Chapter 14 - Sarutobi Hiruzen's Scheming!

  "Hiruzen, what are you hesitating for? Didn’t I tell you the Uchiha cn can’t be trusted?"

  Just moments ago, after Itachi and Shisui reyed part of Renji’s words to Sarutobi Hiruzen, he immediately called a meeting with the council of elders.

  There was no other choice.

  In Hiruzen’s eyes, Renji’s way of thinking was far too dangerous.

  It seemed that, just as Itachi and Shisui had said, the radical faction had taken control. If it weren’t for the two of them coming to inform him, he might have still held onto the hope of taking things slowly.

  "Hiruzen, I think we should just take action now."

  Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane exchanged a gnce before agreeing with Danzō’s suggestion.

  In the past, they had always been hesitant, torn between wanting to take a bite out of the Uchiha’s resources and fearing that losing such a powerful fighting force would lead to war.

  Moreover, if a war broke out between the Uchiha and Konoha, the Fourth Great Ninja War would be inevitable. Even if they didn’t act, other vilges would surely seize the opportunity to demand concessions from Konoha.

  "Hiruzen, what are you hesitating for?"

  Seeing Hiruzen silently smoking without saying a word, Danzō grew increasingly impatient.

  He couldn’t understand why Hiruzen was still hesitating. In the past, it might have been excusable, but now that the radical faction within the Uchiha had risen, how could he remain so calm?

  "Do you even realize what taking action now would mean?"

  Hiruzen took a final drag from his cigarette, exhaled deeply, and looked at the others.

  "It would mean war between Konoha and the Uchiha cn."

  Koharu wasn’t a fool. She knew that if the radical faction had risen, any action against the Uchiha would inevitably lead to war.

  Even the dovish faction wouldn’t stand idly by.

  "Exactly. Acting now means war, and I don’t want to see that happen. Even if we could eliminate the Uchiha cn, what would the cost to Konoha be?"

  How many elite shinobi were in the Uchiha cn?

  It could be said that one Uchiha could take on two ordinary shinobi, right?

  Given the Uchiha’s current numbers, they likely had at least 600 to 800 shinobi, and that didn’t even include the cn’s private forces, which weren’t listed in the vilge’s official records.

  So, if they cshed with the Uchiha, Konoha would have to sacrifice 1,000 to 2,000 shinobi to eliminate them.

  With the Uchiha’s several hundred shinobi added to that, Konoha would lose thousands of fighters. How would they then defend against other vilges?

  Even if most of them were chūnin and genin, it would still be a significant loss.

  "But Hiruzen, have you considered that deying will only put us in a more passive position?"

  Danzō had always advocated for taking action against the Uchiha. He believed that since they would have to act eventually, they might as well do it now.

  After all, if the Uchiha found a way to counter them, they would be the ones at a disadvantage.

  "Who will take action?"

  Hiruzen turned his gaze to Danzō, his eyes filled with exasperation.

  Seriously?

  Could Danzō think of anything other than brute force?

  If they were to act against the Uchiha, they at least needed a reason. The Uchiha hadn’t even rebelled yet, and Danzō was already talking about taking action?

  Wouldn’t that just send a message to the other cns: "Wait your turn, and if I ever get annoyed with you, you’ll end up like the Uchiha"?

  Who would respect him then?

  So Hiruzen absolutely could not take action, and he had to make sure Danzō didn’t either.

  If we can create internal strife within the Uchiha cn, letting them destroy themselves, that would be the best outcome.

  So, back when he learned that Fugaku Uchiha wanted Itachi to join the Anbu as a spy, Hiruzen had two goals in mind: to temporarily stabilize the Uchiha cn and to cultivate allies who could deal with the Uchiha.

  Imagine if the Uchiha cn fell into internal chaos, consuming themselves until only a few remained. Even if one or two were left, the Anbu could finish them off. But most of the damage would be done by their own people.

  At that point, he could simply shift all the bme onto them, say a few comforting words, and the matter would be over.

  The Uchiha threat would be gone, he wouldn’t have to bear the bme, and the other cns in the vilge, even if they sensed something was off, wouldn’t say much.

  After all, once the Uchiha cn fell, everyone could take a piece of the pie. Naturally, no one would speak up.

  No one would stand up for a cn that had already been wiped out. But he couldn’t take direct action.

  If he acted directly, the nature of the situation would change.

  This was why Hiruzen had been pying both sides, giving the dovish faction hope while simultaneously pressuring the Uchiha cn to push the radical faction toward rebellion.

  Once internal conflict broke out, that would be his moment to strike.

  But what he hadn’t anticipated was that Renji seemed to have gained the support of the radical, conservative, and moderate factions alike. Now, the Uchiha cn was united like a solid block.

  That left him with no justification to act.

  "Danzō, you need to think carefully. We can’t take action. The Uchiha cn, after all, are still part of Konoha."

  Hiruzen spoke with a meaningful tone, reminding Danzō.

  Destroying the Uchiha cn couldn’t be done hastily. Such a rge cn couldn’t be eliminated silently without a thorough pn. Otherwise, it would leave room for criticism. If the other cns in the vilge turned against them, it would spell real trouble.

  "But you can’t just sit back and watch them head down the path of rebellion, can you?"

  Danzō narrowed his eyes, his words ced with implication.

  He was hinting that Hiruzen needed to come up with a pn. The Uchiha would inevitably rebel, and inaction would only lead to greater trouble ter.

  "After he takes power, he’ll need to do something to earn the respect of his cn. In the meantime, we must protect Konoha’s interests and the interests of the other cns. We can’t let the Uchiha cn go to extremes. We should try to pcate them if we can."

  Hiruzen spoke with a meaningful tone.

  That’s right.

  His message was simple: Renji’s rise to power came with pressure. Otherwise, the moderate and conservative factions wouldn’t have compromised.

  But if Renji failed to deliver, Fugaku Uchiha would likely be reinstated.

  The st part, about protecting the interests of everyone in Konoha, was essentially pushing the Uchiha cn into opposition against both Konoha and the other cns.

  This was Hiruzen’s usual tactic. Ciming to pcate, he was actually maniputing the Uchiha’s emotions, giving them hope one moment and taking it away the next, exacerbating the conflict between the factions to achieve his goal without shedding blood.

  (End of Chapter)

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