I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Even if the higher-ups agree to their departure, they will still send secret agents to monitor them, and the radical faction within the clan will also discover it.

Therefore, they had to leave on the eve of the coup, and they couldn't attract attention.

After much thought, they could only come up with the method of escaping using the reverse summoning technique, but this method had rather harsh conditions. Although the Uchiha clan was backed by the Ninja Cat Clan, not everyone could sign a summoning contract.

Furthermore, the reverse summoning technique relies not on the ninja's chakra, but on the summoning beast's chakra.

The Ninja Cat Clan isn't one of the three great holy lands, and they don't have that many Ninja Cats with Chunin strength. So, only a minority of them can be sent away by the Reverse Summoning Jutsu.

Shizuku decided to reserve these opportunities for children under twelve, while others would have to leave in a more dangerous way.

Few people objected to Shisui's idea at the small group meeting, but after the meeting, several ninjas who were particularly familiar with the identity of 'Li Huo' came to him.

After hesitating for a long time, they all looked at Zhishui and said, "You are not actually Li Huo, but someone else, right?"

Shisui looked at the people of his tribe gathered around him and frowned.

Just as they were about to make their move, these people said, "Don't misunderstand, we have no intention of attacking you. You've disguised yourself very well, but we found the unconscious Li Huo, which is why we guessed that you're not Li Huo himself."

"As for your decision to leave with your people, we don't object, but we just want to know who you really are?"

Shisui loosened his grip on the katana at his waist and said dismissively, "Who I am is not important, but I can tell you that I once gave everything for the Uchiha and the village, but now I'm tired of it."

The Uchiha clan members exchanged glances, having actually guessed an answer, but dared not confirm it.

There are very few Uchiha who would give everything for their clan and village, and these people are all dead. Can the dead be resurrected?

After defeating these tribesmen, Shisui breathed a sigh of relief.

He hadn't expected so many people in his clan to oppose the coup and want to leave Konoha. He realized he had always ignored the voices of his lower-ranking clansmen and had been too arrogant.

At that moment, Shisui suddenly remembered Itachi Uchiha and smiled easily.

His best friend is probably thinking about how to save the Uchiha right now, and he must be very happy to know about his plan.

After all, they were once close friends who walked the same path, and they could understand each other's feelings without even meeting.

Chapter 59 The Evil Naruto Brat

At dawn, Sasuke, who was woken up by Mikoto, went to wash up, still half asleep.

With dark circles under his eyes, he hadn't slept well last night. When he closed his eyes, the conversation between his father and brother kept echoing in his mind.

The father wanted to use the demon fox inside Naruto to launch a coup in the village and destroy the hard-won peace.

He didn't understand why his father did this, nor did he understand why his father wanted to use Naruto. He wondered if his becoming friends with Naruto was also part of his father's calculations.

What role did he play in opposing the coup and betraying his family and brother?

Sasuke was puzzled, but what happened yesterday made him realize that his family also had reservations about him and were unwilling to tell him their true feelings.

And he, like his family, will soon begin to keep the secret to himself.

After finishing breakfast, Sasuke jogged to the Ninja Academy, put his backpack in his drawer, and waited with his classmates for the final exams to begin.

The final exams are divided into academic subjects and physical education subjects.

The academic subjects included courses such as history, outdoor activities, and mathematics, while physical education was used for assessment.

During the academic exam, Sasuke was somewhat absent-minded, glancing at Naruto's seat every now and then. He only handed in his paper hastily after the bell rang, showing none of the composure he usually displayed as a top student.

Naruto noticed Sasuke's gaze but didn't pay much attention and continued to focus on the exam.

Even though this is the last exam, he must maintain a good mindset and crush all his peers in terms of grades.

During lunch break, Sasuke found Naruto under the shade of a tree and asked with a downcast expression, "Naruto, do you think the village is more important, or the clan?"

Halfway through his sentence, Sasuke seemed to realize he had misspoke and quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to target you; I was just asking for your opinion..."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, seemingly unconcerned about Sasuke's offense.

He lived a very comfortable life alone in his previous life, and now he has the companionship of the scumbag fox. The reason he had the idea of ​​leaving Konoha was simply because he wanted to live in a different environment.

At the same time, let those who hate him see what happens when they lose the protection of a Jinchūriki.

However, the fact that Sasuke sought psychological counseling from me, and about his clan and village, suggests that he is aware of the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha leadership.

Will Sasuke be unable to awaken his Sharingan because he saved Shisui?

Looking at the cautious Sasuke, Naruto chuckled and said, "If it were me, I probably wouldn't make a choice. I would want both the village and my family. Why would I have to make a choice?"

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then he understood what Naruto meant.

If he possessed the strength of a Hokage, he wouldn't need to make a choice. But right now, he can't even beat Naruto, so even if he did make a choice, no one would care.

Naruto seemed to understand Sasuke's thoughts and explained, "Whether you choose or not isn't important. What's important is making a choice you won't regret..."

Sasuke remained silent, beginning to seriously consider Naruto's words.

Although his words carry little weight at home, if he doesn't even dare to speak up, he will regret it even if he becomes a powerful ninja in the future.

Once the right opportunity is found, he must take the initiative and persuade his father and brother.

Thinking of this, Sasuke's eyes brightened even more, and he looked at Naruto with a hint of gratitude in his eyes.

"I will consider your opinion. Oh, and there's one more thing. The atmosphere inside the clan compound is a bit strange. Naruto, you'd better not go near the clan compound."

After saying that, Sasuke left Naruto's side to prepare for the afternoon's physical education exam.

Watching Sasuke's departing figure, Naruto looked somewhat helpless. He picked up the book "Ninja World Customs and Traditions" from the ground and continued to read it, intending to choose a suitable place as a place to stay.

Is it the isolated water kingdom, the iron kingdom that adheres to neutrality, or the snow kingdom that has no presence at all?

Sensing Sasuke's departure, Kurama suddenly said, "Naruto, does that Uchiha brat know anything about the Uchiha clan? He seems off; the malice he exudes is almost as strong as yours from six months ago..."

"Do I have that much malice about me?" Naruto frowned.

Nine-Tails nodded, confirming, "If it weren't for those malicious protections, you would have been terrified by my aura long ago. I can intimidate ordinary ninjas with just my killing intent!"

Naruto was speechless. Before becoming a Jonin, his heart was indeed very dark.

There's nothing that can be done about it. Being treated differently by the villagers every day and used as a tool to vent their resentment, even a natural optimist can be twisted beyond recognition by negative emotions.

If Asuras were treated like this, they would all be twisted into Indras.

After mentally ranting for a bit, Naruto smiled at Kurama and said, "That was before. Now I'm a sunny and cheerful young man. There's no dark side to me. My perfect Will of Fire is the best proof of that."

Kurama curled its lip and said, "I am no match for you in terms of stubbornness and cunning. I don't know who saved Shisui when he was about to commit suicide, and spent half a year changing Shisui's mind, making him go back to fight with Konoha."

"You're the one who can kill without shedding blood..."

Facing the sarcastic Nine-Tails, Naruto frowned, a tic-tac-toe expression forming on his forehead, and said, "Isn't it all for our escape plan? Besides, how can we let such a good person as Shisui die so easily?"

Seeing that it couldn't win an argument with Naruto, Kurama closed its eyes and pretended to be asleep in its cage.

Naruto ignored Kurama, closed the book "Ninja World Customs and Traditions," and headed towards the examination hall. He needed to perform well in the practical assessment and would reluctantly try to get first place in the grade.

After all, once he demonstrated his Chunin-level or higher strength, the Third Hokage significantly reduced the Anbu's surveillance time.

The third-generation elder would only go online to monitor the main body when it left the village for training or important exams.

Upon arriving at the examination venue, Naruto discovered that not only students of his own grade were participating in the practical assessment, but also students from third, fourth, and even fifth and sixth grade.

Judging from the expressions of the candidates and teachers, this year's assessment seems to be different from previous years, using entirely new rules.

It's obvious that this was the work of three generations of old men. They didn't want him to graduate early, but they didn't want to say it directly. They tried to make him back down by various means.

However, these brand-new assessment items are certainly not difficult for me; it is the other candidates who will be questioning their life choices.

Soon, as time went by, the practical assessment officially began, and Naruto slowly walked into the examination room.

The Third Hokage, who was in the Hokage's office, then took out a crystal ball and used the cameras near the Ninja Academy to observe from a distance, locking the view on Naruto's location.

Then, the Third Hokage took out his smoking pipe and watched the final exams while puffing out smoke.

Chapter 60 Feeling Powerless

Naruto performed exceptionally well in the final exams, easily defeating all his opponents and becoming the top student.

Neither his fellow students nor those from higher grades posed much of a challenge to Naruto.

This is perfectly normal in the eyes of the Third Hokage. Naruto's current strength is comparable to that of Kakashi and Minato back then. Even special Jonin who focus on combat might not be a match for Naruto.

The Jinchuriki themselves are primarily focused on combat, and will become a powerful tool for protecting the village in the future.

Therefore, compared to Naruto's strength, he was more concerned about whether Naruto truly cared about the village and his comrades with whom he spent every day.

Judging from his current performance, Naruto has successfully built bonds, including Sasuke Uchiha, but that doesn't matter much. As long as these bonds exist, Naruto won't lose control.

This is one of the reasons why he has never revealed Naruto's true identity.

On one hand, there was concern that Naruto's growth would be limited; on the other hand, the villagers served as a foil, making the bonds Naruto had built at the Ninja Academy all the more precious and something he was even less willing to lose.

After seeing Naruto get first place in the final exam, the Third Hokage turned off the crystal ball.

I started thinking about what gift to bring on my next home visit and what excuse to use to deflect Naruto's questions about my background.

However, that's all for the future. The most urgent task is to deal with the thorny Uchiha problem. The Uchiha's preparations for the coup have reached the point of no concealment.

If the Uchiha clan were to actually stage a coup, the village would suffer enormous losses, and he would likely lose his position as Hokage.

Stepping down as Hokage is nothing, but if Danzo were to succeed him, that would be a real problem.

At that moment, the door to the Hokage's office was slowly pushed open, and Danzo, leaning on his cane, walked up to the Third Hokage. Upon smelling the smoke, he frowned.

He hated Hiruzen Sarutobi smoking, as these bad habits would become a major weakness during missions.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi was no longer a Hokage worthy of his service. If it weren't for the huge rejection associated with transplanting Wood Release and Sharingan, he would have already launched an attack on the Hokage and taken his place.

After Danzo arrived, the Third Hokage extinguished his pipe, frowned, and asked, "You've come again for the Uchiha?"

Danzo nodded, sat down in a chair, and slowly said, "Hiruzen, all the spies I planted within the Uchiha clan are dead."

The Third Hokage questioned, "Who gave you the authority to plant a spy in the Uchiha clan?"

Danzo ignored the Third Hokage's question and said in a low voice, "That's not important. What's important is that they are in charge of the logistics of the security forces. We have lost control of the Uchiha and they could launch a coup at any time."

The Third Hokage remained silent, his eyes fixed on Danzo.

"Hiruzen, it's time for you to make up your mind to deal with the Uchiha. The Uchiha have repeatedly challenged the authority of the higher-ups, and have been spreading anti-village rhetoric at clan meetings. Now they've even purchased a large amount of supplies for a coup."

"Instead of passively waiting for the Uchiha to launch a coup, it's better to strike ahead and eliminate this traitor, the Uchiha."

After a pause, Danzo continued, "I will also send Root members to assist this time. We will ensure that no one escapes. All we need to do is declare the Uchiha rebellion."