The Clan of Love

In the conference room of the Hokage Building, Nara Shikayama led a group of Nara clan members, sorting through the reports from the Anbu and summarizing the key points into concise briefs.

Over the past few days, the number of major pieces of intelligence had been overwhelming.

The Third Hokage reviewed these briefs with a blank expression, but the smoke he exhaled from his mouth grew thicker and more frequent.

"Although the wars with Sunagakure and Amegakure have ended, the battles within the village are just beginning," he said.

No matter how the outcome of this war was viewed, one name could not be ignored: Uchiha Fuma.

"Uchiha Fuma's hunting unit has already slain 1,300 shinobi from Sunagakure and Amegakure."

"The One-Tailed Beast from Sunagakure was defeated by Uchiha Fuma, leading the Sunagakure shinobi to retreat."

"Amegakure has been reduced to ashes by a massive explosion of paper bombs."

"The Third Raikage avoided conflict with Uchiha Fuma and has withdrawn from the Land of Fire's territory."

"…"

The Third Hokage massaged his temples as he read the frequent mentions of "Uchiha Fuma" in the reports, closing his eyes to think deeply.

The results of this war were something the Third Hokage could barely accept. Sunagakure's Elder Ebizō and the Jinchūriki Bunpuku were killed, a heavy loss for their village.

Amegakure and Hanzō were obliterated in an explosion, removing them from the Shinobi World permanently.

From a macro perspective, Konoha successfully repelled these invaders, solidifying its position and prestige as the foremost village in the Shinobi World without losing face.

However, Konoha also suffered heavy losses. The only saving grace was that no important figures were among the casualties, making the losses seem less severe by comparison.

On the Amegakure battlefield, Konoha's forces lost nearly half their men, even after Orochimaru adjusted their tactics.

On the Sunagakure battlefield, from the beginning of the war, Konoha faced an extremely difficult situation.

Even though White Fang launched a desperate offensive that achieved significant results, it couldn't mask the terrifying casualties caused by Shukaku.

Konoha's forces on the Sunagakure battlefield lost two-thirds of their troops, and the deputy commander, Dan Katō, was killed in action.

The number of casualties among Konoha's rank-and-file shinobi far exceeded those of the Sand Shinobi.

The Third Hokage opened his eyes and began to consider post-war compensation efforts.

However, he couldn't calm his mind. His thoughts drifted back to the Uchiha clan.

"What should be done about the Uchiha clan..." he pondered.

Since the war began, the Third Hokage had engaged in several negotiations with Fuma, reflecting a tug-of-war and mutual probing between the Uchiha clan and the Hokage's faction.

Before the war, Uchiha Fuma had aggressively participated in the selection process for the position of commander, taking the opportunity that the Third Hokage had intended for a civilian ninja.

At the start of the war, in order to prevent the Uchiha clan from allying with other clans, the Third Hokage traded Kushina's freedom with Fuma, allowing the Uchiha clan to independently supply their troops and moving the newly matured civilian ninjas elsewhere.

Later in the war, when Sunagakure deployed their Jinchūriki, the Third Hokage, under pressure, again negotiated with Fuma using a secret technique.

The Third Hokage looked at the battle reports in front of him with a sense of unease.

"While Uchiha Fuma gaining military achievements is good, the distance between him and the village is growing wider," he thought.

Danzō had tricked Uchiha Fugaku into redeploying, and then allowed the Two-Tailed Jinchūriki to infiltrate the defenses, causing an uproar within the Uchiha clan.

When Uchiha Setsuna returned to the village with Fugaku and their forces, he quickly realized the issue and became furious.

Setsuna, with his Mangekyō Sharingan, led all the Uchiha members who had the three-tomoe Sharingan straight to the Hokage's office.

After being tempered by Fuma's bloody campaigns and the battlefields, the Uchiha clan had rediscovered their bloodthirsty aura from the Warring States period.

Dozens of three-tomoe Sharingan and one Mangekyō Sharingan emitted a cold, dark power as they stormed in. For a moment, the Third Hokage thought the Uchiha clan was openly rebelling.

While the Third Hokage was confident he could subdue Setsuna, facing dozens of three-tomoe Sharingan and the yet-to-return Fuma, he chose to remove Danzō from his position instead.

Setsuna was unsatisfied with this decision, demanding Danzō be imprisoned or executed.

In the end, it was Uzumaki Mito, who had been in seclusion for many years, who intervened and mediated the conflict.

When faced with Uzumaki Mito, Setsuna immediately put on a friendly face, saying it wouldn't happen again. She even exchanged a few nostalgic stories about the Warring States period before leading his clan members away.

However, what truly worried the Third Hokage was that Fuma had not yet returned to the village, and such a significant incident had already occurred.

"I wonder if Fuma can control his emotions... The Uchiha truly gain power rapidly through war," he thought.

The Third Hokage recalled the Second Hokage's assessment of the Uchiha clan, trying to find the root of the problem.

"The Uchiha clan is a clan of love. No clan has deeper love than the Uchiha, and thus, they have sealed their love away."

"Once the Uchiha gain love, the emotions they have kept restrained will be released, granting them power beyond the ordinary."

"But this extreme love is also the root of the Uchiha's troubles. An Uchiha who has gained love will, upon losing it, experience extreme hatred, leading to a complete change in their personality."

"When the Uchiha feel frustrated or in pain, a special chakra is secreted in their brains, affecting their retinas and causing their eyes to transform, thus awakening the Sharingan."

"This is the eye that reflects the heart, also known as the Sharingan. The Sharingan synchronizes with the power of the mind, rapidly strengthening the user, but it relies on the power of hatred within."

"Most of the Uchiha are people with delicate minds. Those who awaken the Sharingan are often consumed by this power of hatred and intense emotion, falling into a dark path."

"The deeper the darkness in their hearts, the stronger their ocular powers, making such an Uchiha more difficult to deal with."

The Third Hokage nodded to himself as he compared the Uchiha to the Second Hokage's evaluation. However, thinking about Fuma made him sigh heavily, a feeling of helplessness rising within him.

"Teacher Tobirama, I've encountered something even more troublesome than an Uchiha with the Mangekyō," he thought.

According to the Anbu's reports, in this war, nearly all members of the Uchiha unit led by Fuma had awakened the Sharingan.

And although Fuma himself had not awakened the Sharingan, he possessed a bloodline limit that the Third Hokage had never seen before.

This blood aura, mistaken by the Third Hokage for a new, unseen bloodline limit of the Uchiha clan, was filled with such intense malice that it made him feel that Fuma's inner darkness far surpassed even that of Setsuna, who had awakened the Mangekyō.

"Alas, I cannot betray the hopes of Teacher Tobirama and the First Hokage," he lamented.

The Third Hokage wasn't worried about the Uchiha clan gaining power through elections to take control of Konoha.

During the village's founding, the Uchiha clan had no friendly ninja clans, and their reputation had always been poor.

Shortly after Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara's great battle, Hashirama died from his injuries, triggering the First Shinobi World War.

Within Konoha, many ninjas who lost loved ones during the First Shinobi World War harbored resentment toward the Uchiha.

After all, Madara was the Uchiha clan leader.

The Police Force, established by the Second Hokage, further tied down the Uchiha clan, stripping them of their source of power.

Now, although the Uchiha clan had returned to the battlefield, their leader Fuma had fallen in love with the princess of the Senju clan.

Thinking of this, a smile finally appeared on the Third Hokage's face. He was grateful he hadn't stopped Tsunade and Fuma from getting close, as this was the power of bonds and emotions.

As long as Tsunade still saw the Third Hokage as her teacher, the possibility of an Uchiha rebellion remained slim.

"Teacher, why didn't you choose to marry the Uchiha and the Senju back then? That would have been a truly brilliant move," the Third Hokage sighed, beginning to plan the post-war distribution of benefits.

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