Gendo and his squad remained hidden among the rocks and trees, their breaths controlled, their chakra suppressed.
From their watching point, they watched as the Sand delegation approached the Mist formation.
At first, Gendo assumed it was a secret negotiation.
A border deal.
Or Information exchange.
But the sudden turn even caught him off guard—
He saw the Sand shinobi step away from their leader.
His eyes widened slightly.
Pakura.
Hero of the Hidden Sand.
Standing Alone.
"This…" Gendo muttered under his breath.
He watched in silence as the truth unfolded before him.
The Sand was not negotiating or making any deals.
They were offering their own hero.
For a brief moment, something cold settled in his chest.
I thought only Konoha was capable of such beastly things, he reflected grimly inside.
Betraying their own heroes.
He felt no satisfaction.
Only a quiet pity remained in Gendo's chest.
Not for a village weakness.
But for a strong individual… who did not fall in battle.
Who fell to betrayal from their own.
If this kind of thing is this common in every village… then how are we any different from the Warring States era? Gendo thought grimly.
"Senior Gendo… is that Scorch Style Pakura?" Pochita whispered, eyes fixed on the fallen woman.
"Yes."
Gendo stepped out from concealment.
The rest of the squad followed cautiously, seeing the mist and sand shinobis gone.
They approached her slowly.
Pakura lay on the ground.
Blood flowed from her arm, her shoulder, her face.
Three kunai were embedded deep in her back.
The sight made the younger Uchiha genin uneasy.
Even enemies did not deserve this kind of betrayal.
Gendo knelt beside her.
"What are you doing, Senior?" Pochita asked, kneeling beside him as Gendo checked her pulse.
"Trying to give her a proper burial," Gendo replied quietly.
Pochita lowered his gaze.
He understood.
Then—
"This—"
Pochita suddenly stepped back.
Pakura's eyelids twitched.
Her eyes opened slightly.
Gendo immediately became alert.
The other Uchiha straightened, hands near their weapons.
Pakura coughed.
Blood spilt from her lips.
"Cough… my own… village…" she struggled, her voice faint. "Doesn't even… cough… care about me…"
She coughed again, more blood staining her chin.
"And here… an enemy… gives me respect."
A faint, broken smile appeared.
"How confusing."
Gendo's expression softened slightly.
She was no longer a threat.
Just a dying shinobi.
He moved closer.
"Well," he said calmly, "I just witnessed someone receiving the same treatment as the Uchiha."
Pakura's eyes flickered toward him.
"The difference," Gendo continued quietly, "is that you were betrayed as an individual."
He took out a small water pouch.
"We are betrayed as a clan."
He brought the pouch to her lips as she tried to lift her arm.
She couldn't.
Her shoulder was torn open where a kunai had cut deep.
Gendo gently tilted the water toward her mouth.
She drank.
A small breath escaped her lips.
"Ah…"
For a moment, she looked less like a hero.
More like a human.
"If you think… cough… this kindness will make me reveal secrets…" she muttered weakly, "forget it."
She leaned back against the tree Gendo had helped her sit against.
"I'm not… important enough for secrets."
A bitter smile crossed her face.
"I'm only good… at finishing missions."
Pochita stared at her, then at the blood pooling on the ground.
"Well… whether you can reveal secrets or not doesn't really matter," he said bluntly.
"At this rate, the blood you're coughing up is enough to kill you within ten breaths."
He glanced at the dark stains on Gendo's hand.
Pakura let out a weak laugh.
"Haa… haa…"She coughed again, more blood spilling from her lips.
"So tell me," she whispered, eyes narrowing slightly at Pochita. "Is that… true?"
Some of her blood had splattered onto Pochita's sleeve.
She studied him.
"From the way you speak…" she murmured, "it sounds like your Uchiha are being backstabbed by your own village as well."
Her gaze shifted to Gendo.
"So the rumours… were true."
She had heard it before.
Konoha sacrifices the Uchiha because of their strength.
The powerful clans were always dangerous for any leadership.
Because control mattered more than the loyalty of the clans.
"Every village plays the same power game," Gendo replied quietly.
Pakura gave a faint nod.
"Yes… I suppose so."
She coughed again.
"I understand why I'm being sacrificed," she continued weakly.
"I could become… an obstacle for the new Kazekage."
Her face had grown pale.
Her breathing is shallow.
She looked at Gendo.
"Hey… Uchiha."
Her voice was softer now.
"Can you… bury me somewhere quiet?"
She swallowed painfully.
"At least… in death… I want peace."
For the first time, her eyes shimmered slightly.
Not fear.
Not regret.
Just exhaustion.
Gendo looked at her for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
"You will."
Pakura watched his expression carefully in shock.
"You Uchiha…" she whispered. "You really are strange people."
Her vision blurred slightly.
Pochita looked at her and felt something tighten in his chest.
Why do all strong shinobi end like this? he thought.
His hand slipped into his pouch.
When Gendo noticed, his expression shifted.
"Pochita."
Pochita met his gaze.
"Senior… she doesn't deserve this."
In his hand were two pills.
One healing pill.
One chakra recovery pill.
Restricted to Hawk members only.
Gendo exhaled slowly.
"You know you could be punished for this."
Pochita nodded.
"I know."
Gendo stared at him for a moment longer.
Then he gave a faint smile.
"Then let me do it."
Pakura watched them, confused.
She didn't understand what the young Uchiha had taken out —
only that something serious had passed between them.
Gendo looked at her calmly.
"If these pills save you," he said evenly, "then it will be because you still have the will to live."
He paused.
"Shinobi like you… or like us… don't deserve to die because of dirty power games."
He placed both pills into her mouth.
They dissolved quickly.
Pakura's eyes widened slightly.
Warmth spread through her abdomen.
Her exhausted chakra began to stir —
weak, but present.
The bleeding slowed.
Very slightly.
Inside, she was stunned.
What did they give me?
But she said nothing.
Instead, she focused.
Focused on breathing as she felt her chakra recovering.
Focused on surviving for now only.
Konoha Village
Hokage Building —Meeting Hall
The Uchiha Grand Elder's indirect accusation left the entire room quiet and uneasy.
The kind of silence that pressed down on everyone present.
Shikaku's brows drew together slightly.
What does this mean? He thought. Has the village still not sent resources to the Uchiha?
After all the chaos earlier, he had assumed the Hokage would at least move quickly to calm them.
Surely the village wouldn't be foolish enough to ignore the situation further.
This is bad.
He glanced toward the Hokage and the elders.
Their faces were dark.
Heavy.
Their expressions said more than words could.
Danzo, however, did not remain silent.
He stared at Grand Elder Setsuna and Toyoma, anger simmering beneath his calm exterior.
Every insult Toyoma had thrown at him replayed in his mind.
"Now you've started crying again," Danzo said coldly.
A faint smirk appeared on his lips.
"I have to admit, it's a clever method. The Uchiha create chaos in the village, then act like victims to gain sympathy."
His eyes narrowed.
"Playing oppressed… suits you."
His tone was dripping with disdain.
As he spoke, the Hokage slowly turned his gaze toward him.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop another degree.
"Well," Danzo said slowly, his eyes fixed on Toyoma, "indeed, the Uchiha at the border did not receive reinforcements or resources."
A faint murmur spread.
Danzo continued without hesitation.
"And the reason is simple."
His gaze hardened.
"Because you Uchiha here have been jumping around inside the village, creating chaos, questioning leadership, disrupting order inside the village."
He lifted his chin slightly.
"That increases the burden on Konoha and Us."
His voice turned colder.
"And yet you stand here blaming the village."
He stepped forward slightly.
"It is entirely your fault."
The words fell heavily.
Elder Kazuto's expression darkened instantly.
Grand Elder Setsuna's jaw tightened.
Their Sharingan activated at once, crimson patterns glowing sharply inside the council hall.
The air pressure shifted.
Danzo saw it.
And smiled.
"Oh?" he mocked lightly. "No arguments left now?"
He spread his arms slightly.
"So you'll settle it with fists?"
His smile widened.
"Go on. Strike me."
His voice rose just enough to carry across the hall.
"Show this entire village the barbaric nature you Uchiha try so hard to hide."
Several Uchiha jonin stood abruptly, anger radiating from them.
Chairs scraped.
The tension became suffocating.
The rest of the people watched in visible shock.
Danzo had never behaved like this before.
Not publicly.
Even Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu looked unsettled.
Danzo has never been insulted this openly, Hiruzen thought grimly.
He's lost control.
Yet Danzo's expression wasn't purely angry.
There was calculation in it.
A deliberate provocation.
Homura's fingers tightened slightly against the table.
This is dangerous, he thought.
If this escalates here, it will cause permanent damage.
He felt it clearly now.
Danzo was pushing.
Pushing for a reaction from Uchiha.
Pushing for the Uchiha to make the first physical move.
Because if they did—
The narrative would shift instantly.
And yet…
None of the elders intervened.
Because, despite his tone, Danzo's accusation was not entirely wrong.
The Uchiha had caused unrest.
And that uncomfortable truth hung in the air like poison.
Toyoma, who had been watching the entire exchange carefully, finally looked at the Grand Elder and Elder Kazuto.
"Let me handle this clown, Grandpa," he said calmly. "When you argue with shameless people… you have to be shameless yourself."
Danzo's rage.
His madness.
The provocation.
It was all deliberate.
Toyoma had seen through it the moment Danzo began smiling while being insulted.
He wasn't out of control.
The Grand Elder saw Toyoma step forward and slowly forced himself to calm down.
His Sharingan dimmed as he took his seat again.
Elder Kazuto followed.
Toyoma turned his gaze directly toward Danzo.
"He hasn't gone mad," Toyoma said loudly enough for the entire hall to hear. "He just wants to provoke the Uchiha. If we move first, the clans will question us again. The village will say —
see? They are unstable."
A ripple of surprise moved through the hall.
Many had truly believed Danzo had lost control.
Now doubt crept in.
Had it all been intentional?
The Third Hokage and the elders stiffened slightly.
This brat noticed? Hiruzen thought.
Homura's eyes narrowed subtly.
Koharu's fingers tightened around the scroll.
Danzo's expression flickered —
just for a second.
Toyoma didn't miss it.
Grand Elder Setsuna slowly exhaled.
"Huh…" he muttered under his breath. "So that was your play."
He looked at Toyoma with new clarity.
"And here I thought he had finally gathered the courage to challenge us openly."
Now he understood.
Danzo had never intended to fight.
He had intended to frame a fight inside the hall.
Because once that happened —
The narrative would be simple.
The Uchiha are dangerous.
The Uchiha are unstable.
The Uchiha cannot control themselves.
Toyoma smiled faintly.
"Nice attempt," he said casually, eyes still locked on Danzo.
"But next time, try something less obvious."
Toyoma tilted his head slightly.
"How about I give you an example?" he said, smiling at Danzo the same way Danzo had been smiling earlier.
"Listen carefully."
The hall grew tense again.
"You said we are crying," Toyoma continued. "Crying?"
He laughed once.
"Haha, rather than crying, I would say we are simply showing the village your group's ugly face."
His finger rose.
He pointed directly toward Danzo.
Then toward Hiruzen.
Gasps echoed across the hall.
"So that when one day a clan like the Aburame… or some mid-sized clan… slowly disappears," Toyoma continued coldly, "they won't just assume it was an accident."
His voice sharpened.
"They will ask themselves whether it was a conspiracy."
The word dropped heavily.
"A conspiracy for their jutsu. Their bloodline. Their resources."
He took a step forward.
"So that your little circle cannot easily strengthen your own clans. Breed more population from others' resources and tighten control over this village called Konoha."
The accusation was no longer indirect now.
Hiruzen's expression darkened visibly.
He opened his mouth, trying to stop the boy—
But Toyoma did not stop.
"And yes," Toyoma continued, voice rising slightly, "I want the entire village to question you."
He swept his arm toward the gathered clan heads.
"I want them to doubt."
"I want them to watch you."
"So when clans start disappearing in the future… they will remember this meeting."
His eyes returned to Danzo.
"You want other clans' resources? Their bloodlines? Their power?"
He laughed harshly.
"Get lost, dumbasses."
The word echoed.
Several jonin stiffened.
Tsunade's eyes widened slightly.
'This brat'
Homura's hand slammed lightly against the table.
"Toyoma—"
But Toyoma continued.
"Not while I'm alive."
His voice dropped now.
"You want to kill me, now?"
He spread his arms slightly.
"Go ahead."
"Who will you send?"
He glanced toward the Sannin.
"These puppet elders you dressed up and introduced today?"
His gaze locked briefly with Tsunade.
Then Jiraiya.
Then Orochimaru.
Silence.
Complete silence.
The hall had gone from tense—
Too explosive.
Danzo's eyes burned with anger at Toyoma Mock.
Hiruzen's patience had visibly snapped this time.
But the clan heads?
They were no longer simply observers now.
They were thinking about what Toyoma said.
"See this… is how you act."
Toyoma's voice was calm.
The hall had fallen into complete silence.
Even breathing felt loud.
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["Many of you said the chapters should be longer, so I made this one over 2,000+ words. Let me know if this length feels good to you."]