Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

"I really have to be that Obito who calls himself Uchiha Madara, Orochimaru. I'm really curious what will happen when you two actually meet. Obito-kun, after learning of my existence from Orochimaru, what kind of guesses will you make? I hope you like this little gift!"

Jiang Si smiled coldly.

Then, with a leap, he disappeared into the vast night, heading back towards his clan's territory.

The transaction was successfully completed.

It also laid the groundwork for some things that might be useful in the future.

It can be said that Shoji had basically achieved his goals for tonight's trip. After returning home and changing his clothes, Shoji immediately went to his study, took out one of the two scrolls that Orochimaru had given him from his pocket, opened it, and saw the large character 'seal' on it.

Jiang Si smiled slightly.

Immediately form a hand seal.

"untie!"

As the imprint was completed, Jiang Si gave a soft shout, and the character 'seal' on the scroll suddenly trembled. Immediately afterwards, a cloud of white smoke appeared.

As they dispersed.

A nutrient solution bottle emitting a faint green glow appeared before Shoji. What he saw, especially the vibrant life force emanating from it, told him, even though it was the first time he had ever seen it, was that this was the cell gene of Hashirama Senju. In the world, only the cells of the First Hokage possessed such vigorous vitality.

Although Shoji hasn't figured out how to utilize the First Hokage's Wood Release cells yet, it's always good to be prepared. Moreover, to ensure that there's no mishap, Shoji himself needs to spend some time researching Wood Release cells, at least to the point where he can use the current batch of Wood Release cells to cultivate new Wood Release cells.

Only in this way will I have a continuous source of 'experimental materials' for future experiments! However, these are things to consider later. If the crisis of the clan cannot be alleviated or resolved, I will have no future at all.

Which is more important?

The general is quite clear-headed.

"call....."

After carefully sensing the terrifying vitality of the Wood Release cells in the glass bottle once more, Jiang Si gently exhaled a breath of turbid air, then formed a hand seal to reseal it back into the scroll in front of him, and then carefully placed it close to his body. As for the other research data on cell activity, Jiang Si had no interest in looking at it at the moment, so he simply placed it in a hidden compartment in his study and then returned to his room to rest.

In the period that follows.

He felt he could just wait and see how things unfolded.

It all depends on when Orochimaru defectes.

Then how will his Third Hokage respond? This is his first test against Hiruzen Sarutobi. He doesn't need to do anything extra; he just needs to keep an eye on things.

This was the commander's perspective at that time.

But Jiang Si had no idea.

Life is never short of surprises.

Just when he thought he could comfortably remain a bystander for the time being.

But Danzo Shimura, the Dark Lord of Konoha, would not allow it!

72. A web of conspiracies

"What did you say? You suspect this is a conspiracy by the Uchiha clan?"

In the brightly lit Hokage office building, almost at the same time that Shoji secretly went to 'visit' Orochimaru under the cover of night, Shimura Danzo also appeared in Hiruzen Sarutobi's office. He also summoned his two close advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. Just as the three of them sat down, the words Shimura Danzo spoke caused Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression to change drastically. Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, standing to the side, both had cold and solemn expressions.

Clearly, he had obtained the relevant information from Danzo Shimura before he came.

It is no coincidence.

Danzo undoubtedly once again displayed his ruthless and treacherous nature.

They directly linked the series of disappearances that had occurred during this period to the Uchiha clan, attempting to pin the blame entirely on them.

"Do you have any evidence to support your claim, Danzo? The Uchiha clan has been quite well-behaved during this period, and there has been no news from Shisui or Shoji. Don't make inferences based on your conjectures!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently at Danzo Shimura, a sharp glint appearing in his seemingly cloudy pupils as he spoke in a deep voice.

Since Jiang Si's speech at that clan meeting.

Under the deliberate guidance of Fugaku and the eight elders, the Uchiha clan was indeed much more well-behaved than in the original story. At least there were fewer complaints than in the original story. From an outsider's perspective, the Uchiha clan did not deliberately escalate the conflict during this period.

Moreover, over a period of more than six months.

Dozens of Uchiha clan members had also fought valiantly on the front lines for Konoha. The information from Shisui also proved that Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, had been suppressing and calming the special atmosphere within the clan.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi had predicted, Shoji joined the Hokage's direct ANBU. Everything in the Uchiha clan was developing in the direction Hiruzen Sarutobi had hoped for. The Third Hokage truly did not believe that the Uchiha clan would cause any trouble at this time.

"Heh, speculation? Hiruzen, I have my reasons for saying this. The number of missing persons in the village has been increasing. Even after the Anbu launched an investigation, the number and frequency of disappearances continued to rise. Last week, another patrol team went missing, but the Anbu still couldn't find the person behind it. Doesn't that prove something?"

“This was an inside job by someone from our village, and the Uchiha clan, who control the security department, are the prime suspects. Otherwise, why would it be impossible to explain why, out of so many patrol personnel, only members of other clans went missing, but not any members of the Uchiha clan?”

"As for Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Shoji, I've said it before: no one in the Uchiha clan can be trusted! Besides, even if we assume they are trustworthy, could they really know everything that happens in the clan? The clan head is Uchiha Fugaku, and the eight elders are their direct relatives. If these high-ranking members of the Uchiha clan wanted to do something, keeping it from them would be a piece of cake!"

"Don't forget the Nine-Tails' rampage a year ago, Hiruzen!"

Danzo snorted coldly and said this in an extremely sinister tone.

He had no evidence, and he knew better than anyone who the real culprit behind this disappearance was, but that didn't stop Danzo from pinning all the blame on the Uchiha clan. This would not only divert the Third Hokage's attention, but also further pressure the Uchiha clan. This was Danzo's plan to kill two birds with one stone!

Listening to Danzo's words.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

It must be admitted that Hiruzen Sarutobi did waver at this moment. The point of wavering was not that he did not trust Shisui and Shoji, but the following sentence: if someone in the clan wanted to keep it from Shisui and Shoji, they should be able to do so.

After all, at this juncture...

Not to mention Shoji, even Shisui hasn't revealed his Mangekyou Sharingan yet.

Therefore, from Hiruzen Sarutobi's perspective, the two boys can only be considered as strong elite Jonin. While there is no one in the Uchiha clan stronger than them, there should be a handful of clan members who are at a similar level, only slightly weaker.

In addition, both of them were still teenagers, and neither of them held high positions in their clan.

It's perfectly reasonable to be unclear about certain things.

but!

Hiruzen Sarutobi, however, always felt that the issues involved were not so simple, because the Uchiha clan had no reason to do such things. Even if they were truly dissatisfied with the village, they would, according to the Uchiha clan's habits, raise their opinions directly. Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be surprised if they even launched another coup.

He had already made the necessary preparations beforehand.

Treat it the same way he treated the Uchiha rebellion during the reign of his teacher, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

What Danzo said was not in the style of the Uchiha clan.

But just a year ago, during the Nine-Tails' rampage, the crimson and jet-black Sharingan was so clear that it seemed no one in the Uchiha clan knew about it, including Shisui and Shoji, who were only 12 and 14 years old, respectively.

From this perspective, it is indeed very apt.

"Hiruzen! The Uchiha clan must be restricted immediately, at least their security department's authority must be limited. Furthermore, I propose the immediate arrest of the Uchiha security personnel patrolling the area around where the person went missing that day. I strongly suspect that the culprit from a year ago is now an individual or even a group within the Uchiha clan. Even if, as you say, not all members of the Uchiha clan are guilty, some certainly are. The Nine-Tails' rampage couldn't have been accomplished by one person alone! The Uchiha clan's security department must be thoroughly investigated!"

Danzo stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi with extremely deep eyes and spoke in a cold tone.

“Hiruzen, I also think Danzo’s words make some sense. Although it’s not 100% certain now, it’s still a possibility. And it’s not really about doing anything to the Uchiha clan. It’s just temporarily restricting the Uchiha clan and summoning some security personnel for questioning. I think if the Uchiha clan really doesn’t have any problems, they definitely won’t resist this. If they resist, it will only prove that they have problems!”

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was still deep in thought and silent.

Mitomon Homura, who was standing to the side, also chimed in with his own words.

Better to kill the wrong person than to kill the innocent.

We will not let them go.

This is Mitokado's opinion.

After all, the village can't afford another Nine-Tailed Fox rampage.

73. Haze

On the other side, Koharu Utatane spoke up at this moment: "Hiruzen, it's time to make a decision!"

It's only been a little over a year since the Nine-Tailed Fox's rampage ended.

Now that such a terrible incident has occurred, although from the perspective of the entire village, the ratio of hundreds of thousands of people going missing seems very low, it also depends on the time and place, the identity of the missing persons, and the frequency of the incident!

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were persuaded by Shimura Danzo.

The most crucial point is that in the past six months or so, the missing persons, not to mention civilians, were all ordinary ninjas or members of other ninja clans, but there was not a single Uchiha clan member among them. In addition, they controlled the security department. It's impossible not to be suspicious!

"This matter still needs to be handled with caution. Although Danzo's words have some merit, we shouldn't act rashly when things are uncertain. I will summon Shisui and Shoji separately in the next two days to further question them and have them investigate the internal problems of the Uchiha clan. I still believe that Shisui and Shoji are Uchiha clan members who care about the village, just like Kagami. Moreover, the fourth division of the Anbu has already grasped some clues. In the next few days, or at most a week, we should have some results. Even if we have to take strong measures, there is no need to rush!"

After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi...

They did not completely reject Danzo's suggestion.

However, a compromise was taken to put it aside for the time being. Now, there are signs of easing tensions between the Uchiha clan and the village. With Shisui and Shoji around, Hiruzen Sarutobi is very confident that he can gradually take control of the Uchiha clan in the future and find out who was the culprit who stirred up the Nine-Tails' chaos a year ago, resulting in the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife.

At this critical moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was determined not to see the delicate balance being broken.

After hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Homura Mito and Koharu Utatane exchanged a glance and then slowly nodded. Hiruzen Sarutobi's words made them immediately change their stance, which did indeed sound like the most reliable approach.

"It is indeed safer to do it this way."

Although the two advisors also disliked the Uchiha clan and were extremely wary and repulsed by them, it was precisely because of this that they were reluctant to resort to violent means. If Danzo hadn't made things sound so serious at the beginning, neither of them would have shown such an attitude initially.

However, this also shows that...

These two advisors are truly incapable, or rather, completely incapable of making the most rational judgment at the right time. In this respect alone, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu are far inferior to Hiruzen and Danzo.

This is understandable, given that the Second Hokage died in battle.

Konoha Village.

It will be Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, each standing out individually.

These two are truly incapable of leading a region. Even if Danzo is incompetent, he can still control Root. Regardless of whether his methods are dirty or shady, the fact is that hundreds of elite Root members obey Danzo's orders. They even carried out orders like assassinating the Third Hokage, which shows that Danzo is far superior to the other two in this respect.

Let's put those aside for now.

As two advisors quickly 'betrayed' their original positions.

Danzo Shimura's expression changed slightly. Others might not understand the meaning behind his words, but as Orochimaru's partner, Danzo was certainly aware of the problem.

That bastard!

It's unclear how far Hiruzen Sarutobi's ANBU had actually investigated.

Just from what Hiruzen Sarutobi just said.

Danzo could deduce that at least some of the key clues had been obtained by Hiruzen Sarutobi, and now all that was left was to follow the trail to Orochimaru. At this stage, Danzo could not allow Orochimaru to make any mistakes, as there was still a lot of research to be done, and Danzo was waiting for Orochimaru to produce results.

Therefore, he had to immediately divert Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention.

He needed to buy himself some time to deal with Orochimaru's contingency plans and warn him again to be more restrained for the time being. Besides, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strike at the Uchiha clan, and Danzo would certainly not let it go.