The Lord Elder of the Land of Fire quickly received the Uchiha Great Elder in his study.
The study was exquisitely decorated.
Dark solid wood bookshelves stood along the walls, reaching from the floor to the beams, neatly stacked with yellowed ancient books and exquisitely bound files.
The scent of ink and old wood intertwined in the air, revealing a heavy sense of history. Beside the bookshelf stood an openwork carved curio shelf, displaying several simple celadon and jade ornaments. The light shone on them through the window lattice, glowing with a gentle luster.
However, the Uchiha Great Elder was in no mood to appreciate it at this moment.
His mood was extremely complicated.
After several days of in-depth investigation, he had completely confirmed one thing.... The assassination of the Lord Elder's family was definitely not the work of bandits, but a carefully calculated assassination event. It could be said that it completely overturned the initial conclusion of the Hokage and Kōkage.
If the investigation result was only this, it wouldn't be considered a "big deal."
A momentary oversight would certainly be embarrassing for the Hokage and Kōkage, and the Daimyo of the Land of Fire would definitely be furious, but ultimately, he wouldn't impose substantial punishment on the two. After all, it was just the Kōkage and Hokage losing face.
And if they wanted to cover it up, it would be very simple.
Nothing more than finding a poor wretch with enough weight to shut the Daimyo's mouth and let him take the blame... for example, Senju Tobirama, this naturally evil old Senju demon.
In this way, the Kōkage and Hokage would still be wise and mighty, not making mistakes at all; the mistake would be all Senju Tobirama's!
The Uchiha Great Elder initially did intend to set up Senju Tobirama like this.
But as the investigation deepened, he discovered even more horrifying clues.
The methods of that group of assassins... were inexplicably familiar... If his judgment was correct, they should be from the Konoha ANBU.
And the Konoha ANBU had always been commanded by Senju Tobirama.
At first, the Uchiha Great Elder was truly ecstatic.
He really didn't expect Senju Tobirama to be so bold as to dare to send ANBU ninjas to assassinate the Lord Elder of the Land of Fire!
Senju Tobirama was courting death!
Once the matter was exposed, even Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, couldn't protect Senju Tobirama.
Let alone Konoha, even the entire Land of Fire and the entire ninja world couldn't tolerate such a rebellious ninja!
But after the Uchiha Great Elder calmed down, the initial joy slowly dissipated.
Replaced by fear surging from the depths of his heart.... The younger brother of the First Hokage actually conspired to assassinate the Lord Elder of the Land of Fire!
This is a huge scandal, not only concerning Senju Tobirama alone but also the reputation of Konoha.
Konoha's financial funds are supported by the Land of Fire, and most of the mission sources are also assigned by the officials of the Land of Fire. Now that a high-level official of Konoha, the Hokage's brother, assassinated the Lord Elder, how can Konoha establish itself in the Land of Fire in the future?
It wouldn't go so far as to disband on the spot.
But Konoha's days will probably be difficult in the future.
—Trust only needs to be broken once, and it is difficult to repair.
So if this matter is true, it can f*cking pierce the sky!
Fortunately, what the Uchiha Great Elder rejoiced in was that what the Uchiha clan found now were only clues, not evidence.
And to obtain solid evidence or prove Konoha's innocence, they would have to investigate the ANBU.
Theoretically, it is indeed very simple.
Just take out the roster of Konoha ANBU ninjas, line everyone up, and check them one by one. The ninja world has plenty of means to extract memories from brains.
But in reality, who dares to do this?
This involves the foundation of the village!
The roster of Konoha ANBU ninjas is a top secret of the ninja village!
And the high-level officials of Konoha all know that the real controller of the Konoha ANBU is Senju Tobirama, but in the regulations on the table, this force has always been titled "Hokage's Direct Unit."
As the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama has absolute dominance and command over the ANBU. No matter how you investigate, Senju Hashirama cannot escape involvement.
Saying investigating Senju Tobirama, but you can't bypass Senju Hashirama at all!
The most terrifying thing is the subsequent series of impacts.
The dignity and authority of the Kage will be severely challenged, the effect comparable to being rubbed on the ground.
You dare to use an unknown clue as an excuse to investigate the Hokage's direct unit now... what about in the future?
Will someone use the same reason to try to control the Konoha ANBU?
Moreover, normally, whoever can master the village's ANBU in the ninja village is the village's Kage. What if you f*cking take this opportunity to clear the monarch's side?
Senju Hashirama is indeed good at fighting. Even without the ANBU, he can still sit firmly in the position of Hokage of Konoha.
But future Hokages won't be as good at fighting as Senju Hashirama.
Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen... these people encountering a squad composed of a dozen elite Jonin would also have to find a way to run first.
Once a bad precedent is set, there will be endless trouble.
For example, Sima Yi's Oath at the Luo River, Li Shimin's Xuanwu Gate Incident, Zhu Di's Jingnan Campaign...
Without exception, they provided excellent success templates for ambitious people in later generations who wanted to rebel, inspiring generation after generation.
Although the Uchiha Great Elder's brain might not be able to think so far, the Uchiha intuition is still very keen.... The relationship involved behind this matter is too complicated. The best way to deal with it is to pretend to know nothing.
But the opportunity in front of him is really rare...
Because once Senju Tobirama's crime is confirmed, even if he doesn't die, the lightest outcome is life imprisonment. Maybe the implicated First Hokage will have to resign because of this, and at this time, the Second Hokage of Konoha will definitely belong to the Uchiha clan.
The position of Hokage that the Uchiha clan has always pursued is within reach!
For a time, the Uchiha Great Elder's thoughts surged, sitting silently in the chair for a long time without saying a word.
The tea on the table had long been cold, and the mist had dissipated. Seeing him remain silent, the Lord Elder finally couldn't hold back and broke the silence.
"Great Elder, how is the reinvestigation I asked you to do going?"
"Lord Elder, uhm... indeed have some clues. You guessed right, there was a mistake in the investigation of the Kōkage and Hokage. The assassination incident against you was not an accident, but a deliberately planned assassination operation."
Hearing the Lord Elder's dull voice, the Uchiha Great Elder came back to his senses.
Considering the Lord Elder's identity and the promise made by the Lord Elder earlier, the Uchiha Great Elder still took out part of the investigation results and handed them to him—this was indeed not bandits causing trouble, but someone deliberately planned this assassination operation.
The Lord Elder took the investigation report, his eyes immediately fixed on the content of the report, flipping through it quickly, almost reading ten lines at a glance.
In a moment, the Lord Elder read it from beginning to end.
His originally slightly frowned brows suddenly relaxed, and a smile finally appeared on his face.
The Lord Elder had to admit that although the Uchiha clan's brains were not very useful, the family strength was indeed undeniable.... The content of this report was enough to completely overturn the conclusion of "bandits causing trouble" given by the Hokage and Kōkage!
However, this report was still imperfect and still did not completely satisfy the Lord Elder.
Since the result of bandits causing trouble has been overturned, then who planned all this behind the scenes, and why hasn't the real culprit been found!!
This is the most important thing!
—Uchiha Great Elder, don't you Uchiha want to make progress?
As long as you dare to charge forward, bite the Senju clan, bite Senju Hashirama, or Senju Tobirama, the Daimyo and I can push your Uchiha from behind!
As the Lord Elder of the Land of Fire who has been mixed in the bureaucratic system for many years.
He knows the war between factions too well. Once both sides bite each other, right and wrong are not important at all.
Truth!
Who cares about this stuff?
As long as you can splash dirty water on the other party, under the repeated rumors of three people making a tiger, what is not true can become true.
Moreover, the Senju clan definitely participated in this matter.
The thousand-year grudge between the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan can fuel the flames in it. As long as the strategy is appropriate, the relationship between the two clans can be completely torn apart.
As for the recently popular marriage alliance, maybe it will be cancelled because of this and become a joke in the ninja world.
Uchiha Makoto is also an Uchiha clansman!
..... This evil brat is not clean either!!
"Not bad, your Uchiha clan is indeed more reliable than the Senju clan. If your clan produces a Hokage, Konoha should be able to reach a higher level."
"A few days ago, the Daimyo specifically mentioned your Uchiha...."
The Lord Elder began to paint a big cake skillfully.
Although this set of rhetoric is clichéd and slightly tacky, it really works—the thing the entire Uchiha clan desires most at present is to let the family produce a Second Hokage!
As expected.
The Uchiha Great Elder's emotions were instantly ignited, and the ambitious desire in his heart could no longer be suppressed, rushing straight to his mind like a tide, almost overwhelming his reason, urging him to tell the Lord Elder all the investigation results in one go.
Seeing the Uchiha Great Elder's flushed cheeks and eager look.
The Lord Elder probably had a guess in his heart.
The Uchiha clan must have concealed part of the investigation content from him.... Evil ninjas are indeed all dishonest!!
"Great Elder, since the assassination incident against me was deliberately planned by someone, then who exactly has such great guts to attack me."
"Not to mention the Land of Fire, I'm afraid there aren't many such people in the entire ninja world."
"Remember what I said last time we met... Senju Tobirama is very suspicious."
The Lord Elder didn't talk nonsense and directly pointed out the suspect.
At this critical moment, he didn't have time to beat around the bush with the Uchiha Great Elder.
There was no helping it.
Recently, the topic about the ancestors of the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan suddenly exploded, almost sweeping the entire ninja world.
The Land of Fire was still the hardest hit area. Domestic public opinion completely deviated from the initial direction, and few people focused on the assassination case of the Lord Elder anymore. Almost everyone was eating melons with interest.
In the eyes of the Lord Elder, this sudden abnormal situation must be someone deliberately planning this matter.
And the people who can tamper with public opinion at this juncture, besides Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Makoto, who else would do such a thing.
.... Konoha has remained silent in the face of the "scandal" so far.
The Uchiha Great Elder's expression froze, obviously still struggling. He was not sure whether to poke this shocking hole.
After all, once things get big, it won't be up to him then... Just like war, the initiator of the war can decide when to start a war, but only the winner can decide when to end a war.
"Great Elder, do you have any unspeakable difficulties?"
"You have to think clearly, paper cannot wrap fire. If you don't say it, I have ways to investigate. The ninja villages of the other four major countries will not refuse my task, but then, the family scandal will be exposed. Moreover... I don't want your Uchiha to disappoint my trust. The Daimyo is also watching you all the time, hoping to find out the truth at all times."
"...."
"Even if it doesn't conform to tradition, but... this country belongs to the Daimyo. Uchiha has gained the favor of the Daimyo. Regarding the position of Hokage... it is already half successful."
"...."
The Lord Elder's words were half coercion and half inducement.
Theoretically speaking, there was nothing wrong with what he said.
With the identity of the Lord Elder, as long as he wants to continue investigating, there will be a steady stream of ninjas serving him.
It's just that these words are mostly bluffing.
At the practical level... ninjas from other countries dare to appear in the territory of the Land of Fire, do they really think the two major ninja villages, Konoha and Akatsuki, are decorations?
As long as Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Makoto give an order, no matter how many people come, these uninvited guests will only evaporate silently within the borders of the Land of Fire.
But the words of inducement were much more sincere.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire is the ruler of a country after all.
If he doesn't follow tradition and is determined to interfere in the internal affairs of the ninja village, directly supporting the Uchiha clan in secret, just simply smashing money can make Senju Tobirama dizzy.
A lot of money thrown out is enough to make the ninja clans in Konoha vote with their feet.
Of course... unless absolutely necessary, tradition absolutely cannot be broken.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire values tradition more than anyone else.
Because tradition is the rule, tradition is the order!
As expected.
The Uchiha Great Elder couldn't resist the rhetoric of the Lord Elder, this old bureaucrat. Under this coercion and inducement, he still told the whole investigation result.
"Lord Elder, to tell you the truth, there are indeed some other clues."
"Of course, they are just clues and cannot be called evidence. The ninjas who assassinated you may be from the Konoha ANBU."
"This is really unimaginable."
"I don't believe such a thing would be done by Konoha ninjas... but I believe in the ability of the Uchiha, believe in what my Sharingan sees..."
The corners of the Lord Elder's mouth curled up almost immediately, a smile appeared on his face, and he even couldn't help but hum lightly.
This is what he was waiting for!
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