Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 6 The Rising Public Opinion

The reason why Uchiha Tou was called the bottom of the class was simply because he was old and didn't put in much effort during the exam. In reality, the teachers and students at the school all knew that he was actually quite good at fighting.

It's just that most people underestimate him because of his age.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. I can only bully you because of my age... After all, you're the eldest son of the Hokage family!"

"Damn it! What do you mean, 'young master of the Hokage family'? I am who I am, and I have nothing to do with this old man!"

Asuma immediately broke down when asked about the Hokage. He had been a problem child since he was a child and hated being treated as an appendage of the Hokage. In the original story, he even served as one of the 12 Guardians of the Daimyo's Mansion for a period of time because of this.

However, one good thing about the Naruto world is that not many people are the type who rely on their fathers' connections (referring to their background, not their bloodline). They are certainly taken care of, but they are definitely not spoiled.

Although Asuma was the Hokage's son, Uchiha Touya beat him up back then, so be it. As long as he wasn't dead or crippled, even if the Hokage or other ninjas found out, they wouldn't care at all.

"Alright, I know you have nothing to do with the Hokage. Your father never gave you any special treatment. You earned your top spot through your own hard work and dedication..."

Uchiha Touyu spoke with an indifferent and sarcastic tone, which made Asuma's face turn pale and then red. Although what he said was true, it sounded so awkward.

But before Asuma could say anything more, Rin, who was looking at the group, spoke up gently, changing the subject:

"By the way, Asuma, you should know the most about the movements of the village's upper echelons. Do you know what exactly happened? Why is there suddenly a war?"

"I heard... I heard! Apparently, it's because a powerful ninja from Konoha made a mistake during an important mission, which aroused the hostility of Sunagakure..."

Children's anger comes and goes quickly. Asma is only eight or nine years old. After Lin changed the subject, he quickly put the matter behind him and started talking about the "secrets" from above.

Of course, what Asuma could find out couldn't really be considered a secret. At least within the official ninja circles of the ninja village, the information they knew was far more detailed than Asuma's.

For example, what exactly is the name of the core ninja who carried out the mission...? Uchiha Touyu believes that most of the Chunin and all the Jonin in Konoha should know that it is Hatake Sakumo, but even Asuma, as the Hokage's son, still doesn't know this information.

In fact, the confidentiality of such S-rank missions is extremely high. Theoretically, apart from the ninjas who carry out the mission and a few high-ranking officials in Konoha, it is impossible for them to tell anyone else, let alone for the ninja students to get their hands on it.

Even if what's been passed down is just a rough outline, it's definitely someone pushing things behind the scenes, and judging from the current situation, it might actually become common knowledge in the end.

Hatake Sakumo, he really got tricked, otherwise the news wouldn't have spread so quickly!

Just as Uchiha Touyu was pondering this, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage was smoking a pipe, looking at his good friend Danzo with a serious expression.

"Danzo, there are rumors circulating in the village lately, all about the White Fang mission failing. Was that your doing?!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Danzo denied it with a righteous indignation. He knew that his actions could not be hidden from the Third Hokage, but he certainly could not admit it.

"White Fang messed up the mission this time, so it's normal for everyone to be talking about it. You know, because of this mission, we might be going to war with the Sand Village soon!"

"With such a huge blunder, it's perfectly normal for the village ninjas to gossip. Does that mean we can't even talk about what we've done wrong?!"

The Third Hokage completely ignored Danzo's sophistry. He knew his old buddy all too well and coldly said:

"Stop your petty thoughts. In any case, Sakumo is Konoha's most capable ninja right now, and he's already been punished. Let's leave this matter here!"

"Hmph! Anyway, this has nothing to do with me!"

Danzo felt a surge of anger and turned to leave.

How could it end here? Sakumo's prestige in the village is so high that these rumors alone are not enough to shake his position or completely undermine his prestige. If I don't take this opportunity to completely destroy Sakumo's prestige, how will I compete with him for the Hokage position in the future?

Why not just be a tool for your ninja? Why bother with such a big reputation?

With this in mind, Danzo secretly made up his mind.

"Not enough, far from enough. I need to intensify my attacks on him until he no longer has the ability to inherit the Hokage position!"

For Hiruzen Sarutobi, he is the high-ranking Hokage. Although the reputation of White Fang of Konoha is high at this stage, it does not have much impact on him. As long as White Fang's reputation is slightly damaged, he can make better use of this sharp blade.

But for Danzo, who was obsessed with the Hokage position, Sakumo Hatake was a thorn in his side. He couldn't sleep well at night until he got rid of him!

Uchiha Touyu was completely unaware of the confrontation in the Hokage's office. He was currently filled with disappointment at not being able to complete his six years at the Ninja Academy, and the thought of soon being enlisted in the official ninja ranks filled him with unease.

Logically speaking, Uchiha Tou's strength is not weak; he has at least reached the level of a Chunin, and he is not bad among Chunin.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Chunin-level ninjas are just cannon fodder in the original work. In reality, Chunin have already moved beyond the bottom of the ninja system and are basically considered mid-level officers. They usually hold the position of squad leader in ordinary squads.

This level of strength wouldn't pose much of a danger in peacetime, but the problem is that we're not in peacetime now. If a ninja war breaks out, even Jonin will die one by one, let alone Chunin.

For example, Minato Namikaze's most brilliant achievement in World War III was wiping out 50 elite Iwa ninjas in the first battle—these so-called elite ninjas were at least Chunin level, and none of them were weaker than Tou Uchiha.

Anything can happen on the battlefield. It's impossible to say that just because Uchiha Touyu is a Chunin, the enemy will only send Chunin to deal with him.

Who knows, you might be unlucky and look up while on a mission: "Hey, isn't that the Kazekage, Raikage, or Tsuchikage coming from the other side? This mission is over, young hero, you'll have to start over!"

So during this final period, Uchiha Tou often passed by Kakashi's house, hoping to see when Hatake Sakumo would commit suicide.

(End of this chapter)