In the Hokage's Office at Hokage Tower.
As soon as Homura Mitokado entered, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "What did Hiashi Hyuga say?"
Homura sighed and replied, "He refused to reveal his stance. As for Hizashi... sigh!"
That long sigh from Homura darkened Hiruzen's expression slightly.
"I didn't want to sacrifice Hizashi either, but back then Konoha had no choice, right? Should we have let the Northeast border collapse again and let Jiraiya and his team get crushed?"
Homura wanted to say that the Third shouldn't have withdrawn the frontline ninja prematurely, but he said nothing, only shaking his head.
"Fine. Although we failed to gain Hyuga support, given their relationship with the Uchiha, surely the Hyugas wouldn't want the Uchiha clan dominating over them either?!"
Hiruzen heard the uncertainty in Homura's voice, and in fact, he himself wasn't sure either.
Over the past year, the Uchihas had already collaborated multiple times.
First they worked together during the High-level Meeting regarding Danzo's Defection, then the entire Uchiha Clan supported the Hyugas' bid for Elder status. Now the Hyugas were even launching self-defeating impeachment efforts against the Third.
It wasn't impossible for the Hyugas to side with the Uchihas in this election.
Swish!
Suddenly, an Anbu appeared in the office.
After bowing respectfully to the Third, he reported, "Lord Hokage, Fugaku Uchiha is visiting the Hyuga Clan Leader along with Uchiha Hachidai."
Upon hearing this, both Hiruzen and Homura couldn't help but frown.
After Hiruzen waved his hand signaling the Anbu to withdraw, Homura said, "Lord Hiruzen, if the Hyugas truly sided with the Uchihas, then even Jiraiya might not necessarily have the advantage in the Jonin Confidence Vote!
During these past six months, the Konoha Military Police has been very restrained while recruiting non-Uchiha villagers. As a result, ninja from other clans don't resent the Uchiha as intensely as before."
Homura's words weighed even heavier on Hiruzen's mind.
Ever since Danzo's defection, things hadn't gone smoothly for the Hokage faction, while the Uchihas seemed to have completely transformed themselves.
They implemented reforms within the Military Police Force, welcoming numerous commoner ninjas and ordinary ninja clan descendants.
Although core power remained firmly in Uchiha hands, they'd provided stable employment opportunities to many regular ninja, effectively reducing conflicts caused by Uchiha misconduct.
Then just when Sho was about to expose the Uchihas' true nature, that meddling Uchiha Aozora messed everything up again, turning it into another propaganda victory for the Uchihas' achievements.
Most villagers had gradually changed their opinions about the Uchihas. The Uchiha were no longer the pariahs everyone used to chase away.
Thinking about the current situation they faced, Hiruzen glanced around the room and barely perceptibly shook his head.
Without Danzo around, some things just weren't as easy to handle anymore.
Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe, then told Homura, "Keep helping Jiraiya secure more votes."
Homura stared deeply at Hiruzen for a moment before turning and leaving.
Not long after Homura left, Hiruzen summoned Sho to his office.
Later that afternoon, rumors began spreading throughout the village—planted by Sho on orders from the Hokage.
"The Uchiha Clan are ice-cold bastards who look down on everyone else."
"If Fugaku Uchiha becomes Hokage, Konoha will be completely controlled by the Uchiha Clan in the future. Other clans would inevitably become vassals of the Uchiha!"
"The Uchiha's eyes are cursed eyes! They bring misfortune!"
"..."
Unlike before, this time when rumors started spreading, the Police Force was already prepared and immediately responded.
The current situation was different. With Aozora's previous precedent of handling things correctly, the Police Force now treated anyone slandering the Uchiha as someone defaming meritorious personnel or a spy inciting discord among the higher-ups.
Moreover, within just six months, the smart villagers had learned to be cautious with their words after experiencing repeated rumors.
To avoid being implicated, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to withdraw Anbu. Without covert ninja support, ordinary people feared the Police Force. As a result, this wave of rumors was extinguished before it could even develop.
Of course, rumors still spread underground, but their influence had become negligible.
At this point, the Uchiha also launched their own public relations campaign, openly discussing the reasons behind the Sharingan awakening among the Uchiha clan.
"Did you know why the Uchiha awaken their Sharingan upon losing close friends or family members?"
"I heard it's because the Uchiha are cursed."
"Do you really believe that's a curse? If such a curse really existed, would you want it?"
"Hmph, I wouldn't want to exchange my loved ones' deaths for power!"
"You're seriously clueless! You actually think those lost loved ones were victims of the Sharingan's curse?"
"Aren't they?"
"If it were a curse, why would so few people suffer from it? If you do a little research, you'll discover that the casualty rate during missions alongside Uchiha is extremely low. In contrast, the casualty rate increases significantly after leaving an Uchiha teammate!"
"What?"
"That's not hard to understand, right? When there's a powerful ninja in your team, naturally safety improves greatly."
"But—but—"
"There's nothing 'but' about it. Ordinary people who witness their loved ones' deaths also seek power, which drives them to train harder and gain greater strength. The Uchiha, allegedly descendants of Sage, are blessed by heaven, so they awaken their Sharingan through intense longing."
"..."
Unlike the rumors targeting the village's ninja, the Uchiha-led campaign contained no malicious intent, so Hiruzen Sarutobi had no grounds to suppress it.
The secret whispers couldn't stand up to open and official information being spread out in the open, resulting in the Uchiha's reputation not only failing to decline after these rumors, but subtly rising instead.
At Torifu Akimichi's residence.
Torifu Akimichi and Aozora each grabbed a large pork trotter and started chowing down.
Shortly afterward, they both finished eating, one after the other.
Wiping his hands, Torifu said, "Aozora, why do you keep bugging me every day, boy?"
"Where did that come from!" countered Aozora. "Isn't it just that I've recently experimented with a new dish and wanted your opinion?"
"Fatty but not greasy — the sauce really soaks into the meat and enhances the flavor."
After giving a casual review, Torifu remarked, "You guys from Uchiha recently promoted terms like 'Heaven-Gifted Eyes', 'Love Warriors', and 'Sage Descendants'... isn't that somewhat exaggerated!"
Sighing, Aozora replied, "We didn't have a choice either. We originally hoped to slowly win the villagers' trust through our actions, but there were always people secretly spreading lies about our clan."
"With a huff, he added, 'Grandfather Torifu, you should know that when people face life-or-death situations, they might unleash their hidden potential. Even ordinary people could possibly develop the strength to move a Huge Rock.'"
Torifu nodded. This phenomenon wasn't common, but it did happen.
"Ninja possess even greater potential within their bodies. So after experiencing drastic changes, many people's power increases dramatically. Especially in clans with Kekkei lineages, quite a few awaken their Kekkei during life-and-death battles."
Aozora gave another solemn nod. Aozora's words made sense.
Every time there was a war, many previously unremarkable individuals suddenly became much stronger, and quite a few also awakened their Kekkei.
Suddenly Aozora challenged, "Then why are we Uchiha labeled with names like 'Cursed Eyes' and 'Demons'?"
Torifu had no reply.
Pausing here, Aozora continued, "Grandfather Torifu, we Uchiha have already traced the source of these rumors, but we chose not to speak out for the village's stability."
Sighing, Aozora said, "I admit the Hokage seat is tempting, but should we smear our own village's ninja just for it? What if we Uchiha launched a public attack against Jiraiya too? He certainly has his own dark spots as well!"
After a while, Aozora added, "If things really went that way, the Hokage elected would probably become a laughingstock."
"That mouth of yours, Aozora!"
Torifu shook his head and sighed, then promised, "I'll make sure Dingza and the others give this serious consideration during the Hokage trust vote."
Despite knowing that Aozora was acting as an emissary, he couldn't help leaning toward the Uchiha side.
Compared to Hiruzen's constant preaching about the Will of Fire, the Uchiha's actions showed more concern for Konoha.
Torifu didn't make any firm promises, though. Although Ino–Shika–Cho respected him greatly, a decision involving three clans still needed to be made by the Ino–Shika–Cho alliance themselves; at most, he could only offer a suggestion.
Hearing this, Aozora immediately bowed deeply to Torifu and said, "Then I'm very grateful, Grandfather Torifu."
"It's just a few words," Torifu replied casually.
Torifu waved his hand dismissively, then licked his lips and said, "If you really want to thank me, bring me some marinated pork trotters in soy sauce (Jiangxiang Zhu Ti) next time."
"No problem," Aozora replied. "I'll remember that."
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