I'm retrieving corpses in Konoha.

Now that Fugaku Uchiha is acting so strangely, Hiruzen Sarutobi has to be on guard.

The words spoken inadvertently revealed a bit of their true thoughts.

Fugaku Uchiha felt a chill run down his spine after hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.

Thinking about this, the Uchiha clan's opponents were all enemy elites who outnumbered them by a great deal.

Other families, while having a similar number of members, faced relatively weaker opponents.

It's too obvious.

Fugaku sighed, his face expressionless, seemingly lost in thought.

Uchiha Natsu also felt a little regretful, because he could sense that the main body had stopped the pursuit.

Although it can't share information with the main body like a wood clone, it's still conceivable that the main body's chakra is insufficient.

"Chief, let's go back too."

Uchiha Natsu looked around. Other clans had already retreated one after another, and the Anbu and the Yamanaka clan were cleaning up the battlefield.

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In fact, there were hardly any corpses left in the vicinity; almost all of them had been stolen by Uchiha Natsu's wood clones.

Meanwhile, the original body was busy collecting corpses on other battlefields.

However, the shadow clones cannot be too far from the main body, so it seems that not many can be captured.

They can only wait until they return to Konoha, dispel the shadow clones, and then find another opportunity to leave.

Fugaku Uchiha glanced at Natsumi Uchiha, then nodded, regaining his composure.

He was thinking of Konoha's best interests, but the Third Hokage said those things.

Even if it was an unintentional remark, it made Fugaku feel that the Third Hokage was no longer magnanimous enough to remain as Hokage.

"Third Generation, you're getting old."

Fugaku murmured to himself, then said to Uchiha Natsu, "Let's unite our clansmen and return to Konoha."

The war, which lasted for more than a month, has finally come to an end.

The entire Land of Fire was tinged with a sorrowful hue.

In wars between nations, it is actually the civilians who are most affected.

Countless ordinary residents have lost their homes and lives because of this war.

Washed by blood, one new grave after another stands in the cemetery.

Many more names have appeared on the memorial tablet in Konoha.

Meanwhile, the name of the Uchiha clan spread throughout the Land of Fire.

For the first time ever, the Uchiha clan became the talk of the town among the residents with a very positive image.

Even the other ninja clans in Konoha have changed their opinion of the Uchiha.

These rumors reached the ears of Konoha's high-ranking officials on the very day the war ended.

Chapter 70 For Konoha

Konoha Village, Hokage Building, small conference room.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, two advisors, and Danzo Shimura, the leader of Root, stood in a circle around a small table.

This was the first meeting held after the war ended.

After this meeting concludes, the heads of each clan, as well as the "heroes" of this war, will be summoned to conduct a war summary.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was gloomy, and the two advisors also looked rather unpleasant.

Danzo, however, remained calm and collected, half-closing his eyes.

"Danzo, why didn't you show up during the war?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in a deep voice.

Danzo looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi and slowly said, "I once led the Root to monitor the rear of Konoha to prevent the Land of Wind and other small countries from taking advantage of the situation."

In fact, this is just a fabricated excuse.

From the very beginning, Danzo led the Root organization and hid underground.

According to him, the purpose was to preserve strength so that if everyone else in Konoha died, he could rebuild Konoha.

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Of course, this was actually for his "Naruto dream," and also because he was afraid of dying.

But he wouldn't tell anyone, since it wasn't exactly a respectable idea.

Not only Hiruzen Sarutobi, but also Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, who were standing next to him, were stunned for a moment.

They didn't expect Danzo to use such an excuse.

Since that's the case, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't find any reason to hold him accountable, and he couldn't tell the truth from the falsehood. After a long silence, he could only give up.

Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flickered, and he spoke again:

"The Uchiha clan made a great contribution to this war. The elite troops of those enemy countries were completely unable to withstand the power of the Sharingan."

Koharu Utatane nodded and said, "They should indeed be rewarded, especially Uchiha Natsu, who has a very high reputation among the villages."

According to Koharu Utatane, their original plan was to assign her to the Uchiha clan's strongest enemy.

If the Uchiha clan can repel the enemy, it will be beneficial to Konoha; if they cannot, it will still be beneficial to Konoha.

This is just one possible outcome. For Konoha, this outcome is still a good thing.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

If the Uchiha clan could repel the enemy with normal damage, then he could accept it.

In reality, the Uchiha clan not only killed the enemy with minimal casualties, but also saved many civilians.

The result of this was that the Uchiha clan's prestige in the Land of Fire rose too high.

This is the last thing Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to see.

Originally, although the Uchiha clan was a destabilizing factor, they were not actually a significant threat.

Previously, none of the Uchiha clans possessed the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan.

On the eve of the war, Uchiha Shisui took the initiative to admit that he had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.

In order to deal with the Kaleidoscope, Hiruzen Sarutobi specifically chose Shisui as the person to go to the Land of Lightning.

The purpose was to first get Zhishui away from the village, and then, based on the situation after this mission, to make further considerations.

From that moment on, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised the threat posed by the Uchiha clan to a new level.

At the same time, additional personnel were deployed to guard Naruto Uzumaki and prevent the Nine-Tails from being taken away.

Those people didn't even participate in this war; they stayed by the Nine-Tails' side the whole time.

However, even though the Uchiha with their Mangekyou Sharingan are a threat, they are not that great.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that the Uchiha clan had a terrible reputation, and even if they rebelled, they would be suppressed by the other clans in the village.

Given the Uchiha clan's usual behavior, they would never unite with any other clans, leaving them essentially isolated.

But this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi raised the threat of the Uchiha clan to its peak.

The biggest limitation of the Uchiha clan—the relationships between family members—is about to disappear.

If things continue like this, the chances of the Uchiha clan succeeding in a rebellion will be very high.

In addition, he had previously encountered "Senju Shinma," whom he suspected was a member of Root.

That's why Hiruzen Sarutobi brought this up at this time.

Actually, it was said to Danzo.

The purpose was to imply to Danzo that if he volunteered to deal with the Uchiha, then he would face the two biggest threats himself.

In this regard, Hiruzen Sarutobi never said it outright, but always hinted at it to avoid giving others cause for gossip.

Danzo, on the other hand, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

He had assumed that Hiruzen Sarutobi would propose to deal with the Uchiha clan.

Unexpectedly, instead of proposing to deal with the Uchiha, they offered to reward them.

This was something Danzo absolutely could not accept, so he immediately said:

"No, the Uchiha clan's prestige is so high that they would pose a great threat to the village!"

Koharu Utatane frowned and said, "Let's take this opportunity to reward and win over the Uchiha, and they will settle down."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, seemingly agreeing with the statement.

Danzo, in a moment of panic, hurriedly said:

"The Uchiha clan is prone to extremes and is extremely ambitious. Now they also possess the Mangekyou Sharingan, and their reputation has improved somewhat."

"On the battlefield, the Uchiha clan has helped many other clans. Imagine if the Uchiha clan were to rebel now, which of those clans could guarantee they wouldn't help them?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "That's true, but it was Shisui who obtained the Mangekyou Sharingan. He probably wouldn't help the Uchiha betray them."

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado nodded in agreement, acknowledging Hiruzen Sarutobi's statement.

Danzo tapped his cane, snorted coldly, and said, "Don't forget the Uchiha's performance in this war."

"Their strength is greater than we imagined. Even if Uchiha Shisui doesn't help either side, the power of those dozens of Sharingan eyes alone cannot be ignored."

The other three fell into deep thought, and Danzo, seeing this, continued:

"With the help of other clans, and the Sharingan, Konoha will be in crisis again!"

After a moment's hesitation, Koharu, who was turning over to her dorm, shook her head and said:

"We've just come from a war, so it's best not to cause any more trouble. Right now, countless countries and ninja villages are watching us."

Danzo slowly relaxed, his eyes narrowing again: "Leave this matter to my Root. I will take care of the entire task of eradicating the Uchiha."

"If the annihilation of the Uchiha clan becomes a fait accompli, then other clans will also see the situation clearly."