The Seeds Sprout — The Beginning of Konoha's Internal Strife
Konoha.
Hokage's Office.
Uchiha Setsuna didn't bother knocking.
He pushed the door open, strode straight in, dropped himself into a chair inside the Hokage's office, and casually poured himself a bowl of tea.
"Well, if it isn't our Supreme Commander of the Shinobi Forces, Lord Senju Tobirama," Setsuna said with a grin.
"Shouldn't you be busy preparing military supplies? How do you still have time to invite me here for tea?"
He took a sip.
A mocking smile spread across his face as he spoke in an unmistakably sarcastic tone.
Tobirama frowned, hostility flashing across his expression as he looked at Setsuna.
Inwardly, he cursed with practiced ease:
That innately evil Uchiha…
For a brief moment, he genuinely felt the urge to slice Setsuna apart with Flying Thunder God.
Damn it.
Recently, public opinion within the village had erupted into chaos.
News of Akatsuki annihilating over a thousand Cloud shinobi in a single night had begun spreading wildly through Konoha.
Tobirama had suppressed the information at first—though he knew full well it was pointless.
The villagers would learn sooner or later.
But even delaying it a little was better than nothing.
The previous wave of public fervor in Konoha had only just been forced down by Tobirama's efforts.
He had no intention of letting it surge again.
Such sentiment was extremely detrimental to his plan of "harvesting the fruit" later.
After all, Tobirama still wanted to stall—
To delay Konoha's entry into the war.
To let Akatsuki and Kumogakure continue exhausting each other.
But his calculations completely fell apart.
The news of Akatsuki's decisive victory spread through Konoha at terrifying speed.
Still, Tobirama considered this barely acceptable.
After all, Konoha did intend to deploy forces against Kumogakure—just not yet.
They were waiting for the right moment.
That explanation alone was more than enough to placate ordinary villagers.
After all—
Who had more authority to decide when a shinobi army would march than the village leadership?
Did civilians understand military strategy?
Their opinions carried no real weight in final decision-making.
And even if public anger boiled over, Tobirama could always—
In Hashirama's name—issue a symbolic apology decree.
Villagers only wanted a sense of justice, a momentary emotional victory.
Give them a statement.
Let them think they'd "won."
And the matter would fade away.
A year later.
Or even just a few months later.
Who would still remember any of this?
No one.
But the situation spiraled far beyond Tobirama's expectations.
Public discourse became increasingly unhinged.
"When allies attack—unmoving as a mountain.
When allies falter—retreat swift as wind.
When the battle favors us—advance like fire.
When unclear—stand like forest."
"The Three Virtues of Shinobi: Benevolence, Righteousness, Bravery."
"Akatsuki wins three times in a row—Konoha loses completely."
"Konoha's inherent flaws."
That alone was already dangerously subversive.
But then—
Voices began openly questioning whether the Senju clan was fit to rule,
and whether Konoha would fare better if an Uchiha became Hokage.
Such treasonous rhetoric was now being spoken openly by villagers.
Utter lawlessness!
Did they think ANBU was just decoration?!
Anyone openly questioning the Senju clan's right to govern—
They all deserved a heavy-handed crackdown.
Yet Tobirama's political instincts were razor-sharp.
He immediately realized—
This was not just spontaneous civilian unrest.
If public opinion could threaten Senju authority, then it meant—
Someone behind the civilians was deliberately undermining Senju rule.
There had to be a mastermind.
Damn it.
It had to be the Uchiha clan.
The most dangerous suspects.
And the greatest beneficiaries.
The conclusion came to Tobirama almost reflexively.
So instead of immediately cracking down on the villagers, he dispatched ANBU to secretly investigate and gather evidence.
As expected—
All those inflammatory statements originated within Uchiha-controlled patrol districts.
Without Uchiha approval, how could civilians dare to speak such treason?
Innately evil Uchiha…
They were already impatient—eager to collude with Akatsuki, eager to covet the Hokage's seat.
How could the village Tobirama had built with sleepless nights and endless toil—
Be handed over to the Uchiha?!
And the man sitting before him—
Uchiha Setsuna—
Was one of the prime culprits.
"Uchiha Setsuna," Tobirama said coldly, killing intent flickering in his eyes.
"Were these dangerous statements spread in the village on your orders?"
He slammed a stack of papers onto the table.
Setsuna didn't even glance at Tobirama's expression.
He calmly picked up the documents and read them from start to finish.
To be honest—
Even Setsuna himself had no idea who started this wave.
But that didn't matter.
Whoever launched it—
He was happy to ride it.
Damn that sinister Senju old ghost.
Hiding behind his brother's authority, occupying a high position—
Watching an ally bleed without lifting a finger.
And the other day, he'd even dared to talk down to Setsuna.
"'Konoha's safety.' 'Peace of the shinobi world.'"
"If the Hokage himself said those words, fine."
"But you, Senju Tobirama? You think you're worthy of them?"
"Do you take the Uchiha clan for decorations?"
"This is Konoha—half of it belongs to the Uchiha!"
"The Hokage seat rotates.
Next year, it's our turn."
"The Second Hokage must be Lord Madara!"
"And just like the First Hokage, if Lord Madara doesn't want to handle day-to-day affairs—"
"Then I, Uchiha Setsuna, can handle them for him!"
Setsuna held his anger in, thoughts surging.
"What?" Tobirama sneered.
"Your conspiracy's been exposed, and now you're too afraid to speak?"
"Conspiracy?" Setsuna laughed.
"Tobirama, your words are ugly."
"Let's not even discuss whether I ordered this or not."
"Even if I did spread it—what then?"
"You going to kill me?"
"Do you think Lord Madara's Susanoo isn't sharp enough?"
Setsuna showed no fear.
He had backing.
"Hmph."
"My brother's Wood Release isn't dull either," Tobirama replied with a brilliant smile.
"Our clans may have set aside past grudges, but the outcome of that war was decided long ago."
"Do I really need to remind you of that?"
Tobirama was never afraid to debate this topic.
The war between the Senju and the Uchiha had already been settled.
He had killed Uchiha Izuna.
And his brother—
Had defeated Uchiha Madara.
The Senju clan were the unquestioned victors.
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