Naruto: Uchiha Rejects Konoha

Being shocked by the Third Hokage, Utatane Koharu's expression turned a bit sour. However, considering Tsunade's stance toward the village, she had no choice but to relent.

Still, she complained inwardly about Tsunade, feeling she wasn't considering the village's overall interests. As a member of the Senju clan and a disciple of the Third Hokage, she had actually gone and allied with the Uchiha clan. It was so ignorant...

Several days passed, and another grant arrived from the Daimyō's Mansion. Noting that the amount was significantly larger than before, the Third Hokage finally smiled.

Danzo was in a miserable state. To keep tabs on him and discover who he was in contact with, as well as to gather intel, Yagami visited him daily, even more punctually than he would report to the police department.

Whenever he glanced at Danzo, he would casually inform him about the situation outside, mentioning Tsunade's return, the lockdown of the Root base, and how the Third Hokage was busy counting money, seemingly without a thought for him. It was downright unsettling.

Disliking Danzo had become an art.

In this way, Danzo found himself set back, feeling even worse than before...

On the other side, after Tsunade exchanged greetings with the daimyo, she finally established a stable relationship between the daimyo and Konoha. With Tsunade's influence present, and Danzo preoccupied with Uchiha matters, the daimyo reluctantly let things be.

Though he wasn't exactly reassured, at least he wouldn't cause Konoha much trouble; otherwise, his position as daimyo would lose value.

"Your situation is a bit complicated. The conditions here are too basic, so I can't reach a definite conclusion. It seems you'd better head back."

After examining Itachi, Tsunade remarked with a slight frown. She had thought it would be a straightforward issue to resolve, but Itachi's physical condition was far beyond her expectations.

"Is that so? Then I'll wait for Shisui to arrive before leaving."

Hearing this, Itachi responded calmly and continued to accompany the daimyo. Although there was no opportunity for combat, this also allowed him more time for reflection.

Compared to before, Itachi had grown more composed.

It was rare for the Daimyō's Mansion to require combat, but more often, it involved the clash of schemes. Observing everything around him, Uchiha Itachi absorbed it as valuable experience, and his insights into situations became more comprehensive.

Now he could fully stand on his own.

"Are you so worried about your people? They're all Jōnin and not weak. Even without your protection, they'll be fine."

Tsunade curled her lips, noting that during this time, in addition to learning how wealthy the Uchiha were, she had also realized how united they were—a stark contrast to her prior impression of the clan.

"Perhaps! My health has not been stable for some time. If Tsunade-sama has urgent matters, you can return first. I will depart after Shisui arrives."

Itachi bent slightly in a respectful bow. "Desires in people's hearts are endless. The Uchiha's Sharingan holds great renown in the ninja world. Even though this is the Daimyō's Mansion, who can guarantee that they won't make a move?"

Hadn't Danzo sent someone previously? If Yagami hadn't followed them all the way, they might have actually succeeded that time.

Itachi knew well what his role was in the Daimyō's Mansion. Beyond protecting the Daimyō, he also had to safeguard his own people while acting as a deterrent to the village.

Seeing this, Tsunade remained silent, but she felt uneasy. She hadn't expected the Uchiha to not only have someone like Yagami but also someone like Itachi.

For any shinobi clan, producing just one ninja of Yagami's or Itachi's caliber would ensure stable development. Yet, the Uchiha had produced both at once!

In comparison, her own Senju clan… didn't even have a presence anymore…

Returning to the Uchiha compound, Tsunade briefly discussed Itachi's condition, finally concluding, "I may not be able to cure him."

"Just do your best! No matter the cost, we, Uchiha, are willing to bear it. Even if there's only a slim hope, we'll give it a try. If it doesn't work… we'll use your grandfather's cells!"

Alright! Since Tsunade couldn't give an accurate prognosis, Itachi's body would have to rely on Hashirama's cells.

Obito had lost half his body but continued to thrive with Hashirama's cells, even killing his sensei and his sensei's wife. There was no reason why Itachi's issues couldn't be resolved.

"My great-grandfather's cells? What do you mean by that? Hasn't the research on my great-grandfather's cells been stopped?"

Tsunade was stunned. She turned sharply, staring at Yagami in shock.

"Uh! You… didn't know about this? The Third Hokage… you haven't seen him? Didn't Jiraiya tell you? Before Orochimaru defected from the village, Danzo was cooperating with him to research Hashirama cells, attempting to master Wood Release, and… they succeeded!"

Yagami was momentarily taken aback. After Tsunade's reappearance, he'd assumed she was already aware of Hashirama cells, given her lack of surprise.

"Jiraiya knows? Damn it! He didn't tell me… Orochimaru was involved?"

Tsunade's face darkened swiftly, and the air pressure around her visibly dropped.

"These were discovered by Jiraiya before Root was disbanded. I don't know the details. Why don't you go find him and ask?"

Yagami's eyelids twitched involuntarily. "Lord Jiraiya, I hope you're prepared!"

Watching Tsunade storm out of the Uchiha compound, Yagami silently prayed for Jiraiya—and held a moment of silence for Danzo.

It would be much easier for Tsunade to handle Danzo than it would be for the Uchiha to confront him. Moreover, with Tsunade now investigating, the Third Hokage might not be able to shield him.

After all, the Third Hokage had always been in alignment with Danzo.

What Danzo did had always been backed, either openly or covertly, by the Third Hokage simply because he was Hokage.

Without the Third Hokage's support, Danzo wouldn't have been able to operate as he did.

Even though there were matters the Third Hokage neither participated in nor was aware of, how could it have happened otherwise?

When Tsunade finally tracked down Jiraiya, he was compelled to disclose everything he had discovered, including his suspicions that Danzo had forced Orochimaru to experiment on war orphans.

He had only shared a bit of this with Yagami before, but with Tsunade pressing him, he knew Yagami was likely already aware of much of what he knew, so he had no reason to hold back.

"You b*****d… why didn't you tell me sooner! Does Danzo have any humanity left? Even war orphans weren't off-limits for his experiments!"

Tsunade immediately punched Jiraiya and stormed toward the Hokage Building in a rage.

Even though he'd used her great-grandfather's cells for research, she never expected Danzo would go so far as to experiment on war orphans. No wonder he had taken in so many orphans at the time. This wasn't love—this was exploitation!

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