บท 129: **Chapter 128: Who's the Conspiracy For?**
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Itsuki glared at Itachi, clearly annoyed, and said, "We've decided on our own to break away from Konoha. There's no way Konoha will agree, so a war is inevitable. You need to be prepared."
His fist cracked audibly.
They had fought against the other four shinobi villages many times.
But Konoha? This was the first.
It felt good!
In fact, deep down, Uchiha Itsuki had long wanted to take on Konoha!
Always thinking they could act like 'family,' talking down to the Uchiha.
This time, he thought, *I'm going to tear your mouths apart!*
The Root...
Does Danzo even count as a person?
Taking down the Root doesn't count as fighting Konoha!
"Itsuki, are you doing this on a whim?" Itachi sighed helplessly. "If we'd decided this earlier, I would've kept more strong fighters with the clan. If the Third Hokage dares resist, we'll hit him where it hurts."
"Oh, by the way, those people who faked their deaths wasted a few Sharingan. I thought we tricked Danzo and kept some strength hidden as a surprise, but it's all been for nothing now."
*Sigh*, "Sharingan are precious, once we use one, there's one less."
Seeing Itachi's pained expression, Itsuki was speechless.
Actually, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't wrong about one thing.
Uchiha Itachi was indeed a man capable of becoming Hokage.
Once Itachi made a decision, he would act on it without hesitation, pouring his all into it, like a tidal wave crashing forward.
That kind of decisiveness isn't something most people have.
A normal person, even when knowing they have a good chance to win, would hesitate when faced with an important matter. They wouldn't dare act rashly.
But Itachi? He would!
And he could accurately assess the situation, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
It's unfortunate.
Sarutobi would never let him become Hokage.
Why? Because he's a Uchiha!
As it's often said, there would never be a Uchiha Hokage in Konoha.
...
When faced with life and death, people tend to get smarter.
It's as if their potential gets unlocked.
Itsuki gave the Uchiha an hour.
During that short time, the Uchiha quickly packed up, only taking the most valuable items, leaving everything else behind.
Every Uchiha prepared for action with as little burden as possible!
A new village?
Sounds nice?
Haha, if they live long enough to see it.
At this moment, there weren't many shinobi left in Konoha, but then again, how many Uchiha were left either?
Each clan had only left behind a basic defensive force.
The main forces were out in the field.
In this situation, could the Uchiha leave Konoha safely?
And after leaving, how many would actually reach the new village?
The Uchiha had no choice but to follow Itsuki's lead.
The leadership had decided to leave. Staying behind would be a death sentence!
Thankfully.
Itsuki had shown incredible power.
Especially that colossal figure towering over everything, exuding an awe-inspiring presence that filled them with both fear and confidence.
At the same time.
The Uchiha elites loyal to Itsuki began taking action among the crowd.
Leading!
Guiding!
Encouraging!
And ultimately, threatening!
Itsuki had made it clear: staying behind meant certain death!
Under such circumstances, the hour passed quickly.
The scattered Uchiha began to regroup.
Itachi gathered the remaining forces.
He even brought over the Konoha Police Force.
Patrols?
Patrol what?
If the Third Hokage didn't already know what the Uchiha were up to by now, he'd be an idiot!
Itachi organized the Uchiha forces into teams and distributed explosive tags.
They weren't trying to kill; they just needed to protect themselves!
Seeing the sea of Uchiha shinobi, Itsuki couldn't hide his excitement.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
*Poof!*
A white snake appeared before him.
*Slash!*
*Thud!*
A flash of cold light passed, and the white snake was cut in half.
"Uchiha, move out!"
Itsuki shouted.
The crowd looked at Itsuki, bewildered.
Summoning a white snake, only to cut it down yourself—what kind of nonsense is this?
The group began to move toward the barrier entrance.
At the entrance, there was a sea of people.
At the forefront stood none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi.
His face was serious; he was ready for battle.
Zongyi and Setsuna stood with about a dozen shinobi each, guarding the gate.
Several bodies lay on the ground.
Clearly, they had already clashed.
"Hey there, Monkey! You're looking good! Hmm, haven't seen you in a few days, and you seem taller."
Itsuki greeted Sarutobi with a playful smile.
"Uchiha Itsuki!!!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi practically seethed with hatred.
He knew this guy was strong and could use the Flying Thunder God technique, making him hard to deal with.
So this time, he hadn't even bothered trying to order him around.
Knowing full well that Itsuki wouldn't listen, issuing commands would only be embarrassing.
But he had made up his mind. Sooner or later, he would deal with Itsuki.
Konoha couldn't have such an unstable element within it.
Who would've thought, after just a few days, Itsuki would drop this bombshell?
He was inciting the Uchiha to secede!
Damn it!!!
When Sarutobi found out, he was almost ready to explode on the spot.
He had been plotting to privatize Konoha, and here Itsuki was, flipping the whole table.
What's the point of my plan now?
If Itsuki had known Sarutobi's plan, he wouldn't have caused trouble now.
He would have waited!
Waited for Sarutobi's plan to be exposed, and then he would've led the Uchiha's secession.
That way, Sarutobi would've been nailed to the pillar of shame forever!
"What's with the shouting?"
Itsuki looked at Sarutobi with disdain, then eyed the shinobi behind him.
There weren't many.
About a thousand.
No surprise.
Konoha had sent seventeen to eighteen thousand shinobi to deal with Suna and the other villages.
How many could they possibly have left in the village?
Oh, and the four major clan families don't count.
It's always others who get hurt, while they reap the benefits.
"Monkey, you probably know what the Uchiha are planning by now."
Itsuki glared at Sarutobi. "You've got two options: either step aside or we'll fight our way through. You choose."
"Uchiha Itsuki!"
Sarutobi's voice was ice cold. "Do you want to go down in history as a traitor to Konoha? If you lead the Uchiha in this division, do you realize the severe harm you'll cause? Konoha might be destroyed because of you."
"Then let it be destroyed!"
Itsuki didn't hesitate, his voice chilling. "Konoha's been wanting to take out the Uchiha for ages now, so destroying it sounds just fine to me."
"You…"
*Cough, cough!*
A sudden cough interrupted.
Nara Shikaku appeared, looking at Itsuki with hesitation.
"Huh?"
Itsuki looked at Shikaku in surprise. "Strategist, you stayed behind in Konoha? Didn't go to the battlefield? Why?"
He turned to Sarutobi. "What scheme are you cooking up now?"
"Let me think!"
Before Sarutobi or Shikaku could respond, Itsuki rubbed his chin, muttering to himself.
"Nara Shikaku, said to have the sharpest mind, yet in the middle of this major war, he stays behind in the village. Either he's the commander-in-chief, or there's a plot afoot."
"Being the commander seems unlikely; the battle isn't at that stage yet. Knowing the old monkey, he'd want the glory for himself. So, it's a conspiracy."
"A conspiracy for whom?"
"The Uchiha? No, that's Danzo's thing!"
"The Hyuga? No, they've never been a real threat."
"The Ino-Shika-Cho Alliance!"
Itsuki stared blankly at Sarutobi, whose face had turned pale.
"You actually plan to target the Ino-Shika-Cho? Have you lost your mind?"
**End of Chapter**
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