Naruto: Dual System Power At The Beginning

He now really had no one available to use.

If only he hadn't acted against Sakumo Hatake back then.

At that time, he had merely intended to suppress the latter's influence in the village, which was why he indulged the villagers' criticisms of him.

Unexpectedly, that man couldn't bear the pressure and directly committed suicide.

Such a small setback, yet he couldn't handle it—what kind of ninja was that? Thinking of this, he felt very dissatisfied.

If it wasn't the Uchiha clan that leaked the matter this time, then it must have been the Hyuga clan. Truly two infuriating clans.

At that moment, however, the door to the Hokage's office suddenly opened, and a man with bandages wrapped around his right face and right hand, leaning on a cane, walked in and sat directly on the sofa.

Now, seeing this person, the Third Hokage's mood worsened.

"What wind blew you here?"

Danzo's face bore a faint smile as he said, "The true reason for the failed peace talks has already spread throughout the entire village. Naturally, it has reached my ears as well."

"I told you long ago—act against the Uchiha clan sooner, and this situation wouldn't have arisen."

The two of them had worked together to tarnish the Uchiha clan's reputation in the village, causing the villagers to dislike and resent them.

This was because the Uchiha clan's power had grown too large, even attempting to covet the Hokage's position.

This wasn't something the Third Hokage wanted to see, and it was also something Danzo couldn't tolerate.

Even if the Third Hokage stepped down, the next successor should be him, Danzo.

The Third Hokage, however, felt speechless toward this old man. This guy was always eager to resort to violence without properly considering the consequences.

Although he didn't like the Uchiha clan, there had to be a legitimate reason for any action taken.

"The Uchiha haven't rebelled. The village shouldn't act against them."

Danzo's face showed disdain. "The Uchiha clan will never truly submit to us. They're a massive powder keg."

"The longer we wait to act, the higher the price we'll pay when the time comes. It's better to act early and mobilize the village's full force to eliminate the Uchiha clan."

"Only by removing this unstable element can the stability of Konoha be maintained."

Back in the day, Uchiha Madara had betrayed Konoha, and Danzo's teacher, the Second Mizukage, had always been wary of the Uchiha clan, assigning them the police force to guard against their rebellion.

Now, they were no longer satisfied with the authority of the police force and even aspired to the Hokage's position, which was precisely why he and the Third Hokage worked together to suppress the Uchiha clan.

The Third Hokage, hearing Danzo's words, did not agree with taking action against the Uchiha at this time.

It was not yet the right time to strike against the Uchiha clan. Their power was simply too formidable.

Currently, he had two young geniuses from the Uchiha clan under his control, both of whom he had already brainwashed.

The one giving him a headache now was the troublemaker, Uchiha Ryosuke.

Originally, according to the normal course of events, he could have subdued the Uchiha clan effortlessly.

Going to war with the Uchiha was foolish, especially now. Such an action would lead to Konoha's disintegration, something he did not wish to see.

If Konoha fell apart, what use would there be for him as the Third Hokage?

He would even be cursed for eternity, unable to face the past Hokage in the afterlife.

He said irritably, "If we act against them now, will you handle the battle against the Cloud Village? This time, the Cloud Village was provoked by the Uchiha and is highly likely to retaliate."

Hearing these words, Danzo's pupils contracted, and his expression changed.

Asking him to deal with the Cloud Village ninja? No thanks. He much preferred scheming in the shadows.

"Fine, then let the Uchiha clan confront the Cloud Village and deplete their strength. It'll make handling them easier in the future."

With that, he got up and left.

The Third Hokage felt somewhat displeased with Danzo. The man didn't even say goodbye before leaving.

He really didn't show any respect to the Third Hokage. Over the years, Danzo had indeed been given too much power.

As the advisor elder of Konoha and head of the Root organization, his influence had grown significantly, even surpassing the Hokage's Anbu.

If not for the fact that they were old classmates and that Danzo was a useful tool for dealing with inconvenient matters, the Third Hokage wouldn't have spared him, especially after Danzo once tried to assassinate him.

Adjusting his mood, he thought to himself, 'Hopefully, Uchiha Ryosuke would end up on the battlefield. After all, this incident was his doing.'

'It would be best if this guy died in the war.'

Then, with the young Uchiha Itachi and Shisui under his control, the Uchiha clan would eventually be under his thumb.

This would be the best outcome for both the village and the Uchiha clan.

At Konoha's main gate, a sturdy man with a full beard looked at the gate with a bright smile.

———

"I, Sarutobi Asuma, am back."

During this period, Sarutobi Asuma was serving as a bodyguard for the Daimyo in the Fire Nation's Daimyo's mansion.

Cultivating his character, he had grown significantly. His temperament was no longer as impatient as before.

After returning to the village, the first thing he did was go to the Hokage Building, to the office of the Third Hokage, which was also his father's office.

When the Third Hokage saw this guy, his face didn't look good. He had only been gone for a few months, so why was he back already?

"You, this guy, why are you back? The post I arranged for you is a good one."

Previously, he had arranged for him to serve as a bodyguard at the Daimyo's mansion in the Fire Nation.

This was also to give him some polish, to leave a good impression in front of the Daimyo, so that he might even become the next Hokage in the future.

At the very least, when he grew old and could no longer work, Asuma could secure a position in Konoha's higher-ups, enough to protect the Sarutobi clan's status in Konoha.

Sarutobi Asuma smiled and said, "Didn't I hear that the village's peace talks with the Hidden Cloud Village fell apart? So, I asked the Daimyo for leave and came back to see if there's anything I can help with."

"I can even go to the front lines to kill the enemy."

The Third Hokage, hearing Asuma's words, was somewhat impressed by him.

It seemed he had matured quite a bit; the childishness on his face had lessened a lot. He now knew how to contribute to the village, rather than impulsively acting for the sake of romance.

"This time, you don't need to take action. The Uchiha and Hyuga clans will handle the Hidden Cloud Village if a war breaks out. Since you're back, take a good rest for a few days and then return to your post."

How could he possibly send his son to the battlefield?

What kind of place was the battlefield? Even his teacher, the Second Hokage, had died there. Let alone his son, so young and impulsive—it would be extremely dangerous.

Moreover, with these two clans dealing with the Hidden Cloud Village, it wouldn't be easy for the Hidden Cloud Village to win. A mutual loss was the best and most beneficial outcome for the village.

Asuma naturally knew about the discord between the Uchiha clan and the village's leadership, including his father.

Since he wasn't asked to go to war, he naturally didn't want to help either.

This return had another purpose, which was to see Yuhi Kurenai, his childhood sweetheart.

"Father, then I'll take my leave."

The Third Hokage waved his hand and said, "Then go back and have a good rest."

Asuma didn't feel tired at all. After leaving the Hokage's office, he went straight to Kurenai's house.

Coincidentally, Kurenai was also at home. Hearing the knock on the door, she thought it was Ryosuke coming to see her and opened the door joyfully.

But the person who came was Asuma, and her expression immediately changed, though she quickly forced it back to normal.

Asuma smiled and said, "Kurenai, I'm back. Did you miss me?"

Kurenai looked helpless, speechless in her heart, not knowing what to say.

She was already a woman with a man; how could she possibly think about any man other than Ryosuke?

Seeing Kurenai's expression, Asuma felt a bit disappointed. It seemed the impression he left on Kurenai before wasn't very good.

However, he had now changed.

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