But the Third Hokage was no pushover either. On the surface, he showed favor to the Uchiha, but in reality, he was secretly playing a different game.
Danzo's influence was growing, and the Third Hokage was finding it increasingly difficult to control him.
The Uchiha and the village were drifting further and further apart. The key factor was the Uchiha's strength, possessing two pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan, which the Third Hokage couldn't match.
Therefore, whether Danzo or the Uchiha suffered a loss, it was a good thing for the Third Hokage.
Now, the Uchiha could gradually ignore Konoha's movements, as long as the development of the Land of Rice Fields was on track.
The Uchiha civilians would no longer need to rely on Konoha.
“Pass the order, all Uchiha guard teams, security patrols are to be carried out by two squads in tandem."
“All those with awakened eyes are prohibited from going out alone. Suspend Konoha missions, and gather at the clan territory for rest."
Fugaku had entrusted these powers to Kawasaki, clearly seeing him as the next generation leader in training.
Kawasaki stood up and patted Akira's shoulder: “Danzo is still eyeing our Sharingan. If you don't have enough manpower, ask Fugaku for help. Get the barrier team's task done quickly."
“Yes, Captain!"
Akira's eyes were unwavering.
My family, I will protect them!
In the following days, the Third Hokage restarted peace talks with the Cloud.
The Cloud had previously been tough and had probed Konoha many times.
But with the strong support of the Uchiha clan, the Cloud became hollow.
They couldn't win a fight, and they couldn't afford to stall, so they could only let Konoha have its way.
It was the Eight-Tails Jinchuuriki, Killer Bee, who was put in charge of the situation, but he ended up being hospitalized and became a hostage.
During the peace talks, they suffered greatly, with a compensation of three hundred million Ryo and were forced to transfer some research technology to Konoha.
Though it wasn't the latest technology, it was at least rare to find outside.
The Third Hokage dared not keep it all to himself, so he sent a copy of all the materials to Uchiha Kawasaki.
...
In the eighth district of Konoha, merchants were feeling rather strange today because the Uchiha guards were all in groups of eight.
Whether it was patrols or law enforcement, eight people were inseparable.
Luckily, the merchants on the streets had been subdued by the Uchiha, and there were very few troublemakers.
The Uchiha's patrol only attracted some curious glances.
However, it was like a thorn in Danzo's throat. He hadn't even taken action yet, and his path was blocked.
“Those Uchiha never go out alone?!"
“My lord, currently, all Uchiha with awakened eyes are acting collectively, and no situation with less than four people has occurred."
His subordinate, Jito, whispered back.
Recently, Danzo, in addition to equipping his right eye with the Sharingan, had also used the remaining two for experiments.
He wanted to figure out how the Mangekyo Sharingan was activated.
However, he had no success. If the Mangekyo Sharingan could be easily deciphered, the Uchiha clan wouldn't have been in such a situation before.
Now, because of him, the Shimura clan was implicated, and their cooperation with other clans had been severed.
The Shimura clan had no profitable opportunities, so Root's funds became even tighter.
Plus, the Third Hokage, targeting the previous incident, had cut his expenses.
This caused many experiments to be stalled.
The power of the Mangekyo Sharingan that Kawasaki displayed at the Hyuga clan had made Danzo covetous.
But now, his Sharingan reserves had been depleted.
Danzo then turned his attention to the Uchiha guards.
But before Danzo could make a move, the Uchiha, as if they had known in advance, all raised their guard.
“Where did the leak come from?”
Danzo's eyes were gloomy. After thinking it over, he decided it must be that old fox, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Only the Third Hokage could command a large number of ANBU and was most aware of the slightest movements in Konoha.
Before, when he was useful, he was close to me. Now, seeing my growing power, he suppresses me at every turn.
“Go check around the Uchiha's settlement, see if there's any chance to take advantage."
Jito worriedly said: “Isn't it too risky? The Uchiha settlement now, even the Hokage's ANBU can't get in."
Danzo smiled confidently: “That's because the Third is being pressured by Kawasaki. The Uchiha settlement is so big, can Kawasaki guard it all by himself?”
“Too many people are actually less safe, send Aburame Shino to scout for any opportunities."
Jito felt a little anxious: “My lord, Aburame Shino is currently in the dungeon by the Third."
“Go and secretly release him, tell him his illness has a cure, but the condition is that he helps me capture an Uchiha."
Though reluctant to see Aburame Shino again, Jito still had to grit his teeth and agree: “Yes!"
...
Deep in the dungeon.
A person in a black trench coat stood silently in the shadows of the corner.
His physique was strong, but his skin faintly gave off a grayish-blue color.
Thump thump thump, footsteps approached.
Jito stopped before the cell door: “Shino."
Shino seemed dazed for a moment, yawned before slowly walking to the door: “You are...? Jito?”
Jito nodded: “Danzo-sama said your illness has a cure, but the condition is that you have to help Danzo-sama capture an Uchiha with the Sharingan."
“Sharingan?"
Isn't it easy to find an Uchiha?
Shino had been in the dungeon for too long and was unaware of the changes in the outside world.
“No problem, when do we act?”
Jito swallowed, not knowing why, but when he was close to Shino.
He felt his whole body turn cold, and his thinking became sluggish.
“The sooner the better, Danzo-sama can't wait any longer.”
After saying that, Jito walked to the cell door and unlocked it for Shino.
Aburame Shino strolled leisurely out of the cell: “Jito, do you know why I was locked up here?”
Jito felt uneasy and tried to maintain composure: “I heard it was because you killed a teammate and came in.”
“Want to make a move on me?”
Jito was both worried and nervous.
Aburame Shino said calmly: “I won't make a move on you, but my precious ones haven't eaten in a long time, so... you'll have to bear with me!"
“Uh! Wh...what?!”
In an instant, Jito found he couldn't move, and the chakra within his body seemed to have stopped.
His vision went dark, and Jito's breath disappeared instantly.
Buzz buzz buzz, a group of invisible parasitic insects flew out of Jito's body.
Jito had become a shriveled corpse.
...
Outside the Uchiha territory, Uchiha Akira was busy working alone.
He was laying chakra-conducting materials on the ground, and then inscribing barrier seals on the materials.
Speeding up, he had taught three people to investigate the barrier, a week earlier than expected.
Akira's final task was to complete the barrier node in front of him.
Since Uchiha Kawasaki became the deputy clan leader, the Uchiha clan has been changing every day.
The Uchiha who remained in Konoha no longer encountered any injustice.
And the Uchiha members of the guard team became particularly popular.
Because the eighth district they guarded had always been the most peaceful place in Konoha.
Witnessing the Uchiha clan prosper day by day, Akira was genuinely happy.
He himself didn't like fighting, he just hoped the clan would flourish.
Recently, the clan leader said that the Uchiha had suffered heavy losses due to talent drain.
So he encouraged procreation and was prepared for any eventuality.
Families with two or more children, each child's birth, there were also gradually more families with two and three children...
Each family would receive 200,000 Ryo in subsidies, more children, more subsidies.
Akira didn't stop his work, preparing to perfect the barrier formation node.
So that it could be activated as soon as possible, allowing the Uchiha to detect the barrier as well.
He was buried in his work and didn't notice the danger lurking nearby was approaching step by step!
A swarm of black insects scattered and slowly approached Akira...