After all, Uchiha Madara had been dead for decades. No matter how Ryun wrote his story, the impact would be minimal.
But the Uchiha clan's extermination was something that happened just a few years ago.
This incident not only severely damaged Konoha's vitality but also seriously affected the unity among the various clans within Konoha.
In the eyes of some clans, if Konoha could eradicate even the Uchiha family, then destroying them would be just a matter of an order, right?
In Danzo's view, perhaps only this kind of fear and unease could truly unite Konoha.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen hoped that Konoha could unite under the Will of Fire, especially the Will of Fire he led.
To this day, Konoha still hasn't provided a convincing enough explanation for the extermination of the Uchiha clan.
Although Konoha publicly announced that the insane Uchiha Itachi was responsible for this.
But what exactly drove Uchiha Itachi to commit such a heinous act?
The ninja world has never been short of madmen, but someone as mad as Uchiha Itachi must have had a reason, right?
Moreover, there was indeed the dark hand of Shimura Danzo adding fuel to the fire, and Sarutobi Hiruzen temporarily did not want to bring his old partner out to take the blame.
All this led to the extermination of the Uchiha clan becoming, after the Nine-Tails' attack years ago, another massive hidden danger significant enough to shake Konoha's foundations.
Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen was very clear.
Asking a child like Ryun to answer such a question was clearly a bit too much to ask.
He still held that view.
As long as Ryun made no fundamental errors, he could support Ryun in writing. It was just a matter of tens of thousands of ryo per month. He could even pay this money out of his own pocket.
But what Sarutobi Hiruzen never expected was that Ryun would give an answer that even left him somewhat dazed.
"Hokage-sama, I only have a preliminary idea about this matter."
Ryun's eyes shone, seemingly full of creative motivation. His hands subconsciously waved as if he were about to pick up a pen and write right then.
"Later, I plan to write 'The Biography of Uchiha Itachi', which will describe his experiences and transformation in detail."
"This is a love story that combines a wealthy young master and a commoner girl, family taboos and worldly ethics, spanning villages and national borders."
Then Ryun explained that he intended to use Itachi's early graduation and deployment to the battlefield as a child as the starting point, writing a story about Uchiha Itachi, stimulated by his experiences, meeting a girl from another country by chance, and the two eventually falling in love.
What followed was various tragic and deep love. Uchiha Itachi personally watches the one he loves die at his father's hands.
In his rage, he turns against his parents who obstruct his pursuit of love. This incident is then witnessed by a patrolling member of the Uchiha clan, forcing Uchiha Itachi to go on a killing spree.
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples.
He could understand the story logically, but cognitively, his brain refused to accept such a story.
Because he actually knew Uchiha Itachi, understood Uchiha Itachi's temperament, and knew Uchiha Itachi's motives even better.
Sarutobi Hiruzen simply couldn't imagine what kind of woman could make Uchiha Itachi fall in love.
But precisely, Ryun's story reminded him that his own understanding and approval were not important.
The key was, would the ordinary people who read this story believe it?
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up. From his direction, he could see the huge poster of the Konoha Cinema in the distance, featuring a photo of Kazahana Koyuki.
The most popular movie in Konoha at the moment was a love story starring Kazahana Koyuki, about a beautiful young woman waiting for her ninja husband to return from war, only to grow old alone in the end.
...Alright, it seemed ordinary people did indeed like this kind of logic.
Having understood this point, Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze toward Ryun also changed.
He had thought Ryun intended to exonerate the Uchiha clan. Now it seemed he had completely overthought it.
This was just a talented yet opportunistic person, a small ambitious person who wanted to use the Uchiha surname as a starting point to build his own reputation.
Such a person... supporting him a bit wasn't bad.
Then, Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, interrupting Ryun who looked like he could talk incessantly until dark.
"I have a general understanding of your situation. You want to obtain some funding, right?"
Ryun cleared his throat, then looked at the Third Hokage with an eager expression, feeling certain in his heart that he had succeeded.
Sure enough, Sarutobi Hiruzen wrote out an order.
"Later, I will have the General Affairs Department assign you a position. I will also give you some materials about the Uchiha clan so your work won't make basic mistakes."
"But I need to set three rules with you."
Ryun quickly nodded and said, "Please go ahead, Hokage-sama."
"First, you are not allowed to alter established facts. This is out of respect for the Uchiha clan members."
"Second, you are not allowed to insult the Uchiha clan members, nor is any slander against Konoha permitted in the story."
"Finally..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Ryun a strange look, considering whether to tell him to tone it down a bit.
Otherwise, in the future, if Uchiha Itachi ever saw Ryun, he might hang him up and beat him for three days and three nights.
But in the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen gave up on this idea.
After all, in his view, Uchiha Itachi wasn't that petty.
Even if the two really met in the future, at most he would just teach Ryun a lesson, not actually kill him.
So he changed the subject and said, "Third, all your manuscripts must be submitted to the Hokage's office for review. Only after confirmation that they can be released can you contact a publisher."
Ryun blinked, not responding immediately, which made Sarutobi Hiruzen frown.
"Do you not agree?"
"No, Hokage-sama, I was just curious... if my book is published, how should the income be calculated?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Ryun's cautious demeanor, recalled his circumstances, and smiled kindly again. "It all belongs to you. Konoha doesn't lack this small amount of money. This money can also serve as motivation for you to keep writing."
Sarutobi Hiruzen obviously didn't realize how much money he was about to miss out on.
Ryun naturally accepted it without refusal. He smiled and made the agreement with Sarutobi Hiruzen, then left the Hokage's office beaming with joy.
He even went to collect his salary for this month before leaving the Hokage Building.
A total of fifty thousand ryo.
Compared to his previous situation of having only six thousand ryo and planning to live on it for two months, Ryun had now transformed into a minor rich man.
But Ryun was very clear-headed, knowing this was just a beginning.
As he initiated simulations one after another, both his strength and his status within Konoha would only increase rapidly.
So now, instead of excitedly going on a shopping spree, he headed straight for Tenten's house.
He had already secured the Hokage's support, and he wouldn't miss out on the assistance from Tenten's family either.