Rebuilding Uchiha By Removing Fugaku

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Under the gloomy gaze of Might Guy's trembling knees, Kakashi smirked with satisfaction, holding up his scissors in triumph. He walked away contentedly, thinking to himself:

"At least Konoha still has someone like him worth protecting."

Back at the dango shop, Asuma Sarutobi passed by and saw Guy sprawled on the ground. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "What are you doing?"

Suddenly, Guy sprang to his feet, full of energy, and shouted, "Oh, my lifelong rival! Next time, I'll definitely win against you!"

Asuma gave him a baffled look. "???"

Guy then glanced at Asuma with a curious expression and asked, "You got out?"

Two days earlier, Asuma had signed up for the Ministry of Defense program. Since then, he had disappeared, not seen for over a month.

Asuma, looking around cautiously, whispered, "I sneaked out. Damn it, they wanted me to be a guard for some daimyo. What's so exciting about guarding some noble? Defending Konoha is where the action is!"

What he didn't mention was that Kurenai had expressed interest in getting a Charizard from the rewards system. He thought that by earning battle merits, he could impress her.

Guy blinked. "Oh, I see. Well, good luck then."

Asuma gave him an odd look. "You're not going?"

Guy shook his head. "Nope."

Asuma, now even more puzzled, studied Guy. "Huh. Alright, I'll head out. Don't tell anyone you saw me!"

After speaking, Asuma snuck out through the back door.

Moments later, several ANBU operatives appeared at the dango shop's entrance.

"Have you seen Master Asuma?"

Guy quickly shook his head.

The ANBU members grumbled before vanishing into the rooftops in pursuit.

Watching them leave, Guy muttered, "He's really going to join that mess? Ninja wars aren't as simple as people think. With his level of strength, he's just cannon fodder."

People often called Guy reckless, but he was far more perceptive than most gave him credit for. He decided to focus on training instead, donning his father's old training suit and shouting, "Let's go, youth! One hundred laps around Konoha!"

As he started running, the villagers quickly moved aside, muttering, "There's a difference between reckless and outright crazy."

---

Meanwhile, in the Sarutobi clan compound, the Konoha F4 had gathered for tea.

This time, however, their faces were grim.

Finally, a member of the ANBU entered, kneeling before them with a scroll in hand.

"Hokage-sama, we've deciphered the code."

"Hand it over."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took the scroll and read its contents aloud:

["Toki is Shisui."]

The F4 froze in confusion.

"What does that mean? Uchiha Toki and Shisui are the same person?"

Hiruzen paused, deep in thought, before his eyes lit up with understanding. "I see!"

Danzo scowled. "What do you mean?"

The loss of an entire elite squad under his command had deeply angered him. In his mind, a single jōnin shouldn't have been able to defeat them.

Hiruzen smirked. "The code implies that the one who defeated your squad wasn't Uchiha Toki. It was Uchiha Shisui, impersonating Shiyu."

Danzo's eyes narrowed. "You mean…"

Hiruzen nodded confidently. "Shisui is known as 'Shisui of the Body Flicker.' His strength is unparalleled. No ordinary squad could stand against him. This also means that the one rallying support in Konoha is likely Shisui himself!"

Koharu and Homura exchanged looks of admiration. "Amazing deduction, Hiruzen."

Danzo, however, looked even angrier. "So, what's the plan? We can't act against him openly, can we?"

Hiruzen took a sip of tea and smiled. "Remember, the documents finalizing my appointment as Hokage haven't been sent to the daimyo yet. Toki—no, Shisui—is planning to deliver them personally, along with a request for military funding."

Understanding dawned on the others.

"So, we intercept him en route?"

Hiruzen nodded. "Exactly. Don't fail this time. Use the resources at your disposal wisely."

Danzo snorted, his expression unreadable, before leaving the compound.

Hiruzen chuckled quietly. "Once Toki is out of the picture, the Uchiha will be leaderless again. Then we'll reinstate Fugaku as their head… Hmph."

Just then, an ANBU operative burst into the room.

"Hokage-sama! Bad news—Master Asuma has run away again!"

"What?! Get him back immediately!"