Chapter 585: Uchiha Is About to Enable Stealth Mode

"No, no, Fuyou is still young, how can he shoulder such a heavy responsibility? Such a tiring job as the Daimyo should be left to me!"

At the thought of the wealth, glory, and luxurious life about to slip away, Uchiha Izuna straightened his expression and frantically winked at his son, who was stunned by the surprise, trying to get the brat to abdicate and yield the position to avoid the suffering of a "seven-wolf" beating.

"Father."

Uchiha Fuyou looked at his father, who was performing exaggerated facial expressions, in a very difficult position, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

On one side was his grandfather, on the other his father; young Fuyou was caught in a dilemma.

"Hmph! You brat, don't think I don't know what you're thinking."

Accompanied by a cold snort, Uchiha Izuna's expression stiffened. He looked up to see Uchiha Tajima looking at him with an unpleasant expression and a malicious gaze.

"Father, you've misunderstood. Fuyou is the next clan head I have carefully cultivated. If he goes to the Land of Waves to be the Daimyo, who will manage the Uchiha in Konoha?"

The development of the Land of Waves is certainly impressive, but the Uchiha in Konoha cannot be left to fend for themselves.

"Isn't there little Fugaku? Just let him go and be the clan head of the Konoha Uchiha."

"Huh? But Fugaku is only five years old!"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Izuna's vision went black. His youngest son couldn't even perform a Great Fireball Jutsu yet, and you want him to be the clan head?

"That is your business."

In short, Uchiha Tajima was determined to have his eldest grandson inherit the position of Daimyo. No matter how much Uchiha Izuna talked until his tongue went dry, it was useless. He could only watch helplessly as his son sat in the position that originally belonged to him.

"Little cousin, cheer up. At least you're still a Retired Emperor, aren't you?"

Seeing Izuna looking like he had lost his parents, Uchiha Gin stepped forward and patted his shoulder to comfort him.

"Phew... now that you put it that way, it seems not entirely unacceptable."

Hearing this, Uchiha Izuna let out a long sigh of relief, and the gloom in his heart dissipated quite a bit.

The reunited family chatted until late at night. When it was time to rest, a preoccupied Uchiha Izuna found Uchiha Gin, who was preparing to go out for some "wild hunting."

"Big cousin, I plan to stay in the Land of Waves with Fuyou for a while."

"Although this is a long-term mission, if you stay outside for too long, those guys in Konoha might not be very peaceful."

"I have already given up the position of Hokage, what else could they be dissatisfied with?"

Uchiha Izuna frowned slightly. He knew who the guys Uchiha Gin was talking about were, but he had already given up the power he had in his hands—were those parasites still not at ease?

"Although you are not the Hokage, the power you hold in your hands hasn't been taken back."

"You mean the Mission Hall?"

During his tenure, Uchiha Madara had delegated the authority of the Konoha Mission Hall to his own younger brother. Even after he went missing, this coveted power had not been reclaimed.

"What else? The kickbacks in there are huge, and those guys who suffered heavy losses are all watching with eager eyes~"

Mission rewards are the main economic source for ordinary ninjas to survive. Controlling the mission distribution system is equivalent to holding the lifeline of most ninjas; it is the fattest of fat jobs.

"Big cousin, you mean..."

"Let it go. Since they want it, just give it to them."

The Uchiha clan nowadays doesn't need mission rewards to make a living at all. Continuing to cling to the Mission Hall will only invite targeting from the newly empowered Ninja Clan Alliance. It is better to throw this hot potato back and let them fight like dogs.

"Alright, then I'll go back once the mission is over, get this settled, and then come back to continue... fulfilling my filial duty to Father."

Uchiha Izuna, who had always listened to his cousin the most, nodded without any hesitation.

He wasn't stupid. Why would he give up the wealth and glory of the Land of Waves to go back to Konoha and continue being a beast of burden?

Happy times are always short. The deadline for this escort mission was about to arrive. Standing on the ship, Uchiha Izuna bid a reluctant farewell to his father on the shore. In his eyes, besides family affection, there was only a lingering attachment to luxurious enjoyment.

"Father, after I finish my business, I will definitely rush back to show my filial piety to you."

"Little Fuyou can come back, but you brat, don't you come."

Uchiha Tajima unceremoniously crushed the filial piety Uchiha Izuna offered into pieces.

"Don't be like that~"

"Old Uncle, don't be in such a hurry to refuse. Little cousin is actually quite capable. Why not let him be responsible for the search for big cousin after he returns?"

At the critical moment, Uchiha Gin stepped forward and found a suitable reason for his little cousin, which finally made Uchiha Tajima nod in reluctant agreement.

"Since you say so, Gin, then when he returns, I will hand the Ghost Corps over to him."

Uchiha Tajima was the type of man with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Although he said he didn't want his son to come, he actually handed the strongest army in the Land of Waves to him to manage.

"Thanks, Dad~"

Konoha.

Inside the secret meeting room of the Ninja Clan Alliance, a rosy-faced Sarutobi Sasuke sat in the center position, with his precious son, who had just succeeded to the position of Hokage, standing beside him. The huge round table was filled with representatives from various ninja clans; these people had different expressions, each with their own worries and joys.

"The main purpose of calling this meeting today is to thank everyone for your strong support. Without your help, my son Hiruzen would not have succeeded to the position of Hokage so smoothly. It can be said that everyone has a share in this Hokage position."

The spirited Sarutobi Sasuke spoke at length, and although there wasn't much substance in his words, everyone present responded very actively.

"Sasuke, you're too polite. We grew up wearing the same pair of pants."

"Exactly, exactly. I saw that this child Hiruzen had potential since he was small. Sure enough, he's become the village chief now~"

Everyone chimed in, blowing Sarutobi Hiruzen up to the sky. Some of the things said made even him blush upon hearing them.

"Everyone, quiet down. Besides thanking everyone for your help, I have another very important matter to discuss."

Of course, the reason Sarutobi Sasuke called this meeting was not just to hold a thank-you party.

"I have already found out who was playing tricks during the voting."

"Ah? Who exactly is it!?"

"Sasuke, tell us quickly, I'll go smash their windows tonight."

"They must be severely punished!"

Looking at the agitated crowd, a flash of ruthlessness crossed Sarutobi Sasuke's eyes.

"It's the Senju clan!"

"Huh?"

Hearing this answer, the crowd was in an uproar. They had thought there was a traitor within, but they never expected it to be a pit dug by their partners.

"Sasuke, could there be a problem somewhere? The Senju clan should be the ones least willing to see Uchiha Izuna succeed."

Someone raised a question. Sarutobi Sasuke shook his head upon hearing this.

"It is absolutely true. I have already obtained sufficient evidence."

The so-called sufficient evidence was nothing more than the drunken ramblings of a certain Senju clansman, but this was enough to prove the Senju clan's suspicion in this matter.

"That's the Senju clan, Sasuke. What do you plan to do?"

"So what if it's the Senju clan?"

Without the Senju brothers, the Senju clan was like a tiger with its teeth pulled. Coupled with the bankruptcy crisis of the past few years, the entire Senju clan was like a crumbling building, waiting for its collapse.

"If they mess with us, they have to pay the price!"

Thus, a retaliatory action against the Senju clan was secretly launched. This was also the first time the Ninja Clan Alliance, which had been dormant for many years, bared its fangs. They intended to use this action to announce to the entire Konoha that their era was about to arrive.

"If there is nothing else, then the meeting is adjourned..."

After a heated discussion for a long time, everyone prepared to leave and go home for dinner. But before everyone could stand up, a plump figure emerged from the crowd.

"Sasuke, do you remember your promise?"

Shimura Kenichi raised his hand with a solemn expression, his tone carrying a hint of questioning.

"What promise?"

Sarutobi Sasuke frowned. He remembered that the money for the flower-viewing drinks should have been returned to Shimura Kenichi.

"Don't play dumb. The Mission Hall—where is the Mission Hall you promised to hand over to our Shimura clan?"

For this election, the Shimura clan had exhausted all their efforts, throwing in a full 50 billion, only to have no impact at all. Now, hundreds of mouths in the clan were waiting, so how could he, as the clan head, not be anxious?

"Hiruzen, the Mission Hall..."

Sarutobi Sasuke turned his head to look at his son. Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly gave the answer.

"The Mission Hall is still in the hands of Uchiha Izuna."

Compared to Shimura Kenichi's sour face, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression wasn't much better. Originally full of confidence and ready to show his grand ambitions, he found out upon taking office that he was a commander with no troops.

Since the Hokage is the leader who manages external affairs, the current peaceful situation gave him no opportunity to display his ambitions. Meanwhile, the affairs in the village were fully managed by Uchiha Kagami, who was busy every day.

Besides that, many departments in the village were still in the hands of the Uchiha clan, including many lucrative ones, such as the Mission Hall, the Street Security Team, and so on.

"Hiruzen, you're the Hokage now, after all. Isn't reclaiming the authority of these departments just a matter of saying the word~"

The unrelenting Shimura Kenichi tried to use a goading tactic to make Sarutobi Hiruzen retrieve his lost interests. The viciousness of his intent was rare.

"I will do my best."

Sarutobi Hiruzen twitched his mouth bitterly. Asking Uchiha Izuna for the authority of the Mission Hall—he was afraid he would walk in standing up and be carried out in two pieces.

If only Uchiha Izuna weren't there.

"Then I'll wait for your good news."

Shimura Kenichi had contributed the most to Sarutobi Hiruzen buying the Hokage position. If they couldn't get even a tiny bit of benefit from this, their Shimura clan might have to break ties with the Sarutobi clan.

"Father, what should I do?"

After everyone had left, a bitter-faced Sarutobi Hiruzen asked his father, who was also frowning. Ever since he sat in this Hokage position, he hadn't had a single day of peace; pressure from all sides came one after another.

"This matter needs to be discussed at length. Why don't you ask Uchiha Kagami first to probe the Uchiha clan's attitude?"

The more experienced Sarutobi Sasuke pondered for a while and proposed a relatively proper suggestion.

"Kagami, I have something I want to ask you."

The next day, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had arrived at the office early, saw Uchiha Kagami pushing the door open and handed over the Mixue Bingcheng he had bought in advance.

"Uh... thanks."

Uchiha Kagami, who had held a clan meeting late into the night, looked a bit weary. He took the iced Americano handed over by Sarutobi Hiruzen with some surprise. He suddenly remembered what Uchiha Izuna had instructed him, so he spoke up.

"I happen to have something to tell you as well."

"You go first."

Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated for a moment, choosing to let Kagami Uchiha speak first while he prepared his own thoughts.

"Lord Izuna and the others returned last night."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a tightening in his chest upon hearing this, not expecting Izuna Uchiha to return so quickly.

As Hokage, the fact that there were still ninjas in the village stronger than him always made him feel that his position as Hokage lacked authority.

"Yes, Lord Izuna returned in quite a hurry; he called for a clan meeting as soon as he got back."

*Slurp~*

Taking a sip of an ice-cold Americano, Kagami Uchiha's exhausted spirit finally regained some vitality.

"You held a meeting too?"

"Huh? Yes, Lord Izuna is preparing to return the authority of the mission hall to the village and specifically arranged for me to organize the previous lists."

The word "too" in Hiruzen Sarutobi's words left Kagami Uchiha feeling confused; was it now a trend to hold meetings at night?

They really don't treat the workhorses like human beings!

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was also sympathizing with Kagami Uchiha for having to hold a meeting at night, was stunned for a moment, an expression of disbelief instantly appearing on his face.

Izuna Uchiha was actually voluntarily giving up the mission hall, the department with the most profit?

Could there be some kind of trap?

"Is that really true!?"

"Absolutely certain; things discussed in a meeting cannot be a joke."

Kagami Uchiha shook his head and explained with great certainty.

"Then why would he do that?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi cautiously pressed for an answer, fearing that Izuna Uchiha had ulterior motives for handing over such a lucrative position.

"Lord Izuna is preparing to leave the village to personally search for the whereabouts of the Clan Head."

"I see."

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally understood; whether it was Izuna Uchiha giving up the position of Hokage before, or giving up the management rights of the mission hall now, it was all for his missing older brother.

In the eyes of the Uchiha clan, affection is always greater than desire.

"Hiruzen, I have a favor to ask of you."

While he was sighing in his heart, Kagami Uchiha suddenly spoke up, pulling Hiruzen Sarutobi back to reality.

"We're close, aren't we? Anything is fine, except for the matter of paying back money."

"I have far too much work on my hands right now; Hiruzen, could you help me manage the work at the mission hall?"

"Uh... since you've asked, Kagami, how could I have the heart to refuse?"

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was already blooming with joy inside, he did not show any happiness on his face; instead, he feigned a hesitant appearance, and only after a long while did he "reluctantly" agree to the matter.

"Then thank you very much."

"This is all something I, as Hokage, should do."

In the Uchiha compound, Izuna Uchiha, who was drinking tea with Uchiha Gin, looked up and asked Kagami Uchiha, who had just walked through the door.

"Kagami, how did the task I entrusted to you go?"

Kagami Uchiha pondered for a moment; as a ninja with keen perception, he could clearly detect the joy in Hiruzen Sarutobi's emotions when he agreed.

"Hiruzen accepted it very happily."

"Heh, as long as he's happy. Just don't blame us when something goes wrong." (End of chapter)