Seeing that everyone didn't seem to take it very seriously, Yufeng continued.
"Most of you don't actually know how large the inheritance left by the Fourth Hokage's wife really was."
"Kushina alone inherited all of Uzumaki Mito's assets."
"Conservatively speaking, it was worth several streets' worth of property."
"Those assets are more than enough for Sarutobi to cultivate thousands of ninja."
Yufeng chose his words carefully and gave a relatively conservative estimate.
In reality, ten years later in the original timeline—during the Fourth Great Ninja War—there were a full three thousand Sarutobi-affiliated troops.
Even though this was ten years earlier now, the number would certainly not be small.
Everyone present quietly sucked in a breath of cold air.
The entire Uchiha clan only numbered a little over a thousand people—and that included ordinary civilians.
Among them, due to years of constant warfare, the number of combat-capable members had dropped sharply.
After the Third Ninja War, there were only four to five hundred fighters left, with around two hundred who had awakened the Sharingan.
If what Yufeng said was true, Konoha really wouldn't be so easy to take down.
Still, everyone was very curious about where Yufeng's information came from.
Yufeng didn't explain. Instead, he turned to Fugaku.
"The clan leader's wife had some personal ties with Kushina. She might know more concrete details."
Fugaku froze for a moment—this really hadn't crossed his mind.
"I understand. I'll go confirm it with Mikoto."
Yufeng continued:
"The reason our Uchiha have never gained the upper hand in political struggles is because most people fundamentally misunderstand the Third Hokage."
He pointed at Itachi.
"Itachi, you've served in the ANBU for quite some time. Tell me—if there's any unusual movement in Konoha, would the Third Hokage know about it?"
Itachi replied calmly:
"Every day, where clan members go and what they do is completely clear to the ANBU."
"As long as someone leaves the clan compound and does anything in Konoha, the ANBU can investigate it thoroughly."
Yufeng raised a hand slightly.
"What I want to emphasize isn't how heavily our clan is monitored, but that ANBU surveillance blankets the entire village."
"In that situation, anything Danzo does is done with the Third Hokage's tacit approval."
"In fact, when the Third Hokage finds it inconvenient to act personally, he lets Danzo do it instead. Danzo is the one who handles the dirty work."
What Yufeng said was common knowledge among the upper echelons of other ninja clans.
But for the Uchiha—just having that surname already seemed to come with an IQ penalty—this explanation was clearly necessary.
Sure enough, several clan members suddenly showed looks of realization.
Yufeng sighed inwardly.
The Uchiha weren't lacking in strength.
Brainpower, though… was a bit lacking.
…
"Everyone already knows that the clan members who went out on missions recently were all killed, right?"
Everyone nodded solemnly.
Recently, four squads had left Konoha.
Aside from Yufeng, all eleven others had died—most of them without even leaving recoverable bodies.
Even Yufeng's own teammates had been blown to pieces by explosive traps. Their remains couldn't even be pieced together, and they had only been hastily buried in the Land of Grass.
"Konoha has been targeting our Uchiha clan nonstop."
"They've been eroding our control over the Military Police Force and assigning us especially dangerous missions."
"The mission system has always been firmly in the hands of Konoha's upper ranks."
"They suffered a major setback this time, but they definitely won't repent."
"It's very likely they'll set traps for us next."
"For now, we won't accept any village missions."
No one objected. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Clan leader—if no combat personnel go out on missions at all, how long can the clan sustain itself?"
Fugaku thought for a moment before answering:
"Although our clan's assets have shrunk a lot compared to the Warring States era, the accumulated wealth is still enough to support everyone for several years."
After all, a thousand-year-old clan couldn't possibly be completely broke.
Yufeng smiled.
"That won't be necessary. This is just a transitional phase."
The Great Elder suddenly spoke up:
"The clan members at home are all restless types. Letting them rest for a couple of days is fine, but if it drags on too long, problems will arise."
Yufeng remained calm.
"That's simple. They're doing missions anyway—where they do them doesn't really matter."
"There are plenty of jobs on the black market. The Uchiha originated as mercenaries—this is just returning to our old trade."
"But we can't send too many people out, so the slots will be limited."
"They'll have to fight for them."
"Those who lose stay home on leave. Only the winners get to go on missions."
The Great Elder laughed heartily.
"That's a good idea."
The Uchiha couldn't afford to scatter right now, so anyone sent out had to be elite.
Fighting for slots—strength deciding everything—fit Uchiha culture perfectly.
"As for the Military Police duties, we'll just guard our own territory. No different from before."
"Konoha will definitely probe us."
"Now that we have three Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uchiha can afford to be forceful."
"If you encounter Root members—kill them on the spot."
"If Konoha personnel try to protect them, fire a signal flare."
"I'll be roaming around Konoha tomorrow. I can come provide support at any time."
"Non-combat personnel don't need to change anything. Just live normally."
By non-combat personnel, Yufeng meant civilians with the Uchiha surname but no ninja talent.
These civilians typically ran small businesses to make a living.
For example, Uchiha Tesho and Uchiha Akane—the couple who sold flatbread.
The largest group of people bearing the Uchiha surname were precisely these civilians.
When the clan sought to produce gifted offspring, they would often prioritize choosing partners from among these civilians.
Generally speaking, no one targeted these civilians—unless a clan had no civilians at all.
Fugaku nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing with Yufeng.
In his own worldview, simply having the Uchiha surname didn't make someone a true clansman—only those with ninja talent qualified.
"Everyone except the Great Elder, the clan leader, and Itachi—leave."
The Second and Third Elders exchanged glances and both looked toward Fugaku.
The implication was clear: We're elders too—why can't we listen?
The Great Elder, Uchiha Iwade, slapped the back of the Second Elder's head.
"What are you looking at? Go stabilize the clan members."
The Second Elder, Hikawa, had once served under Iwade as a squad member. After being slapped, he didn't dare talk back.
"Yes, Great Elder."
The Third Elder, Hiroki, also immediately behaved himself and left together with the somewhat aggrieved Second Elder.
Itachi whispered something to Yusuke.
Yusuke gave Itachi a strange look, but still agreed.
…
After everyone else had left, Yufeng cleared his throat and spoke.
"Itachi, your desire for peace isn't wrong. I also don't want a large-scale war."
"But you need to think carefully about what kind of person the Third Hokage really is."
"Have you ever thought about how the Senju clan was wiped out?"
At the pointed implication in Yufeng's words—
Everyone present felt a chill run through them!
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