The massive funds obtained from liquidating their assets didn’t see a single cent flow into Konoha’s banks.
Instead, it was all converted into hard currency and scarce supplies— Enough compressed rations and provisions to feed the tens of thousands of clan members for three years; healing salves, antidotes, and blood-clotting powders that could fill half a room; hundreds of thousands of explosive tags, shuriken, and kunai; and even high-purity chakra metal, which was rare even in Konoha’s storehouses.
All of this was continuously transported into the underground secret chamber of the Naka Shrine under the cover of night, utilizing the summoning contract passed down through generations between the Uchiha and the Ninja Cat clan.
It wasn’t just supplies.
The clan’s heritage, passed down for over a thousand years, was also completely cleared out.
From a complete rubbing of the stone tablet left by the Sage of Six Paths, to the secret jutsu notes of past clan heads; from the most basic training scrolls for the Three Basic Jutsu, to the complete inheritance of forbidden jutsu like Izanagi and Izanami.
Even the ancestral tablets enshrined in the clan’s ancestral hall were carefully packed into specially made wooden boxes and sealed in the deepest part of the underground chamber.
Aside from the immovable compound and its courtyards, the Uchiha left absolutely nothing behind for Konoha.
All the clan members had also long since been gathered.
Everyone out on missions, even the garrison teams stationed as far away as the borders of the Land of Rain, had all been recalled to the compound under the guise of an “ancestral sacrifice requiring the return of the entire clan.” The elderly, weak, women, and children were quietly settled in the courtyards surrounding the Naka Shrine.
The able-bodied shinobi were divided into two shifts.
One shift worked tirelessly day and night to reinforce the triple sealing formations along the compound’s borders.
The other shift rotated on patrol.
On the surface, they were maintaining order in the compound before the sacrifice, but in reality, they had already rehearsed all evacuation routes and emergency plans no less than ten times.
Behind all these surging undercurrents, in the top-floor office of the Hokage building, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s patience had long been worn to its absolute limit.
The office was still shrouded in smoke.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu sat opposite him, their expressions as cold as ice.
Shimura Danzo remained standing in the shadows by the window, his single eye beneath the bandages filled with irrepressible gloom and hostility.
“Sarutobi!
It’s been a month!” Utatane Koharu was the first to break the silence, her voice filled with agitation.
“The Uchiha have recalled all their members from outside.
They hole up in their compound every day, and the Naka Shrine is sealed so tightly not even a fly could get in.
How much longer do you plan to tolerate this?!” “I said it long ago, they are definitely plotting a rebellion!” Mitokado Homura chimed in, slamming his hand heavily on the desk.
“If we don’t strike now, it will be too late once they finish their preparations!” “Hmph.” Danzo stepped out from the shadows, his hoarse voice dripping with mockery.
“Lord Hokage, you always talk about considering the bigger picture and stabilizing the other shinobi clans, but if you wait any longer, the Uchiha’s blades will be at your throat.” The pipe in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s hand flickered, his brow furrowed into a tight knot, but ultimately, he slowly shook his head.
“Wait a little longer.” He tapped the desk, which was strewn with the daily report scrolls delivered by the Anbu.
“Fugaku has already voluntarily transferred all the authority of the Konoha Military Police Force to the Anbu.
That is equivalent to voluntarily surrendering the only armed power in his hands.
“He even took the initiative to request that we deploy Anbu to guard the four entrances and exits of the Uchiha compound, claiming it’s to prevent outsiders from disturbing the sacrifice and to stop the clan’s radicals from causing trouble.” He looked up at the three of them, his tone carrying a degree of certainty.
“They are completely surrounded by our people on all four sides, and they have no military power.
Even if the Uchiha wanted to rebel, what kind of threat could they possibly pose?” It wasn’t that he hadn’t been vigilant this past month.
But Fugaku’s two moves had completely exceeded his expectations.
Voluntarily surrendering power and requesting surveillance was tantamount to placing the life and death of the Uchiha entirely in his hands.
If they were truly going to rebel, who would do something as foolish as crippling themselves?
Furthermore, the Anbu’s daily reports stated it clearly: the Uchiha clan members’ daily activities were strictly confined to the compound and the Naka Shrine.
There were no large-scale gatherings of shinobi, no hoarding of contraband ninja tools, and certainly no secret correspondence with other shinobi clans or foreign nations.
Everything looked as though they were simply quietly preparing for their ancestral sacrifice.
Over time, the tense string in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s heart gradually relaxed.
He even felt that perhaps he and the higher-ups had been too tense.
Fugaku was merely using the sacrifice as an excuse to gather the clan’s loyalty and suppress the momentum of the radicals.
But Danzo didn’t think so.
He stared fixedly at Hiruzen Sarutobi, his single eye full of hostility.
“You’re too naive!
What kind of person is Fugaku?
He is the head of the Uchiha clan, proud and arrogant his entire life.
How could he submit so easily?
“There must be a problem here!
Especially with the Naka Shrine.
My men have tried eight times and couldn’t even get close to the main gate.
We have absolutely no idea what they are doing inside!” “Absolutely no idea?” Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.
“The Anbu are watching.
Every day, they go in and out carrying incense, candles, and offerings for the sacrifice.
What else could there be?” “Offerings?” Danzo sneered.
“Have you ever seen a sacrifice that requires using summoning jutsu in the dead of night to transport things into a shrine?
My men saw it with their own eyes.
The summoning beasts of the Ninja Cat clan run into the Uchiha compound night after night.
Have you investigated what exactly is inside?” “Enough, Danzo.” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s expression darkened.
“Now is not the time to cause unnecessary complications.
The Uchiha have already submitted.
If we continue to press them at every turn, it will only truly force them to rebel.
Once their sacrifice is over and the dust settles, there will be plenty of time to investigate slowly.” Having been Hokage his entire life, what he valued most was the stability of Konoha.
Three Great Ninja Wars had hollowed out Konoha’s foundation.
He absolutely could not afford to fall out completely with the Uchiha, a founding clan, at this time and give the other Four Great Nations an opportunity to strike.
Seeing his stubborn refusal to listen, Danzo clenched his fists in anger, veins bulging on his bandaged arm.
Finally, he gave a cold snort, flicked his sleeve, and turned back into the shadows.
Meanwhile, at the core of their argument, in the underground secret chamber of the Naka Shrine, Kain was looking through the inventory list in his hand.
Uchiha Kei stood beside him, reporting their progress in a low voice.
“Young Master, the contracts for all the properties have been signed.
The agreement with the Daimyo is for a formal handover in thirty days.” Kei’s voice was kept very low, his eyes filled with excitement.
“Everything that could be liquidated has been converted into supplies and gold.
The secret chamber is almost overflowing.
The clan’s scrolls, secret jutsu, and inheritances have also been completely inventoried and sealed.
Not a single item was left behind.” “What about the clan members?” Kain put down the list and looked up to ask.
“Out of the entire clan’s thirteen thousand six hundred and twenty-one members, aside from three families we absolutely couldn’t contact, the rest have all withdrawn to the compound.” Kei’s tone grew even more certain.
“Over ninety-five percent are willing to leave with us, far exceeding the seventy percent baseline you initially mentioned.”