Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou-Chapter 248: Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou []

Konoha, inside the Hokage's office.

Ever since his eldest son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, became a cripple, Hiruzen Sarutobi's focus had shifted entirely to his second son.

However, Sarutobi Asuma's recent behavior had increasingly unsettled Hiruzen, filling him with unease. Taking this rare opportunity in the office, he decided to confront him.

Yet, what was supposed to be a conversation between father and son quickly escalated into a heated conflict.

"Father! What exactly are you trying to do? You've been sitting in the Hokage's seat for thirty years already! You're 57 now! At your age, you still refuse to let go of power. Are you planning to die in that chair?!"

Sarutobi Asuma slammed the desk in anger, glaring at his father with eyes filled with disappointment.

Faced with his son's questioning, Hiruzen was both furious and deeply pained. When had it happened that even his son no longer understood him?

"Asuma! You've let me down. I've dedicated my entire life to the village, and now even my son dares to question me?!"

Hiruzen's angry explanation only provoked mocking laughter from Asuma.

"For the sake of Konoha? But, Father, do you even realize? I can't even face my old classmates anymore. Out of the hundreds of us who graduated together, how many are still alive?

Every time I attend a reunion, even if I hide in the most inconspicuous corner, I still feel restless and uneasy. Everyone else is on the front lines, while I'm hiding in the rear..."

Tears of pain welled up in Asuma's eyes. Once hailed as a prodigy, he now felt like nothing more than a cruel joke.

"Father, it's not just me. Even the Sarutobi clan... all because of your decision to preserve strength and counterbalance the Uchiha. But what I see is that 80% of the Uchiha's elites have been sent to the battlefield!"

"Enough! Asuma, you don't understand! Look at what's happened to Shinnosuke for the sake of the village, and yet you still speak like this!"

Hiruzen's heart grew colder as he stared at his son, who dared to challenge him.

For a long time, Hiruzen had been preoccupied with the affairs of the village, his attention focused solely on his eldest son, Shinnosuke. Only recently, when he turned his gaze to his once-silent second son, did he realize a serious problem:

Asuma, his son, was questioning his dedication to Konoha!

"Father, you were once a great ninja! A hero of Konoha!"

Asuma, who had been silently harboring his resentment, finally exploded. He glared furiously at his father.

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"Our clan holds a high position, and every so-called Konoha high-ranking official uses their power for their own clan's interests. Maybe I could accept that. But during wartime, to seek profit...

The village's food supply, soldier pills, and ninja tools are all overpriced. So many ninja families have suffered losses, and yet the compensation for their sacrifices and injuries..."

Asuma's words hit like a hammer, making Hiruzen's face darken in shock and anger.

"You've been investigating...?"

Seeing his father's reaction, Asuma felt even more aggrieved. If his father had at least pretended to be unaware, he might have been able to accept it. But the truth was, his father knew everything.

"Father, our Sarutobi clan, along with the Mitokado, Utatane, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and others—did you know about all of this? Why didn't you stop it?"

Hiruzen's face grew increasingly grim as he listened to his son's accusations. He hadn't expected Asuma to rebel so thoroughly. From the information he had gathered, it was clear Asuma's investigation had been ongoing for some time.

Faced with his son's interrogation, Hiruzen's aged eyes revealed a trace of sorrow. Nothing was more painful than being misunderstood by one's child.

But as he thought about his convictions, Hiruzen took a deep breath. His gaze hardened as he spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Asuma, I don't know who's been influencing you, but based on your behavior today, it's clear—you're just a ninja. You've disappointed me greatly."

Asuma froze at his father's words. He hadn't expected him to say something like that.

However, Hiruzen ignored his reaction. He silently lit his pipe, using a spark of fire chakra, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

After a moment, he spoke in a low, steady voice:

"Asuma, what you see is only the surface. You view things from an individual's perspective, but I am the Hokage of Konoha. I see the entire village.

You talk about the arrogance of the Senju, but do you know how one clan dares to question Konoha's decisions? You see the Uchiha elites being sent to the front lines, but do you see how many Uchiha have awakened the Sharingan?

You see the Mitokado, Utatane, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Inuzuka, and even our Sarutobi clan benefiting, but do you see the sacrifices these clans have made on the battlefield?"

Hiruzen's voice grew heavier with each word. Finally, he raised his head and stared intently at his unfamiliar son.

"After this war, Konoha and its great clans have suffered heavy losses. Yet the Uchiha clan's strength has not diminished—it has grown. Without these sacrifices, how would we counterbalance the Uchiha?"

Asuma listened to his father's explanation and felt a deep unfamiliarity with the man in front of him. His mind replayed the shocking information he had uncovered.

"Balance! So this is what you mean by sacrifice, isn't it?"

Asuma sneered, unable to believe how self-righteous his father sounded.

"You say I don't understand, but I do! It's all about balance and sacrifice, isn't it? But thirty years ago, when Konoha was under the Second Hokage, why wasn't it like this..."

Just then, a heavy slap landed on Asuma's face. He froze, staring at his father, who was glaring at him in fury.

"You insolent child!"

Hiruzen's anger boiled over. Of all the things his son could have said, comparing him to the previous Hokage stung the most.

Konoha had flourished under his leadership. Before the Third Shinobi War, he had basked in glory, believing his achievements surpassed those of the First and Second Hokage.

But the Third Shinobi War shattered that illusion, exposing the truth he had tried to ignore.

The reality was this: the First and Second Hokage, through their individual strength, had been able to control the great clans effortlessly, regardless of the Uchiha or anyone else.

In contrast, his fears had led him to rely on the great clans to maintain balance against the Uchiha and Senju.

In the ninja world, strength was everything. Yet how many could even approach the level of the First or Second Hokage?

Without overwhelming personal power, the situation Hiruzen faced was inevitable. This was a problem all the major ninja villages had faced at one time or another.

Kumogakure had dealt with the Gold and Silver Brothers. Kirigakure had been plagued by its Kekkei Genkai clans.

When a Kage's power was insufficient to suppress these forces, they had to rely on external support. This was why Konoha's great Kekkei Genkai clans—like the Senju—had faded into obscurity, the Uchiha had been wiped out, and the Hyuga clan had been suppressed.

"All of this doesn't matter, Asuma. I must tell you, sacrifices are necessary for great achievements. What you see is temporary. As long as Konoha is stable, the village will eventually return to its former glory."

Hiruzen stared firmly at his son with unwavering determination and said in a low voice:

"All of this is for the village. I cannot leave a chaotic and unstable Konoha to the next generation!"

He was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the legendary Professor of the ninja world. He was determined to leave behind a legacy as the Third Hokage, one who had led Konoha through its greatest crises.

He wanted Konoha's future generations to remember him as the Hokage who rose to power during the First Shinobi War, bringing Konoha to its peak, and who, even after the devastation of the Third Shinobi War, nurtured a new generation of leaders to rebuild the village.

As Hiruzen was about to finish speaking, an Anbu ninja suddenly appeared, interrupting the tense exchange between father and son:

"Hokage-sama!"

Hiruzen took a deep breath, forcing himself to regain his composure. He cast one last, disappointed look at Asuma before addressing the Anbu:

"What is it?!"

The Anbu lowered his head and reported in a solemn voice:

"The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki Naiko-sama is experiencing severe abdominal pain. According to the diagnosis, she is about to give birth..."

In an instant, Hiruzen's expression changed drastically. He barked a sharp order:

"Proceed with the original plan! Deploy the Anbu to provide covert protection. Station forces at the five secret bases..."

"Yes!"

As the Anbu left after receiving orders, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the defiant face of Asuma. Eventually, with a hoarse voice, he said:

"Asuma, I hope you will one day understand my intentions."

"Your intentions? They're nothing more than excuses for the weak. If the Hokage were a Senju or Uchiha now, would they have any reason to fear our clans?"

Underneath Sarutobi Asuma's rebellious demeanor was a long-held frustration, and he directly retorted, almost causing Sarutobi Hiruzen to lose his temper.

"Stand down!"

"Father! You're too extreme. You've already displaced your desires onto the village. If the village falls into turmoil, it will be too late for regret!"

"Asuma! I am the Hokage! Everything I do is for the sake of the village!"

With a loud bang, the office door slammed shut. Sarutobi Hiruzen, after his outburst of anger, stood there staring blankly at Asuma's furious departure.

At that moment, he felt the sting of betrayal and misunderstanding from his own family.

As the twilight descended, Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed at the murky sunset outside the window, muttering hoarsely to himself: "The Uchiha clan is too dangerous."

...

Under the setting sun, in a secret cave in Konoha, Anbu surrounded the area on high alert. Inside the barrier, agonizing screams echoed.

"Minato... Minato, where are you..."

"Naiko, stay calm. Minato will be back soon. What you need to do now is relax..."

"Sealing team, hurry!"

On the bed, Uzumaki Naiko screamed in agony—not just from the pain of childbirth but also from the immense suffering caused by the loosening of the Nine-Tails' seal.

As Sarutobi Biwako anxiously helped deliver the baby, she noticed the seal's patterns on Naiko's abdomen beginning to shift. Her expression changed, and she urgently ordered the sealing team to act.

When a Jinchūriki gives birth, it is the moment when the seal is at its weakest. The leakage of the Tailed Beast's chakra, in severe cases, can even lead to the Tailed Beast escaping entirely.

...

Meanwhile, at the Root base in Konoha:

"The Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki is giving birth?"

When Shimura Danzō received the news, the Jinchūriki had already been moved to another location, which clearly showed that Root was constantly under the watchful eye of the Third Hokage.

After hearing the report from an Anbu messenger, Danzō frowned. He looked around at the dark Root base, tapping his wooden cane heavily on the ground.

"This is a critical moment. No mistakes are allowed. Root, keep a close eye on the Uchiha!"

"Yes!" Shadows of Root operatives flickered in the darkness. After receiving the order, they immediately vanished.

Whether it was Sarutobi Hiruzen or Shimura Danzō, deep down, they always viewed the Uchiha as a threat to the village. That's why they remained vigilant against them constantly.

During the Nine-Tails' rampage, the first order from Root was to forbid the Uchiha from mobilizing—this alone shows the extent of their distrust.

...

As night gradually fell, beneath the bright full moon, a cracking sound of breaking bones echoed by a rugged mountain stream in Konoha.

On the water's surface, a masked Konoha Anbu's pupils dilated as their neck was snapped by a single hand. Their eyes, still filled with disbelief, stared blankly.

"Such caution. This Third Hokage chose a random safe house at the last moment."

In a raspy voice, Uchiha Obito, wearing a tiger-striped single-eye mask, slowly stood up. He glanced indifferently at the seven or eight Anbu corpses lying on the water's surface.

Toward his former village comrades, there was no hesitation, no remorse—only cold indifference, as if he were crushing an ant on the roadside.

"Heh heh... Lord Madara, I can already sense the leaking chakra of the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. It seems the childbirth has reached its critical point..."

Zetsu's figure slowly emerged from the ground. With a hoarse laugh, Black Zetsu's eyes gleamed with a mocking playfulness, as if toying with the world.

Behind his mask, Obito frowned slightly, revealing a trace of dissatisfaction. Every time Black Zetsu called him "Madara," it would drag out the name as if reminding him it wasn't real.

"This time, let me witness the power of the strongest Tailed Beast..."

With a cold gaze, Obito's body slowly phased through the barrier, heading inside.

...

With the frontlines at a standstill and the major nations signing peace treaties, Konoha, shrouded in the night, was gradually coming back to life.

"Asuma, you can't keep drinking."

Ebisu said with concern, but Sarutobi Asuma, looking utterly despondent, shook his head and bitterly smiled:

"When the Second Hokage handed the title to the Third Hokage, wasn't there turmoil? Did the Senju clan and other clans just accept it? And now they bring up 'turmoil' over and over as an excuse."

The more he thought about it, the more Asuma felt it was nothing but a grand farce—just an excuse to justify their actions.

"Ebisu, you don't understand! They're already living in a dream of their own making, so obsessed that they won't tolerate even a shred of dissent..."

At that moment, Sarutobi Asuma felt an inexplicable sense of disgust welling up within him.

"Asuma..."

Ebisu was about to persuade him further when suddenly, his ninja instincts seemed to pick up on something. His reflexes kicked in, and he turned sharply toward the direction of the village gates.

Under the cover of darkness, Konoha seemed to sense something ominous. Birds and beasts inside the village began to scatter in panic, filling the air with unease.