Chapter 228: 'My Struggle' is Popular
Konoha, Uchiha.
"Itachi, you must believe in Big Brother Yoru. If he wanted to harm you, he would have done so long ago."
Today in the village of Konoha, there are rumors that Uchiha Itachi, as the son of the former clan head and blessed with exceptional talent, is feared by the current new clan head, Uchiha Yoru, who plans to harm him in secret.
Such rumors are convincing and realistic, leading most people to believe them. After all, the power struggles within major clans are always extremely cruel. How could Uchiha Yoru, who became the clan head at a young age, tolerate any threat?
Inside the house, watching Shisui's explanation, the nine-year-old Uchiha Itachi shows a rare relaxed smile and nods, "I certainly know of Teacher Yoru's magnanimity, but I want to help Teacher Yoru."
At this point, his eyes show a fervent determination. Seeing this, Uchiha Shisui shakes his head and solemnly says, "Itachi, you are still young, wait until you are older!"
However, before Shisui could finish, Itachi slowly raised a red-covered book in his hand, with a relaxed smile, "The Uchiha clan has finally produced a child of destiny like Teacher Yoru after so many years. I cannot let down my father's hopes; I want to help Teacher Yoru."
"Also, my father's death is a mystery I must solve myself."
When Itachi mentions his father's revenge, Shisui opens his mouth to speak but stops, struggling to respond at this point.
"Itachi, the Anbu is different from the Police Force, and you are alone."
Seeing Shisui's concern, Itachi shows a smile and bows respectfully at ninety degrees, "Big Brother Shisui, when I am not here, please take care of Sasuke."
Seeing the determined will of Uchiha Itachi, Shisui wants to say something but stops, eventually letting out a deep, long sigh.
…
In the ancient-scented courtyard, Uchiha Yoru sits peacefully, sipping tea and watching the breeze sway the surroundings. This moment contrasts with his unyielding demeanor when facing the village of Konoha.
Suddenly sensing something, the stable natural energy within him begins to dissipate, and a hint of red light in Uchiha Yoru's eyes fades away.
"Teacher Yoru," a voice calls.
A shadow flashes by, and a young Uchiha Itachi, clad in black ninja garb, kneels before him.
Uchiha Yoru frowns at this sight and shakes his head, "Itachi, you are young, and being too hasty is not always good."
"Teacher Yoru, will the village give our clan more time?" Itachi asks without hesitation, expressing his doubts about the village that dared to oppose the Uchiha clan head and his desire to uncover the truth behind his father's death.
Itachi, a mature and calm ninja with his political acumen, is different from Shisui and possesses a mindset of attributing his achievements to his subordinates, unlike Kakashi's political thinking.
Uchiha Yoru, seeing Itachi's resolve, eventually nods, "The Third Hokage's intentions are clear; one is to incite internal strife within the Uchiha clan, and the other is to make you an informant within the clan."
"Teacher Yoru, rest assured, I will not betray the clan," Itachi asserts, but Uchiha Yoru interrupts him.
"No! If the Third Hokage wants to nurture talent in the Uchiha clan, I'm grateful. As for the intelligence?"
Uchiha Yoru smiles arrogantly, "Since when did I, Uchiha Yoru, need to hide my ambitions?"
"So, Itachi! Your duty is to accurately convey my actions to Konoha's higher-ups and all its ninjas. I, Uchiha Yoru, am the future of Konoha."
His ambition now unhidden, Uchiha Yoru no longer feels the need to conceal his plans for future governance within the Uchiha territory.
He just wanted to openly tell the entire Konoha that he, Uchiha Yoru, was dissatisfied with the current governance of the Third Hokage and the high-level officials of Konoha. His ambition was not without foundation; he had his own ideals.
"Teacher Yoru!"
Watching his teacher so unreservedly express his ambition, Uchiha Itachi's eyes also lit up with fervor. Those with mere ambition bring disaster, but an ambition built on great ideals brings change.
"This ninjutsu scroll is a gift from me, your irresponsible teacher."
A ninjutsu scroll was tossed over. Uchiha Itachi looked on in confusion as Uchiha Yoru solemnly said, "This is the training method for the Fire Temple's Senjutsu."
"Don't overthink it. There might be more to the Fire Temple's issues, and this ninjutsu scroll was obtained through an exchange with a mysterious mercenary group in the ninja world."
The situation with the Fire Temple was already full of doubts. With Uchiha Itachi's intelligence, he would eventually realize that the village wasn't behind it, or at most, indirectly involved.
Uchiha Yoru always preferred to use straightforward and open strategies, so he clarified this beforehand.
"The Senjutsu of the Fire Temple is different. The Senjutsu of the three great holy lands requires a vast amount of chakra as a foundation for cultivation, while the Fire Temple's Senjutsu focuses on calm meditation. One can practice it with chakra above the level of an elite ninja."
"Of course, although the Fire Temple's Senjutsu has lower chakra requirements, it demands a high level of mental strength. There's no saying which is stronger or weaker. But as for mental strength, well!"
Uchiha Yoru smiled at this point, "What can compare to our Uchiha clan? Every evolution of the Sharingan is a further development of the mind, and with your talent, Itachi, I believe you can do it."
"Thank you, Teacher Yoru."
Uchiha Itachi gratefully stored the scroll. He was aware of the preciousness of Senjutsu. Even the Uchiha clan didn't possess it, yet his teacher generously bestowed it upon him.
"Don't worry about little Sasuke. I will personally teach him in the future. At the very least, becoming a happy secondary pillar shouldn't be a problem."
Suddenly, the tone changed, and Uchiha Yoru laughed heartily. Uchiha Itachi also smiled upon hearing this. Indeed, Sasuke could live a happy life.
However, in his heart, Uchiha Yoru was pondering. The secondary pillar needed to be well cultivated as it would be his future trump card and his right-hand man.
…
The book "My Struggle" was initially obscure, but later gained fame throughout the ninja world when it was revealed to be written by Uchiha Yoru, the youngest clan head of the Uchiha clan in the Land of Fire.
The first to bear the brunt was the Land of Fire's Konoha, particularly the ninjas in the police force. Whether to please their superiors or out of curiosity, almost everyone had a copy of the book.
This book can't be said to be extremely charming; it simply exposed the once obvious class issues that the higher-ups propagated as hollow and non-existent. This book directly revealed Uchiha Yoru's political ideology.
Some hated it, others loved it. Those who liked it were naturally the powerful ninjas, especially those who joined the police force and began to enjoy treatment that didn't fit in with the village.
The majority who hated it were the commoners, as Uchiha Yoru's ideology completely tore apart the facts they didn't want to acknowledge under the Third Hokage's many years of governance.
Similarly, the book also displayed Uchiha Yoru's hawkish and ambitious aspirations. Despite this, it strangely became a bestseller in the four major ninja villages of the ninja world.
Although some wanted to create momentum for Uchiha Yoru, after all, they were happy to see turmoil in Konoha, it was just a few books, and they could just buy them all and use them for whatever they wanted.
The Rock Village.
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, frowned as he carefully read this red-covered book for at least the tenth time, his brows furrowing more with each read.
"Old man, every time I come, you're always reading this broken book, hey hey."
Upon seeing his granddaughter Kurotsuchi, Onoki couldn't help but sigh deeply, "Konoha truly is a cradle of geniuses. Before and after the Third War, there were the White Fang, the Three Sannin, and the Yellow Flash. I thought Konoha would decline after they were gone, but then another genius emerged."
"But!" At this point, Onoki revealed a cunning smile, closed the book slowly, and couldn't help but laugh heartily.
"Ha ha, fortunately, this time the genius is from the Uchiha clan, and he even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. What's more, at this time, Sarutobi Hiruzen doesn't have anyone useful under his command."
At this moment, Onoki appeared to be taking pleasure in the misfortune of others, while Kurotsuchi pouted and said, "Old man, I feel like you're a bit jealous."
Her words hit the nail on the head, immediately stiffening the smile on Onoki's face, causing the prideful old man to sigh in frustration.
"Hiruzen is not short of people; he just dares not use them! If only he called back the Three Sannin, no matter what Mangekyō Uchiha, huh."
Speaking of this, Onoki couldn't help but express his jealousy, shaking his head and sighing, "Hiruzen really doesn't know how blessed he is. If it were me, I'd be happy with just one of them."
"Even if his political ideology completely contradicts mine, I would have no complaints."
Jealous Onoki, in his heart, only one thought prevailed: having choices and having no choices are two different feelings.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had too many choices, yet none suited him, as he thought they couldn't carry on his ideology and would only bring turmoil to the village. He wanted a peaceful and stable transition.
Onoki, purely without a choice, would have accepted any risk at his age; he didn't have the time to wait and train someone new.
"Pfft, is Uchiha Yoru's Mangekyō really that impressive? I see you, old man, treating it so seriously every time you mention it."
Kurotsuchi has not yet experienced the true terror of the Mangekyō Sharingan and naturally does not know of its existence.
However, Ōnoki is well aware of it, and at this moment, he revealed a cunning smile, proudly raising the book in his hand.
"With this book, and a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, Konoha will sooner or later be thrown into chaos."
At this moment, he was as smug as he could be, which made Kurotsuchi even more puzzled. Ōnoki rarely showed such a cheerful smile.
"This book reveals the true ambition of Uchiha Yoru, not a purposeless ambition, but one with substantial and grand ideals."
"So, whether many people like to read this book or not, I don't care. In a word! Iwagakure has not yet become so poor that it cannot afford a few tattered books. Buy them in large quantities for me, and at the same time, hype it up, to place this book on the pedestal of the ninja world."
Ōnoki's face showed a schadenfreude smile, knowing that he only needed to spend a little on buying books. This was nothing compared to the cost of medicines and shurikens, and then he would vigorously promote it.
He could imagine that other ninja villages were not fools. Even if some did not like this book, they would not miss this excellent opportunity.
When faced with the hype from the entire ninja world, this book would be exalted, tsk tsk, then the fun for Konoha would be great.
The more famous this book becomes, the higher Uchiha Yoru's momentum in Konoha will rise. When it reaches a certain level and becomes a kind of belief, a kind of symbol, it will change its flavor.
Especially under the governance of the Third Hokage of Konoha, with the political conflicts between the two ideologies, there is no room for maneuver. Internal strife is inevitable, it's just a matter of time.
"Issue an order. In future trades with the Land of Fire, prioritize the Uchiha Police Force for any materials. Forget about the other clans like the Daimyō's Office and the Ino-Shika-Chō."
"Yes!"
"Also, spread some rumors in the ninja world for me. Say that the Uchiha clan's products are of excellent quality, rare treasures, and that Iwagakure's Jōnin are preparing to use products made by the Uchiha clan first."
"Yes."
The old and cunning Ōnoki, with just a few seemingly insignificant orders, did not affect himself much, but it started causing problems for Konoha.
In the Cloud Village in the Land of Lightning.
The fourth Raikage, A, who is known for his volatile temper, couldn't help but burst into laughter after reading the report.
"Haha, Ōnoki is indeed cunning enough. Although it's a bit uncomfortable to drag me into this, as long as it annoys Konoha, we'll do it."
"Issue an order, cooperate with the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki's actions. It's just about creating a hype, huh."
At this moment, the fourth Raikage's eyes gleamed with excitement. He seemed to be already looking forward to seeing the Konoha erupt in a civil war.
In the Land of Wind, the Sand Village.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, looked at the intelligence report indifferently and said coldly, "Baki, the Sand Village is an ally of the Konoha. I don't want to see any documents that would damage the alliance between the Sand and the Leaf."
"However, what the elite ninja of the Sand Village do privately is beyond even my control as the Kazekage. After all, these actions don't constitute a violation of the rules."
These meaningful words suddenly made Baki, the confidant of the Fourth Kazekage, realize the implication and he respectfully bowed his head and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Lord Kazekage. I will handle these matters well."
Meanwhile, in the Land of Water, the Mist Village, this book was completely banned.
The reason is that this book advocates a ninja supremacy and bloodline theory, which is exactly what the Land of Water, with its disdain for bloodline limits, despises, naturally leading to its ban.
But precisely because of this, it became even more popular. There's no such thing as bad publicity!
With such negative attention, being labeled a banned book by one of the Five Great Nations like the Land of Water naturally piqued a lot of people's curiosity.
No one expected that what other villages couldn't achieve even with their full support, the Land of Water did inadvertently, making the book incredibly popular outside its usual circle.
~~~
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