The scroll delivered to Tsunade — allegedly from Elder Uchiha Setsuna — was, of course, part of Uchiha Ye's design.
There was a 70% chance Tsunade wouldn't even go see the elder. She understood full well the implications if she did.
Even if she did meet him — whether he denied the information or not — it didn't matter. In Konoha, the stink of any scandal would still land squarely on the Uchiha.
After all, they were the "evil Uchiha," weren't they?
As long as the intel in the scroll came true, then someone would be held accountable.
And who would suspect a rookie Genin who had only been out of the Academy for a little over a year? There was no way a kid like that could orchestrate something so high-level.
"Brat!"
Inside the command tent, Tsunade's anger slowly faded. A hint of guilt even showed on her face for having lost her temper.
That was Tsunade — quick to explode, but just as quick to calm down.
Uchiha Ye, meanwhile, still wore a resolute expression.
"Captain Tsunade, we must protect the village. That old traitor won't give up so easily."
Here he was, badmouthing his own clan's elder without hesitation — just another kid thoroughly brainwashed by the Will of Fire.
Tsunade snorted in her usual tsundere fashion.
"You don't need to tell me that, brat. Two days from now, Hatake will be arriving to take over command at the front. You'll return to the village with me for half a month of rest."
The frontlines in the Land of Rain hadn't fully ignited yet, so Konoha still had the luxury of rotating troops.
Uchiha Ye opened his mouth to reply, but Tsunade cut him off with a stern glare.
"Don't forget what I said — the intel in that scroll is top secret!"
"Yes, Captain Tsunade!"
The young Uchiha took a deep breath and saluted with conviction.
Tsunade waved him off, and he respectfully handed the scroll back before stepping out into the rain.
Alone once again, Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she read over the scroll's contents.
"Is that old bastard just stirring the pot again… or is this real?"
There was only a single piece of information written, but any Konoha shinobi who read it would be stunned:
[Shinju — descendant of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama — was assigned by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to Orochimaru's squad. A mission was arranged for the day after his birthday...]
The first half didn't surprise Tsunade. Anyone with decent intelligence skills could have found that out.
But the second half? That was the bombshell.
The report directly stated that the mission had an ambush planned — and that the target was Shinju!
There were no names attached to the ambushers. But the implication was clear — the blame pointed straight toward the Third Hokage's inner circle.
That was the part that mattered most.
"That damned old fox…"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. This intel indicated that the current Hokage administration feared not only the Uchiha, but the Senju as well.
It hinted at far darker schemes behind the scenes.
Outside, the rain continued to fall in the borderlands of the Land of Rain. Uchiha Ye pulled up his hood with visible annoyance.
What a miserable place…
But his lips curled into a subtle smirk, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.
The Uchiha were politically weak — if he wanted to reach the seat of Hokage, he'd need allies. Lots of them.
And this intel? It wasn't fake. Not even slightly.
Shinju had been his classmate. His birthday was August 9th.
Based on the intel from the original timeline, Tsunade had still been in the village during that time. The timing matched perfectly with her upcoming return.
More importantly—
In canon, Shinju had just turned twelve. Tsunade gave him the First Hokage's necklace as a birthday gift.
The next day, he went out on a mission. And died.
Boom. Just like that.
A routine mission that should've taken just a day — close enough to turn back — and under the protection of Orochimaru, one of Konoha's top Jounin… yet somehow, he died.
Without this intel, blame would naturally fall on Orochimaru.
But if Tsunade was forewarned?
"It doesn't matter if there's a real conspiracy or not. What matters is that Tsunade knew in advance. Who would believe that's just a coincidence?"
Uchiha Ye sneered inwardly.
He didn't believe for a second that an ambush could be that precise, waiting just outside the village gates.
This was wartime. The fact that the target was the heir of the Senju clan made it far too suspicious.
"Ye-kun."
A familiar voice called from behind. Uchiha Ye turned around and smiled.
"Captain Fugaku."
Uchiha Fugaku, already a Special Jounin and several years older, had a mature, serious face — and today, it carried a rare smile.
"Ye-kun, how many times do I have to tell you? You don't need to be so formal with me."
The two were close. Fugaku's quiet, composed nature made him well-liked, and in his lifetime, he'd always been loyal to Konoha.
To someone like Uchiha Ye — always outwardly cheerful and devoted to the Will of Fire — Fugaku naturally let his guard down.
They strolled together toward a small waterfall near the Konoha encampment.
The Uchiha had a thing for discussing business near waterfalls.
Uchiha Ye found it oddly amusing.
The constant rush of water seemed to wash the fatigue off Fugaku's face. He let out a rare sigh.
"Ye-kun… how can our clan ever gain the village's trust?"
There it is.
Uchiha Ye rolled his eyes internally. No wonder Tobirama called the Uchiha extreme.
They were in the middle of a war, with the clan's elites stationed on the front lines in the harsh terrain of the Land of Rain, and Fugaku was worrying about politics?
Not the battlefield? Not the clan's safety?
Too extreme.
Ye sighed deeply and pretended to be troubled.
"Captain Fugaku, it's not about how our clan earns the village's trust… It's about how the village chooses to trust the Uchiha."
Fugaku looked puzzled. But that was a good sign.
It meant there was still hope for his mind.
The truth of Fugaku's life was clear: he was loyal to both the clan and Konoha, but torn between the two, lacking the decisiveness to commit.
If the Uchiha had gone rogue, and Fugaku had chosen to side with the village, taken down half the rebels himself…
The clan might've been crippled, sure. But would Konoha have still gone for total annihilation?
At least they would've done it less brutally.
"Captain Fugaku."
Ye's expression turned serious. He had to steer this man out of his confusion while there was still time.
Fugaku was a valuable asset, not just in strength, but in status.
He was the clan leader's son — a powerful ally Ye needed to unite the Uchiha behind him.
If not, they'd end up just like in the original timeline: playing the role of the tragic victims.
Not on his watch.
Under his leadership, the Uchiha would resist and make the right kind of charge.
"If the clan wants the village's trust, just look at how many of our elites are stationed here on the front lines. Even you, the future clan head, are here in the most dangerous territory — the Land of Rain."
Ye's tone was firm, his passion clear — the kind of speech only someone "fueled by the Will of Fire" would make.
Fugaku smiled.
"You're right. The clan has indeed sent its best."
People always said the Uchiha were dangerous — but from the First to the Third Great Ninja War, they'd fought on the harshest battlefields: the Land of Rain, the Land of Water…
Who else had suffered like they did?
It wasn't until after the Nine-Tails incident that they were treated like criminals — watched, isolated… and pushed to the edge.
Fugaku's smile faded the moment Ye asked his next question.
"By the way, Captain Fugaku… why are there suddenly rumors in the village about White Fang becoming the Fourth Hokage?"
Isn't the Third still at his peak?
Fugaku's expression changed instantly — his face growing serious.