Naruto: Uchiha Rejects Konoha

"Oh! Old man, you're really going to give me a hard time… Naruto, wait here; I'll come find you later!"

Jiraiya, who had just been hit for no apparent reason, looked at Tsunade and murmured. After giving Naruto a quick nod, he rushed after her.

**Bang!** The door to the Hokage's office was kicked open, startling the Third Hokage, who was in the middle of reviewing documents. His hand shook, leaving a long mark on the scroll.

"Tsunade, you should knock before entering, and as for your return—"

"I'm knocking with my foot! Old man, is Wood Release that important? Is it so essential to the village that it justifies something like this?"

Tsunade immediately launched into a tirade, her questions hitting the Third Hokage like a barrage.

"What Wood Release? Tsunade, what on earth are you talking about?"

The Third Hokage, momentarily confused, repeated her words, bewildered as to why his estranged disciple was questioning him so vehemently.

"What Wood Release?" Tsunade laughed bitterly. Even now, he was pretending to be ignorant in front of her.

"Don't tell me you don't know about Danzo's research on Wood Release. That Wood Release user, Yamato, is still under your Anbu!"

The Third Hokage's expression shifted, and he quickly responded, "Tsunade, I only learned about Yamato later. I didn't know beforehand!"

"Oh, you didn't know beforehand! Are you also going to tell me you didn't know that Danzo and Orochimaru were experimenting on battlefield orphans and even Konoha villagers?"

Tsunade's voice roared through the room, shocking the Third Hokage.

To be fair, he truly hadn't known about this. By the time he discovered Danzo and Orochimaru's continued secret research on Hashirama's cells, Yamato was already operating in the field.

In the end, Orochimaru took the blame for the human experiments, while Danzo remained unscathed.

It wasn't until Kakashi later uncovered documents from Root that he suspected Danzo's involvement in Orochimaru's experiments. But by then, Orochimaru had already defected from the village, making any investigation nearly impossible.

"Tsunade, please believe me. I did stop the Wood Release experiments. I truly didn't know about Danzo's partnership with Orochimaru!"

"Old man… you really disappoint me."

Tsunade took a deep breath and leaned against the wall, exhausted. Research on Hashirama's cells didn't anger her in itself, as it had originally been initiated by the Second Hokage.

As a disciple of the Second Hokage, it wasn't surprising that the Third Hokage and others would continue his research and experiment with Wood Release.

But to use war orphans as experimental subjects? These were children whose parents had died fighting for Konoha! Didn't they fear alienating Konoha's own shinobi with such heartless actions?

Wood Release was indeed powerful, but wasn't its power meant to protect and build Konoha?

"Tsunade, I… sigh! Please believe me, I truly care for Konoha with all my heart. I admit I've made many mistakes, but I genuinely had no knowledge of this!"

The Third Hokage was filled with frustration. He hadn't been involved in this matter, yet explaining that now was nearly impossible.

Danzo and Orochimaru couldn't have carried out human experiments on their own. As Hokage's advisor, Danzo indeed had the authority to support such initiatives.

But one thing he couldn't do alone was secure enough financial resources. While he might manipulate his authority for his own purposes, he couldn't independently allocate the funds necessary for such experiments from the village's finances.

So, where did the funding for these experiments come from? Of course, he technically provided it, the Hokage. But the village's finances had always been managed by the two elder advisors, who must have assisted greatly in this.

Yet, every expenditure from the village's funds required the Hokage's signature.

Without the approval of the Third Hokage, the advisory elders would never have agreed to allocate large sums of funds to Danzo. In the end, it's still the Third Hokage's responsibility.

"My whole heart is for Konoha…"

Hmph! Danzo often claims that but what has he truly done for Konoha? Assassinating a daimyo isn't exactly noble! And yet, such a person remains the Hokage's assistant and a leader of the village.

A top executive! Old man, look at what Danzo has done. Do you still intend to keep him in power? How can you expect me to believe you had nothing to do with his actions?"

"The daimyo's stance on Danzo is very clear."

Jiraiya uncovered all these issues before Root was disbanded. Since Root was dissolved and everything within it sealed without these revelations coming to light, it means Danzo likely destroyed or hid any evidence of his involvement.

You should have a serious talk with your old friends when you have the chance!"

Tsunade sighed, feeling weary. Konoha was truly a place that made her uncomfortable every time she recalled it.

She wanted to pressure the Third Hokage into compromise, but that wouldn't work! If the war orphan experiments were exposed, Konoha's morale would collapse instantly, especially among the shinobi.

Why do we fight tooth and nail on the battlefield? To protect our homes and loved ones!

But if I die in battle, my children won't receive special care—instead, they'll be treated as experimental subjects by the village's senior officials! 

Who would choose to risk their lives for the village, then?

The master and disciple were silent for a while until the quiet was broken by approaching footsteps. Jiraiya had followed Tsunade, and two elder advisors arrived, having heard Tsunade was in the Hokage's office and intending to persuade her to distance herself from the Uchiha.

They didn't expect to walk in on this scene.

"Not the best timing! I didn't get a chance to start!" 

Nearby, Yagami saw Jiraiya and the elders enter and realized the confrontation was nearing its end.

For Konoha's stability, the Third Hokage and Tsunade would likely choose to suppress the matter, especially with Jiraiya present.

With Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura aware as well, the probability was high that this issue would be buried. They all knew Konoha couldn't bear the weight of this scandal.

"It's really troublesome! We need to complete the dock as soon as possible. Ordinary civilians in the clan must be relocated—otherwise, they'll be too afraid to act.

Yagami wanted to expose the truth but couldn't.

Firstly, he lacked enough evidence to prove the authenticity of his information.

Secondly, he risked implicating himself.

After all, from Tsunade and Jiraiya's perspective, Yagami was the only other person who knew of this. If the news leaked, he would be the prime suspect. He'd worked so hard to help the Uchiha, and he couldn't let those efforts go to waste.

If it weren't for concerns about ordinary civilians, he might have released the information to stir the public.

Even if the shadows of other villages wouldn't fully believe it, they would certainly start investigating.

After all, the power of Wood Release is too significant to ignore.

If word spread that Konoha was researching and had succeeded in replicating Wood Release, the potential fallout would be unimaginable.

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