On the other side.
Leaving the Hokage's office, Nara Shikaku's eyes were very obscure. Only after he walked to a place where no one was around did he suddenly split a shadow clone to head towards the clan grounds, while he himself returned to his office openly.
Ten minutes later.
Nara Shikaku's shadow clone, having returned to the clan grounds, immediately sent someone to invite Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza.
Ever since Namikaze Minato passed away and Sarutobi Hiruzen took office, the two of them had basically been idle at home. Only Nara Shikaku's brain was somewhat useful, so he barely managed to get a nominal title of advisor, owning a useless office in the Hokage Building.
Not long after.
After Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza came in and sat down, Nara Shikaku personally started making tea for the two.
"Today isn't a holiday, is it?"
"Shikaku, why aren't you working, and still in the mood to drink tea at home?"
"Could it be—your advisor position was also revoked?"
Yamanaka Inoichi spoke quickly.
His face turned quite ugly at this moment because all the positions of Ino-Shika-Cho had been revoked, and it was already difficult to protect the various industries within the clan. Now, the three families could barely muddle along in Konoha, basically relying on Nara Shikaku's advisor reputation to hold on.
If Nara Shikaku's advisor status was revoked, could their family industries still be preserved?
How would the clansmen survive in the future?
In response to this.
Nara Shikaku shook his head, a faint smile on his face.
"Don't worry, you two."
"My advisor position has not been revoked. I am just a shadow clone right now."
Almost in an instant.
Hearing these words, although the worry in their hearts decreased sharply, their faces became even more solemn.
For Nara Shikaku to urgently use a shadow clone to contact them even while working, one could imagine how serious the matter was.
"Shikaku, what happened?" Yamanaka Inoichi asked quickly.
Nara Shikaku didn't hide anything either. After a sigh, he said slowly: "Uchiha Jin survived Danzo's ambush. This morning, Kakashi resigned from the Anbu position, and the key is that the resignation letter was submitted by the Uchiha."
Hiss!
With Nara Shikaku's words, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza instantly couldn't help but gasp.
On one hand.
Uchiha Jin's strength exceeded their imagination!
But more importantly—Kakashi!
You have to know that his identity is not ordinary. Although he seems to be alone, in fact, there are two forces supporting him behind the scenes.
The first force, Hatake Sakumo!
As the person with the highest voice for the Fourth Hokage back then, he successively served as the Head of the Intelligence Division, Jonin Commander, and Anbu Commander, and even served as the frontline commander for a short time.
Back then, he had many supporters and wore the Hokage's half-sleeve...
This was also the reason why Sarutobi Hiruzen was so wary of Hatake Sakumo back then, and didn't hesitate to use dirty tricks to kill him.
Although Hatake Sakumo's era is too long ago now, there is actually still such a group of people. Perhaps they are not very conspicuous on ordinary days, but they will definitely help if Kakashi encounters problems.
Of course.
This force, due to the passage of time, might not amount to much.
But, similarly.
There is a second force on Kakashi, which is the supporters of Namikaze Minato back then.
As the only surviving disciple of Namikaze Minato, before Uzumaki Naruto grows up, he is innately qualified to gather Namikaze Minato's forces. This is also the reason why Kakashi could become the Sixth Hokage in the original story.
Even the current clan heads of their Ino-Shika-Cho can be regarded as Namikaze Minato's faction; otherwise, after Sarutobi Hiruzen regained power, he wouldn't have suppressed their three clans.
The earring oath between Ino-Shika-Cho and Sarutobi back then had completely become more formal than real as early as when they chose to support Namikaze Minato.
But, no choice!
Who would have thought that such a dazzling and young Namikaze Minato would die so early?
So.
These two forces have been invisible over the years, only choosing to lie low temporarily because Kakashi himself was decadent.
So, what about now?
"Inoichi, Choza, we can't continue to wait."
"According to our previous plan, let the clansmen take action immediately."
"And—double it!"
"Our Ino-Shika-Cho will each separate half of our clansmen, let them carry half of the family resources, and go to defect to the Uchiha immediately."
Nara Shikaku's tone was serious.
In response to this.
Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza pondered for a moment, and finally nodded heavily.
There was no helping it!
Uchiha Jin had already proven himself. If they didn't invest as soon as possible, in the future, if Uchiha Jin really won, would there still be a place for their Ino-Shika-Cho in the future Konoha?
"Okay, understood."
"Actually, the personnel and materials have been prepared long ago. I'll go back and give instructions later."
Akimichi Choza spoke first.
In terms of judgment involving the future of Ino-Shika-Cho, he considered himself not smart enough, so he naturally listened to the Nara family's instructions completely.
On the contrary, Yamanaka Inoichi couldn't help but say: "Wait, Shikaku."
"Uchiha Jin is not so easy to fool. Just sending half of the clansmen over, are you sure Ino-Shika-Cho will have a future?"
"Anyway, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others are no good, and Jiraiya and Tsunade are unreliable. Why don't we just gamble once directly?"
In response to this.
Hearing these words, Nara Shikaku was stunned.
Even though he was just a shadow clone, his thinking mode was no different from the original body, so he immediately thought carefully.
However, a moment later.
He still shook his head, his tone very certain.
"No, let's stick to the original plan."
"As the saying goes, plans can't keep up with changes. Didn't we just suffer a loss with Minato?"
"At that time, who would have thought that the young and powerful Minato would die suddenly less than a year after becoming Hokage?"
"So—let's be steady!"
"Our first goal is survival. Only after ensuring survival are we qualified to talk about development."
"Even if Uchiha Jin truly sits in the position of Kage, sooner or later, the myriad of things in the village will need our Ino-Shika-Cho to help. That will be the time for our Ino-Shika-Cho to truly exert force."
"At this stage, let's be steady."
"Who knows if the seemingly strong Uchiha Jin will suddenly crash? So although betting on both sides will damage our reputation, it can also maximize the inheritance of the family."
"Although Sarutobi Hiruzen seems decadent here, he holds the hearts of the villagers after all, and there are Tsunade and Jiraiya outside."
"Victory or defeat—is still unknown!"
Nara Shikaku's tone was solemn.
Hearing these words, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza couldn't help but think of that little sun—Namikaze Minato!
Finally.
They nodded solemnly.
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