The enormous wealth gained from selling off those businesses never saw a single coin deposited into Konoha’s banks.
Instead, it was converted into hard currency and desperately needed supplies.
There were enough compressed rations and grain to feed the clan’s more than ten thousand members for three years, half a room’s worth of medicine, antidotes, and hemostatic powder, hundreds of thousands of explosive tags, shuriken, and kunai, along with high purity chakra metal so rare that even Konoha’s own warehouses barely stocked it.
Using the summoning contract that had been passed down between the Uchiha Clan and the Ninja Cats for generations, everything was quietly transported under the cover of darkness into the underground chamber beneath Naka Shrine.
It wasn’t just supplies.
The clan’s thousand year legacy was emptied as well.
From a complete copy of the stone tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths to the secret technique journals of every previous Clan Head, from the most basic training scrolls for the Three Basic Techniques to the complete inheritances of forbidden techniques like Izanagi and Izanami.
Even the ancestral spirit tablets enshrined within the clan’s ancestral hall were carefully packed into specially made wooden boxes and sealed away in the deepest part of the underground chamber.
Aside from the clan compound itself, which could not be moved, the Uchiha left Konoha practically nothing behind.
The entire clan had already been gathered together.
Every member who had been away on missions, even the units stationed at the border of the Land of Rain, had returned under the pretext of ‘Ancestral Worship, the Entire Clan Returns Home.’ The elderly, women, and children were quietly relocated to residences around Naka Shrine, while the able bodied ninja were divided into two groups.
One worked day and night reinforcing the triple layered sealing barrier surrounding the clan’s borders, while the other took turns patrolling.
On the surface, they were maintaining order ahead of the ancestral ceremony.
In reality, they had already rehearsed every evacuation route and emergency plan more than ten times.
Meanwhile, as these hidden currents continued to surge beneath the surface, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s patience had long since reached its limit inside the top floor office of the Hokage Building.
The office was still filled with smoke.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane sat across from him with faces as cold as ice, while Shimura Danzō remained standing in the shadows by the window, the lone eye beneath his bandages overflowing with barely restrained malice.
“Hiruzen!
It’s already been a month!” Koharu Utatane was the first to break the silence, her voice filled with impatience.
“The Uchiha have recalled every clansman from outside and locked themselves inside their compound.
Naka Shrine is sealed so tightly that not even a bird can get in.
How much longer are you planning to wait?!” “I told you from the very beginning that they’re planning a rebellion!” Homura Mitokado slammed the table as he spoke.
“If we don’t make our move now, it’ll be too late once they’re fully prepared!” “Hmph.” Danzō stepped out of the shadows, his hoarse voice dripping with mockery.
“Lord Hokage, you keep talking about the bigger picture and stabilizing the other ninja clans.
But if you keep waiting, the Uchiha’s blade will be at your throat.” The pipe in Hiruzen’s hand glowed on and off as he frowned deeply.
After a long silence, he slowly shook his head.
“Wait a little longer.” He tapped the desk where the daily ANBU reports were spread before him.
“Fugaku has already handed every responsibility of the Konoha Police Force over to the ANBU.
That means he willingly surrendered the clan’s only armed authority.” “He even volunteered to let us station ANBU at all four entrances to the Uchiha compound, claiming it was to prevent outsiders from disturbing the ancestral ceremony and to stop radical members of the clan from causing trouble.” He looked at the three of them, confidence returning to his voice.
“Our men have sealed off every entrance.
The Uchiha no longer control any military force.
Even if they wanted to rebel, what could they possibly accomplish?” During the past month, he had never lowered his guard.
But Fugaku’s two moves had completely caught him off guard.
By voluntarily surrendering authority and requesting surveillance, Fugaku had effectively placed the fate of the entire Uchiha Clan into his hands.
If the Uchiha truly intended to rebel, who would do something as foolish as cutting off their own arm?
If they were truly planning a rebellion, who would do something as foolish as cutting off their own arm?
Besides, the daily ANBU reports made everything perfectly clear.
The Uchiha’s daily activities were limited to their clan compound and Naka Shrine.
There were no large scale gatherings of shinobi, no stockpiling of prohibited ninja equipment, and no secret correspondence with other ninja clans or foreign nations.
Everything appeared to be nothing more than quiet preparations for the ancestral ceremony.
As time passed, the tension in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s heart gradually eased.
He even began to think that perhaps he and the higher ups had been overly cautious.
Maybe Fugaku was simply using the ceremony as an excuse to unite the clan and suppress its more radical members.
But Danzō didn’t see it that way.
He stared directly at Hiruzen, his lone eye filled with hostility.
“You’re being too naive!
What kind of man is Fugaku?
He’s the Head of the Uchiha Clan.
Proud his entire life.
How could he possibly surrender this easily?
“There has to be something going on.
Especially at Naka Shrine.
My men have tried eight times and couldn’t even get close to the main gate.
We have no idea what’s happening inside!” “We have no idea?” Hiruzen frowned.
“The ANBU are watching them.
Everyone going in and out is carrying nothing but incense and offerings for the ceremony.
What else could there be?” “Offerings?” Danzō sneered.
“Have you ever seen a ceremony that requires supplies to be transported into a shrine with Summoning Jutsu in the middle of the night?
My men saw the Ninja Cats’ summoned beasts entering the Uchiha compound every single night.
Have you ever investigated what they’re carrying?” “Enough, Danzō.” Hiruzen’s expression darkened.
“Now isn’t the time to create unnecessary complications.
The Uchiha have already backed down.
If we continue pushing them, we’ll only force them into rebellion.
Once the ceremony is over and everything has settled, we’ll have plenty of time to investigate.” After serving as Hokage for his entire life, nothing mattered more to him than Konoha’s stability.
The three Great Ninja Wars had drained Konoha to its core.
At a time like this, he absolutely could not completely fall out with the Uchiha, one of the village’s founding clans, and give the other four great nations an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Seeing that Hiruzen refused to listen no matter what he said, Danzō clenched his fists in frustration.
Veins bulged beneath the bandages wrapped around his arm.
In the end, he merely snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and disappeared back into the shadows.
Meanwhile, in the underground chamber beneath Naka Shrine, the very place at the center of their argument, Shinsuke was reviewing the inventory list in his hands while Uchiha Kei stood beside him, quietly reporting on their progress.
“Chief, every transfer contract has been signed.
As agreed with the Fire Daimyō, the official handover will take place thirty days from now.” Kei deliberately kept his voice low, but excitement was obvious in his eyes.
“Everything that could be converted into cash has been exchanged for supplies and gold.
The underground chamber is almost full.
All of the clan’s scrolls, secret techniques, and inheritances have been inventoried and sealed away.
Nothing was left behind.” “What about the clan members?” Shinsuke asked as he set down the inventory list.
“Out of the clan’s total population of thirteen thousand six hundred and twenty one, everyone except three households that we simply couldn’t contact has returned to the compound.” Kei’s tone became even more confident.
“More than ninety five percent are willing to leave with us, far exceeding the seventy percent minimum you originally expected.” ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ❤️ Enjoying the Story?