Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou

Credits: YrageJustaGame

"Elder Chiyo!"

At this moment, Rasa opened his mouth hoarsely. The pain emanating from his abdomen silenced him. He had lost this battle, and no matter how much he argued, others would only think he was making excuses.

Seeing Rasa in such a state, Elder Chiyo's initially grim expression softened slightly. However, her temper still flared as she scoffed coldly:

"Hmph, the Konoha ninjas are truly despicable. On the battlefield in the Land of Rain, your combat effectiveness was greatly reduced, and it just so happened that you encountered Konoha's genius ninja. Do you think this was a coincidence?"

Hearing Elder Chiyo's analysis, Rasa suddenly seemed to realize something, and his expression immediately turned to shock.

"Elder Chiyo, are you saying…"

"That's right!" Elder Chiyo nodded coldly.

"The information leaked is likely not just about you. Perhaps from the very beginning, the moment you infiltrated, you had already fallen into the sight of that scheming 'Slug Woman.' She then formulated a detailed strategy to ensure this youngest Konoha genius could make a name for himself."

At this point, Elder Chiyo seemed to connect all the dots, her anger causing her to gnash her teeth.

"That 'Slug Woman' Tsunade truly spared no expense. To promote her little lover, she specifically orchestrated this battle for fame. Otherwise, how could an ordinary iron mine attract so many elite ninjas from Konoha?"

At this moment, everything in Elder Chiyo's mind finally connected, forming a complete picture. After all, she couldn't have imagined that a seemingly ordinary iron mine would contain chakra metal.

Tsunade had planned everything for her young lover, and of course, to demoralize the Sand Shinobi. But this, Chiyo refused to admit—it was all for Tsunade's selfish reasons!

"And just before I arrived, I received an interesting piece of intel. Rasa, I'll need your cooperation."

Elder Chiyo pulled out a green scroll from her ninja pouch. Rasa opened the scroll and, upon reading the contents, his expression turned grim.

"Elder Chiyo, this appears to be about an internal traitor in the Land of Fire, not a spy!"

Every nation and village trains spies, but there are always those who, for various reasons, betray their village.

"A traitor!?"

Hearing Rasa's words, Elder Chiyo let out a disdainful scoff.

"This traitor's rank isn't low at all. They even know about the discord between the Senju Clan and the Third Hokage within Konoha, as well as the alliance between the Uchiha and the Senju. They've revealed everything, down to the last detail."

"Don't you think this traitor's methods resemble those of certain rats scurrying in the darkness?"

Rasa's mind suddenly clicked, and he blurted out, "Elder, are you saying… Konoha's ROOT?"

In that instant, all the pieces of information connected.

The intel revealed that after the incident with the First Hokage's grandson, Nawaki, discord arose between the Senju Clan and Konoha's upper echelons. Following that, the Uchiha and Senju formed an alliance.

Chiyo, well aware of the dirty political struggles within villages, immediately recognized this as ROOT's doing—an attempt to manipulate them to achieve their goals.

"Who else but that sinister Danzo Shimura would employ such tactics?"

Although Rasa was an elite Jonin, his knowledge of Konoha's internal affairs was limited. He frowned and asked:

"Elder Chiyo, if this is the work of Danzo, what is his intention? To inform us of Konoha's internal divisions? To cause our frontlines to fail?"

Rasa was filled with confusion. There were far too many suspicious elements in this situation.

However, Elder Chiyo laughed. "Rasa, you know too little about Danzo Shimura. This man isn't as simple as you think."

"Danzo Shimura has always harbored ambitions of becoming Hokage. Over the years, he's made countless efforts towards this goal. As for leaking this information, it's only a matter of time before such things are uncovered by those paying attention."

"Moreover, Konoha's internal divisions, exacerbated by the war, have already found an outlet in their enemies. Even if we, their adversaries, know about these divisions, what can we do?"

Elder Chiyo remained cautious. Danzo Shimura truly was like a rat lurking in the sewers.

"To weaken the Senju-Uchiha alliance? To further solidify the Third Hokage Sarutobi's position? Or perhaps to deliberately hold back when facing the Senju and Uchiha? This is war, not child's play! If holding back isn't an option, then all we can do is help the Slug Woman bolster her fame. Danzo remains as conniving as ever!"

This plot left them no choice but to play along—by elevating Tsunade's status and the Uchiha's reputation, they could sow seeds of division within Konoha in the long run.

"Elder Chiyo, are you saying!?"

After hearing Elder Chiyo's explanation of Danzo's ambitions, Rasa seemed to grasp her intent. Elder Chiyo nodded calmly.

"That's why I said I need your cooperation, Rasa. Since Danzo wants to use external forces, we might as well play along—and even add fuel to the fire!"

"Spread this intel to other villages. At the same time, on the battlefield, have our ninjas spread the word about the strength of Tsunade and the Uchiha. We can even issue an order: if any of our ninjas encounter the Sharingan in one-on-one combat, they are to retreat. In two-on-one situations, they should resort to ambush tactics."

"As for this youngest Konoha genius ninja, we'll build him up as the most talented young shinobi in the world."

Elder Chiyo grinned. After all, the Sharingan was notoriously overpowered. Many elite shinobi from other villages had foolishly fought against it head-on, resulting in heavy losses. Sand had already planned to issue an order about avoiding direct combat with the Sharingan, and now they had a perfect excuse.

"I understand, Elder Chiyo. I'll personally declare the strength of this young Uchiha Jonin to the outside world."

Rasa nodded solemnly, earning a rare look of approval from Elder Chiyo.

"Rasa, use your prestige to pave the way for this brat. I know you're unwilling, but this is the reality of war between nations."

Elder Chiyo's words were meant to console him, but Rasa firmly shook his head.

"Elder Chiyo, I understand that everything we're doing is for the Land of Wind. And this time, I truly lost. A ninja's battles are never fair."

Seeing Rasa's willingness to prioritize the greater good, Elder Chiyo smiled in satisfaction.

"Don't worry. Publicly declaring the Uchiha's strength is a good thing. After all, Konoha's enemies on the battlefield aren't just us Sand Shinobi."

At this point, Elder Chiyo's smile widened. She could already imagine Hanzo, the leader of the Land of Rain, becoming alarmed—along with the old warlords of the Land of Earth.

...

On the battlefield in the Land of Rain, Sand Shinobi publicly declared the strength of the Uchiha's Sharingan and issued an order: if any Sand ninja encountered the Sharingan, they were to retreat one-on-one and ambush in two-on-one scenarios.

The Sharingan's reputation soared once again across the shinobi world. At the same time, Konoha's youngest Jonin, Uchiha Shirou, made a name for himself by defeating the elite Sand Jonin, Rasa.

Afterward, even Rasa himself publicly acknowledged the power of the Sharingan.

Upon hearing this news, Shirou, stationed in the Land of Rain, couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"Damn that old hag Chiyo—what a cunning move."

This intel had, of course, been leaked by Shirou himself. The Konoha Police Force captured countless spies every year, and he knew exactly which channels were used to pass information to the Sand Village.

He had hoped to use external forces to further solidify the Senju-Uchiha alliance. While his plan had succeeded, it had also unintentionally placed him in the spotlight.

As for leaking this intel, Shirou, familiar with the ROOT's underhanded methods, felt no guilt whatsoever.

Konoha was firmly under the control of the Third Hokage and his inner circle. With no room for reconciliation between the Uchiha and the higher-ups, Shirou believed that only by destabilizing the village could the Uchiha seize an opportunity.

PS: Politics hurts my head.