Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou-Chapter 234: Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou []

Konoha.

Under the nighttime curtain, the Hokage's office building remained brightly lit.

Inside the meeting room, the clan leaders of all major families were gathered, along with over a dozen key jonin from the village.

During times of war, this meeting alone revealed just how diminished even the mighty Konoha's internal forces had become.

"Everyone, the war has been raging for over five years, and soon we will enter the sixth year. Both Konoha and the entire shinobi world have suffered greatly because of this..."

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, surveyed the room with authority as he spoke about the current dire situation.

Especially after he publicly declared that he would take full responsibility for the Third Shinobi War, his reputation recovered significantly. After all, a village leader didn't necessarily need to be the strongest, but they absolutely could not be seen as irresponsible.

What's more, the Third Hokage's son had gone to the battlefield and met a tragic end. While there was still resentment among the villagers, much of it had dissipated.

After all, everyone had lost family members. Even the Hokage had sent his son into the dangers of war.

With these actions, coupled with the introduction of a young and powerful potential future Hokage, Konoha was given a new sense of direction.

It had to be said: the Third Hokage and his advisors had survived through the First Shinobi War up until this point with skillful maneuvering.

"Everyone, things have been tough for Konoha, but the same can be said for the other four major villages. Especially Kirigakure's schemes—though exceedingly sinister, they have also been successfully thwarted by our shinobi..."

In the meeting room, the Third Hokage first expressed his anger over Kirigakure's conspiracies, only to turn around and praise the shinobi who had perfectly disrupted their plans.

Many eyes turned toward Uchiha Shirou.

However, in the meeting, under the gaze of the crowd—especially with the Third Hokage and the two elder advisors preparing to speak—Shirou sneered internally.

Did they think they could silence him in front of so many people and then take the credit for themselves?

Dream on.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen showed a trace of hesitation and Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were about to speak, Shirou interrupted.

"Third Hokage! Everyone!"

As Shirou's voice echoed, all eyes turned toward him. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who had just been about to speak, were visibly irritated at being cut off.

But Shirou's current status was anything but ordinary. A mere pair of Mangekyo Sharingan was enough to command respect—let alone his roles as head of the Police Force, representative of the Uchiha Clan, and leader of the Reserve Forces.

Standing slowly, Shirou's expression was solemn as he addressed the crowd in a deep, steady voice:

"Everyone, I won't waste time discussing the village's current state—no one understands it better than we do. Kirigakure's plot nearly caused an irreparable disaster, but it has also allowed us to end this war!"

As his resolute voice reverberated through the room, the clan leaders and the dozen or so key jonin showed expressions of both confusion and seriousness.

An opportunity to end the war?

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Had anyone else said this, it would have been dismissed. The flames of war engulfing the shinobi world could hardly be extinguished by one person's words.

But coming from Shirou, it carried weight. With his current status and strength, he wouldn't speak lightly—this must be a genuine opportunity.

Yet, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu couldn't shake a growing sense of unease.

Shirou glanced at the three elders seated above him, smirking inwardly before slamming the table and continuing in a firm voice:

"During this operation, Kirigakure lost their most elite force on the frontlines—the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Six of their bodies are now in the custody of the Police Force for intelligence gathering...

As for the one who escaped—Biwa Juzu—our reliable intel suggests that he has defected, either out of fear of punishment or for other reasons."

Shirou scanned the room, calmly delivering this crucial information, further proving his capabilities.

However, this revelation left Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu furious. Their eyes burned with displeasure and anger as they glared at Shirou.

Defeating and killing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was the duty of a shinobi. But leaving their corpses in the hands of the Police Force for investigation? That was practically creating a miniature Hokage-level institution.

"Uchiha Shirou! This is critical information—why are we only hearing about it now?"

Utatane Koharu couldn't contain her anger, slamming the table as she loudly questioned him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face immediately darkened. He knew this was bad. Sure enough...

"Tell you? Why?"

Shirou sneered openly, showing no mercy as he retorted sharply:

"Since when does the Police Force report to a Hokage Advisor?"

His words landed like a thunderclap, shocking everyone in the room.

Shirou's gaze swept across the two advisors, who were now pale with anger, and then shifted indifferently to the Third Hokage.

"Third Hokage, the Police Force was established during the Second Hokage's era, tasked with maintaining law and order, patrolling, gathering intelligence, interrogating, and overseeing security...

Now, during wartime, I serve as the Reserve Forces Captain, Deputy Head of the Police Force, and Head of the Medical Unit. And you, a mere Hokage Advisor—what exactly should I report to you?"

His cold and cutting words left no room for doubt as he completely disregarded the elder advisor's authority.

"Outrageous!"

Both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were livid. Shirou was far too brazen!

"Silence!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen barked sharply, clearly addressing his two old friends. Shirou, however, merely smirked disdainfully.

"When the Third Hokage took office, it was during a time of war and turmoil within the village. That's why the position of Hokage Advisor was created in the first place."

His voice dripped with mockery as he continued:

"I recall that the purpose of the Hokage Advisor was to assist the Hokage in managing the village's affairs, to make the Hokage's job easier. When did it become a position above the jonin?"

With that, Shirou tore away the facade that had protected the Hokage Advisors.

The Hokage Advisor role was purely symbolic, holding no real power. Over time, however, their elevated status had led some to believe they were second only to the Hokage.

That illusion had persisted for years—until today when Shirou shattered it in front of everyone.

The two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were livid with shame and anger. It had been years since anyone had dared challenge them so openly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, too, clearly understood this. That was why he had stopped his old friends from speaking.

The authority of the Hokage Advisors came entirely from the Hokage. The stronger the Hokage, the more influence the advisors wielded. But the Third Hokage's reputation was no longer what it once was.

"If this were Danzo, as the Head of Root, he would at least have the qualifications to speak. But you two Hokage Advisors? If you're feeling old, the frontlines are always in need of manpower. At this rate, we're even sending children to the battlefield."

Shirou's merciless words echoed through the room, leaving the clan leaders in awe. His message was clear: the Hokage Advisors were nothing but dead weight.

Sure, the Hokage bore responsibility for the war. But what, then, was the purpose of the Hokage Advisors?

"You—!"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked utterly humiliated. Their title of Hokage Advisor now seemed laughable to everyone in the room.

Indeed, they were all jonin. The only difference was that these two carried the empty title of Hokage Advisor.

"During wartime, it's normal for both Homura and Koharu to feel a bit emotional." Facing the aggressive Shirou, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, revealed a trace of apprehension in his eyes. Deep in his heart, he became even more resolute that under no circumstances could the Uchiha or the Senju clans become Hokage.

Otherwise, with such strong assertiveness today, future conflicts between new and old forces might even trigger a civil war.

Seeing that the Third Hokage had stepped forward, Shirou nodded indifferently. These two old bastards were usually the most disgusting. Although Danzo never did anything decent, at least his actions were out in the open.

"Based on the intelligence extracted from the minds of Seven Mist Swordsmen, there are currently significant internal divisions within Kirigakure. Especially with the losses they've suffered over the past few years...

Kirigakure has not found an external breakthrough yet, so the internal dissent is bound to escalate. As I mentioned before, the best opportunity to end this war lies with Kirigakure!"

At this moment, with no sign of Minato Namikaze in the conference room, Shirou confirmed the schemes of these old folks.

You could look down on them, but you must never underestimate their methods.

"Now is the best opportunity to negotiate peace with Kirigakure — and to deal with the Three-Tails!"

As Shirou spoke, he turned to look at everyone in the room, his expression growing more animated as he waved his arms.

"Kirigakure can't hold on any longer. The Three-Tails is like a hot potato. If it falls into Konoha's hands, it will only escalate the Third Shinobi War further. Not only will it fail to strengthen us, but it will also draw more suspicion from the other villages.

However, if we negotiate with Kirigakure now and use the Three-Tails as leverage, expressing willingness to return it, will Kirigakure still fight?"

Shirou's voice echoed through the conference room, making the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, look at him with a grim expression.

He had guessed Hiruzen's strategy!

"Lord Shirou, it's not that we're unwilling, but should we just return the Three-Tails to Kirigakure so easily? What if Kirigakure turns against us and attacks again?"

One of the Konoha jonins expressed obvious reluctance. The Three-Tails had been captured with great difficulty, and now they were just supposed to give it back in the name of peace?

What had all their sacrifices been for?

Shirou had naturally prepared for this. He responded with a mocking smile.

"I never said we should simply return the Three-Tails!"

At this point, Shirou turned his head to look directly at the Third Hokage. Calmly, he outlined his proposal, showing the Konoha shinobi a glimmer of hope for ending the war.

"Negotiating peace with Kirigakure is up to the Hokage's advisors. As for returning the Three-Tails... such a powerful weapon must be handled with the utmost caution when choosing the time and place.

But if, by some chance, this intelligence were to accidentally leak to Kumogakure or Sunagakure, would that have anything to do with us?"

With a meaningful look in his eyes, Shirou revealed his true intentions.

Use the tailed beast to stir up internal conflicts among other villages.

"Kumogakure and Sunagakure!"

Behind him, Mikoto's face lit up with realization upon hearing this. Then, with a slight frown, her gentle voice echoed in everyone's ears.

"The alliance among the Four Great Shinobi Villages is driven purely by mutual interests. Without any greater benefits, this alliance is fragile. But with the temptation of the Three-Tails, Kumogakure — having suffered heavy losses in recent years and already possessing two tailed beasts — might not take the bait. Sunagakure, however, is different. They suffered the greatest losses during the war and only have the weakest tailed beast, the One-Tail. If they were offered the chance to claim the Three-Tails... who could refuse?"

It must be said, that if even Mikoto could see through this situation, then the other shinobi couldn't possibly miss it. Many of them frowned and began contemplating this proposal.

The temptation of a tailed beast was enormous. If the Three-Tails were seized by Sunagakure, would Kirigakure let it slide?

At that point, it wouldn't be Konoha negotiating peace with Kirigakure — it would be Kirigakure negotiating peace with them.

If Kirigakure and Sunagakure came into conflict, how could they continue the war?

The Four Great Shinobi Villages uniting against Konoha would turn into two of them fighting among themselves, leaving Konoha with only two enemies.

And if Kumogakure got involved as well, the course of the war...

At this thought, many in the conference room began to waver. No one wanted to keep fighting this war any longer.

"This proposal is excellent!"

"I agree!"

"Lord Third Hokage, it's true that keeping the Three-Tails in Konoha would only escalate the war..."

In an instant, the atmosphere in the conference room shifted, and the momentum turned in favor of Shirou's plan. Sarutobi Hiruzen, hearing this proposal, felt a mix of excitement and unease.

He was excited because this plan could indeed break Konoha out of its predicament and could serve as a genuine opportunity to end the war.

But he was uneasy because Shirou's mind was so devious. All they had considered previously was using the Three-Tails and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to negotiate peace with Kirigakure. They hadn't thought this far ahead.

"Hiruzen!"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu both looked alarmed, lowering their voices as they glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen with apprehension in their eyes.

Shirou's mind was too sinister. Someone like him would only bring disaster to Konoha!

However, many of the other jonins in the room secretly marveled at Uchiha Shirou. The Hyuga, Nara, and Akimichi clans all breathed a sigh of relief.

Uchiha Shirou's ability to see this far ahead at least proved one thing — he wasn't the arrogant and reckless Uchiha they had feared after he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

This level-headed and strategic Uchiha would not act recklessly, even if he rose to power. For them, this was a relief.

Meanwhile, the jonin who came from an ordinary backgrounds looked at Uchiha Shirou with all sorts of complicated emotions.

If Uchiha Shirou's Mangekyo Sharingan had previously been a symbol of raw power, today he has shown the qualities of a leader.

A strong, far-sighted individual who sought to end the war was someone truly worthy of respect.

Seeing the subtle yet apprehensive glances from Sarutobi Hiruzen and the two elders, Uchiha Shirou began to reflect. Perhaps he had overestimated them.

In this world of extraordinary power, such schemes fell far short.

While this world was rife with underhanded schemes, sometimes the simplest ideas were overlooked.

Before breaking through this thin layer of illusion, no one had thought to exploit the situation to this extent. This was the wisdom of those who came before.

What truly alarmed the Third Hokage and his advisors was that their initial plan had been to have Minato Namikaze release the Three-Tails into Kirigakure's battlefield.

What Three-Tails are being captured by Konoha? They would deny it. If the Three-Tails rampaged into Kirigakure's territory, would Kirigakure let it go?

The sheer power of a tailed beast's rampage would be impossible to conceal, forcing Kirigakure to deal with the crisis.

They planned to retaliate and then propose peace negotiations.

But while they had only focused on Kirigakure and a counterattack, Shirou had looked at the entire shinobi world, offering a comprehensive plan to end the war entirely.