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The Third Hokage's concession was rewarded. Konoha and Kumogakure finally signed a peace treaty. And with this document, for the Land of Fire, the ninja world war, which had lasted for decades, finally ended.
The day the news came out, the entire Konoha, and even the entire Land of Fire, was immersed in an unprecedented atmosphere of joy and excitement.
The war, which had consumed three generations, was finally over. Konoha's wounds had healed. The dead… that wouldn't happen anymore.
The Third Shinobi World War, which was triggered by the Third Kazekage incident, saw Konoha at war on all fronts. Initially, they were supported by the Sannin, the generation of responsibility. In the middle, the middle generation, led by the Yellow Flash, took on the heavy responsibility of breaking the stalemate in the war. In the later stages, the new generation, led by Haori, emerged…
But even so, the cost of war was not just time. Countless Konoha ninjas died on the battlefield. Even during this process, the "Hero of the Ninja World," the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had aged. And during the war, the renowned Fourth Hokage died.
Peace was established. But if you consider Konoha's current situation, could it be called a victory?
The ordinary citizens, the kind of people who worry about everyday things, couldn't understand Konoha's anxieties. Even ordinary low-level ninjas didn't have this kind of awareness. Anyway, it was peaceful. They were happy. They didn't care about the internal problems.
In short, joy and excitement were everywhere. And when people were happy, they were prone to drinking too much. When they drank too much, they were prone to causing trouble. When they caused trouble, the Konoha Police Department was dispatched.
It has to be said that the Second Hokage had arranged a good job for the Uchiha. Generation after generation, the Police Department was a really tough job. Because they were dealing with their own people in public. This was even tougher than the Anbu, who operated in the shadows.
The contradictions between the two sides might have been born bit by bit.
The surface peace and the tension between the Uchiha and Konoha behind the scenes both led to fewer people than usual in the area around the Naka River, which was already rarely visited. And the Uchiha clan members were frequently gathering at their Naka Shrine.
In this situation, even without a spy like Itachi Uchiha, anyone would know that the Uchiha clan was trying to cause trouble, with their frequent gatherings.
But that didn't mean the Uchiha clan liked these blatant "secret" gatherings. In reality, they had to meet to discuss their next plan.
A rebellion would make Konoha extremely nervous. But as the instigators, the Uchiha had even more concerns than Konoha. After all, they were on the weaker side. To succeed in a rebellion, they would have to defeat the strong with the weak.
Naka Shrine, the third night after Haori returned to Konoha.
"The new situation we need to discuss is the White Fang's return."
"Originally, we were worried that one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, would return to Konoha. But now, the White Fang has returned. In a way, he's a more troublesome opponent than Jiraiya."
In the flickering candlelight, Fugaku Uchiha, sitting cross-legged at the front, spoke.
This was a very correct judgment. Haori was indeed more troublesome than Jiraiya. This wasn't about their strength. In reality, no Uchiha had ever fought against both Jiraiya and Haori at the same time. They couldn't compare their strength.
The problem was that Haori's way of doing things was different from Jiraiya's. Haori would just shut the door and unleash the Tailed Beast without a word. And according to the news they had received later, the barrier seal he had set up to protect his teacher, Kushina, was enough to show his style: When necessary, he didn't mind going all out.
As for doubting his strength or attack power, please look up at the Shadow Rock when you're patrolling the streets every day, okay? Can't you see that the First Hokage and the Second Hokage's faces are crooked?
"According to our intelligence, the White Fang should have been outside Konoha's system after the Nine-Tails incident. Why has he returned at this time?"
"It's not accurate to say he's been outside. He was more like on the edge."
"After all, he's the Fourth's disciple."
The Fourth's disciple was even less accurate. Haori was Kushina's disciple. But it was generally acceptable to consider him the Fourth's disciple. Kushina and Minato were married, and the "White Fang" was the most important title Konoha had raised after the "Yellow Flash."
"So, when necessary, he will still stand on Konoha's side."
After Fugaku finished speaking, the clan members began to discuss. For them, Haori returning to Konoha was really troublesome.
"The problem is…" Fugaku interrupted the clan members' discussion, then continued, "Our actions against the Nine-Tails might change drastically because of the White Fang's return. From his past attitude towards the Fourth's orphan, he will definitely protect the Jinchūriki with all his might this time. If we want to release the Nine-Tails like we did five years ago, we have to break through his protection."
This would be very difficult to do.
No matter what Fugaku's personal attitude was at this time, the Uchiha clan as a whole was forced to launch a rebellion. This was an unsolvable problem in itself. For the Uchiha clan, Konoha's suppression only made them more dissatisfied. And the more dissatisfied they were with Konoha, the greater the suppression they would face. This was a vicious cycle.
So, the Uchiha clan would either dwindle away with time or fight back. In this matter of rebellion, the pressure of the situation and their position outweighed right and wrong. Konoha's actions were right, but the Uchiha clan's actions, from their own perspective, couldn't be said to be wrong either. After all, their right to exist was being threatened.
"No matter what, the White Fang has become our enemy. He's someone who must be 'eliminated' as soon as possible if things go wrong." This was Fugaku's conclusion.
Haori was still dragging his feet, but the Uchiha clan had already made a judgment that they were enemies. But… this was something that could be determined from his return to Konoha.
Actually, no matter what was said in the Uchiha clan's secret meeting, the result wasn't "secret" to Konoha at all.
First, Itachi Uchiha, the Anbu ninja present, was actually a spy planted by the Uchiha clan in Anbu. But he was actually a double agent, and his position was clearly on the side of the greater good.
As for Shisui Uchiha, he was the descendant of Uchiha Mirror. He had always been a loyal supporter of the Hokage, and he would occasionally receive instructions from Danzo Shimura…
Besides these two, it was hard to say that there weren't other Konoha spies in the Uchiha clan.
The intelligence was riddled with holes. So, all their plans were exposed to Konoha's sight.
"But… you could also say that Konoha's recall of Upper白石 Haori was the biggest mistake. Shisui and Itachi, under unavoidable circumstances, you two will deal with the White Fang. But what we want to 'eliminate' him for is a different kind of elimination…"
"Shisui, you need to find an opportunity to use that jutsu on him. Turn him into our combat power. Understand?"
Haori's thoughts were wrong. The Uchiha clan valued him highly. They even held a special combat meeting.
They even had two geniuses working together to deal with him.
In the end, Fugaku's conclusion was to use Kotoamatsukami on Haori.
Shisui and Itachi looked at each other, then nodded together. As for what they meant, did they agree? Or were they just being polite?
Fugaku naturally thought it was the former.
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