"What?!"
"Why would this happen?! What exactly went wrong?!"
"Why the Uchiha? Hiruzen, what is going on here?"
Homura and Koharu reacted first—and most fiercely.
They were not merely elders of Konoha.
They oversaw the village's internal administration.
More importantly, they headed the Finance Department.
The Fire Daimyō's subsidies were one of their primary sources of revenue—and a pillar of their authority.
If future funds bypassed them entirely…
The Finance Department might become little more than a decorative title.
Danzo, meanwhile, remained silent—but his brow tightened sharply.
His concern was different.
He distinctly remembered the agreement he had reached with Uchiha Jin.
The funding from the Daimyō had been part of their negotiation.
They had even argued over how it would be divided.
And now?
The Uchiha had quietly absorbed the entire sum.
Without a word.
Without honoring the arrangement.
Which meant—
Either Jin had outplayed him.
Or something far bigger was in motion.
Neither possibility pleased him.
Hiruzen sighed softly.
"I do not yet know the full story."
"I was attacked shortly after leaving the Daimyō's estate. Then war erupted immediately upon my return."
"There has been no time to investigate."
"I only know that the Uchiha established direct contact with the Daimyō."
"How they did so. What terms they negotiated."
"I do not know."
He paused, then added:
"There is more."
"Elite Uchiha shinobi have joined the Daimyō's Twelve Guardian Ninja."
"Uchiha Shisui—the one known as 'Shunshin no Shisui'—is currently stationed at the Daimyō's side."
The room grew colder.
Homura frowned.
"You didn't contest it?"
Hiruzen gave a tired smile.
"And say what?"
"That the Uchiha are dangerous?"
"That they are at odds with the village?"
"That they are arrogant and unstable?"
"Should such words come from a Hokage?"
Homura and Koharu both fell silent.
He was right.
If a Hokage publicly accused one of the village's founding clans of being a threat—
It would fracture the village from within.
Danzo spoke quietly.
"Our esteemed Daimyō likely knows all of that already."
"And that may be precisely why he chose them."
Silence.
Because he was correct.
Danzo continued, turning to Hiruzen:
"Even if you didn't argue, surely he gave you a reason."
Hiruzen nodded.
"He said Konoha was founded jointly by the Senju and Uchiha."
"That the Uchiha are undeniable founding elders."
"In the past, funds were delivered directly to the Senju."
"Now that the Senju are gone, giving them to the Uchiha is equally reasonable."
Danzo let out a sharp, humorless laugh.
"Reasonable?"
"Since Konoha's founding, two of its three Hokage were Senju."
"You, the Third, were the direct disciple of the Second Hokage."
"And the Uchiha?"
"Before the village—blood enemies."
"After the village—barely restrained hostility."
"Tobirama Senju openly suppressed them."
"There was even armed rebellion brewing during his tenure."
"And the Daimyō's lineage is tied by marriage to the Senju."
"You expect me to believe they don't know this history?"
His tone sharpened.
"Ever since you took office, Hiruzen, the Daimyō has never fully trusted us."
"He maintains strict oversight."
"This move is obvious."
"He wants to elevate the Uchiha as a counterweight."
"To us."
Koharu and Homura both looked grim.
They understood the logic.
They simply had no countermeasure.
They couldn't very well assassinate the Daimyō.
That would make Konoha the enemy of the entire shinobi world.
Hiruzen inhaled deeply from his pipe.
"In my view," he said slowly, "the key is not the Daimyō."
"It is the Uchiha."
"The Daimyō distrusts us—but under the One Country, One Village system, he still depends on us."
"Fire Country's prosperity and status as the strongest nation require Konoha's protection."
"For twenty years, we have maintained a delicate balance."
"We do not break it."
"Nor does he."
He looked up.
"The only new variable… is the Uchiha."
"This time, they approached the Daimyō."
"He loses nothing by transferring funds that were already earmarked."
"They gain leverage."
"Negotiation power."
"A bargaining chip against us."
Even without concrete intelligence—
Hiruzen had reconstructed the situation with unnerving accuracy.
Homura's expression darkened.
"The Uchiha's intent is treasonous."
His eyes gleamed coldly.
To him, this was not politics.
This was theft.
The Finance Department had just lost a river of gold.
Thirty billion ryō in this allocation alone.
With modest manipulation, at least three billion could have been rerouted "legitimately."
Enough to secure influence for decades.
Now?
Gone.
And future allocations along with it.
Cutting someone's revenue stream was no different than killing their parents.
In that moment—
Homura harbored genuine killing intent toward the Uchiha.
And he was not the only one.
The game board had shifted.
Money.
Influence.
The Daimyō.
The Uchiha.
The coming Hokage election.
Everything was converging.
And none of it was coincidence.
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