Naraku closed the website, his mind still replaying Danzo's nauseating expression.
From the clips released by the animator, it seemed the Third Hokage was still primarily appeasing the Uchiha Clan. Danzo's attempt to transfer him into Root had failed, so he would likely lay low for a while.
But how long that old scoundrel could stay quiet was truly uncertain; he might pop up to cause trouble again at any moment.
He still couldn't let his guard down.
While it wasn't too late, Naraku decided to open the forum and browse.
There was too much he wanted to know.
He didn't even need to scroll down; the top-ranked post was a plot analysis, and with one look at the OP, well, it was that prophet, Thirteen Seat, again.
"Discussion on the Uchiha Clan's Situation in Konoha"
1L (OP): As the title says, the latest episode contained a lot of information, and I will analyze it in detail in this thread.
** ** **
Matsukata Seigou spoke quite bluntly. To summarize, it's about the mutual suspicion between the superior and the subordinate, which will eventually lead to increasingly severe confrontation. The subordinate, feeling a fatal threat, will be forced to resist for survival; while the superior, discovering the other's rebellion, will not tolerate unstable elements, creating a vicious cycle until one side is destroyed.
This was the case with the Matsukata Family and the Tamai Family, and also with the Daimyo and the Matsukata Family.
However, what we need to focus on is Matsukata Seigou's hint to Naraku.
His meaning was that the Uchiha Clan is currently in the position of the subordinate, and their superior is Konoha's higher-ups.
Previously, The Old Thief had revealed some clues, such as the Police Force's poor reputation in Konoha Village, with many villagers complaining **; Uchiha Fugaku's behavior during the Hokage Building meeting, looking very isolated **; and in the Ninja Academy, most Uchiha children had no non-clan friends (though this might mainly be related to their personalities)... Also, I want to point out that many people underestimate Naraku.
Do you remember Matsukata Seigou's shocked expression when he questioned Naraku?
** **
I believe Naraku must be able to feel the Uchiha Clan's isolation.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, and being a sensitive child, he naturally felt that his clan was not welcome.
Before, he might have been more naive, thinking people disliked the Uchiha Clan's temperament, but after Matsukata Seigou's hints and analogies, he most likely understood.
He completely understood Matsukata Seigou's meaning; he knew what path the Uchiha Clan was about to embark on, which is why he was so shocked and scared, even unwilling to believe it and trying to escape reality.
This is irrefutable proof that the Uchiha Clan is being targeted.
2L: It's over; it's the prophet, Thirteen Seat! Σ(っ °Д°; )っ
3L: Naraku's expression could also be interpreted as being confused, right? He might not have understood.
4L: Reply to 3L: No, I think he most likely understood. ** You can see his body language clearly shows a state of tension and unease, but he quickly adjusted.
...
Naraku: I'm really fed up with you analysis maniacs... Now what, I have to gradually become a 'innocent on the outside, black on the inside' character, is that it?
He closed his eyes with a slight sense of helplessness, unwilling to face reality for the moment.
But there was clearly more information later in the post, so he could only brace himself and continue reading.
...9L (OP): Why the Uchiha Clan is targeted, there are probably a few reasons:
Firstly, Uchiha Madara's defection. As a founding elder of Konoha, he even tried to take the Uchiha Clan with him when he defected, planting the seeds of suspicion.
Secondly, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, often spoke of the Uchiha Clan's instability, and this top-down influence likely led to targeting the Uchiha Clan becoming a kind of "political correctness."
Thirdly, the Uchiha Police Force are law enforcers in the village, and the Uchiha Clan's personality dictates that they won't be subservient or flattering. It's possible that when they handle a case, both victims and perpetrators curse them.
...Under such circumstances, the rift between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha will only deepen, eventually leading to a path of mutual destruction.
10L: Another corroborating point is that even nobles in the northern Land of Fire know the Uchiha Clan's situation in Konoha is not good. This situation should actually be quite bad already.
11L (OP): Reply to 10L: Yes, for everyone to know, the Uchiha Clan's situation is already quite dire.
...27L (OP): Update!
The Old Thief dropped a bombshell in the latest episode! ** ** **
The high-ranking officials targeting the Uchiha Clan and their reasons have all surfaced.
Danzo Shimura, as the Hokage's assistant and Root leader, had already been suppressing the Uchiha Clan.
Now that a genius of Naraku's caliber has appeared in the Uchiha Clan, he can't sit still even more.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi is clear-headed and has temporarily suppressed the matter, Danzo will probably not stop; he will definitely make moves next.
If he really does something to Naraku, such as making him join Root and become a numb tool, or directly eliminating him, then the Uchiha Clan and Sakumo Hatake will definitely explode, and a civil war might even break out because of it.
28L: Agreed. If Danzo truly insists on harming Naraku, Sakumo is very likely to turn hostile. At that point, the intensity of Konoha's internal strife would skyrocket, potentially leading to a state of division.
29L: Everyone, don't be too pessimistic. I think what the poster above said has some truth, but if it really comes to that, Hiruzen Sarutobi should compromise, right? He's the one who least wants to see Konoha in turmoil. If Sakumo and the Uchiha Clan refuse to back down, then he's definitely the one who will make concessions.
30L (OP): Reply to 29L: What the poster above said is indeed a more likely outcome. If things really blow up, Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably punish Danzo (like dismissing him) to appease the Uchiha Clan and Sakumo's anger.
But as long as Danzo's hostility towards the Uchiha Clan doesn't disappear, the struggle won't stop.
Honestly, I have no idea what the final outcome will be.
31L: I'm really fed up with Senju Tobirama, always instilling clan discrimination into his disciple for no reason.
32L: Actually, Tobirama at most just thought their personalities weren't good; he wasn't overly targeting them. Didn't he himself allow Uchiha Kagami to join the direct Hokage Guard?
...40L: Is it possible that Danzo Shimura, having missed the chance to become Hokage due to hesitation, is now desperately implementing Senju Tobirama's political ideology to prove that he is his most outstanding student?
41L: What the poster above said isn't impossible. What was unattainable in youth eventually became a lifelong nightmare...
42L: Clan is not the fundamental reason for personality formation! Danzo is from the Shimura Clan, and he himself is even more extreme than the Uchiha Clan he talks about! Such blatant double standards!
43L: Exactly! There are so many people born evil in the Ninja World, why only target the Uchiha Clan! Are the Uchiha Clan born guilty? The old woman selling dango on the street, the lady at the ninja tool shop, the uncle who runs the bar—are they guilty? Danzo Shimura, you * * *!
After exiting this plot analysis thread, Naraku also saw other discussion threads and opened a few. One of them analyzed Matsukata Seigou's motives, and it seemed to make some sense.
"Suspicions Regarding the Matsukata Family's B-rank Mission"
1L (OP): As titled.
The Matsukata Family's mission clearly far exceeded the scope of a B-rank mission. If it weren't for the formidable strength of the Konoha ninja who came, the losses would have been disastrous.
Matsukata Seikō most likely simply estimated the Tamai Family's financial resources, judging that they lacked the ability to cause significant damage, and misjudged the situation, thinking the situation wasn't that urgent yet.
But the truth is, the Tamai Family hired powerful individuals beyond everyone's (perhaps except Matsukata Seigou's) expectations, posing a great threat to the Matsukata Family.
Where did these financial and material resources come from?
It's highly probable that the Daimyo secretly provided them, wanting to use the Tamai Family to strike at or even eliminate the Matsukata Family, or at the very least, make them both suffer heavy losses, with the Daimyo himself reaping the benefits.
2L: I think Matsukata Seikō, as a prominent noble, wouldn't be so naive as to think he wouldn't be purged. He probably thought he still had time to devise some countermeasures, not expecting the Daimyo's blade was already at his neck.
3L: I agree with the speculation above.
4L: Matsukata Seigou might become the biggest winner. Of the two young masters who died, one was the eldest brother **, and the other was the third brother **. Now, only the second brother is left above him. With his intelligence, the position of family head is within easy reach.
5L (OP): The poster above reminded me; Matsukata Seigou once said that he "must reach a position with more say to save the Matsukata Family." This time, he really profited immensely.
And I have an even darker speculation: the possibility of Matsukata Seigou killing with a borrowed knife.
He had long believed the Daimyo was hostile towards the Matsukata Family, and he must have known that the enemy's strength this time couldn't be just a B-rank mission. Heavy losses for the Matsukata Family were probably inevitable.
Both the Matsukata Family and the Tamai Family surely had informants within each other. So, he could have muddied the waters, seized the opportunity to leak some intelligence, and eliminate his competitors...
9L: That's not right. Matsukata Seigou himself was also attacked by the tentacle monster, which means the enemy knew his location too. Did he leak his own information?
10L: If only others' locations were leaked and he alone was safe, that would be too obvious.
11L: Reply to 10L: I get it! A serial killer fakes an attack on himself to rule out his own suspicion—a common trope in mystery novels!
12L: This move, ah, this move is a werewolf faking a self-kill to gain a "verified innocent" status.
13L: These are all just guesses. If it's really as the poster above implied, then Matsukata Seigou is a bit too terrifying. He'd stop at nothing to achieve his goals, even harming his own brothers...
Naraku narrowed his eyes, recalling Matsukata Seigou's every word and action.
That guy... he might actually do that.
He scrolled down a few more pages, but there was no more useful information, so he clicked to exit.