Rebuilding Uchiha By Removing Fugaku

As the only direct descendant of the Senju clan, Tsunade naturally understood the significance of the Uchiha clan awakening their eyes.

Her grandfather had instilled in her from a young age the importance of being wary of the Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha were known as the Clan of Love because their emotions ran deeper than even the Senju's.

However, if they lost someone they loved, their emotions could drive them to extremes far beyond others. This extreme manifestation took the form of their Sharingan.

The greater their emotional wounds, the more powerful their eyes became. Beyond the ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan lay the kaleidoscopic patterns of the Mangekyō Sharingan, birthed from immense emotional turmoil.

After Nawaki's death, Uchiha Toki awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan.

Tsunade had been deeply concerned that Toki would succumb to hatred. She had closely watched over him, paying careful attention to his emotions. But in doing so, she inadvertently involved herself far more than she intended, tethering herself emotionally to Toki.

Now, Toki's eyes were no longer ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan. This meant that Shiyu had suffered another deep emotional wound.

Tsunade's first reaction was jealousy: What woman's death had driven Toki to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan?

Her second reaction was anguish. Ever since falling in love with Toki, she had prayed he would never awaken the Mangekyō. She wanted to protect him from the immense burden of hatred and grief that came with it.

But now it was clear that he had awakened those cursed eyes.

Toki broke away from Tsunade's arms, his expression dark and cold.

The two walked silently through Konoha until they reached a secluded forest on the village outskirts.

Finally, Toki exhaled deeply and spoke, his voice grim:

"Sarutobi Shinnosuke can use Wood Release. I suspect… his body contains Nawaki's cells. I can feel Nawaki's chakra inside him."

Tsunade froze in place. Then, like a dam breaking, an uncontrollable wave of rage and sorrow erupted from her.

"That damn Sarutobi Hiruzen! I'll kill him!"

The memory of her brother's lifeless, desecrated body resurfaced vividly. At the time, she had no evidence and could only suppress her grief, leaving Konoha in shame and despair.

Now, Toki's words confirmed her suspicions. Shinnosuke's ability to use Wood Release was no coincidence—it was proof of Hiruzen's experiments on Nawaki.

Consumed by rage, Tsunade struggled violently to break free from Toki's grasp.

But Toki held her tightly, his strength reinforced by his Mangekyō Sharingan and mastery over chakra control.

"Let me go!" Tsunade screamed, her voice filled with rage.

"You think I don't want to kill him?" Toki roared, his eyes blazing with determination. "But killing him now would be too easy. I'll destroy him piece by piece, the same way he's destroyed others. I'll make him understand what true despair feels like."

Tsunade stared at Toki, her anger mingled with confusion. Toki was no longer the same man she had fought beside on the battlefield. He had become something darker, more unrelenting.

Before she could respond, Toki leaned down and kissed her, silencing her turmoil.

It was evening when the two finally emerged from the forest, their emotions still raw but their resolve unshaken.

Toki knew there was no turning back. With Konoha's future at stake and Tsunade's vengeance driving him, every move he made from now on would be calculated and merciless.

---

As Konoha prepared to welcome the envoy from Kumogakure, Toki worked tirelessly to ensure the village's dominance. Propaganda leaflets praising his achievements were distributed to the villagers, subtly shaping their perception.

"Did you hear? Uchiha Toki is the reason we're about to have peace," one villager said. "He even gave up war reparations to avoid further bloodshed!"

"Yeah, and he's compensating families of the fallen from his own clan's resources. He's the true Will of Fire."

"That's the kind of leader we need!"

On top of Konoha's bell tower, Toki observed the Kumogakure delegation's arrival. Their leader, a sly ninja with a bandage covering one eye, surveyed the village with thinly veiled intent to gather intelligence.

Behind Toki stood bandage man, who had recently reached Kage-level strength under Toki's guidance.

"Lord Toki," bandage man said respectfully, "everything is in place. We've located the Jinchūriki, and we've confirmed Sarutobi Shinnosuke's use of Wood Release. This Kumogakure envoy has no intention of peace. Their goal must be the Nine-Tails."

Toki smirked. "Of course, they won't succeed. This delegation is nothing more than a decoy. The real threat lies in the forces waiting beyond our borders. But this time, they'll regret underestimating Konoha."

As night fell, the Kumogakure leader, dressed in black, crept toward the Sarutobi compound, believing he was unseen. Unbeknownst to him, Toki's Hunter Squad lay in wait, ready to strike.

From the shadows, one Hunter scoffed, "This is supposed to be an elite shinobi?"

"Master Toki said to be tolerant," another replied with a smirk. "We're the descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, after all. Mercy is our duty… for now."

Suppressing laughter, the squad prepared to ambush the unsuspecting intruder.

Meanwhile, Toki stood atop the bell tower, gazing over the village. He silently vowed:

This is only the beginning. Konoha will rise to heights never before seen, and those who oppose us will know despair.

"But didn't Toki say that he would lead our Uchiha clan to develop enterprises through a village committee? Maybe we'll be rich in the future."

"That can wait until later. Look, that fool has gone in."

"Hey, let's go! He actually brought out the Nine-Tails. Do you think we should seize the Nine-Tails? After all, only we, the Uchiha clan, are worthy of controlling the Nine-Tails."

"Shut up! If you ruin the clan leader's plan, I'll expel you from the Uchiha clan."

The hunter shuddered, smacked his lips, and abandoned his tempting plan to kidnap the Nine-Tails.

The current Uchiha clan was the favorite of Konoha Village.

Since the victory, more girls had come to propose marriage.

Though they didn't have ex-girlfriends spread across the entire Ninja World like Toki, many single members of the Uchiha clan were now favored by unmarried women in the village.

Unlike the Hyuga clan, the Uchiha weren't so particular about bloodlines.

They could choose partners from other clans or civilians, but the only condition was that their partners had to take on the Uchiha surname or marry into the family.

This was why Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke were so popular in the Ninja Academy.

Aside from their growing good looks, many young women dreamed of marrying into a wealthy family.

Even with their once-poor reputation, the Uchiha clan was still seen as an enviable existence by civilians, thanks to their wealth and power.

For these reasons, being expelled from the Uchiha clan was the most severe punishment for its members.

The team members quickly snapped out of their thoughts and focused on the matter at hand.

"Who's there?!"

With an angry shout, several wooden branches sprang from a wooden house and pierced directly into the body of the Kumogakure envoy leader.

Two members of the hunter team swallowed nervously.

"Damn, it's really Wood Release."

"Dead. He's dead. Let's get out of here before we're dragged into this."

The death of the Kumogakure envoy caused an uproar in Konoha.

The rest of the delegation angrily approached Nara Shikaku, accusing Konoha of killing their envoys without cause.

Almost overnight, the entire village buzzed with rumors:

"Did you hear? Sarutobi Hiruzen's son killed the Kumogakure envoy out of personal vendetta, jeopardizing peace between the two villages."

"Seriously? What an idiot!"

"Don't you get it? I heard the Kumogakure envoy killed his lover, so he couldn't hold back his anger."

"Wait, wasn't Shinnosuke captured on the battlefield and betrayed by the Kumogakure leader? That's why he killed him in revenge."

"Yikes, that's twisted! But what about the peace treaty now?"

"Not happening. Looks like war is inevitable."

"Great, more deaths to come."

"It's all Sarutobi's fault."

"Exactly! They're to blame!"

At the dango shop, Hatake Kakashi froze.

Why did this all sound so eerily familiar?

He turned to look in the direction of the gossip but found the speakers had vanished.

The rumors spread like wildfire throughout Konoha.

The Sarutobi clan quickly became the target of scorn and hostility from the villagers.

In his office, Sarutobi Hiruzen listened to his subordinate's report with a grim expression.

Beside him, Sarutobi Shinnosuke clenched his fists, his face pale and angry.

"Father, I'm sorry…"

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved him off, his face dark with fury.

"Stop talking. This was a setup!"

"Damn Kumogakure… Damn Uchiha Toki!"

Shinnosuke's face turned panicked.

"What do we do now? The entire village is turning against us!"

Hiruzen impatiently puffed on his pipe.

"Don't panic. As long as we prove that they intended to steal the Nine-Tails, we can shift the blame. Trust me."

At that moment, an Anbu appeared before Hiruzen with a strained expression.

"Hokage-sama, Lord Toki... the Uchiha clan leader publicly denounced the Kumogakure envoy, claiming their village harbored malicious intent. He declared that the Sarutobi clan alone could crush Kumogakure and promised to deal with them personally if they dared to act."

"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"

Hiruzen stared wide-eyed at the Anbu.

"What did you say?!"

The Anbu awkwardly repeated the statement.

Hiruzen slumped in his chair, muttering, "It's over. He's not giving us any room to recover."

Shinnosuke looked at his father, bewildered.

"Father, what does that mean?"

Hiruzen sighed heavily.

"Nothing. Don't worry, Shinnosuke. I'll protect you."

In the following days, Sarutobi Hiruzen personally negotiated with Kumogakure.

Seizing the opportunity, Kumogakure demanded outrageous terms: the return of the Jinchūriki, territorial compensation, and the handover of the "murderer."

Hiruzen nearly stormed into the Raikage's office in rage, wanting to pin the Raikage down and force him to retract the ridiculous demands.

Weeks of negotiation passed, and tensions between Konoha and Kumogakure escalated.

Finally, Toki gathered the heads of Konoha's clans and civilian ninja leaders at the Sarutobi compound.

With a sigh, Toki looked at the pale-faced Hiruzen.

"Hey, you're really not a good elder. Everyone's tired from this prolonged conflict. It's time to end it."

"The villagers are boiling with dissatisfaction. When will the Sarutobi clan step onto the battlefield? Can you give us a clear answer?"

"I heard handing over the murderer would settle the matter. Isn't it simple?"

Toki smirked, his gaze sharp.

"Or tell us, Sarutobi clan, are you planning to betray Konoha?"

Hiruzen trembled in his chair, his heart heavy with despair.

He pointed at Toki, voice shaking.

"Shinnosuke is the only ninja in Konoha who has successfully mastered Wood Release! If Kumogakure gets their hands on him, the consequences will be catastrophic!"

At that moment, Danzo arrived with a young boy in tow.

"We've also cultivated another Wood Release user over the years," Danzo said. "The focus now should be on mitigating the damage caused by your mismanagement!"

Hiruzen clutched his chest in anguish and spat out blood.