The other reason Hiruzen Sarutobi was so furious was that this rumor directly implicated him.
In his heart, Hiruzen cursed up a storm.
According to them, no matter what happens, I'm the one who wronged Kagami?
Either I stole Kagami's credit for being the first to volunteer as a decoy and pinned the glory on myself...
Or I'm a hypocritical liar who stole the position of Hokage that rightfully belonged to Kagami?
Complete and utter horseshit!
I was the first to volunteer. Me!
And Tobirama-sensei designated me as the Hokage. Me!
Everyone knows this!
Which shameless bastard fabricated this lie?
It took Hiruzen quite a while to calm down.
He looked down at the ANBU operative still kneeling on the floor.
"What about Uchiha Sangaku?"
"Reporting to Lord Hokage. Sangaku did not believe the rumors. He ordered Fugaku to contain the spread within the clan; otherwise, the situation could have been much worse."
Hearing this, Hiruzen's expression softened slightly.
"At least Sangaku and Fugaku have some brains. By the way, the troublemakers are just those few Uchiha, right? No one else?"
The ANBU shook his head.
"No one else."
Hiruzen thought for a moment.
"Then leave them be for now. If the rumors don't spread further, they won't cause more damage. As for those individuals... we'll deal with them after the war is over."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Just then.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
A heavy knocking sound came from the door.
Hiruzen signaled the ANBU to leave. Once the operative was gone, he called out.
"Who is it?"
"Hiruzen, it's me!"
"Come in."
A figure radiating a gloomy aura walked in.
He marched straight to Hiruzen's desk and looked down at the Hokage.
"Hiruzen, how do you intend to handle those Uchiha?"
"At such a critical moment for Konoha, ignoring village orders and missions because of a mere rumor? Such behavior must be punished severely. Otherwise, everyone will follow suit."
"Leave it to me. I'll handle them."
Hiruzen glanced at Danzo and spoke calmly.
"I have already made my decision. There is no need for you to worry about it, Danzo."
Danzo frowned.
"Are you going to let them off? People like that need immediate, severe punishment to serve as a warning. The Uchiha... not a single one of them is any good."
"Your indecisiveness is coddling them!"
Hiruzen shot Danzo a sharp look.
"I said I've decided. We are at a critical juncture in the war against the Hidden Stone. Under Sangaku's control, the situation won't escalate further."
"That is enough."
"Do you really think intensifying the conflict and blowing this up now is wise? If it affects the front lines, can you take responsibility? I will deal with them after the war."
Danzo wasn't satisfied.
"Coddling them like this is exactly what will affect the front lines! If everyone ignores discipline like they do, how are we supposed to fight this war? If you're afraid, give them to me."
"I will take responsibility!"
Hiruzen's voice turned cold.
"Danzo, I said I have decided!"
"But—"
"Enough! I am the Hokage!"
Danzo fell silent for a long moment, then settled for a compromise.
"Since you insist, Hiruzen... I will investigate the source of these rumors. Cutting off the source will help salvage the situation and serve as a deterrent to the Uchiha."
Hiruzen waved his hand dismissively.
"Go ahead. If you catch the rumor-monger, bring them back alive. Let the Yamanaka clan interrogate them."
Danzo nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave the office.
Hiruzen watched Danzo's retreating back and shook his head.
---
[Forged Suicide Note (Hidden Cloud Genin Edition)]
—Allows you to fabricate a single line of a suicide note. Upon use, the note will complete itself and appear randomly as the last testament of a deceased Cloud Genin.
Rasa's expression turned intriguing.
"If used correctly, this could be very effective."
A knock came at the door.
Rasa sat back behind his desk, casually tossing the ounce of gold into a drawer.
"Come in."
Ebizo pushed the door open and entered.
"Lord Kazekage."
"Ebizo, what's the situation?"
Ebizo reported, "Lord Kazekage, regarding the rumors about Kagami Uchiha... a portion of the Uchiha clan has indeed started to believe them. They are raising questions about the events of the past."
"Furthermore, over a dozen Uchiha have gone on strike to express their dissatisfaction."
" However, Uchiha Sangaku has managed to suppress the rumors internally. The impact hasn't spread beyond those dozen or so individuals."
"Konoha hasn't taken any action against the strikers yet."
"The situation has been contained."
Rasa wasn't surprised.
This was only the first step. Getting this much of a reaction was already a good start.
"Then let's proceed to the next step."
"Yes, Lord Kazekage."
Step two had two parts.
First: Spread the rumor to the Hidden Stone ninja.
Rasa could picture it now.
Given the Uchiha's pride, if a Stone ninja mocked them with these rumors right to their faces in the middle of a battle... the effect would be explosive.
Second: Manufacture scenarios where Uchiha members are betrayed by other Konoha ninja.
But ensure the betrayed Uchiha survive.
Knowing the Uchiha personality, a survivor of such a betrayal would never let it go.
They would cause a scene.
And that was exactly what Rasa wanted.
If the Uchiha caused enough trouble, Konoha would have to divert energy to deal with it. They wouldn't have the spare manpower to station troops on the Wind border or plot against the Sand.
The crisis facing the Sand Village would be alleviated, bit by bit.
"Aside from that, there is also this."
Rasa focused his thoughts.
Suddenly.
A slightly yellowed piece of paper appeared in front of him.
[Forged Suicide Note (Hidden Cloud Genin Edition)]
Rasa put pen to paper.
—I saw with my own eyes that Tobirama Senju and Hiruzen Sarutobi abandoned Kagami Uchiha.
As Rasa finished writing the sentence, the yellowed paper slowly turned transparent and vanished.
"Let's see if Uchiha Sangaku can control this."
Uchiha Sangaku might be the Clan Head.
But not everyone in the Uchiha clan listened to their leader.
For example:
Uchiha Setsuna secretly incited clansmen to rebel against Tobirama behind the Clan Head's back.
Shisui Uchiha planned to use Kotoamatsukami to mind-control his own Clan Head, Fugaku.
Itachi Uchiha slaughtered the entire clan single-handedly, sparing only Sasuke.
The Uchiha were... volatile.