Chapter 26 (Patreon)

Seeing Danzō’s dark expression and obvious dissatisfaction, Orochimaru gave a faint smile.

“Why not examine the gift I prepared for you before making your decision, Lord Danzō? You can decide afterward.”

With that, Orochimaru clapped his hands.

A young man with vacant, lifeless eyes entered the room.

“This is a puppet I created through a special method. It can be sent on dangerous missions or left behind to cover a retreat. Once a command tag is placed inside its body, it will obey without question and will never betray its master. It can only be used once, but when it releases its full power, it possesses strength comparable to an elite jōnin.”

“A puppet?” Danzō narrowed his eye. “Like those used by Sunagakure?”

“Precisely. I adapted the technique from Sunagakure’s Puppet Technique. However, unlike an ordinary puppet, this one does not require a puppeteer to control its every movement. You need only give it orders.”

In truth, the creation had come from a sudden flash of inspiration while Orochimaru was refining the Reanimation Jutsu.

The puppet contained the summoned soul of a deceased shinobi, which was why it could move and fight without being directly controlled.

Still, just as Orochimaru had explained, it could only unleash its full power once. Afterward, the puppet body would be completely destroyed.

To Orochimaru, it was nothing more than a failed experiment.

Using those failures to deceive Danzō into providing additional research funds, however, was another matter entirely.

Sure enough, the moment Orochimaru finished explaining, interest appeared in Danzō’s eye.

“How many of these puppets do you have?”

“The process of creating them is extremely troublesome. At present, I have only five completed specimens.”

“Good. Hand all five over to me, then produce another batch.” Danzō paused before adding, “In exchange, I will continue supplying you with funds and research materials for another two years.”

Orochimaru deliberately allowed a troubled expression to cross his face. He remained silent for a long moment before reluctantly nodding.

He was afraid that if he agreed too quickly, he would no longer be able to suppress his laughter.

---

Outside the Uchiha clan’s training grounds in Konoha, Kushina relied on Kaorui’s Kagura’s Mind’s Eye to avoid every patrol and wandering clansman before setting up a barrier.

Not long afterward, Fugaku arrived.

Using the Transformation Jutsu, he had disguised himself as an ordinary member of the Uchiha clan. Following the instructions Mikoto had given him, he opened the barrier and stepped inside.

Since Minato’s sacrifice, Fugaku had never returned to Minato’s home. Naturally, he had not met Kushina again during that time.

Mikoto often visited her, but their meetings usually consisted of shopping together or sitting at home and talking about their children.

Fugaku had no idea why Kushina had suddenly called him here.

“Lady Kushina, I have arrived.”

“Fugaku-san, I’ll get straight to the point.” Kushina looked directly at him. “The conflict between the village and the Uchiha is reaching its limit, isn’t it? What do you intend to do?”

Fugaku’s expression stiffened.

During the clan’s most recent meeting, someone had argued that with Konoha’s main forces deployed against Kumogakure’s invasion, this was the perfect opportunity to launch a coup d’état.

However, most members of the clan had no desire to rebel.

The proposal had come from only a small minority, so it had failed to gain any real support.

But judging by Kushina’s words, had she somehow learned what had been discussed during the clan meeting?

Did she believe the Uchiha were already preparing to overthrow the village?

Countless thoughts raced through Fugaku’s mind. After carefully considering his response, he answered in a grave voice.

“There are indeed some dissatisfied voices within the clan. However, I believe Lord Third can resolve the problems between both sides.”

Standing behind Kushina, Roy let out a quiet chuckle.

Fugaku belonged to the moderate faction within the Uchiha clan and strongly opposed a coup, but even he probably did not believe what he had just said.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi were capable of resolving the conflict, he would have done so long ago. The situation would never have been allowed to deteriorate this far.

Had Kumogakure’s invasion not occurred so suddenly, the Uchiha would likely have faced even greater isolation after the Nine-Tails’ attack.

Because Danzō had kept the clan under close surveillance, the possibility that the Uchiha had controlled the Nine-Tails had effectively been disproven.

Even so, Konoha’s higher-ups had still ordered the entire Uchiha clan to relocate from their district near the village centre to the outskirts of Konoha.

That decision had been the final insult that drove the radical faction to openly suggest a coup.

“Fugaku-san, you should understand this better than anyone,” Kushina said. “As long as Danzō remains in power, Lord Third will never be able to resolve the conflict.”

Her words struck directly at the truth Fugaku had been unwilling to acknowledge.

When it came to suppressing the Uchiha clan, Danzō’s hostility far exceeded Hiruzen’s.

Fugaku had never understood the reason.

Logically, no one in the Uchiha clan would deliberately provoke a high-ranking official like Danzō.

“It’s because of the Sharingan, Fugaku-san.” Kushina’s eyes sharpened. “You know the saying—a man may be innocent, but possessing something valuable can still make him a target.”

At first, Kushina had not understood why Danzō was so determined to suppress the Uchiha either.

She had assumed that, like Hiruzen, he was merely continuing the policies established by the Second Hokage.

However, after hearing Roy’s analysis, she finally understood.

Danzō coveted the Sharingan’s power and intended to use it to fulfil his ambition of becoming Hokage.

“Although Uchiha Madara was defeated by the First Hokage, Lord First also died not long after their final battle,” Kushina continued. “If you were an ambitious man and learned that such powerful eyes existed, wouldn’t you want them for yourself?”

Fugaku fell silent.

Of course he knew that outsiders desired the Sharingan.

“Lord Third has grown old and indecisive,” Kushina said. “Worse still, he trusts and relies on Danzō far too much. As long as Danzō remains beside him, Lord Third will never truly resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and the village.”

“Then are you suggesting that we eliminate Danzō?” Fugaku asked. “Wouldn’t that bring us into direct conflict with the village? A coup would only create an opportunity for Konoha’s enemies to take advantage of us.”

Fugaku was confident that the Uchiha could deal with Danzō and Root alone.

However, Kushina was right about one thing.

The Third Hokage relied heavily on Danzō. He would never simply stand aside and watch while the Uchiha cornered and killed him.

Hiruzen would undoubtedly intervene.

“That is why we must first make Danzō lose Lord Third’s trust,” Kushina replied. “He is a man who will do anything to accomplish his goals. For his own benefit, he has committed many acts that harmed the village.”

Hearing that, Fugaku immediately thought of the accusations about Danzō that had recently begun circulating throughout Konoha.

“Those rumours about Danzō…”

“What rumours?” Kushina interrupted at once. “Fugaku-san, you may eat carelessly, but you should never speak carelessly.”

Fugaku coughed awkwardly.

“I meant to ask whether those rumours were actually true.”

“Even if their authenticity cannot be proven, I’m certain you have noticed enough clues to draw your own conclusions.”

Fugaku’s gaze hardened.

“Then what do you intend to do, Lady Kushina? Rumours alone will never be enough to bring Danzō down.”

“What the Uchiha must do is very simple,” Kushina said. “Enforce the law fairly and impartially, but show restraint when dealing with civilians. First, you must change the way the villagers see your clan. Otherwise, even if Danzō falls, the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha will not improve.”

Fugaku was well aware of the behaviour of many of his clansmen.

They carried themselves as though heaven stood above all things and the Uchiha stood directly beneath it, unwilling to lower their heads to anyone.

The Konoha Military Police Force was also responsible for work that naturally earned resentment.

Whenever they enforced the law, civilians would complain or speak coldly to them. In response, the Uchiha officers would become even harsher and more arrogant.

Over time, it had created a vicious cycle, causing the relationship between the clan and the villagers to grow increasingly hostile.

Asking the Uchiha to enforce the law with patience and tact might prove even more difficult than ordering them to attack Danzō directly.

“Fugaku-san,” Kushina said firmly, “when the situation demands strength, you must be strong. Tell me—how are you any different from the indecisive Lord Third right now?”