Naruto: Uchiha Rejects Konoha

Hearing Yagami's words, Danzō was so angry that he almost couldn't hold back:

"Uchiha Yagami! Don't go too far. The old man only took the right eye; I didn't touch the left eye!"

Yagami didn't engage further, looking directly at the Third Hokage, as did the other Uchiha, with an expression saying, *You figure it out.*

"Danzō! That's enough! Hand over Shisui's left eye!" Third, Hokage sighed. In this situation, the most urgent task was to appease the Uchiha.

"Hiruzen, you..."

Danzō was trembling with anger, but at this point, it was pointless. He had taken the right eye himself, and the left eye was not in his possession—so who else had it?

Shisui could clarify, but he was still lying on a stretcher, too weak to speak, especially under Yagami's control.

Even if, Danzō, you really didn't take the left eye, you still have to own up to it!

"I didn't bring the left eye..."

With no other choice, Danzō could only grit his teeth and accept it, feeling regret over the Sharingan in his collection. Losing one was bad enough, and he worried the Uchiha would continue pressing on this issue.

"In that case, Hokage-sama, please assist in returning the eye promptly. We will await good news here."

Fugaku snorted coldly and motioned for the Uchiha to return to the clan grounds.

As the gate to the compound closed, Third Hokage quietly heaved a sigh of relief. Observing the reactions of the prominent clans behind him, he said little, simply signalling for everyone to disperse.

Today's events truly gave him a headache. Not only had the Hokage's authority taken a blow, but a rift had also opened between the village's leadership and the major clans.

More importantly, as Hokage, he had been blindsided by Danzō's actions. After all, everyone in Konoha knew that Hokage and Danzō were closely aligned.

It might look like Danzō had acted alone, but who could be sure he wasn't following Third Hokage's orders?

And Danzō—conducting secret schemes was one thing, but stealing a Sharingan without informing him first, leaving him to share the blame—was truly...

Third, Hokage returned to his office with a heavy heart, utterly drained.

There was no open conflict tonight, but the repercussions could not be ignored. Trust among the major clans in the Hokage's leadership had now dropped to an all-time low.

······

In the Uchiha clan area, the previously gathered people had not fully dispersed and were now assembled in the clan hall.

When Itachi presented Shisui's left eye, many looked at Yagami in surprise.

"I didn't know he really didn't take Shisui's left eye! Have you ever seen someone take only one eye? But that old b*****d admitted it, proving he must have more Sharingan in his possession!"

Yagami spread his hands, his last statement again igniting discontent among the clansmen.

That's right. Since Danzō admitted to it, it confirmed he still had other Sharingan in his possession. Events like Shisui's must have happened before, just never brought to light.

"Danzō is a shameless old guy, calling us Uchiha evil while coveting our Sharingan—it's truly disgusting!"

"How shameless!"

······

The clansmen couldn't contain their anger, forcing Fugaku to intervene.

"That's enough. Let's set aside the matter of Danzō for now. Since we have so many people here today, let's discuss our approach to dealing with the village in the future."

As the Family head, he couldn't act impulsively like the others; he had to think about the survival and growth of the entire clan.

"Hmph! Everyone saw it today—mobilizing all of Konoha's forces to encircle our clan. I don't need to say more about the village's attitude toward us, right?" the Fourth Elder said bitterly, clearly eager for a confrontation with the village.

"That's why we need to change, to make the village reconsider its stance toward us! Take the complaint from the police department, for instance; this is the first step I believe we should take," the Fifth Elder added. Although he had just pressured the Third Hokage alongside everyone else, it didn't mean the Supporting Faction wanted outright conflict with the village.

Don't underestimate the inertia of the Uchiha. Back when Uchiha Madara wanted to leave Konoha, only he went...

"So, Fifth Elder, you mean that people can trample on us, and we should still smile and flatter them?" the Fourth Elder immediately countered.

"I don't mean that! I'm talking about the police department. Our people could adopt a softer approach in law enforcement to improve how others perceive us!"

······

Watching the two elders argue and the silent Fugaku beside them, Yagami was speechless. Did they not understand what had just happened?

The united Uchiha could clearly make the village's higher-ups wary, yet they were talking about dividing their forces...

"Yagami, what's your opinion?"

Recalling recent events, Fugaku lost interest in the debate between the two factions and directly called on Yagami, who had been quietly observing.

Before, Yagami was only seen as a genius in Fugaku's eyes, but recent events have shown that his brilliance has extended beyond strength.

Surprised to be addressed, Yagami was taken aback. He'd been pondering how to improve his standing within the clan, and now Fugaku had given him the perfect opportunity.

"My opinion?" he asked.

With everyone's attention on him, he continued, "What is there to think? The village doesn't want us around, so why should we bother with them? Let the police department stop enforcing the law. Konoha can play its own games, and we Uchiha will focus on our own matters. Reduce contact, and these issues won't even come up, right?"

Yagami spread his hands, pointing out that as a law enforcement body, the police department would never be fully appreciated. The Uchiha couldn't expect to change others' perceptions while holding onto the police department.

And with Konoha's obvious stance toward the Uchiha, pushing for better relations would just be asking for trouble.