Chapter 168: The Unfair Treatment of the Uchiha

Konohagakure

Two weeks had passed since the Nine-Tails attack. Although this short time wasn't enough for the villagers and shinobi to fully recover from the trauma, life in the village seemed to have returned to its usual hustle and bustle as if the chaos had never happened.

But the cold, engraved names on the memorial stone and the newly reconstructed streets reminded everyone that the era of the Fourth Hokage had come to an end. The Hokage, who had been born a commoner, was now completely gone.

As for the reappointment of the Third Hokage, the villagers and shinobi expressed little opposition. Hiruzen Sarutobi had led the village for decades, and even during the tenure of the Fourth Hokage, his influence remained significant. Now, his return to power was simply a continuation of the previous order, with not much changing.

However, there were two exceptions to this general contentment: the Uchiha clan and Danzo, leader of the Root organization.

Though Danzo had known in advance that Hiruzen would remain as interim Hokage for a long time, he grew increasingly furious seeing that Hiruzen still hadn't nominated a successor. He had no choice but to endure Hiruzen's continued rule, but at the same time, Danzo found himself unable to openly campaign for the Hokage position.

To run for Hokage, one needed not only significant influence within the village but also the recommendation of elders. Although Danzo had the necessary experience, it was impossible for him to nominate himself. Furthermore, he had already sent people to the Daimyo's palace for answers.

Unfortunately for him, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire had no intention of supporting his bid for Hokage and chose to maintain the status quo by allowing Hiruzen to continue as Hokage.

On top of this, Orochimaru, one of Danzo's potential allies, was busy hiding away in his lab, experimenting on Wood Release users. Despite the limited success of these experiments, they consumed vast amounts of funds, nearly a fifth of the Root's budget. Danzo could only hope that Orochimaru would soon produce results and develop a qualified Wood Release ninja.

With a light sigh, Danzo, leaning on his cane, pushed open the door to the meeting room.

Today's meeting was about the allocation of land to various clans, a discussion that would directly determine where the major clans of Konoha would be located in the future.

Looking at the clan heads gathered before him, Danzo silently cursed the Third Hokage. Hiruzen never assigned him tasks that boosted morale, but when it came to issues like dividing land, which inevitably offended many, Danzo was always left to deal with it.

It seemed as though Hiruzen wanted Danzo to bear the stigma of these decisions, further diminishing his chances of ever becoming Hokage.

Despite his complaints, Danzo took his seat at the main table and began to methodically allocate land, using the opportunity to insert some benefits for his own allies. If he was destined to offend some of the clans, he might as well seize the chance to secure as many advantages as possible.

First, Danzo distributed land to the Ino-Shika-Cho clan (Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi), allocating them a prime area close to the Hokage building. If he ever wanted to become Hokage, he would undoubtedly need their support.

Next came the smaller clans, like the Inuzuka and Aburame. These clans could be useful allies to Root, so it wasn't unreasonable to allocate them better land. However, to ensure their loyalty, Danzo made sure to retain leverage over them before giving them their plots.

By the time the medium and small clans had all received their land, the only remaining clans were the Sarutobi, Hyuga, and Uchiha.

Danzo allocated relatively modest land to his own Sarutobi clan, ensuring it wasn't too advantageous but not too inferior either.

Then, glancing at the two remaining clan heads, Hiashi Hyuga and Fugaku Uchiha, Danzo spoke slowly, "This area near the bustling district will go to the Hyuga clan. As for the Uchiha, you will remain near the Naka River. That place is your ancestral home, and it will be more convenient for your clan's gatherings."

Hearing this allocation, Hiashi had no objections. The Hyuga clan had always maintained a neutral stance and refrained from engaging in the village's political power struggles. While the land they received wasn't in the heart of the village, it was far better than what the Uchiha were given. As for concerns about being isolated by other clans, Hiashi had no such worries. As long as they had the Gentle Fist and Byakugan, Hyuga shinobi would never lack for allies on missions. Their unique abilities were the Hyuga clan's competitive edge.

In stark contrast, Fugaku furrowed his brow and couldn't hold back his frustration. "Danzo-sama, the Uchiha clan is already located far from the village center. Now you've assigned us even further away to the outskirts. How are we supposed to perform our duties in the Konoha Police Force?"

Danzo glanced at Fugaku before replying coldly, "The Uchiha clan has a large population. If I don't assign you to the outskirts, you will occupy the space of three or four other clans. I have to consider the interests of everyone here. Can't the Uchiha make a sacrifice?"

Danzo paused for a moment, then added meaningfully, "Besides, the Police Force has always been slow to respond. Whether you're stationed far away or not makes little difference—it's not like you've been effective anyway."

His words caused many of the other clan heads to shift their gaze toward Fugaku.

Danzo's logic made sense. If the Uchiha were given land in the center, it would force other clans to the outskirts, greatly reducing their influence. Moreover, didn't the Uchiha clan have close ties with the Fourth Hokage?

Yet, during the Nine-Tails attack, the Police Force didn't show up to help, and afterward, the Uchiha sustained the fewest casualties of any clan. Not even a single death. It was hard not to suspect that they had abandoned the village in its time of need.

Under the weight of so many questioning stares, Fugaku felt an intense pressure. He couldn't explain that the Uchiha had been ordered to stand down—whether that order had come from the Fourth or the Third Hokage was now impossible to prove.

Without written orders from the Hokage, Fugaku had no way to justify his position or push for better land. For now, he had no choice but to endure and accept the village's decision.

Fugaku's face darkened as he cast a cold glance at Danzo, then lowered his proud head. With Fugaku no longer objecting, Danzo swiftly completed the land allocation for all the clans. After the meeting concluded, Danzo deliberately watched Fugaku's departing figure for a few extra moments.

He had expected Fugaku to reveal the events of the night of the Nine-Tails attack and challenge him directly. But to Danzo's surprise, Fugaku backed down. Fugaku didn't even dare to mention that Danzo had blocked the Uchiha from leaving their compound that night. Was he afraid of the Hokage's faction, or did he have another plan?

The power of the Hokage's faction had greatly diminished, and the Uchiha surely couldn't fear the Third Hokage. That left only one possibility: the Uchiha were truly involved in the Nine-Tails incident. If Danzo hadn't led Root to block the Uchiha Police Force, their plan might have succeeded.

Danzo felt vindicated in his actions. He believed he had seen further than Sarutobi Hiruzen. Without him, the Uchiha would have already seized power.

---

After the high-level meeting, the Uchiha clan held their own assembly at the Naka Shrine. The unfairness of the land allocation and Danzo's remarks had sparked unprecedented anger among the Uchiha. They hadn't remained in their compound during the Nine-Tails attack by choice—it was Danzo who had blocked them. If not for Fugaku's intervention, they might have clashed with the Root ninja right then and there.

Now that the Nine-Tails incident had ended, Danzo had the audacity to accuse them of failing to assist. It was outrageous.

One Uchiha spoke up, "Captain Fugaku, we should protest at the Hokage Building and expose everything that happened that day."

Another Uchiha quickly interjected, "Protesting at the Hokage Building won't help. Danzo wouldn't have faked orders. This has to have been the will of the Third Hokage. We need to make sure we become the next Hokage."

Many other Uchiha chimed in, "Captain Fugaku, we can't endure this any longer! If we don't take the Hokage seat, the Uchiha will continue to be mistreated!"

Hearing the outcry from his clan members, Fugaku shook his head and sighed. "Everyone, we don't have the power to run for Hokage right now. Danzo has already used the land allocation to win over the other clans. No matter how strong the Uchiha are, we can't fight the entire village."

"At least, we suffered few casualties during the Nine-Tails attack. Let them say what they want."

Fugaku's calming words slowly eased the tension in the room. Though the Uchiha had been treated unfairly, they had come out of the Nine-Tails incident with their strength intact. In contrast, other clans had lost many of their shinobi, from jonin to chunin, with countless casualties.

If the Uchiha were to make a move now, it would surely trigger a backlash from the other clans. Those clans wouldn't care about the truth—they only cared that the Uchiha hadn't participated in defending the village during the Nine-Tails attack.

Most Uchiha simply wanted to live in peace. Though they held onto the dream of one day becoming Hokage, few were truly willing to start a coup. They were more inclined to vent their frustrations at clan meetings.

Seeing this, the more radical members of the clan also tempered their thoughts of rebellion. They weren't foolish—they knew the Uchiha were still outmatched by the rest of the village. Their vocal protests were more about asserting their presence and expressing dissatisfaction.

Still, thoughts of that night's Nine-Tails, which had appeared to be under someone's control, left them uneasy. The Nine-Tails' movements had been stiff and unnatural as if it were under the influence of genjutsu. Only a few people had the ability to control the Nine-Tails with genjutsu—Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.

But both Madara and Hashirama had been dead for decades. It was impossible for them to have returned at this time.

Could it be that there was another Uchiha out there? One who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and was responsible for the Nine-Tails attack?

Amidst the crowd, Shisui Uchiha silently observed his clansmen's arguments. This wasn't the first time he had witnessed such debates at a clan meeting. The Uchiha were always torn between whether to pursue the Hokage position or simply complain about the unfair treatment from the Hokage's office and other clans.

Shisui was all too familiar with this. He had long understood how slim the Uchiha's chances of becoming Hokage were. More than thirty years ago, Madara Uchiha, one of Konoha's founders, had failed and turned into a traitor to the village—a name now forbidden to mention among the Uchiha.

Then, about twenty years ago, Shisui's grandfather, Kagami Uchiha, had served as a trusted aide to the Second Hokage, and even had a chance to run for Hokage. But he had died on a secret mission before that could happen.

A year ago, Captain Fugaku had also intended to run for Hokage, but he hadn't even been able to secure a nomination.

Each failure pushed the Uchiha further from the Hokage seat and farther from the village. If things continued this way, it seemed inevitable that the Uchiha would eventually attack the Hokage's office.

Unfortunately, Shisui had been on a mission outside the village during the Nine-Tails attack. If he had been there, he might have been able to use the incident as an opportunity to bridge the gap between the Uchiha and the villagers, perhaps even saving the Fourth Hokage.

With a soft sigh, Shisui quietly left the Naka Shrine.

---

After leaving the shrine, Shisui wandered aimlessly for a while. Weighed down by his complex emotions, he eventually found himself in a small grove, where he heard the sound of kunai slicing through the air. A faint smile crossed his face.

Entering the grove, Shisui spotted Uchiha Itachi training in a clearing.

Itachi noticed Shisui's presence and put away the kunai in his hand, smiling as he said, "Shisui, you're here. If you're not busy, would you mind sparring with me?"

Shisui picked up a kunai from the ground and nodded gently.

After forming the seal of confrontation, the two quickly disappeared from where they stood, engaging in a purely taijutsu battle. The air was filled with the sounds of their bodies clashing. As Shisui blocked a horizontal kick from Itachi, something occurred to him, and he asked, "Itachi, isn't today a school day? How come you're sneaking out of class?"

Itachi, his face expressionless, responded, "School is too boring. I've already mastered everything, whether it's the academic subjects or physical training. Even the senior students can't beat me, so I don't see any reason to stay."

Shisui frowned slightly and said, "I understand that the Academy can be dull, but if you don't attend, you won't be able to officially graduate and become a ninja."

"It's fine. I used the Shadow Clone Jutsu. The Academy teachers are only chunin-level; they can't tell the difference between me and a shadow clone," Itachi replied absentmindedly, his focus entirely on attacking Shisui.

Hearing this, Shisui nodded, understanding. "If you're using Shadow Clone Jutsu, that's not a problem. Let's continue training. Practical experience is much more valuable than theory anyway."

Within just a few exchanges, Itachi and Shisui had finished their sparring practice. As they sat on the ground, drinking water and resting, Shisui suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, Itachi, what's your dream?"

"My dream?" Itachi was briefly stunned, then replied, "I suppose it's to resolve the conflict between the clan and the village, to bring about everlasting peace in the world. Maybe only by becoming Hokage could I achieve that."

He paused for a moment before adding, "But whether it's my father or you, Shisui, your chances of becoming Hokage are much higher than mine."

Shisui was taken aback by Itachi's answer. Before asking the question, Shisui had already assumed what Itachi's response would be. Given Itachi's extraordinary talent, it was only natural for him to dream of becoming Hokage.

But hearing Itachi's actual dream left Shisui momentarily stunned, as it reminded him of something Byakuya had once told him: "If a Uchiha's dream is to become Hokage, then destruction is only a matter of time."

Back then, Shisui hadn't believed it. But now, he was starting to feel uncertain.