Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had both merits and demerits.

Moreover, the negatives far outweigh the positives.

This includes, but is not limited to, the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, the death of White Fang, the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, the death of Hizashi Hyuga, Orochimaru's defection, the annihilation of the Uchiha clan, and so on!

Of course, to be honest, most of these things are not directly related to the Third Hokage, let alone the main cause. In particular, Sakumo Hatake died by suicide, so no one should be held responsible.

But can these things really be viewed so simply?

In a ninja village, the death of an important figure, regardless of responsibility, will at least implicate the highest leader in some way.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi truly possessed the magnanimity and breadth of mind of the First Hokage, or if his methods were as skillful as those of the Second Hokage, at least two or three of the aforementioned incidents could have been avoided. You could say that Hiruzen Sarutobi was completely without fault, but you could also say that Hiruzen Sarutobi was utterly wicked!

It all depends on your perspective and the angle from which you view these things.

Clearly, Shoji believed that this Third Hokage was far more despicable than Shimura Danzo!

Hiruzen Sarutobi is the greatest darkness hidden beneath the prosperity of Konoha.

It has nothing to do with so-called righteousness or right or wrong.

This is merely the 'justice' deep within Shoji's own heart!

It was merely the 'selfish rhetoric' of someone from the Uchiha clan.

After taking one last deep look at the memorial tablets inside, the general turned and headed back towards his own garrison.

And it just so happened that it was during Shoji's 'wandering' of Konoha Village.

Shisui, who left Elder Xuanlan's house a quarter of an hour later than Shoji, did not return directly to his own home. Instead, he followed the shadowy route, avoiding all members of the Uchiha clan. After leaving the camp, he changed direction and headed towards the eastern part of Konoha Village.

We arrived directly at a rather spacious retro-style house.

He stepped into the still water with practiced ease.

After turning two or three corners.

We arrived at the courtyard behind the house.

When the water stops flowing.

An old man was already waiting inside, wearing the Hokage's signature attire and a Hokage hat. The moment Shisui appeared, the old man turned around, revealing an aged yet extremely dignified face. It was none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had returned to the position of Hokage.

"Shisui, you're here?"

"Yes! Greetings, Hokage-sama!"

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could turn around, Shisui knelt on one knee and answered with great respect.

Shisui was deeply influenced by the Will of Fire inherited from his ancestor, Uchiha Kagami.

When facing Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was both the Hokage and a close comrade of his ancestor, a deep sense of respect naturally arose in his heart.

That is precisely why.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi could so easily turn Shisui Uchiha into a high-ranking spy planted within the Uchiha clan by the Konoha leadership.

It can't even be called a defection; it can be said to be the result of Shisui's voluntary choice.

9. Sandaime and Shisui

"How is it? What's the atmosphere and opinions within the clan like? Especially Chief Fugaku, what are your thoughts on the relocation of your clan's residence, Shisui?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi strolled in his courtyard, looking at Shisui with seemingly murky yet profoundly deep eyes, and asked softly.

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was not as ruthless as Danzo Shimura.

But as the Hokage of Konoha Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not as kind and gentle as he appeared. In the original work, he seemed to repeatedly propose to resolve the conflict with the Uchiha clan peacefully through negotiation. Although it was indeed because he did not want to fight with the Uchiha clan, it was by no means out of benevolence. Rather, it was because he was worried about his reputation being damaged, and he was also worried about the village as a whole suffering too much damage. In addition, the Uchiha clan and the Sharingan were extremely powerful bloodline limits!

If Konoha were to truly lose this bloodline limit.

Looking to the future.

That's a huge loss!

This is also the biggest reason why Hiruzen Sarutobi was reluctant to take action against the Uchiha clan.

otherwise.

The Nine-Tails' attack occurred in Konoha 48, so why did it take a full seven years for the entire clan to be wiped out?

Even if the death of Shisui delayed things for a while.

But essentially, it's because Hiruzen Sarutobi truly hadn't made up his mind.

From this perspective, it's fair to say that Hiruzen Sarutobi had a desire to resolve conflicts peacefully.

This is a relocation plan for the entire clan.

This was both a precaution against the Uchiha clan and a test by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He wanted to see how many people in the Uchiha clan harbored ulterior motives, and whether that mysterious Uchiha was truly connected to the entire Uchiha clan.

At least, during this period, Hiruzen Sarutobi's inner thoughts on how to deal with the Uchiha clan during their rebellion were similar to those of his mentor, the Second Hokage. He planned to execute the ruthless members and leave behind those who could serve the village and obey his orders. Just as the Second Hokage cultivated Uchiha Kagami, who then influenced a small group of Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to treat Shisui as a 'Kagami' he had cultivated! And then, in the same way, this influence would spread throughout the entire Uchiha clan. This was Hiruzen Sarutobi's truest thought at that moment.

Therefore, the true meaning of this relocation of the base lies here.

Shisui was Hiruzen Sarutobi's best and only intelligence operative in gathering information about the Uchiha clan.

"Yes, Third Generation Elder, there are indeed many complaints within the clan about the relocation. A considerable number of clansmen are unwilling to move. However, the clan chief and several elders have all expressed their willingness to obey the village's orders and carry out the relocation work according to the original plan within the stipulated time."

Shisui followed closely behind the Third Hokage, responding calmly.

"Oh? Not just Fugaku, but the other elders also agree?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed somewhat surprised, paused slightly, turned his head to look at Shisui again, and asked softly.

"Yes, some elders remained silent, but none of them directly raised any objections."

It's not that these people don't speak out, but rather that in the current situation, the Uchiha clan no longer has many choices or even the right to refuse. The higher their position, the more likely they are to have too many concerns. They are the group that understands Fugaku's choices the most, unlike those young people in their twenties who only act and speak according to their own thoughts.

Although Shisui was only 12 years old, his precocious nature allowed him to understand the solemn atmosphere at the gathering. Even though he was a spy for the Third Hokage, gathering information about the clan and reporting it to the Third Hokage without deceiving him, he could still choose to use more conciliatory words in his speech.

Unlike Itachi Uchiha in the original work, who was a complete traitor and madman.

Deep down, Shisui still harbors a clan.

He was unwilling to see his clan betray the village, or even cause the village to fall into war because of his clan's selfish desires.

But they also don't want to see the entire clan completely wiped out.

He wanted to become like his ancestor, Uchiha Kagami, leading his clan onto a truly bright path and allowing the clan to fully integrate into the village.

To become a member of the village.

In this respect, Hiruzen and Shisui shared an unusual understanding: one wanted to become the 'Second Hokage,' and the other wanted to become 'Uchiha Kagami,' both striving to surpass their predecessors.

"If that's the case, then that would be the best thing ever. Shisui, you must understand that this turmoil has affected not only the Uchiha clan, but also hundreds of thousands of people in the entire village. The Fourth Hokage's death in battle is the clearest signal of this. You must remember this and be vigilant against any disturbances within the clan. Find out the mastermind behind it all as soon as possible so that your clan and the village can truly return to peace!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently at Shisui Uchiha.

He spoke in a slightly low voice.

The Third Hokage placed high hopes on this direct descendant of his former comrade. There was even a moment when Hiruzen Sarutobi considered taking him on as a disciple, but he hesitated due to his status, age, and some other delicate circumstances.

He nipped the seed in the bud as soon as it began to sprout.

Even so.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was still very willing to believe Shisui.

It will become the next 'Mirror'!

This is key to Konoha's further control and utilization of the Uchiha clan's power.

"Yes, Lord Third Generation, I understand!"

Upon hearing the Third Hokage's words, Shisui immediately knelt on one knee and responded with a solemn expression.

"Yes, go ahead. Keep a close eye on the situation within the clan. Report any unusual behavior from anyone immediately!"

"Yes!"

Zhi Shui suddenly lowered his head and answered.

Then, at Hiruzen Sarutobi's gentle wave of the hand, he signaled.

"Whoosh!"

With a leap, he vanished from the spot.

A situation where various parties are involved.

The immense turmoil caused by the Nine-Tailed Fox is only just beginning to unfold, and its effects extend beyond mere internal conflicts within Konoha.

What's even more noteworthy is...

When news spread throughout the ninja world that nearly one-fifth of Konoha Village had been destroyed by the Nine-Tails' rampage, resulting in the deaths and injuries of over ten thousand people, and directly leading to the death of the young Fourth Hokage who had only been in office for a little over a year,...

This caused corresponding commotion in various countries and major ninja villages.

Especially the two major ninja villages, Kumogakure and Iwagakure.

Almost immediately upon receiving the message.

There was a hint of a large-scale ninja combat force being mobilized, and that restless posture had a reverse effect on the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

This caused a chill to run down the spines of Konoha's high-ranking officials, including Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado.

10. The beginning of true isolation and seclusion

However, these things are clearly not directly related to the Uchiha clan.

Unless a major war breaks out immediately at this moment.

The Konoha leadership decided to immediately deploy the Uchiha clan to the front lines.

Clearly, Konoha is unwilling, and Iwagakure and Kumogakure may not be strong enough either. The Third Shinobi World War has only ended a little over a year ago, and the major ninja villages have not yet recovered from the trauma of the war. The Third Raikage of Kumogakure has only been dead for a little over a year.

Meanwhile, Iwagakure was tasked with killing the Third Raikage.

Even though the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, wasn't on the front lines at all, they still paid an extremely heavy price.

The two great ninja villages made these subconscious moves upon hearing of the great changes in Konoha, but that was all. It was truly difficult for them to gather a large force again and continue the Third Shinobi World War.

No one has the ability or the courage to start a war in such a delicate situation.