Inside the Konoha Military Police headquarters, Uchiha Ren looked over the agitated crowd of clan members.
A satisfied smile curved his lips.
"Quiet."
He raised a hand.
The room fell silent almost instantly.
All eyes locked onto him.
He had been the first to receive the news.
The first to act.
There was no way he had gathered them here just to accept Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Third Hokage.
Ren let the silence settle before speaking.
"Back then, it was the Uchiha and the Senju who founded Konoha together."
"The First Hokage—peerless in strength. A single man who could suppress the entire shinobi world."
"The Second Hokage—unmatched in strategy. A master of countless forbidden techniques."
He paused.
A faint scoff escaped him.
"Those two becoming Hokage—no one would question it."
Then his expression hardened.
"But Sarutobi Hiruzen—what is he?"
"He was entrusted with protecting Lord Tobirama."
"And in the end?"
"He abandoned the Hokage."
"Came crawling back to Konoha like a stray dog."
"And now—"
"Using the Hokage's final words, he shamelessly seeks to take the position of Third Hokage."
Ren's gaze swept across the room.
"So tell me… you're really going to accept that?"
"No!"
The response was immediate.
Unified.
Furious.
Such a man becoming Hokage—
Was an insult to Konoha itself.
"Good."
Ren nodded.
"I don't accept it either."
In his mind, the so-called "canon" decision felt ridiculous.
In this world—
There was only one explanation.
Mito Uzumaki would force it through.
Relying on her overwhelming strength and prestige to suppress all dissent.
Forcing the entire village—
To swallow something that should never have been accepted.
How ironic.
She wouldn't let her own son take the seat—
But chose Sarutobi Hiruzen instead.
Poor judgment.
And in the end?
The Senju.
The Uzumaki.
Even the Uchiha—
All would pay the price.
Ren's eyes turned cold for a fleeting moment.
Then—
He spoke again.
"Tekka."
"You'll take your squad. Spread the word in your sector."
"That the Hokage's guard abandoned him and fled for their lives."
"Understood!"
"Inabi."
"You'll take your team as well."
"In your area, spread a different version—"
"That the guard colluded with the Raikage's faction to kill the Hokage."
"…What?!"
"In addition—"
Ren continued calmly, layering lie upon truth.
Some details real.
Others fabricated.
All carefully mixed.
Once released into the streets—
Rumors would evolve on their own.
Distort.
Multiply.
By the time they settled—
Even he wouldn't be able to predict their final form.
The Uchiha present stared at him in stunned silence.
This…
This was ruthless.
This was pushing the Hokage's guard straight toward destruction.
If these rumors spread—
Forget becoming Hokage.
Whether Sarutobi Hiruzen could even survive would be a question.
"Captain… brilliant. Truly brilliant!"
Inabi blurted out instinctively.
"You're even more underhanded than Lord Tobirama—!"
The moment the words left his mouth—
He froze.
…He had messed up.
Ren slowly turned his head.
"…What did you say?"
Inabi's face turned pale.
"No—Captain, that's not what I meant!"
"I was praising you—your… your intelligence! Yes, intelligence!"
Ren really wanted to punch him.
Underhanded?
This was strategy.
Public opinion warfare.
Did this fool understand anything?
Ren smiled.
A perfect smile.
Too perfect.
"I understand."
"I truly do."
"Inabi… once you're done with your assignment—come find me."
"I'll personally assess your recent training."
Inabi's legs nearly gave out.
"Captain, please—no! I was wrong!"
"Brother! Say something!"
"Help me out here!"
Tekka took a silent step back.
This idiot…
Completely beyond saving.
Better to stay out of it.
Ren waved his hand dismissively.
"Enough."
"Carry out your orders."
"Inabi—don't make me come find you."
The threat lingered.
No one dared delay.
They filed out quickly, each heading to their assigned zones.
—
Soon—
The Uchiha Military Police spread across Konoha's busiest districts.
Every major street.
Every marketplace.
Every food stall cluster.
The Uchiha controlled vast commercial assets throughout the village.
Many shops bore their name.
Many more stood on land they owned.
A clan of such scale required enormous resources to sustain.
Food and clothing could be managed.
But cultivation—
That was another matter entirely.
Ninja tools.
Techniques.
Medicinal supplements.
All expensive.
D-rank missions: 500 to 1,000 ryo. Safe. Handled by genin.
C-rank: 2,000 to 10,000 ryo. Some risk—bandits, escorts.
B-rank: 50,000 to 150,000 ryo. Dangerous. Required chunin or higher.
A-rank: 150,000 to over a million. War-level operations.
Most shinobi never touched A-rank.
Even B-rank missions were team-based, irregular, and time-consuming.
On average—
A shinobi earned around forty to fifty thousand ryo a month.
A single kunai: 2,000.
Shuriken: 2,500.
Explosive tag: 5,000.
After daily expenses—
Almost nothing remained for training.
Many lower-ranking ninja could barely afford basic gear.
That was where clans stepped in—
Providing support.
Funding.
Resources.
Even now, civilian-born shinobi made up less than a third of Konoha's forces.
The true backbone—
Were the clans.
And now—
That backbone was moving.
Every time a Uchiha officer entered a shop—
A message was left behind.
Subtle.
Casual.
Passed along through idle conversation.
From merchant to customer.
From customer to passerby.
Within hours—
The news spread.
Tobirama Senju had fallen.
And the fate of his guard—
Became a storm of rumors.
Abandonment.
Betrayal.
Conspiracy.
Each version more twisted than the last.
And somewhere along the way—
One story began to circulate more than any other.
A scandal.
A forbidden relationship.
That Sarutobi Hiruzen had long used his body to curry favor with Tobirama—
That their bond ran deeper than master and student—
That in the end—
Tobirama had sacrificed himself to save him.
Ridiculous.
Absurd.
And yet—
Irresistible.
Because no matter the era—
People never tired of a good scandal.
Especially one that could burn a man's future to ashes—
Before he ever touched the throne.
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