Akashō let out a faint smile and looked again at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After seeing Fugaku Uchiha, the old man's face had practically wrinkled into a knot.
"As expected of the evil Uchiha!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi cursed under his breath. The Hyūga clan was one thing, but I didn't provoke you—what are you doing butting in here? Wasn't it agreed that the two great clans would always oppose each other?
Could it really be like that "Breaking the Heavens of Shinobi" novel said—that Hyūga Hiashi and Fugaku Uchiha have some unspeakable connection?
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. Now's not the time for gossip.
He then raised his hand and waved forward.
"Nara Shikaku, take the Uchiha over to the other side."
However, several seconds passed with no response.
He turned his head in confusion, only to see Nara Shikaku lowering his head with his eyes closed, as if asleep and completely ignoring him.
This guy!?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's breath hitched. He looked at the other clan heads, but they all turned their heads away, avoiding his gaze and pretending they saw nothing.
Good. Very good. A bunch of fence-sitters!
Furious, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned back, glaring at Akashō. The Uchiha, the Hyūga, Danzō—and now even the small and medium clans had been pulled over. Impressive, really impressive. He wanted to see what tricks a mere kid could still pull off!
Akashō watched him with a faint smile, sneering inwardly.
After that idiotic move of trying to hand over the Hyūga clan head just because the Hidden Cloud Village demanded it, what right did Hiruzen Sarutobi have to expect the smaller clans to keep supporting him unconditionally? In their eyes, he had already lost the trust he once held. In ordinary times, they might still swallow their anger, but not now.
If you roughly divide the current power structure of the Hidden Leaf Village, from large to small it would be: civilian ninja, the Uchiha clan, the Hyūga clan, the ANBU, Root, and the many small and medium clans—six factions in total.
And now, Nara Shikaku had chosen to stand aside. The ANBU were being blocked by Root. The civilian ninja were being held back by the Hyūga clan—though weaker overall, they could still hold the line. In terms of raw strength, Akashō's side even had the newly joined Uchiha clan.
A complete victory.
Of course, that only applied to military strength. To achieve what Akashō wanted, the more important factor was political power—the will of the people.
And among that, the ninja forces only made up a small portion. What truly mattered was the support of the civilians.
That was exactly why Akashō had stirred up such a massive scene—to attract as many villagers as possible and change their way of thinking.
He overturned the chessboard, abandoning schemes in favor of an open strategy—forcing everything to unfold like a script, step by step, striking fast, precise, and directly at Hiruzen Sarutobi's weakness.
Nara Shikaku quietly opened a slit of his eye, looking at Akashō now standing at the very center of the Hidden Leaf Village, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
You really are something, Uzumaki Akashō. Even someone like me, who prides himself on being rational, finds this a bit exhilarating. Now your stage is fully set, the cast—main and supporting—are all in place. What comes next is the most crucial part: how you intend to write and perform your story.
Watching Akashō lift the head envoy of the Hidden Cloud Village with one hand, Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered inwardly.
You think winning over a group of ninja means you've already won?
How naïve. When it comes to public support, what matters most are the civilians.
As the Third Hokage, his leadership was deeply rooted in the hearts of the villagers. How could Akashō possibly shake that?
Besides, what he was doing now was sabotaging peace talks—how could that ever win civilian support?
Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't worried about what Akashō might do to the envoy. Even if he killed him, at worst they'd apologize during negotiations, hand over Uzumaki Akashō's head, and pay compensation—just like what had happened with the Hyūga clan before.
But once Uzumaki Akashō died, the only link between the Uchiha and Hyūga would be severed. They would never unite again. And as for Danzō… who knew what that man was thinking, actually helping an outsider oppose the Hokage.
Still, as long as that alliance collapsed, Nara Shikaku would definitely return to his side. And then everything would once again fall under his control.
Akashō glanced at the confident Hiruzen Sarutobi and sneered inwardly as well.
You really think you've already won?
Unfortunately, this time, I'll show you what it truly means to move people's hearts.
"Everyone of the Hidden Leaf Village, please quiet down!"
Akashō suddenly shouted, his chakra amplifying his voice so it carried far and wide. Those nearby felt their ears ring, and the murmuring crowd of civilians all turned to look at him.
"I'm sure many of you recognize me—after all, I'm famously known as a useless nobody."
"But now, I'd like to properly introduce myself once again."