Rebuilding Uchiha By Removing Fugaku

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At night, Asuma Sarutobi returned to his ancestral home in the clan's territory.

Originally, the Sarutobi family resided in the Hokage's exclusive residence behind the Hokage Building. Even when Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi was permitted to stay there due to the proximity needed for overseeing the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki.

However, after Minato's death and Toki's recent proposal for a separation of powers, Hiruzen had been evicted from the Hokage's exclusive residence and forced to move back to the clan's ancestral grounds.

Inside the house, Hiruzen was busy poring over a stack of documents when he noticed Asuma enter. Without looking up, he spoke curtly:

"You're back. Don't wander off anymore. It's almost time for you to take on a long-term mission. Learn from your elder brother."

At this time, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Asuma's elder brother, was still alive. Both Shinnosuke and his wife served as ANBU captains, acting as Hiruzen's trusted right-hand operatives.

Hiruzen's leniency toward Asuma stemmed from his focus on grooming Shinnosuke as his true heir. If not for Toki's interference, events would have followed their original path: Hiruzen would have resumed the role of Hokage, sparking dissatisfaction among the village's clans. In response, some clans would orchestrate Shinnosuke's and his wife's deaths to express their dissent, leaving Hiruzen no choice but to refocus his efforts on shaping Asuma into a capable successor.

But for now, Shinnosuke was still alive, and Asuma, having been raised under the idealized teachings of the Will of Fire, resented always being compared to his elder brother.

"Big brother this, big brother that! It's always about him!" Asuma muttered angrily before storming off into the study.

Hiruzen frowned at his youngest son's outburst. This kid is such a disappointment…

He sighed, his thoughts drifting back to his late wife, Biwako Sarutobi. If Biwako hadn't died, Asuma wouldn't be acting so rebellious.

But then his expression darkened. Who released the Nine-Tails that night?

The Nine-Tails' attack had upended everything. Hiruzen had been forced to relinquish his plans to manipulate Minato into consolidating control over the village's clans, eventually transitioning leadership to Shinnosuke. Now, those plans were in shambles.

"Damn Uchiha…" Hiruzen muttered under his breath as he turned his gaze to the documents on his desk.

At the top of the pile were reports that Uchiha Shisui had sent to the Land of Fire's daimyo, which included Nara Shikaku's battlefield achievements and records detailing Hokage policy.

"Uchiha Toki… Uchiha Shisui…" Hiruzen sneered. "Do you really think you can conceal the ANBU's information so easily?"

As he strategized about assembling a team to handle the situation, Asuma was already rifling through the materials in the study.

---

The study was filled with numerous documents and scrolls that had been relocated from the Hokage's exclusive residence. Among them were ninjutsu scrolls, chakra control notes, records of dark missions, and even the Book of Seals, containing techniques ranked B and above.

Unlike others who had to sneak in to access such treasures—like Orochimaru, Minato, or Kakashi—Asuma had unfettered access to the unedited versions.

As he sifted through the archives concerning the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, he initially found no mention of the Wood Release experiments Shiyu had spoken of.

"Was Lord Toki lying to me?" Asuma thought, feeling a mix of relief and doubt.

He hated being treated like a child by his father, but he didn't truly despise Hiruzen.

Just as he began to relax, a sealed folder slipped out from between the documents on Hashirama.

Heart pounding, Asuma opened the fire-sealed folder and found a stack of classified documents.

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Inside were records detailing the origins of the Wood Release experiments:

"Senju Hashirama was the only ninja capable of freely manipulating Wood Release."

"To prevent another Uchiha uprising, Konoha must control the Wood Release ninjutsu."

"Wood Release is confirmed to be a kekkei genkai of the Senju clan. Experimental subjects are needed for comparative analysis."

The notes went on to describe unsuccessful attempts to resurrect Hashirama's Wood Release, the failure of intercellular transplants, and the eventual sealing of the experiments.

But what shocked Asuma most were the records of missing villagers and children from surrounding areas. Names linked to Root, Danzo, and even Orochimaru appeared throughout the files.

Asuma's hands trembled as he read further.

Although the documents didn't explicitly implicate his father, they left no doubt that Hiruzen was fully aware of the experiments and had tacitly allowed them to continue for over a decade.

The weight of the revelations crushed Asuma's spirit.

What Toki said was true…

"Asuma! What are you doing?!"

The sudden, stern voice of Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped Asuma out of his thoughts.