activities of other ninja clans to ensure the stability and safety of the village."
After listening, Danzo Shimura thought it over and reluctantly nodded in agreement because at this time, many ninja clans remained strong before experiencing the Third Great Ninja War.
Moreover, families belonging to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and the two companions aligned with them had received relatively little from the Senju inheritance due to the butterfly effect caused by Shiyu Uchiha, thus lacking the strength they once had in the original timeline.
Therefore, they currently dared not provoke fundamental challenges against other ninja clans. Even Danzo Shimura, whose abilities were insufficient to support his ambitions, could only resort to minor behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
As for attempting to control Shiyu Uchiha, although Danzo had considered it briefly, it remained nothing more than fleeting thoughts. After all, Shiyu Uchiha was the direct son of Uchiha Shizhi!
Merely recalling Uchiha Shizhi's terrifying power and glorious battle record sent chills down Danzo Shimura's spine—he absolutely dared not provoke such a person beyond reason.
Just then, the other two members of Konoha's F4—Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane—also arrived. They had also been invited by Danzo, naturally, to discuss plans for suppressing the Uchiha Clan and weakening other ninja clans.
This had originally been the Second Hokage's vision when establishing the Ninja Academy. Unfortunately, due to various reasons, it had never been put into practice. Now they felt the timing was right, especially after lately noticing that ninja from established clans weren't as obedient as the supplementary ones, which led them to consider carrying out this plan.
Since this matter was extremely significant, Hiruzen Sarutobi first signaled to the Anbu in the shadows to leave the room.
Before the group could start discussing the matter of the Uchiha Clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly changed the subject completely: "What are your thoughts on the current state of the ninja world? Do you think there's a possibility of a sudden upheaval?"
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