Chapter 158 150: The Clan Leader's Unexpected Move

"Bring over the ones for Uchiha Gen and Minato, and also—"

The Third Hokage quickly saw the names and eulogies written on Uchiha Gen's floating lanterns and did not harbor much suspicion.

Mourning ancestors and comrades is a very normal thing, and the vast majority of people do the same.

He just wanted to confirm if any of the targets he was paying close attention to had gone astray or if their thoughts had slipped out of his control.

Such matters were originally supposed to be handled by Danzo, but since Danzo was still on the front lines guarding against Kumogakure, and he was particularly attentive to such things, he had arranged for the Anbu to handle it himself.

"How is the recent situation with Uchiha Gen and the Uchiha Clan? What moves has Uchiha Gen made?"

The Third Hokage held his pipe and asked the trusted Anbu member in front of him.

"Uchiha Gen's training seems to have made progress recently. After investigation, it can be confirmed that the people who secretly fought in the Forest of Death the other night were Uchiha Gen and Orochimaru. It should be that Orochimaru was testing the results of his training.

As for the Uchiha Clan, because of their xenophobia, there is still not much concrete news. However, based on the analysis of the movements of the high-ranking members within the clan by key intelligence personnel, it is believed that the three elders and Uchiha Fugaku are secretly testing or preparing.

Even though Uchiha Hisaku was saved by Medical Ninjutsu, he should not be able to return to his past peak state. It is very likely that a struggle for power will emerge in the coming time."

The Anbu captain knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and reported to the Third Hokage, while presenting the report with both hands.

"As expected, are they all short-sighted people who limit their gaze to the internal struggles of their clan? Is that old guy Uchiha Gen like that too?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi placed the document on the chair after reading it, casually took off his Hokage robe, picked up another document, and asked while reviewing it.

"The Intelligence Department analyzes that he has likely been grooming Uchiha Gen as his successor within the clan. It seems that even his only granddaughter, Mikoto, is very close to Uchiha Gen. His recent actions should be to help Uchiha Gen secure power and status within the clan."

"Hmm—that is actually a good thing. We don't need to intervene secretly; let them develop naturally. If necessary, we can provide some intelligence support to Uchiha Gen.

However, it is better if they don't start fighting each other just yet. The battlefield on the Kumogakure side still needs the power of the Uchiha. Go notify the other two Advisors; let's issue the war mobilization order tomorrow. The timing is just right."

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not stop his pen as he gave the order.

In his view, Uchiha Gen was under his control.

If Uchiha Gen could occupy a higher position within the clan and inherit the power and influence of the Great Elder, he could, like the Second Hokage used Uchiha Kagami back then, ease the conflicts between the high-level officials and also influence the decisions of the Police Force to a certain extent.

The next day.

Just as Orochimaru had expected, the Third Hokage soon issued the war mobilization order again.

Thousands of Konoha Ninja received the deployment order again and were about to head to the battlefield.

Not only the Kumogakure battlefield, but the Sandaime also dispatched a considerable number of Ninja to the battlefields in other directions.

Most of the Uchiha were about to head to the Land of Hot Springs to fight against the Cloud Village Ninja.

And the master-disciple duo, Uchiha Gen and Orochimaru, as important combat forces of Konoha, were also about to head to the Land of Hot Springs.

Almost all of Konoha's powerhouses were dispatched.

Tsunade and Jiraiya, the other two of the Sannin, split into two groups with Kato Dan and others. One group rushed to support Sakumo Hatake in confronting the Sunagakure army led by the Third Kazekage, and the other group re-entered the Land of Rain.

They had to fulfill the alliance with Hanzou, drive the Iwagakure Ninja out of the Land of Rain, and at the same time put as much pressure as possible on the Sunagakure village from the north.

As for the Sandaime himself, this time he did not rush to the front lines again, but stayed in the village to maintain the overall situation.

The Hidden Mist, which had just recently ceased hostilities with the Land of Earth, seemed to have traces appearing on the islands of the Land of Whirlpools. To be on the safe side, he had to keep some personnel to stay vigilant.

As the war approached, the atmosphere within the Uchiha Clan changed again.

They were one of the most warlike Ninja clans; only on the battlefield could the Sharingan truly bloom, and only on the battlefield was the place for them to revitalize the clan's glory.

The Clan Meeting was convened early again because of the war.

But to everyone's surprise, at this critical juncture, the Clan Leader Uchiha Hisaku, who had been lying in a hospital bed for over a month, appeared at the Clan Meeting.

"Gen, let me preside over this one again. After all, although I haven't fully recovered, at least I have the strength to speak."

In the secret room of the Naka Shrine, Uchiha Hisaku sat calmly on a cushion, his back straight, his spirit vigorous. In his speech and conduct, he naturally possessed the demeanor of a superior accumulated from years of serving as Clan Leader, looking as if he were just as before.

Seeing this, the Second Elder, the Third Elder, and some powerful Jonin of the Police Force from their faction were somewhat suspicious and uncertain.

Could they have guessed wrong before?

"Clan Leader? Is your injury healed?"

A young Jonin in his twenties, seeing Uchiha Hisaku reappear in the main seat after many days, exclaimed in surprise.

"Almost. It's just that this wound on my leg hasn't fully healed yet, so my movement is inconvenient. But I think it won't be long before I can fully recover and return to the battlefield with you all to take revenge on Kumogakure and the Eight-Tails."

Uchiha Hisaku pulled up his trouser leg and pointed to an unhealed wound on it, his movements looking perfectly natural.

"That would be great!"

"When the Clan Leader's injury heals, next time we will directly gather the power of the entire clan's Jonin and take down the Eight-Tails!"

"Clan Leader, we will head to the battlefield first and collect some interest for you!"

Many Uchiha elites from the Clan Leader's faction, seeing this scene, spoke up one after another.

Even the Second Elder and Third Elder, along with some other Uchiha, also spoke up, addressing the Clan Leader.

In their view, this was almost a sign that the Clan Leader's injury was about to heal.

After all, Uchiha Hisaku's current mental state looked very good, and his body didn't seem to have any major issues, just some leg injuries.

And there were only three people who knew the inside story of the Clan Leader's injury.

Uchiha Gen, the Great Elder, and Fugaku.

But Uchiha Gen did not yet know why the Clan Leader wanted to pull this off today, so he turned his gaze toward the Great Elder.

The latter blinked once at Uchiha Gen.

This was their code: once meant no, twice meant yes.

In other words, the Great Elder was unaware of the Clan Leader's actions.