Chapter 79: Are the Uchihas Leaving Konoha?

"Crack!"

With another kick, Dan shattered a window pane, then he and Fugaku jumped out of the window, leaving the Hokage building.

Such an unconventional exit.

If the Fourth Raikage, who also had a penchant for breaking windows, saw this, he would surely applaud and consider them kindred spirits.

Shisui didn't follow the two, choosing to stay behind.

Because he still had something to say to the Third Hokage.

Dan's calm departure left everyone in the conference room in disbelief, stirring a myriad of thoughts within them.

He had assaulted the Hokage's son, destroyed the conference room, killed several Root ninjas, sent Danzo flying out of the Hokage building, and even publicly challenged the Third Hokage...

And yet, such a man had left without a scratch.

The reason was simple.

One word: strength.

Uchiha Dan was so powerful that even the Third Hokage had to choose to endure.

Strength was always the best passport in the ninja world.

After today.

In many people's hearts, Dan was no longer just the strongest of the Uchiha. He was likely... the strongest in Konoha.

The Third Hokage knew he had lost face today.

But as long as he could reclaim the Police Force, the ultimate winner would still be the village.

For the sake of Konoha's peace, what was a little loss of face? It was nothing worth mentioning.

In fact.

From the day he became a politician, he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had abandoned the so-called face.

For the sake of the village's interests, he could compromise, he could let people gossip behind his back, it didn't matter.

This was the magnanimity of being the Hokage.

The Third Hokage stood up, somewhat tiredly, and said to the clan heads:

"I will make arrangements for the successor of the Police Force after careful consideration. Everyone, go home for now. You've worked hard."

After saying that, he made a gesture, dismissing the Anbu.

Then.

The clan heads and their guards also left one after another, leaving the Hokage building.

"Hyuga Clan Head, congratulations."

Just as they left, a small clan head walked up to Hiashi Hyuga, flattering him, "Even the village children know that there are two great dojutsu clans in Konoha, the Uchiha and the Hyuga. Now that the Uchiha are unable to manage the Police Force, it's clear that only the Hyuga clan can take on this task."

Konoha once had two super clans, the Senju and the Uchiha.

Since the Senju's demise, the Hyuga clan had risen to prominence, gradually becoming on par with the Uchiha, forming the new two great clans of Konoha.

As for whether the Hyuga were just riding on the Uchiha's coattails, lacking the strength to truly rival them.

That was a matter of perspective.

Facing the flattery.

"Please don't say that."

Hiashi Hyuga waved his hand, saying indifferently, "The Hyuga clan has no interest in the Police Force. We will follow whatever the Hokage decides."

Although he pretended to be modest, he was already intrigued.

On the other side.

The clan heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio gathered together.

The Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans, as Konoha's ace combination, had always stuck together, inseparable.

They were more like one family than three separate clans.

The three clans combined were stronger than the Uchiha and the Hyuga.

So, they naturally had some desire to

compete with the Hyuga clan for the juicy position of the Police Force.

As for the other medium and small ninja clan heads, they either discussed in groups or actively attached themselves to large clans like the Hyuga, all hoping to get a piece of the pie when the Police Force was divided.

Thus, the clan heads left in small groups, each with their own thoughts, escorted by a group of guards.

In the Hokage's office.

Knock, knock.

After the knock on the door, Shisui walked in.

The Third Hokage quickly stood up to greet him, asking with a concerned face, "Shisui, what happened to your eyes? Is it serious?"

Shisui silently unwrapped the bandages, revealing two dark hollows.

It was a shocking sight.

Seeing this, the Third Hokage couldn't help but feel both shocked and angry, exclaiming, "Who did this? Was it Uchiha Dan?"

Shisui was, after all, someone he had personally trained, someone he treated like a grandson.

Now that his grandson's eyes had been gouged out, how could the Third Hokage not be furious?

However.

Shisui pleaded with the Third Hokage:

"Hokage-sama, please do not take action against Dan. Not only is his strength unfathomable, but his status within the clan is also subtly higher than the clan head. If something happens to Dan, the Uchiha will definitely wage war against the village, and all our efforts for peace will be in vain!"

Hearing this, the Third Hokage was moved.

Shisui was actually speaking for his enemy who had gouged out his own eyes, with no personal grudges in his heart, only the peace of the entire village.

The Will of Fire, selfless dedication, was fully embodied in this sixteen-year-old boy.

The Third Hokage pondered for a moment, then asked Shisui a question:

"Shisui, you said the suggestion to give up the Police Force was proposed by Dan. What do you think his ultimate intention is?"

Shisui had been thinking about this question since yesterday, so he quickly gave his guess:

"I think... Dan doesn't want to see the Uchiha and the village both suffer. His ultimate goal might be... to lead the Uchiha clan and leave Konoha."

Leave?

Upon hearing this, the more the Third Hokage thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

The Uchiha were no longer welcome in the village, and now they had even given up the Police Force. What reason did they have to stay in Konoha?

Were they planning to follow in the footsteps of the former Uzumaki clan and establish their own faction?

With the Uchiha's strength, it wasn't impossible.

The Uchiha were a double-edged sword for Konoha.

Losing their power would be a pity, but it would also be like getting rid of a bomb that could explode at any time.

If the Uchiha and Konoha could part ways peacefully, it might be a good ending...

For a moment, the Third Hokage thought a lot.

In the end, he made a solemn promise to Shisui:

"I promise you. I will withdraw most of the people monitoring the Uchiha clan. As long as they don't make any more outrageous moves, I, as an old man, will turn a blind eye."

Hearing this, Shisui felt a weight lift off his heart. He immediately knelt on one knee and sincerely said:

"Hokage-sama, you are wise!"

"Get up, good boy."

The Third Hokage quickly reached out his hands to help Shisui up.

After asking about Shisui's well-being for a while, he advised him to go home and rest for a while, and not to worry about the Anbu's tasks anymore.

Shisui knew that this was the Hokage's care for him.

He also knew that without the Sharingan, he was now just an ordinary Jonin. For the Anbu filled with elites, he was indeed dispensable.

This couldn't help but make Shisui feel a bit lost.

Fortunately.

His mission was finally completed, and he no longer had to be torn between his family and the village.

And Itachi, who he had always regarded as a younger brother, no longer had to bear the same confusion and pain as he did.

Thinking of this.

Shisui took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to the Third Hokage with both hands, "This is a letter from the clan head for you."

After saying that, he bowed deeply to the Third Hokage and left the office.

What a pity.

The Third Hokage watched Shisui's retreating figure, feeling regretful.

Such a promising seedling had his eyes gouged out and was wasted.

He sighed, sat back in his chair, opened the letter, and was slightly surprised by its contents.

Bang!

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Danzo walked in with a gloomy face.

He was injured, with bandages wrapped around his right arm and face, and now his left arm and abdomen were also bandaged.

He was almost a living mummy.

And all of this was thanks to Uchiha Dan.

"Hiruzen, arrange for someone to kill Uchiha Dan immediately! I have a few good men here, I can lend them to you," Danzo said bluntly.

This time.

Not only did he lose several of his men to Dan, but he also made a fool of himself in public. It was an unprecedented humiliation in his life.

However, the Third Hokage shook his head and ordered with an undeniable firmness:

"Put Uchiha Dan's matter aside for now. We'll discuss it after the transition of the Police Force is completed."

As for Danzo's humiliation, he, as the Hokage, was actually pleased.

Because Danzo had been getting more and more out of line recently, even trying to join forces with Koharu and Homura to shake his power.

Did he really think he didn't know?

The Third Hokage even wanted to thank Dan for teaching Danzo a lesson.

Sitting in the Hokage's seat, one must master the art of balance, letting subordinates check and balance each other to maintain the harmony of the village.

Unfortunately, people like Uchiha Dan were destined not to be used by the Third Hokage.

Otherwise.

He could use Dan to replace Shisui, treating him as a chess piece to check and balance Danzo.

Danzo still didn't give up.

"Hiruzen, don't forget what sensei said, the Uchiha are a naturally evil clan, not to be trusted! Now that Shisui is a cripple, I suggest promoting Itachi to squad leader, so he can move more freely and help us monitor the Uchiha clan like Shisui did before!"

It was clear that Danzo was still coveting Uchiha Itachi, trying to bring him under his control.

The Third Hokage's response was.

"See for yourself."

He directly threw the letter in his hand onto the desk.

Danzo picked it up and saw that it was Itachi's resignation letter, written by Uchiha Fugaku himself.

"Itachi is a spy the Uchiha planted in the Anbu, with the purpose of monitoring the village's movements. Now that they're letting Itachi resign, it shows that the clan truly has no ambitions."

The Third Hokage, with his keen insight, had already seen through everything.

Danzo wanted to say something else, but swallowed his words in the end.

Fine.

For now, let's leave it at that.

For Danzo, he had orchestrated this prison riot, forcing the Uchiha to hand over the Police Force. No matter how you looked at it, he was the biggest contributor.

In this process, Koharu and Homura had also been won over by him, and would support him more as the Hokage's assistant in the future.

It wasn't unacceptable.

Knowing he couldn't take revenge on Uchiha Dan for now, Danzo quickly shifted his attention to the Police Force that was about to fall into his hands.

"What about the Police Force, who are you planning to give it to?"

"I'm still considering it. You should think about it too. In a couple of days, call Koharu and Homura over, have another meeting, and settle this matter."

The Third Hokage tapped his fingers slowly on the desk as he spoke.