Setsuna left, taking several Uchiha Clan members with him, seething with anger. He had no face to remain there any longer. Once the Hokage intervened, the matter was considered over.
He couldn't do anything, nor did he dare to.
Because they were in the wrong.
At the same time, the Uchiha Clan wasn't powerful enough to ignore Konoha's authority and the Hokage's rules.
He was indeed the leader of the Uchiha Hawk Faction, but he wasn't a fool. He understood clearly what could and couldn't be done.
Of course, he remembered this incident well.
His animosity toward the Hokage Faction deepened, and he also took note of Seiryū, a genius from that same faction. A genius who doesn't live long poses no threat.
"..." Hiruzen didn't stop him from leaving.
The man was the Great Elder of the Uchiha Clan, so it wouldn't be good to push him too far. A warning was enough.
To be frank, though the incident was unpleasant, in Hiruzen's eyes, it was still a small skirmish.
After all, Seiryū hadn't been seriously hurt. Moreover, the other party had already bowed their head. To keep pressing the issue would be meaningless and would only provoke rebellion.
Releasing Setsuna from prison years ago, at the request of the former Uchiha Clan Head, was also meant to ease relations between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan, which had indeed led to a slight reconciliation.
Currently, there were occasional border skirmishes, and war could break out at any time. Internal strife was the last thing Konoha could afford.
There were many things for the Hokage to consider.
Meanwhile, Seiryū, whose mood had greatly improved thanks to the mission reward, bowed slightly to Hiruzen. "Thank you, Hokage-sama, for upholding justice for me."
He had obtained memories related to Kidō, from Bakudō #1 to Bakudō #33.
The principles and execution methods were now fully understood. He only needed to adjust the chakra control method and experiment a little to reproduce them.
This was far faster than learning the basic Five-Element Ninjutsu from scratch.
Moreover, these techniques required only a single hand seal to perform.
It was worth noting that being able to perform Ninjutsu with one hand seal was extremely rare in the original work, making it a huge advantage.
"No need to be so polite." Hiruzen smiled, nodding with satisfaction. "You are Jiraiya's disciple, my disciple's disciple. Our relationship isn't so distant."
"Although this is only the second time I've seen you, I often hear Asuma mention you. Your performance has been excellent. Keep it up."
He was genuinely pleased with Seiryū.
At first, Shinku had adopted him because he was suspected to be of the Uzumaki Clan. Later, the talent Seiryū displayed had completely confirmed that identity.
Even Jiraiya had taken him as a disciple. With such connections, Seiryū would only become more deeply tied to Konoha and might one day be one of its main pillars.
He thought highly of Seiryū.
Seiryū nodded. "I won't slack off."
He really wouldn't. After all, he had provoked the Uchiha Clan.
To him, the Uchiha were extremists, and extremists could do anything.
He had to stay on guard from now on.
"Hmm, keep working hard. You are the future of Konoha." Hiruzen smiled, then turned to Shinku, his gaze flickering slightly.
Even Shinku, who specialized in Genjutsu, couldn't break Setsuna's Sharingan illusion quickly. That old man's strength was still formidable.
Hiruzen formed a hand seal. "Genjutsu: Release."
As the illusion was dispelled, Shinku regained his senses and bowed. "I've caused you trouble, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen waved a hand with a smile. "Konoha will not allow anyone to suffer unjust oppression."
He paused, then glanced at Seiryū with slight hesitation. "A Ninja must remain calm at all times and not be consumed by anger. When Tsunade returns to the village..."
He trailed off, then shook his head. "Never mind. In short, keep working hard. I'll be taking my leave. If anything happens, Shinku, remember to report it to me immediately."
He had wanted to say that when Tsunade returned, he would ask her to see if she could treat Seiryū's condition.
Excessive reactions due to past trauma?
That could become a serious problem.
For a Ninja, losing composure due to emotional triggers was dangerous.
But then he remembered, Tsunade couldn't even cure her own hemophobia. Seiryū's situation was similar, both stemming from past experiences and related to the brain.
It would be difficult to treat. He could only observe and see if it worsened over time.
Besides, Tsunade hadn't returned to the village for a long time, and no one knew where she was now.
Shinku bowed respectfully. "I understand, Hokage-sama."
Seiryū's mouth twitched slightly. "..."
Even the Hokage thinks I'm crazy, huh?
He really wasn't.
Hiruzen nodded, not continuing the conversation. As Hokage, he had many matters to handle, and his figure quickly disappeared.
"Hoo..." After Hiruzen left, Shinku let out a deep sigh.
To be honest, it had been dangerous just now.
He hadn't expected Setsuna to act so suddenly and control him with a single Genjutsu.
The Uchiha Clan's Great Elder's strength was indeed terrifying.
If Hiruzen hadn't appeared, things would have gotten troublesome. Fortunately, nothing serious happened.
He secretly felt relieved, and it was also fortunate that Seiryū was Jiraiya's disciple, which made the Hokage take the situation seriously.
Kurenai muttered angrily, "Why are all Uchiha Clan members like this? They're so annoying!"
After this incident, she held a strong prejudice against the Uchiha Clan.
"Just a few individuals." Seiryū rubbed Kurenai's head with a smile. "Look, Obito is different, isn't he also from the Uchiha Clan?"
To say that all Uchiha were psychopaths wasn't entirely true.
There were still ordinary people among them.
It was just that there were too many extremists, which gave Seiryū this impression.
Kurenai paused for a moment, then nodded her small head. "That's true. Obito is a bit different. Hmm, he's silly!"
There were two Uchiha in their class, but their personalities were completely opposite.
"..." Seiryū tapped Kurenai's head, his lips twitching. "Don't talk about your classmate like that. How is he silly?"
Kurenai raised her eyebrows. "Because he once bought your exercise book with money!"
She had personally seen Obito buy Seiryū's exercise book and then enter the nightmare of endless studying.
Isn't that silly?
Seiryū's face turned serious. "Don't say that. If it weren't for him, my exercise book wouldn't have gained attention, the Ninja Academy wouldn't have adopted it as a teaching subject, and I wouldn't have earned so much money!"
Obito was a good person. He had given his exercise book the push it needed, which led to the Ninja Academy buying it out.
He wouldn't allow anyone to badmouth Obito.
(To be continued.)