Chapter 62 - This Counts as a Reward? Preparing to Strike the Uchiha!
Shisui's fate had been altered?
Lifting his teacup, Renji took a sip and thought for a moment. He could already guess that Shisui had likely chosen to side with him.
And now that he had made that choice, it meant Shisui would no longer report his Mangekyō Sharingan abilities to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others. Even if they did find out, under Danzo's command, Shisui would definitely never show up alone.
Which meant this time… he had earned a lottery spin.
"Use it."
Renji silently gave the command in his mind. A spinning wheel appeared before him, filled with countless possible rewards.
[Ding! Lottery complete. Congratulations, you have obtained: Uzumaki Clan's Kekkei Genkai]
Uzumaki Clan?!
Renji stood up abruptly.
He could feel his chakra surging violently. He had no idea how many chakra units he now possessed.
With Sage Body alone, he already had massive chakra reserves, plus rapid recovery. And now that he'd inherited the Uzumaki bloodline, another family descended from the Sage of Six Paths, the two merged perfectly.
At this point, Renji felt like he was in a state similar to an Edo Tensei version of Uchiha Itachi—he could use any jutsu freely without ever needing to worry about chakra consumption.
And now that he had the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline, he would eventually be able to learn their sealing techniques as well. Unfortunately, most of those techniques were probably recorded in the Scroll of Seals.
Mito Uzumaki might not have documented them there, but Kushina Uzumaki likely did—especially since the Uzumaki Clan had already been wiped out by then. As the Fourth Hokage's wife, she would have had reason to record everything down.
With this, Renji felt even more confident in the current situation.
The Uzumaki bloodline and Sage Body gave him infinite stamina. With the Mangekyō Sharingan, he could now keep Susanoo active indefinitely. It was just a shame—if only he had the Eternal Mangekyō, he could summon the complete form.
And if he had Wood Release too, then he'd never have to worry about being surrounded.
Susanoo was powerful, but without the full-body version, there were still weaknesses.
Thanks to Shisui, not only had Renji gained a powerful ally, but also a bloodline as rare as the Uzumaki's. If he later acquired Wood Release too, he'd probably start planting forests all over the village!
That said, Wood Release was also most likely hidden in the Scroll of Seals. If only he could get his hands on it—he'd start by learning the Uzumaki's sealing arts.
In the world of Naruto, the strongest techniques had always been sealing jutsu.
Even Kaguya had been sealed. Amaterasu could be sealed. The Nine-Tails could be sealed. Even a life for a life—it was a bug-level ability.
Looking at it this way, the fall of the Uzumaki Clan likely had a lot to do with their sealing techniques.
On the other side, after parting ways with Shisui, Itachi didn't return to the Uchiha compound immediately.
Instead, he headed straight to the Hokage's office.
"Itachi, coming here this late—did something happen?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up, his expression gentle as he addressed Itachi. Then, as if recalling something, he asked, "Didn't Shisui come with you?"
The two of them were both in the Anbu, and Hiruzen knew Shisui didn't have any missions today. Normally, they always acted together—so why was Itachi alone today?
"No. Shisui had something to take care of, so he didn't come."
Itachi hesitated for a moment, then moved his lips but ultimately said nothing about Shisui siding with Renji.
Deep down, he still held on to a sliver of hope.
Maybe Shisui's shift was temporary. Perhaps he could still be convinced later.
But if he told the Hokage now, Shisui would never be trusted again.
"I see." Hiruzen didn't press further. His tone remained calm as he continued, "Then Itachi, did something happen in the Uchiha clan?"
Recently, due to the relocation, the Uchiha had been quiet.
He had been wondering if he should just let things settle. Apart from a few clan losses, the tension between the village and the Uchiha seemed to have eased a bit.
But within the Sarutobi clan, there were complaints.
They had originally occupied the central zone of the village, but now had to move. Anyone would be frustrated.
Families like the Shimura, Mito, and Koharu clans were the same.
At first, they were worried the Uchiha would protest. But after a while, when nothing happened, they relaxed and accepted the shift.
It's easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but hard to go back.
Now, being forced to give it back—they couldn't help but feel resentful.
On top of that, Danzo, Koharu, and Homura were all urging Hiruzen to act.
He had been planning to let things go peacefully—but now he was torn.
He didn't want to be the one to wipe out the Uchiha. That would weaken the village.
If the Fourth Great Ninja War broke out, he would go down in history as Konoha's greatest sinner.
But now, even the formerly neutral Koharu and Homura had joined Danzo's camp.
All three were pressing him to act.
Combined with complaints from his own clan and his personal thoughts about weakening the Uchiha, Hiruzen's long-suppressed desire to strike… began to stir.
"Everything is as usual. But I feel… they'll make a move soon."
Itachi had noticed.
Since Renji's rise, more and more in the clan had begun leaning toward confrontation.
Because of Renji's earlier achievements, the Uchiha had benefited—and even many neutral voices had started to waver.
Another reason?
They wanted a Hokage.
The Uchiha had never had a Hokage.
Why not?
Wasn't the Uchiha clan worthy of the Hokage title?
With that belief, more and more of the clan began to stir restlessly.
If they could win once, maybe they could win again.
That's the idea spreading throughout the Uchiha clan now.
But in Itachi's eyes, the clan's narrow-minded vision would never produce a Hokage.
They weren't qualified to become Hokage, lacking the bigger picture. All they ever thought about was the clan, the clan, the clan!
"The Uchiha clan is going to make a move?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Itachi, clearly stunned by what he just heard.
He had assumed that after gaining certain benefits, the Uchiha clan would settle down. But from Itachi's report, that clearly wasn't the case. Was the Uchiha clan really going to push their luck?
The thought stirred a flicker of killing intent in his heart.
If things were truly as Itachi described—if the Uchiha were preparing to rebel—then with Konoha's power, it was still possible to annihilate them. Though the cost would be high.
"It's mainly because of that last victory. The radicals have always sided with Renji. The neutral faction has largely shifted toward him now, and even the conservatives, after gaining some benefits, haven't said much about Renji's actions. Right now, all three factions seem to be quietly supporting him."
Because Renji had brought them real benefits, every faction was naturally inclined to follow him.
That was one of Itachi's main reasons for believing the Uchiha might act. But the bigger reason was that Renji's ideology was too dangerous. He had sensed this from their very first meeting.
And the way all factions were converging around Renji now… It meant the man was likely preparing to move.
"So based on what you're saying, Renji intends to go to war with Konoha?"
What a dangerous man...
Hiruzen frowned deeply. If it had been Fugaku, he could have predicted every move without even needing Itachi's reports.
But ever since Renji had become the Uchiha clan head, his decisions were increasingly unpredictable.
Now he was even planning to lead the Uchiha into open conflict?
Was this man insane?
"Not yet. But if all the clansmen side with him, it's only a matter of time."
"I see. Then, Itachi, keep a close eye on the Uchiha clan. I'll work on stabilizing the situation for now. The problem between the village and the Uchiha will eventually be resolved."
Hiruzen rubbed his forehead in frustration, then gestured for Itachi to leave. He needed time to think.
From the information Itachi had given him, Hiruzen now understood clearly: if the entire Uchiha clan threw their support behind Renji, then any strike against them would come at a much higher cost.
But he might still have to act.
After Itachi left, Danzo slowly stepped out and looked at Hiruzen coldly. "I've said it before—the Uchiha are a threat. We should've eliminated them earlier. Back when they were divided, it would've been easier. But now, with more and more rallying behind Renji, the longer we wait, the greater our losses will be."
He had heard the entire conversation.
Danzo still believed Konoha could handle the Uchiha.
But once, it could've been done with minimal cost.
Now, because Hiruzen kept hesitating, the opportunity was slipping away.
"If we strike now, we'll need justification," Hiruzen said through gritted teeth. "And wiping out the Uchiha will weaken Konoha. Without them, we'll be at our weakest. If another war breaks out, we'll be vulnerable. I won't risk becoming the man who destroyed Konoha from within."
Hiruzen's heart was already leaning toward eliminating the Uchiha.
But he lacked a reason.
And he feared the consequences if another war broke out.
So—for now—he had chosen not to act.
"I can create a reason. I can even make them turn on each other," Danzo said calmly. "And as for the Fourth Great Ninja War—you don't need to worry about it.
Cloud and Iwa are already in conflict—small-scale border skirmishes. They're too preoccupied to focus on us.
Mist is still trapped under the Blood Mist policy. Whatever's going on inside, it's clearly a mess. Even if it's not, their constant isolation in recent years proves they won't get involved. Their Blood Mist policy has shattered trust among their own ninja. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen aren't even united. Mist's current strength is negligible.
As for Sand—there's tension between the Kazekage and their hero Pakura. That can be exploited to spark internal chaos. Besides, they still haven't recovered from the Third Ninja War."
Danzo's voice remained calm and calculating, like he was discussing a routine matter.
"This is the best time to strike. If we wait until the other villages stabilize and refocus, we'll lose our only chance!"
Danzo's gaze remained cold, but his tone was flat, like he was describing the weather.
The reason he dared to act now was simple—he had already made preparations long ago.
Did Hiruzen really think he was the type to harm Konoha's interests?
"Your Root… really is everywhere."
Hiruzen stared deeply at Danzo.
He hadn't expected that Danzo's intel even covered the internal conditions of other villages.
Over the years, his grip over Konoha had weakened, so he had ceded some power to Danzo.
Now, it seemed Danzo had built up quite the force of his own.
"This kind of information is easy to obtain. Just send a few people to dig. Our own village has spies from other villages, doesn't it?
Merchants travel through every nation. Who can guarantee they aren't spies—or that they won't spread information, even if unintentionally?"
Danzo knew exactly what Hiruzen feared.
But he wasn't afraid.
Everyone used spies.
Didn't Hiruzen?
Truth was, all the other villages were facing their own problems.
No one had the time or strength to deal with Konoha right now.
But once those problems were resolved…
Once Cloud and Iwa ceased fighting, once Sand got its internal affairs in order—they wouldn't just sit back. By then, Konoha wouldn't be able to strike against the Uchiha. In fact, they might even be forced to compromise with Renji.
Just thinking about how Renji had outplayed him last time made Danzo furious.
He, who had schemed his entire life, had been outmaneuvered by a mere upstart.
Thankfully, he'd acted quickly, stirring up even more hatred toward the Uchiha in the village.
That… was the power of public opinion.
So, Hiruzen…
What will you choose?
(End of Chapter)
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