Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 372 Uchiha: Why are all the people around me traitors?

It was to be expected that everyone would react this way when they learned about this. Seeing that the situation was escalating, Fugaku stepped forward and reprimanded, "Everyone, calm down."

"team leader!"

"team leader!"

"team leader!"

Normally, everyone could remain calm, but now that the higher-ups intend to exterminate their entire clan, they simply cannot stay calm.

Unable to calm the crowd down, Aokiji had no choice but to speak up: "Everyone, calm down first. What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket?"

His voice was calm and gentle, but it was more effective than the previous reprimand. Everyone fell silent and looked at Aokiji, waiting for him to give further instructions.

Since Aokiji's return, people have gradually begun to lean towards him as their leader.

Aokiji slowly stood up from his chair and said to a Uchiha member with long hair, "Inahime, lead a few members back to their posts. Everything will be as usual. Don't arouse suspicion, and don't let anyone approach this room. This is very important, understand?"

"Yes……"

Inahime called a few of his men and left the room.

The upcoming meeting is very important and may determine the future of the Uchiha clan. Although Inahime was unwilling to be excluded, preventing eavesdropping was just as important.

After assigning tasks here, Aokiji immediately issued a new one: "The rest of you, hold a meeting with me to discuss what's next."

"Yes……"

Everyone responded in unison.

After closing the door, the Uchiha guards all sat cross-legged on the ground, all looking at Aokiji and Fugaku who were standing there.

Although Aokiji appears short to them, in their hearts he is taller and more imposing than anyone else.

Without him, the Uchiha clan might have been wiped out by the higher-ups.

It is no exaggeration to say that Aokiji is like heaven and earth to them, an absolute and undisputed being.

Aokiji's gaze slowly swept over the menacing expressions on everyone's faces, and he said calmly, "Speak, what do you plan to do?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than one of the tribesmen could no longer contain his emotions, pounding the floor and expressing his vehement opinion: "If there's still anything we can do, of course we should kill these bastards."

His words, which constantly threatened to kill high-ranking officials, were clearly extreme. However, no one present found them inappropriate; in fact, they even carried a sense of political correctness. Anyone who voiced opposition would be considered a traitor to the clan.

"Lord Aokiji, let's launch a coup. With your power, we can definitely catch the higher-ups off guard."

This suggestion was quickly supported by everyone present, as long as Aokiji could give the order to kill these high-ranking officials.

If you want to wipe out the Uchiha clan, see if they don't strike first and then destroy them.

However, to his disappointment, Aokiji shook his head and refused: "No."

"Lord Aokiji, why?"

The people present found this utterly unbelievable and couldn't understand it: "The Konoha higher-ups are already treating us like this, are we supposed to show them mercy?"

"Don't get me wrong. When it comes to anger, mine is far stronger than anyone else's here," Aokiji said coldly. "After all, it was these bastards who made it take me so long to revive."

"W-what...?"

Everyone was shocked. They had been speculating for a while, but had no evidence, and Aokiji hadn't mentioned it upon his return. They hadn't dared to ask, but now that Aokiji had told them, they could no longer ignore it.

"Lord Aokiji, please tell us what's going on."

Aokiji didn't hide anything and told the Uchiha members everything about himself.

Everyone was stunned when they learned the truth.

Back then, Aokiji even dared to extort money from the daimyo. While it's understandable that the village wanted to kill him for that reason, the fact that they later sacrificed Tsunade to kill him suggests that the village's motivation for killing Aokiji wasn't simply that. There were other reasons behind their extreme actions.

Considering the various forms of oppression the Uchiha clan suffered at the hands of the village over the years, and even the subsequent order to exterminate the Uchiha, the village's desire to kill Aokiji was likely primarily due to the fact that Aokiji was an Uchiha.

In this way, everyone understood why the village had been pushing them to the brink of despair at every turn.

This isn't just pushing them to the brink; it's clearly an attempt to kill them.

Over the years, the Uchiha clan has always been at the forefront, risking their lives for the peace of the village, yet these higher-ups are constantly plotting to eliminate them.

In an instant, every Uchiha member present was filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could grab their weapons and rush into the Hokage Building to fight these treacherous guys to the death.

With everyone's emotions calmed down, Aokiji spoke frankly: "Having said so much, I'm not afraid to tell you that I've reached a point of no return with both the village's leadership and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. Since the grudges can no longer be resolved, there's only one path waiting for me."

Upon hearing this, Fugaku glanced at Aokiji, seemingly already anticipating what kind of conversation was about to take place.

Without hesitation, everyone replied, "Lord Aokiji, just tell us what you want to do, we'll all listen to you."

Aokiji raised his head, tilting his head back four or five degrees to look at the ceiling, clenched his fist with one hand, and declared domineeringly: "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny? I want everything, whether it's the village or the Land of Fire."

Everyone was shocked by these words and gasped.

"Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?" What an arrogant statement!

"Besides, if we're really talking about bloodline, who can compare to our Uchiha clan? Those good-for-nothing daimyo of the Land of Fire can't even use ninjutsu, so why do they control so much wealth and enjoy the worship of everyone?"

"Is it based solely on their governance?"

Aokiji sneered disdainfully: "Even tying a dog to the throne would be a hundred times better than these nobles and princes who sit on their thrones with their bodies wrapped in white."

Aokiji's words hadn't been so bad, but once he brought it up, everyone thought about it carefully and almost slapped their thighs and said, "That's right!"

How can someone with such a high reputation control so much wealth?

As for governing a country, Daimyo doesn't seem to be that great.

My impression of them is that they just eat and drink all day long. Maybe it's true, as Lord Aokiji said, that it would be better to just tie a dog up somewhere than to manage these people. At least the cost of a dog wouldn't be that high.

If that's the case, then if these good-for-nothings can become daimyo, why can't Lord Aokiji become one?

"How about it? Do you want to join me in creating a great enterprise? I can guarantee that the Uchiha clan will reach unprecedented heights in your hands. Your descendants will never be ostracized again; in fact, they'll be too busy currying favor with you."

Aokiji stretched out his hand, his voice carrying a seductive magic: "For this, I've even thought of a name for our future country: the Land of Flames."

After Aokiji's analysis, everyone was instantly energized. Then, with Aokiji's last highly inflammatory remark, they became breathless and their eyes gleamed with fervor.

The Land of Flames, what a fine name.

The Uchiha are a ninja clan skilled in fire-style techniques, and their fire element is even more than fire, indicating their ambition to reach an even higher level.

Thinking of this, someone on the spot couldn't wait to wave their hand and show their loyalty: "No need to say anything more, Lord Aokiji. The Uchiha clan has no way out now. If we don't advance, we will perish. We'll follow you."

Immediately afterward, someone else chimed in, saying, "Lord Aokiji's words have been a revelation, like the sun breaking through the clouds. In the past, we only focused on the Hokage position; our perspective was too narrow."

Since his clansmen were so understanding, Aokiji had nothing more to say and made a final summary: "In the future, there will be no more Konoha, nor will there be any more Land of Fire; there will only be one Land of Flame."

"The Land of Flames..."

Everyone's breathing became rapid.

Having successfully brought this group of the most elite clansmen to his warship, Aokiji immediately began his next plan, asking the lower-ranking member, "There's something I've always wondered about. Tell me, how did Uchiha Shisui die?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze towards it.

They haven't been able to find out anything about Shisui's death, and now might just be the perfect opportunity.

The lower moon, acting as a mere tool, replied, "It was Lord Danzo who killed him..."

The crimes committed by the higher-ups are too numerous to list, and the Uchiha members are even more enraged, vowing to be irreconcilable enemies with the higher-ups and to avenge Shisui.

Everyone was indignant about the matter, but one person seemed unusual; instead of shouting, he was thinking.

This would make him stand out like a firefly in the night, so bright and outstanding that he would easily attract everyone's attention.

"Lord Aokiji, is there a problem?"

After a moment's thought, Aokiji replied, "Hmm, a little."

Everyone looked puzzled.

Why did Danzo kill Shisui?

"Is there any doubt about that?" the crowd asked, puzzled. "When Shisui was alive, she was the strongest fighter in our clan. If we kill her, our strength will definitely drop significantly, which will help Danzo to destroy the Uchiha clan."

"It's not that simple." Aokiji shook his head and offered his analysis: "If Shisui is truly the strongest fighter in our clan, Danzo wouldn't have been able to launch a sneak attack so easily, unless it was under conditions of extreme trust."

Aokiji's words were clearly loaded with meaning, and everyone understood that Lord Aokiji suspected Shisui was also a spy, otherwise he wouldn't have been so unguarded when facing Danzo.

In fact, Aokiji then said something similar: "Although it may be offensive to say this, have you ever considered the possibility that Shisui is also a spy?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately shook their heads in denial, believing that Zhishui was not the kind of person who would do such a thing: "That's impossible. Zhishui is a man who would set an example for his people no matter what the task is."

"He can't be a spy. Besides, didn't that spy disguised as a Lower Moon just say that there are only three spies lurking in the clan? If you include Shisui, that makes four. And even if he were a spy, why would Danzo attack him? It doesn't make logical sense."

For the sake of the gods...

Aokiji gave his reason: "It's very simple. It's possible that the horse's authority is too low and he doesn't know about Shisui, the spy, or perhaps there was a problem with how I asked him."

"After all, I'm not very good at illusions, which is why the spy's answer didn't take anything into consideration."

"As for why Danzo targeted Shisui, I don't have enough information to make an accurate guess."

After recounting the appeal, Aokiji, to maintain his pretense of suspicion, asked the lower moon again, "Tell me, is Shisui a spy for the higher-ups?"

The lower moon honestly replied, "Yes."

"Then why didn't you answer when I asked you a question earlier?"

"Because he's already dead..."

After understanding the situation, Aokiji looked at the Uchiha members and saw that they all looked extremely depressed.

There's a reason they're so upset.

The Uchiha clan has been infiltrated like a sieve.

Moreover, it would be one thing if they were just ordinary spies, but they happened to be the two most renowned geniuses in the clan.

No wonder the higher-ups were so confident in eliminating them; damn it, two of their own top-tier experts were traitors...

(End of this chapter)