Naruto: Uchiha Rejects Konoha

"Old man, shouldn't you take a look at yourself? Look at what happened in the village recently. Don't you feel guilty as a Hokage?" 

Tsunade said impatiently, showing no intention of holding the Third Hokage accountable. She knew that if she did, the old man would only justify his actions by claiming it was all for the village. 

Yagami picked up the scroll and examined it curiously. The corners of his mouth twitched, but he remained silent. 

In the final analysis, it was the Second Hokage's civilian support policy that was to blame. Of course, the fault did not lie with the policy itself. It was just that in the hands of the Third Hokage, its implementation had taken a different turn. 

When Konoha was established, many ninja clans, large and small, had come together. Although they were not as prominent as the Senju, Uchiha, and Hyūga clans at the time, they were still respected ninja clans. 

However, when the Third Hokage came to power and carried out the Second Hokage's will, the weakening of the ninja clan's influence in the village was implemented more thoroughly. Small and medium-sized ninja clans suffered the most misfortune. 

Civilian ninjas were not easy to cultivate, not only because of limited resources but also due to the scarcity of innate talent. So how did the so-called civilian ninjas, now regarded as the Third Hokage's direct descendants, come to be? 

Some might genuinely hail from civilian backgrounds, but many of them were descendants of once-powerful but now-extinct ninja clans. These clans had lost their homes, their identities erased, leaving them labelled as civilian ninjas. 

Their secret arts and ninjutsu had been confiscated by the village, and without a designated clan area, their inheritance had been reduced to fragments. It was not an exaggeration to call them civilian ninjas—like Yūhi Kurenai. 

What was truly absurd was that while the policies suppressing the ninja clans were enforced, the Hokage's senior officials—Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane—did not see their clans disappear. Instead, their clans thrived and became new great ninja clans. 

The village's resources were finite. The development of these influential clans could not happen without taking from others. The vanishing ninja clans naturally became the casualties of this system. 

Not everyone would prioritize the village's interests over their own family, and not everyone could ignore the machinations behind this system. 

You strip people of their family heritage, reduce them to commoners, and then hand them scraps as if offering charity. What do you think those people feel? 

Even if they kept quiet, resentment would fester. They knew they lacked the strength to challenge the higher-ups, so they could only bide their time and wait for a chance to retaliate. 

Not for power but to avenge their family and regain their pride. 

Many such individuals were recruited into Anbu by the Third Hokage. Though they might not have access to all secrets, as operatives directly under the Hokage, they were privy to much. 

This resentment was what led to the current crisis. Anbu operatives had allowed the enemy to infiltrate Konoha, bypassing surveillance and patrols and directly entering the Hokage Building. 

If not for the Hyūga clan's ninjas stationed as guards, the battle would have erupted not near the Hokage Building but in the Anbu base itself. 

The investigation into Kumogakure's recent invasion revealed their true motive. It was indeed related to Wood Style, but not as everyone initially assumed. 

Their target was the Wood Style user Tenzo. True to Kumogakure's reputation, they had come with the intent to kidnap him. 

"I will give an explanation to the village. After this incident is over, I will step down from the position of Hokage."

The Third Hokage seemed to have aged several years in an instant, his face lined with weariness. He did not defend himself. Though he had acted with selfish motives, his care for the village was genuine. 

"Third Hokage-sama, the existence of Tenzo is an extremely secretive matter for the village. 

How did the shinobi from Kumogakure know about it? And they attacked Anbu directly, clearly aware of his location... 

Let me make it clear. Although I am aware of his existence, this matter has nothing to do with me, nor could it involve anyone else from the Uchiha." 

Yagami showed no interest in considering the Third Hokage's current state. The exposure of Tenzo's existence only left him with a splitting headache. 

**Damn it, Jiraiya! Just tell me that Danzo excavated Sharingan to study Wood Style. Why involve Tenzo?!** 

Now, the Uchiha had finally severed ties with Konoha, yet suspicion was falling on them once again. This was nothing but trouble! 

If Kumogakure came solely for Wood Style, then it had nothing to do with the Uchiha; the blame lay with Danzo. 

But since they came specifically for Tenzo, the Uchiha couldn't entirely distance themselves. After all, Yagami knew about Tenzo, and it was Jiraiya who had told him. 

Thus, Yagami immediately sought to clear himself of any involvement. Whether or not he had a hand in it, it had to be made clear that it had nothing to do with the Uchiha. 

The Third Hokage, rallying himself, glanced at Yagami before turning his gaze to Fugaku and the other Uchiha present. 

Setting Yagami aside, Fugaku and the others were genuinely unaware of Tenzo's existence. 

Aside from himself, the only ones privy to Tenzo's existence were Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Yagami. 

It was true that Jiraiya and Tsunade were estranged from the village, but they would never resort to such measures. 

As for Uchiha Yagami, while it was possible, the very fact that he had brought up the topic directly reduced the suspicion surrounding him. 

The Third Hokage now realized that the Uchiha clan wanted to draw a firm line between themselves and Konoha; they had no intention of completely severing ties. 

Just as Tsunade had said, the Uchiha were content to stand aside and watch Konoha's troubles unfold without piling on additional woes. 

This left only one likely culprit—Danzo's masked accomplice. He had likely orchestrated the attack to throw Konoha into chaos, weaken its strength, and further his own objectives. 

**Damn it, Danzo! Even in death, you won't let me have peace. What a waste of all the tolerance I showed you…** 

"I believe... this matter has nothing to do with the Uchiha. We are not the only ones aware of Tenzo..." the Third Hokage sighed heavily. 

Yagami's words clarified Uchiha's stance. It was evident they had lost all trust in Konoha. Any hopes of drawing them into Konoha's united front were futile. 

Moreover, with the entire Uchiha clan now stationed at the harbour dock, there was no way to force their cooperation against the enemy. 

Meanwhile, Obito had undoubtedly leaked the information about Tenzo for multiple reasons. 

First, the pressure on Amegakure should be reduced. The constant probing by other shinobi villages had severely hampered Akatsuki's development. Diverting attention to Konoha would ease that burden. 

Second, to retrieve his stolen Sharingan. A Konoha drained of its strength would make that task far easier. 

If a new ninja war erupted, consuming the combat power of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it would be advantageous for Obito to gather the Tailed Beasts in the future. 

And above all, making Konoha suffer brought him personal satisfaction. If Konoha was unhappy, Obito was happy. Why wouldn't he act on it? 

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