"…What's going on?"
Not far outside the Naka Shrine, Uchiha Itachi stared at the clansmen filing out one after another.
He noticed that the first to leave were mostly shinobi of the Police Force—and not just anyone, but well-known Uchiha jōnin.
Then he saw Uchiha Izumi walk out, followed by many other Uchiha shinobi and civilians.
This unexpected development caused the killing intent brewing in his chest to stall for a moment.
His brows furrowed deeply.
In the end—
He even saw his father leading his mother and Sasuke out of the Naka Shrine. Perhaps it was only an illusion, but he felt as though his father had glanced this way.
"So it's over already?" Itachi murmured quietly.
He did not understand.
...
"Kakashi, look! They're all coming out."
Might Guy's sudden slap nearly knocked Kakashi out of the tree. Startled, Kakashi quickly grabbed the trunk to steady himself.
"…I'm not blind, you know."
With his drooping dead-fish eyes, Kakashi's face was full of exasperation.
He shifted his gaze toward Uchiha Fugaku.
"The clan head of the Uchiha… doesn't look to be in a very good mood."
Kakashi muttered under his breath: "Maybe the rumors from earlier today were right—his position as clan head might not be secure anymore. And that's troublesome, because the ones contending with him are the radicals in the Uchiha. None of those guys are the obedient type."
Just then, Kakashi saw another group emerge from the shrine, this time led by Uchiha Setsuna and the radicals.
He was startled to find that the elder's expression looked even uglier than Fugaku's.
Almost as if he had stepped in dog shit on his way out in the morning, then slipped, fell face-first, and ended up with a lump of it smeared on his face as well.
"He… didn't become the new Uchiha clan head?"
Kakashi blinked in surprise.
Then who had won?
Ten minutes later—
When Uchiha Itachi returned to the Hokage building, Homura's first instinct was to glance at his shoes and sleeves, searching for any trace of fresh blood.
Thankfully, there was none.
"Something unexpected happened at the scene."
Before Homura or Koharu could question him, Itachi lowered his head, face expressionless, and took the initiative: "I secretly followed a Uchiha civilian and used Sharingan genjutsu to force out the details."
He reported everything he had learned in full.
Homura let out half a sigh of relief.
Koharu's face darkened.
"Him again?!"
She suddenly felt that everywhere in Konoha, there was Uchiha Keizumi's shadow! Even though that brat was not currently in the village, so many of Konoha's affairs still revolved around him—and they were all major events.
Homura said, "Koharu, this is actually a good thing. It means the Uchiha clan is no longer just split in two—they're now three factions. The more factions within the Uchiha, the more stable they are, and the harder it will be for them to cause trouble."
"Fugaku's faction combined with Keizumi's faction balances out the radicals in the Uchiha well enough. They've realized their so-called coup plan isn't supported by everyone."
Homura's words—it was unclear whether he was speaking to Koharu or to Uchiha Itachi, who stood nearby.
Koharu frowned.
"The problem is… those who acknowledge Uchiha Keizumi won't lean toward Konoha the way Fugaku does, and certainly not toward us."
She paused, her voice dropping lower.
"In fact… their danger is even greater than that of the radicals! At least I can understand that the so-called radicals only want the Uchiha to have more influence. They still consider themselves part of Konoha."
"But Uchiha Keizumi is different! In that extremist brat's eyes, the concept of Konoha—or the village itself—doesn't even exist. Those who acknowledge him will most likely imitate his behavior."
"Do you realize how terrifying it is for the village if a whole group of Uchiha suddenly emerges who no longer recognize Konoha? That would become the greatest cancer festering inside the village!"
"Even more unpredictable than Orochimaru in his day!"
Her words left Homura deep in thought.
Itachi, head lowered, a faint gleam of strange light flickering in his eyes.
...
The next day, in the Capital of the Land of Fire—
Hiruzen froze upon receiving a sudden report.
"Keizumi is gone?!"
An Anbu ninja gave a formal report: "Since last night, there has been no trace of Uchiha Keizumi. Today, there's been no sign of his continued activity in the capital either. Mitarashi Anko, as well as that ninja cat, have also vanished."
The Anbu paused, then continued: "Our guess is that Uchiha Keizumi may have killed off every criminal he had his eyes on. After that, he must have felt there was no need to remain in the capital."
"Or, he may already be on his way back to Konoha. At his speed, he could be halfway there by now."
Hiruzen was left dazed.
Killed them all…
Of course!
These past few days, the capital had truly been turned into a river of blood at his hands.
And when Hiruzen had wanted to step in to stop it, the Daimyō's eldest son had hurriedly insisted that he must not interfere.
In the end, it felt as though Hiruzen, the Hokage of Konoha, had come all this way for nothing. Aside from attending the Daimyō's simple funeral, he had done nothing.
Just then—
The Daimyō's eldest son hurried over, flanked by several retainers.
"Hokage-sama." The young man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead before cautiously asking: "Last night, that Keizumi-sama came to me in the dead of night. He told me I was to become the new Daimyō of the Land of Fire. He also war… cough—he also warned me that if I ever committed evil, or tolerated evil being done, he would kill me."
"Then, he left. So… does this mean that Keizumi-sama intends to leave the capital? Otherwise, why would he come to me in the middle of the night to say such things?"
Hiruzen fell silent.
A single ninja—just a few words from him—had decided the next ruler of a great nation. And no one, not a single person, had any objection.
The Daimyō's eldest son, whom Keizumi had named as the next ruler, still carried himself with nervous caution.
Every gesture, every word, seemed as if he feared one wrong phrase would spell disaster.
Keizumi's behavior—
Was this still the conduct of a shinobi?
It was sheer defiance!
Utter rebellion against the natural order!
"…He has likely left," Hiruzen exhaled deeply and answered helplessly.
"Then… Hokage-sama," the Daimyō's eldest son swallowed hard, "am I truly to succeed as Daimyō of the Land of Fire?"
The question made every hair on Hiruzen's body stand on end.
He quickly replied: "Your Highness, the succession of the Daimyō is decided within the Daimyō's residence. Though I am the Hokage of Konoha, there is no hierarchy between me and the Daimyō. Some matters are not mine to interfere with—otherwise they will draw endless rumors."
The Daimyō's son froze.
"But that Keizumi-sama…"
"He is he, and I am me!" Hiruzen, sweating profusely, strained to distance himself.
"Perhaps Your Highness does not understand the nature of… my relationship with Keizumi. In any case, please do not mistake his will as my own."
He could not allow the rumors to spiral further out of control.
Unfortunately—
It was already too late.
...
"The Daimyō of the Land of Fire… slain in a conspiracy by the Hokage of Konoha? And in broad daylight, the one who killed him was a Konoha shinobi named Uchiha Keizumi?!"
The Capital of the Land of Earth.
The Daimyō of Earth wore a face of shock and horror as he hurriedly asked his retainers: "Is the report true? Did shinobi of Konoha truly turn on their own Daimyō?!"
His retainers quickly replied: "This is the information we have gathered so far."
The Daimyō of Earth drew in a deep breath.
Though their two nations had never been on friendly terms, hearing that another Daimyō had fallen at the hands of shinobi stirred in him a sense of shared dread—like the fox mourning the hare's death.
And along with it, an uneasy feeling crept into his heart.
"That man, Ōnoki of Iwagakure…"
He swallowed hard, his tone uncertain.
"He… he wouldn't harbor the same kind of ambition as Sarutobi Hiruzen of Konoha, would he?"
His retainer was momentarily speechless.
In the past, he could have sworn confidently: "Of course, Iwagakure is absolutely loyal to you, my Daimyō-sama."
But now—
With the precedent set by the Land of Fire, he truly could no longer say.
…
Iwagakure.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen…" Ōnoki's aged face shifted between gloom and fury.
"Never did I think that monkey would go mad to such an extent. He's broken rules that should never be broken. Actions like this will absolutely plunge the shinobi world into chaos!"
Ōnoki didn't need to think to know—the current Daimyō of the Land of Earth would now surely begin to fear Iwagakure.
In fact—
Many Daimyō across countless nations would, from this incident, begin to fear the shinobi villages within their own borders.
Fear that they might share the same fate as the Daimyō of the Land of Fire.
"Hiruzen has opened a Pandora's box."
Ōnoki let out a sigh.
"I truly underestimated him."
...
Kumogakure.
"Uchiha Keizumi…"
Now the Fourth Raikage, A, a shadow of violent irritation flickered in his eyes. He gave a low snort.
"What a familiar name. The Uchiha brat with dual Kekkei Genkai… that nearly indestructible Lava Release. Truly unforgettable!"
A carefully studied the intelligence in his hand, his expression hardening.
"Hmph. I'd long felt that brat wasn't normal. And now it's clear my first impression wasn't wrong. To kill even a Daimyō who rules a nation—that brat is truly insane…"
He rose slowly to his feet and tossed the scroll to a Kumogakure shinobi.
"Take this to Bee. The brat who almost melted off one of his arms back then has reappeared in our sight once more."
A paused, then continued grimly: "And this time, he appears before us in a posture that pits him against the entire world!"
He could already see it clearly: with such actions, Uchiha Keizumi would be something the entire shinobi world could never tolerate.
As long as the Daimyō and the nobles valued their own lives, they would do whatever it took to eliminate the one who had shattered the order.
"Yes, Raikage-sama!"
Evening.
At the gates of Konoha.
Seven-year-old Nara Shikamaru, eyes dull and lifeless, looked helplessly at Akimichi Chōji beside him.
"Stop eating already and hurry up—let's finish sweeping the gate. Who would've thought my very first time ditching class, Iruka-sensei would catch me. Now we're stuck cleaning Konoha's gate as punishment… what a drag. When I get home, my old man's going to laugh himself to death…"
Chōji munched on his chips and said between bites, "There's still plenty of time, let me finish first… huh? Shikamaru, why are your eyes suddenly so wide?"
Chōji suddenly noticed Shikamaru's face wasn't right—shocked, pale, as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
"You… behind you…"
Cold sweat poured down Shikamaru's face.
"Uchiha Keizumi!"
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