Chapter 159: Difficult? It’s Simple. Just Become the Clan Head!

In Konoha, a tall figure and a shorter one walked side-by-side, the Uchiha clan’s fan emblem embroidered on their clothes. Villagers moved out of their way as they passed. Shisui frowned slightly. He glanced at Inabi, a sense of helplessness rising within him. This phenomenon was definitely not a good thing, yet his clansmen perversely considered it a symbol of the Uchiha’s dignity and strength, even feeling complacent about it. They’ve been immersed in the glory of the clan for too long! Shisui sighed inwardly. At that moment, he looked up and saw three young, unfamiliar children approaching them on the street. Unlike the others, they showed no fear of the two Uchiha, acting as if they hadn’t even seen them. Uchiha Inabi’s brow furrowed. Seeing this, Shisui immediately asked, "Who are they?" "The Iburi clan. They joined Konoha some time ago, but I haven’t seen much of them. Hmph, outsiders indeed, no manners at all," Uchiha Inabi said disdainfully. Shisui lowered his voice, "Inabi-nii, you can’t say that. They aren’t afraid of us, and they’re close to the Police Force headquarters. Isn’t this a good opportunity for us to befriend them?" "Us Uchiha need to befriend others?" Inabi looked down at Shisui as if he were a fool. "Shisui, have those teachers at the Academy brainwashed you? The Will of Fire? Just something to listen to. In the end, isn’t it the Hokage’s lineage that calls the shots?" His words made Shisui look horrified, and his heart sank further. The Will of Fire... Although there were aspects he didn’t fully agree with, there was no doubt that as members of Konoha, they had to abide by its laws. Shisui understood more and more why he always felt his clansmen were full of contradictions. Just as Kyohiko had said, the clan members didn’t see Konoha as a village or a collective, but rather as the "property" of a select few. As one of the founding clans, the Uchiha believed they should be one of Konoha’s masters! However, decades had passed. Even the Senju clan had faded into obscurity; Tsunade, the legitimate successor of the Senju, no longer even used the "Senju of the Forest" surname. And them? Still harping on about being the Uchiha clan! Shisui could see the problem but couldn’t think of a solution, only sighing inwardly. Inabi walked past the children without causing trouble, merely sweeping a cold gaze over them as he passed. After they had gone, Yukimi ducked her head and whispered, "That person just now was so fierce!" Tenzo immediately turned back to look at Inabi, who had already passed. Seeing the clan emblem, he turned back and asked in a low voice, "Which clan does the fan emblem belong to?" "The Uchiha, one of the most prominent clans in the village," Yamato whispered in reply. The two children instantly fell silent, as if scared stiff. They had, of course, heard of the Uchiha—a clan renowned throughout the shinobi world. Uchiha Madara of old was as famous as Senju Hashirama, incredibly powerful. It was no surprise members of their clan would act that way. "Let’s go. I’ll take you to Tea Street. There are many shops there where you can buy flowers, drink tea, and even see the Hokage Rock!" "Okay." --- After passing through the street, Shisui made an excuse and parted ways with Inabi. Then, he headed towards the lake near the Police Force headquarters. A kunai had been stuck there for days, but there had been no response. He didn’t know if he had come today. Maybe he won’t come anymore. Shisui felt apprehensive, afraid that today would be another disappointment. However, when he reached the lakeside, he saw a figure sitting under a tree. "Huh?! Were you out of the village on a mission?" Seeing Kyohiko again, Shisui immediately understood why he hadn’t seen him for days; he must have been on a mission outside the village. Why else would he reappear now? "Mm, I went out for a simple mission. It went smoothly," Kyohiko smiled. He looked at Shisui. "Did you need something from me?" "I can see the problems with myself and my clan, but I can’t think of any solutions," Shisui sighed. "Sometimes, I think it’s better to know less. I wasn’t in so much pain before, but now..." "Difficult? It’s simple. Just become the clan head, won’t that do?" Kyohiko said faintly. Shisui was stunned for a moment. "Me, the clan head? But I’m just a child..." "This is the shinobi world, a place where there are missions and deaths every day. Even a child, if strong enough, can hold real authority," Kyohiko stated calmly. Shisui wanted to refute him, but considering Kyohiko’s current status, he was momentarily speechless. He didn’t know Kyohiko’s specific position, but there was no doubt that his power and status in Konoha were considerable. Shisui couldn’t help but ask, "Can I do it too?" "You’re going to deny yourself before you even try? If that’s the case, then you truly don’t have what it takes," Kyohiko’s tone carried a hint of mockery. Shisui, still a child, couldn’t accept being negated. He immediately stuck his neck out and retorted, "Of course, I can do it!" "Then go do it. Show me, show the Uchiha, show the rest of Konoha," Kyohiko smiled. "The Uchiha clan isn’t just them; there are people like you and your grandfather too." "My grandfather..." Uchiha Shisui was first surprised, then realization dawned. Uchiha Kagami. He had never met Uchiha Kagami. However, through books and notes, Shisui knew his grandfather well. He had followed the Nidaime, becoming the only Uchiha in the Nidaime’s personal guard. He was a genius who truly understood the Will of Fire and knew how to lead the Uchiha. Unfortunately, Uchiha Kagami died young, unable to lead the Uchiha down a better path, allowing them to sink deeper and deeper. "Well then, good luck." Kyohiko stood up, preparing to leave. Shisui called out again, "Wait!" Kyohiko turned his head. Shisui hesitated for a moment, then said, "I wanted to ask, can I graduate early?" "Hmm?" Kyohiko looked at him in surprise, then, after a quick mental calculation, said, "I remember you only enrolled two or three months ago, and you already want to graduate?" "I’ve self-studied everything taught in school. The academic knowledge is too simple, not as profound as the books I’ve read," Shisui stated. Kyohiko was silent for a moment. This one was a true genius, having self-studied the curriculum and learned most of what the Ninja Academy taught by the age of five. No wonder he was able to become one of the ninjas defending the eastern front in the war so early in the original timeline. Of course, the Shisui of that time was probably already eight years old—the original war had continued until Itachi was four, though large-scale conflicts had significantly decreased. After a moment of thought, he said, "During peacetime, you definitely can’t graduate early, and there’s no need for it." "Alright," Shisui accepted the reality. "If you feel the current lessons aren’t challenging, you can apply to your teachers to take exams early and then choose elective courses that interest you," Kyohiko advised. The current education system wasn’t particularly difficult for ninjas from established clans, especially an Uchiha like Shisui. In fact, even within the Uchiha clan, he was a standout among his peers. "Yes, sir!" Shisui nodded immediately. Kyohiko departed using the Flying Thunder God technique. He was very busy. The initial modifications for the Iburi clan were complete, and through a reward, his Smoke Transformation Jutsu had improved directly from "Expert" to "Master." He still needed to experiment with more applications. --- A new batch of intelligence ninjas needing training had arrived at the Konoha Anbu, so Yakushi Nono’s vacation was over. She looked at the twenty to thirty people below her and said, "With your Kekkei Genkai, you are uniquely suited for intelligence work and don’t require extensive training or enhancement in that area." "Therefore, the first thing you must learn is the local language and customs to avoid revealing your identity through your accent..." Nono patiently explained the key points. She knew that these twenty to thirty people were all precious to Kyohiko, and she had also witnessed their abilities. Iburi Busaku was dumbfounded. "How many languages do we need to learn?" "Initially, just learn the language of the area where you’ll be working. But eventually, you’ll definitely need to master the customs, traditions, and language habits of all regions. Otherwise, how can you perfectly infiltrate and gather intelligence?" Yakushi Nono replied. Then, she paused for a second and added, "Also, over the next month, after you’ve undergone ability adaptation training, you will go on observation missions." "Observation missions?" Everyone looked at Nono in confusion. What was that? They hadn’t heard of it before! From what the Iburi clan understood, intelligence ninjas usually infiltrated to collect information; when did they need to learn so much? "Yes, observation missions. For example, you’ll need to meticulously observe merchants, woodcutters, or samurai to understand their daily lives, their tone and style of speaking to others, and so on," Yakushi Nono nodded. These were some of the key points mentioned in Kyohiko’s training outline. In the past, their ninjas rarely paid attention to these details, but upon reflection, when intelligence ninjas were exposed, insufficient attention to detail was often as important a reason as their ninjutsu being discovered. As a former Root operative and spy, Yakushi Nono knew this line of work all too well. Many were exposed and hunted down because they failed in some trivial detail; there were numerous such cases within their organization. However, to Danzo, only those who survived were his true subordinates; if the others died, they died. After all, in their Root organization, death was a daily occurrence. Yakushi Nono scanned the group, her gaze pausing, and then recounted some of her past experiences. Due to the curse mark, she couldn’t reveal too many secrets, but these particular stories weren’t among them. Everyone looked at each other in dismay after listening. "Kyohiko-sama values us in espionage, which is why he painstakingly wrote this training manual. Losing your lives is a small matter, but if you mess up his affairs, what will the Iburi clan have to account for?" Yakushi Nono’s tone was stern. Hearing this, everyone dared not be negligent any longer. --- More than a month passed quickly. A lot happened during this time. Uchiha Shisui had skipped a grade. He had scored near-perfect marks on all his basic exams. During wartime, such results would have almost allowed him to graduate directly. Now, the result was that he skipped to the third year, where he could choose specialized courses that interested him, but he still couldn’t graduate. Among the Iburi clan, all those who joined the Anbu had dispersed and were now on active missions. However, for Konoha, the most important matter was Danzo’s recent actions. In the meeting room, Tsunade tried her best to appear serious, not revealing too many other emotions. Present at the meeting were... the three advisors, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Kyohiko. These six were the ones in Konoha who could truly participate in decision-making. "I’ve concluded my report," Kyohiko said, rolling up a scroll. He had reported on all the recently gathered intelligence—Danzo had won over the Fuma clan and also some members of the Kamizuru clan from the Land of Earth to serve him. It could be said that the current Danzo had once again amassed a significant force. Tsunade said, "My opinion is that we must come up with a plan to deal with Danzo as soon as possible. What do the three advisors think?" Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled helplessly. "That old friend of mine... this is indeed something he would do." Utatane Koharu remained silent, but her expression was not pleasant. Clearly, she hadn’t expected Danzo to actually go this far. Conversely, it was Mitokado Homura who looked around and said, "There’s nothing more to say. Danzo’s actions betray the village and will deepen the rift between us, the Daimyo, and the nobles. In the long run, this is not good for Konoha or the Land of Fire." Tsunade was somewhat surprised. Mitokado Homura... this old... senior, could actually say such words? She couldn’t help but nod, then looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen. Although the old man had spoken, he hadn’t clearly stated his position, being rather vague. She didn’t quite approve. Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. "You are the Hokage, and Homura has already stated his position. As long as the four of you can reach a decision, you don’t need mine or Koharu’s support." Tsunade smiled. Just as she was about to speak, Jiraiya interjected, "Wait!" Hmm? Tsunade looked at Jiraiya. Jiraiya raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, then said, "I feel that in the current situation, instigating internal strife will not benefit us." "Who said anything about instigating internal strife now?" Kyohiko looked at his teacher. He knew Jiraiya was considering the entire Land of Fire, but... "Hokage-sama’s meaning is that we need to come up with a plan first, to discuss how to deal with him." He paused. Utatane Koharu immediately said, "This matter involves the Daimyo and the noble factions. Assassination is definitely not an option." Orochimaru smiled without saying a word. Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "Kyohiko, Orochimaru, do you have any plans?" "The Land of Water must be thrown into chaos first," Kyohiko stated. "The Anbu will work on this. I will focus our upcoming efforts on the Land of Water to make our work effective as quickly as possible." "If the Land of Water descends into chaos, we’ll have our pretext. But we need to be wary of the Cloud Village," Orochimaru pointed to the upper right corner of the map. "I’ve been to the Cloud Village. Since the Gold and Silver Brothers’ rebellion, they’ve been very united internally. They also have some prior offenses, so we must be vigilant." Everyone deeply agreed—the Cloud Village was their ally, but they hadn’t forgotten the past incident of Kushina’s abduction. Tsunade asked, "Jiraiya, do you have any other suggestions?" "The Sand Village likely won’t recover its strength within the next ten years, but we need to be cautious of Onoki to the north. To deal with Danzo, we must thoroughly consider the manpower and tactics we can use," Jiraiya said. Orochimaru chuckled lightly. "Don’t worry. As long as we have a legitimate pretext, we old folks won’t even need to lift a finger to deal with Danzo." Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed lightly. Old folks? Who was he talking about! The three of them weren’t that old yet to be calling themselves old folks. What did that make him and Koharu? However, with Kyohiko’s and Minato’s abilities, as long as the Daimyo agreed, Danzo indeed wouldn’t be difficult to handle. Especially with that jutsu recently submitted! The Flying Thunder God Formation Technique, and the Space Stabilization Barrier. Kyohiko and Minato, those two were truly geniuses. Having them in the same era was Konoha’s greatest fortune. The two of them together were more than enough to deal with Danzo. "Let’s leave it at that then."