Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou-Chapter 256: Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou []

Hokage Building.

"The Nine-Tails attack caused severe damage to many parts of the village. Taking this opportunity to rebuild, we plan to make some changes to the village's layout."

Shimura Danzo stepped down from his seat and, in front of everyone, coldly pointed at a section of the map.

"The Aburame clan will relocate to this area..."

As Danzo's finger landed on the map, the faces of the present Jonin changed drastically. Especially the Aburame clan ninjas who had attended the meeting—each of them looked utterly displeased.

However, Danzo continued speaking in a cold tone, as if ignoring their reactions:

"The Aburame clan has long voiced their desire for a forested area for their clan. Taking that into account, the decision is final."

Not giving the Aburame clan any chance to object, the jonin present cast nervous glances at the Third Hokage and the two Hokage advisors seated at the head of the room. A chill ran down their spines.

This wasn't granting them a forest—it was banishing them to the outskirts of the village.

"...The Nara clan's territory was barely affected and will remain unchanged. However, the Uchiha and the Police Force headquarters suffered significant damage in the Nine-Tails attack. Their reconstruction will take place here!"

Danzo's imposing voice echoed around the room as he pointed to a location on the Konoha map—on the far outskirts of the village, completely isolated in the surrounding forest.

What was more outrageous was that the Nine-Tails attack hadn't caused significant damage to the Uchiha and Police Force buildings. This was intentional.

Before the Nine-Tails incident, Danzo and others wouldn't have dared to go this far. The lower-ranking members of the Hokage administration wouldn't have allowed such blatant abuse of authority either.

But now, with the Uchiha under suspicion for the Nine-Tails attack, it was evident that the Hokage's leadership no longer trusted them and sought to monitor them closely.

"Danzo-sama!"

At that moment, to everyone's surprise, the first person to object was none other than Might Duy, clad in his signature ridiculous green bodysuit. He stood up in anger and shouted:

"The Nine-Tails attack has no concrete evidence! Deciding on such measures based on mere suspicion is irresponsible! It's an act of distrust toward comrades! Furthermore, this isn't a relocation—it's blatant ostracization!"

Might Duy's unexpected outburst earn him secret approval from many jonins. He was right! While suspicion toward the Uchiha existed, there was no reason for them to orchestrate such a disaster—it would only bring trouble upon themselves.

"Silence! How dare a mere newly-appointed jonin question the decisions of the Third Hokage and myself!"

Danzo coldly reprimanded him, scanning the room with sharp eyes as he addressed everyone in a stern and commanding voice:

"There are things I'd rather not spell out, but for the stability of the village, I'll remind all of you: the Nine-Tails attack must never happen again! The suspicion that the Nine-Tails were controlled by the Sharingan cannot be ignored. The Uchiha and the Police Force must relocate! This is a decision made by myself and the Third Hokage!"

Just as Danzo declared this with an unyielding tone, an imposing voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.

"Who dares to decide the relocation of the Uchiha clan without our consent?"

The sound of hurried footsteps filled the air, and all eyes turned toward the entrance.

As the doors swung open, Uchiha Shirou appeared, leading a large group of people. The sight made the faces of everyone in the room change drastically.

Shirou strode confidently into the Jonin meeting room, followed by a dense crowd of people. Among them were Jonin from the Aburame clan, members of the Hyuga branch family, and countless civilians. At the forefront stood dozens of figures with crimson Sharingan eyes, sending chills down the spines of many.

At the center of this formidable group, Uchiha Shirou led the way. The jonin in front of him quickly stepped aside, forming a path for him to walk through. The sound of their movements echoed like a drumbeat in the hearts of everyone present.

The sheer visual impact of the scene made the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sitting at the head of the room, narrow his eyes in shock. Deep in his gaze, there was a flicker of fear.

The Uchiha had grown to this extent? They could no longer afford to show mercy.

Though Shirou's entrance was bold and striking, it felt entirely natural to the Jonin present.

This was so... Uchiha.

"Tsunade!"

Jiraiya, witnessing Shirou's dramatic entrance, felt a surge of unease and turned to look at Tsunade, silently hoping she wouldn't escalate the situation.

However, much to his surprise, Tsunade, instead of showing any concern, revealed a look of approval. She even nodded in satisfaction, as if to say, Look! That's my man!

"Uchiha Shirou..."

Just as Danzo's face darkened and he prepared to lash out, the Third Hokage took a deep breath, feigning a conflicted and grave expression. He interrupted Danzo and spoke in a raspy voice:

"Uchiha Shirou, the Nine-Tails attack revealed many weaknesses within the village. This proposal is something I discussed with everyone here, but of course, the Uchiha clan's opinion is also important."

Danzo and Hiruzen's strategy—a classic good cop, bad cop routine—had worked flawlessly in the past, silencing the Uchiha clan and forcing them to accept the humiliating relocation.

However, this time, Shirou responded with a cold smile.

"The Third Hokage and everyone else? Then tell me—who exactly is this 'everyone'?"

As Shirou spoke, the dozens of Sharingan users behind him turned their gazes toward the Jonin present. The oppressive aura of their spinning three-tomoe Sharingan filled the room.

Shirou's Mangekyo Sharingan glinted coldly, exuding a deadly aura. It was clear—those who spoke up now would be declaring themselves enemies of the Uchiha.

Faced with dozens of Sharingan, the jonin felt their scalps tingle, let alone the presence of two Mangekyo Sharingan users.

Standing behind Shirou was Uchiha Mikoto, her Mangekyo Sharingan gleaming with a sinister red light as her cold gaze swept across the room.

"I'm curious—who here supports this proposal?"

Shirou's icy voice echoed in the room, and silence fell. None of the jonins spoke up. After all, this was the first time they had heard about this relocation. They hadn't been consulted at all.

More importantly, Hiruzen Sarutobi had lost much of his prestige during the Third Shinobi War. If this had happened before the war, such open defiance of the Hokage's authority would have been unthinkable.

"Hah, so it seems this so-called 'everyone' only refers to certain people."

Seeing the silent assembly, Shirou smirked mockingly, his gaze locking onto the Third Hokage.

As for Danzo, Shirou didn't even spare him a glance.

This blatant disregard made Danzo's rage boil over, while Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned an ugly shade of green.

"Outrageous! Uchiha Shirou! The Nine-Tails were controlled by a Sharingan during the attack! Relocating the Uchiha is a measure to clear your clan of suspicion, and yet you dare act so arrogantly now?"

Danzo roared furiously, but Shirou didn't hesitate. He strode toward the platform, his expression cold and unyielding. Turning to face the gathered jonin, he sneered:

"Suspicion? The village of Konoha was founded by the Senju and the Uchiha. Who dares to question our loyalty? Is it a Hokage who led Konoha into a quagmire of war? Or a group of cowards who didn't even dare set foot on the battlefield?"

The assembled Jonin were shocked into silence. Even Jiraiya's face showed disbelief.

He dared to say it.

These were grievances people only voiced in private, and yet Shirou was openly calling them out.

As Shirou's domineering voice echoed through the room, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face grew darker than ever. The two Hokage advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were seething with anger.

But when they tried to speak, Mikoto's cold, emotionless Mangekyo Sharingan swept over them, silencing them in terror.

"Uchiha Shirou!"

The Third Hokage gripped his pipe tightly, his voice trembling with barely contained fury. The powerful chakra he had suppressed for so long began to surge, filling the room with tension.

"Third Great Ninja War! I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, bear an unshirkable responsibility. I will take full accountability and resign in disgrace. What more dissatisfaction do you have?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, normally calm and composed, was now enraged. He had dedicated his entire life to Konoha, working tirelessly, and yet, at this moment, his entire life's efforts were being utterly negated.

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This was practically tearing open old wounds and then rubbing salt into them!

"Responsibility?"

In the Jonin conference room, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Shirou locked eyes with Hiruzen Sarutobi without the slightest hesitation. With a mocking sneer, Shirou retorted coldly:

"Since when was the Hokage's 'responsibility' to send countless children under ten years old from the ninja academy to die on the battlefield one after another? Since when was the Hokage's 'responsibility' to hide in the village with a bunch of old relics under the guise of protecting Konoha? Since when did our Konoha Hokage become someone too afraid to step onto the battlefield? Was it the First Hokage? Or the Second?"

These cutting words, delivered mercilessly, left the assembled Jonin wide-eyed in shock. At the same time, they made Sarutobi's face turn ashen with unprecedented anger! Especially the mention of the First and Second Hokage—it was a blatant slap in the face!

After all, the Third Hokage had always prided himself on inheriting the Will of Fire from the First and Second Hokage. Yet during their wars, the first two Hokage had been the first to charge onto the battlefield.

When it came to him, the Third Hokage, however, he started the war with a colossal blunder involving the Hidden Cloud Village, dragging Konoha into the quagmire of war, and then stayed back in the village for the rest of the conflict.

At that moment, an enraged voice interrupted. Shimura Danzo, who had been largely ignored until now, finally revealed his anger.

"Uchiha Shirou! Stop twisting things here. Hiruzen has already resigned in disgrace for his mistakes in the Third Great Ninja War. All of Konoha's ninja know this. Today's Jonin meeting is to rebuild the village and elect a new Hokage!"

As Shimura Danzo lashed out, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also joined in, slamming the table in anger and shouting:

"The Uchiha clan is too insolent!"

"This is a Jonin meeting! Not your Uchiha Police Force!"

"What exactly are you Uchiha planning? I've been giving your clan face, but if the Uchiha can't clear themselves of the suspicion surrounding the Nine-Tails attack, I, Shimura Danzo, absolutely oppose any Uchiha running for Hokage!"

The hidden dagger was now revealed. Shimura Danzo's furious outburst first pinned the Third Hokage's mistakes as a closed case with his resignation, then immediately brought up the Uchiha clan's alleged involvement in the Nine-Tails attack, directly disqualifying them from any chance of becoming Hokage.

It must be said that Danzo's maneuvering left even his allies, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, feeling aggrieved.

Great! At a time like this, you're still trying to stir up internal conflict?!

However, despite his apparent anger, Danzo's heart was thrilled. The more chaotic things became now, the greater his chances of becoming the next Hokage.

If you think about it, it's not surprising. In the original story, Danzo's actions often showed this exact kind of self-serving behavior.

During the Nine-Tails' attack? Root didn't intervene.

During the Chunin Exams and the Konoha Crush? Root didn't intervene.

During the Pain invasion? Root didn't intervene.

Even in moments of Konoha's greatest crises, Danzo only looked out for his interests. This was entirely in line with his selfish and egotistical personality. He believed that as long as he could become Hokage, he could lead Konoha to rise again, even if the village was reduced to a single person.

As the heated confrontation unfolded, Jiraiya, watching this scene, felt his scalp tingle. He leaned towards Tsunade and whispered urgently:

"Tsunade, the village can't afford more turmoil right now. The old man may have made many mistakes, but the war just ended. The village cannot survive another internal conflict."

In this tense atmosphere, where even the smallest spark could ignite a conflict, Jiraiya hurriedly stood up and shouted. Though his words were directed at Tsunade, they were also aimed at everyone present.

Sure enough, as Jiraiya's voice echoed, the faces of all the Konoha ninjas in the room changed.

Just as everyone was about to speak to de-escalate the situation, Shirou turned his head, looked at Jiraiya, and sneered:

"Jiraiya! The 'peace' you want—does it include the Root and Anbu elites already lying in ambush throughout the Hokage building?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been relieved to see Jiraiya step in, froze mid-breath. He had just been thinking about how dependable Jiraiya was in critical moments, but Shirou gave no quarter, immediately countering with an accusation.

By now, there was no turning back. The bowstring had been drawn, and the arrow was already loosed.

As Shirou pressed on aggressively, Sarutobi's face turned even darker with frustration as he looked at his opponent. What made things worse was that many of the Jonin present tacitly sided with Shirou, making the blow to Sarutobi even more severe.

Meanwhile, Danzo watched the scene unfold without showing any anger. Instead, beneath his outward fury, he felt a surge of excitement.

The more fiercely they fought now, the greater his advantage later!

"The Third Hokage's issues aside, let's talk about the Uchiha clan's suspicion! The Sharingan's ability to control the Nine-Tails—who else in the ninja world could do it besides a Mangekyo Sharingan wielder?"

"As long as the Nine-Tails attack remains unsolved, the Uchiha clan will never escape suspicion!"

At this point, Jiraiya could barely stop himself from slapping Danzo. He was furious—Danzo was insane! To gain the Hokage position, he was shamelessly provoking conflict!

"Tsunade!"

In desperation, Jiraiya turned to Tsunade. Only the two of them working together could stop this confrontation from spiraling out of control.

However, as Jiraiya looked at her anxiously, Tsunade, who had been quietly observing from her seat, suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"What if the Uchiha can clear their name today?"

Tsunade's icy voice echoed throughout the Jonin conference room, causing everyone's expressions to change dramatically.