Late night.
The moon's shadow fell, and flocks of crows took to the sky.
The Uchiha Clan's compound, however, remained brightly lit.
In an incredibly spacious tatami room, over twenty Jonin-level Uchiha Ninjas knelt, their expressions solemn and silent, their gazes firm and angry as they looked at the man opposite them.
The head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku, whose reputation within Konoha's upper echelons had recently soared.
At this moment,
Fugaku was equally expressionless. Before him on the tatami sat a teacup, but even as the hot water in the cup cooled, he did not speak, maintaining his silence.
A clan meeting, a Jonin-level meeting.
Seeing the clearly visible anger on the faces of those Uchiha Clan's members made it clear that the theme of this meeting was not something pleasant.
With Danzo's death, instead of restraining themselves, Konoha's higher-ups had intensified their surveillance of the Uchiha Clan. This feeling of distrust had greatly wounded the sentiments of the Uchiha Ninjas, even causing the originally weaker Hardliner Faction to gradually suppress the originally stronger Conciliation Faction.
That's right…
Ever since the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, took office and implemented a policy of high pressure against the Uchiha, two factions had formed within the Uchiha.
One faction advocated for reconciliation and exchange of interests with Konoha's leadership to secure a relatively relaxed living environment within the village. They were called the Conciliation Faction.
The Conciliation Faction had once become the mainstream within the Uchiha, because ever since Madara left, the Uchiha Clan had not produced a Ninja of the Kage-level.
Since their strongest combat power was inferior, accepting a subordinate position was understandable.
The other faction advocated using force to reclaim the glory and power that rightfully belonged to the Uchiha from Konoha's leadership. This was the Hardline Faction, whose influence was now clearly greater.
For a long time, the Conciliation Faction held the mainstream discourse, so the radical Hardline Faction was naturally suppressed and couldn't lift its head.
But this time, the situation between the Uchiha and Konoha had undergone a fundamental change.
The key to that change lay with the clan head, Fugaku.
"After that old dog Danzo died, the village's methods of monitoring us Uchiha have become even more brazen. The number of Anbu's observation posts around the Police Force's headquarters has increased more than fivefold. I suspect the Third Hokage, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and their group already harbor ill intentions."
"Faced with this situation, we must make the Third Hokage and the others understand the power of the Uchiha. A show of force would be a very effective method."
A Uchiha Jonin in his fifties initiated the topic. He clearly held a high position within the Hardline Faction, as many Uchiha Ninjas voiced their support as soon as he finished speaking.
"That's right, Fugaku-sama. Many clansmen have already stopped taking missions and are staying within the compound, waiting for your call to action!"
"It's time to show that arrogant Hokage Faction some color. Clearly, those people have forgotten that it was our Uchiha and the Senju who jointly founded this village, not some Sarutobi, Hyuga, or Shimura bugs and maggots!"
"Danzo is dead, the Root's elite forces were wiped out by Yuki Sora. This is a once-in-a-thousand-year opportunity for us!"
"What are you still hesitating for, Fugaku-sama? You are the strong one who repelled Yuki Sora! Facing that terrifying Susanoo, even the 'Strongest Hokage in History', Sarutobi Hiruzen, couldn't possibly be your match!!!!"
The radical Hardline Faction could no longer contain their emotions. They spoke freely, each face showing fervent passion, causing a powerful energy, like a volcano about to erupt, to unknowingly permeate the room wildly.
The entire gathering was boiling.
In fact, the vast majority of these Uchiha Ninjas present were originally from the Conciliation Faction. But under a certain fanatical expectation, they had rapidly become the core strength of the Hardline Faction.
'Repelled Yuki Sora...'
Even with his clansmen so fanatical, the expression on Fugaku's face still showed no change, because even he himself didn't know if the Ninja who had repelled Yuki Sora was actually him.
Theoretically speaking, the only people alive at the scene were him and Itachi. If it wasn't Itachi, then who else could it be but himself?
But if it really was him, then did he truly possess such powerful strength???
Fugaku's character had always been indecisive, especially now facing a topic as serious as a coup d'état, which could cost him his head. He was even more afraid to easily express his opinion.
Sometimes, silence is also a form of stance.
Just like the silent Fugaku now.
His posture, in the eyes of those fanatical Hardline Faction Uchiha, somehow took on a feeling of lofty and unattainable, as if everything was under control, a transcendent feeling.
'After all, he is the powerhouse who repelled the Fourth Mizukage!'
'If Yuki Sora could ascend to the Mizukage's position through a coup, then why can't our clan's head use the exact same method to become Konoha's Fourth Hokage?'
In the fanatical atmosphere, thoughts such as these arose simultaneously in the hearts of the Uchiha Ninjas present.
…
The same late night.
The same Konoha Village.
"I…"
"Who am I?"
In his sleep, Kakashi abruptly opened his eyes. But after the confusing dream ended, what awaited him was still the utterly dead silence of darkness.
"Obito, Rin, Namikaze Minato…"
The murmur in the darkness was laced with distinctly different emotions. Especially when the name Namikaze Minato was mentioned, Kakashi's expression visibly turned cold.
Turning over, tilting his head,
On the bedside table sat the group photo he once cherished most: the gentle Rin, the cheerful Obito, the aloof himself, and that one…
That face with its nauseatingly bright smile, Konoha's Yellow Flash.
These were once the bonds Kakashi held dearest in his heart.
But now, every time he saw that smiling face, unscathed like a little sun, he felt vomitous from the depths of his soul.
Hatred?
Resentment?
Regret?
Fear?
In short, it was a complex emotion mixed with too many feelings, so complex that every time Kakashi remembered, he lost the heart to sleep, only wanting to keep his eyes open, waiting for something, he didn't know what.
The room was dim, but the light and shadow twisted.
His perception, weakened by the sudden awakening, gradually recovered.
This finally allowed Kakashi to see the uninvited guest sitting on the chair by the bed, backlit by the moonlight.
A white haori, an extremely handsome face, an expression hovering between a smile and not, mixed with an indescribable, playful mockery.
"Kakashi…"
"We meet again."
A smile played on Sora's face, as if greeting an old friend in a friendly manner.
Behind him, outside the window, under the moonlight.
The stone carvings of the First, Second, and Third Hokage were clearly visible.
Sora had come.
He had finally arrived at Konoha proper.
…
Year 47 of Konoha Calendar.
December.
Year's end.
The war between Konoha and Kirigakure seemed to have entered a protracted stalemate phase. Especially after the Fourth Mizukage, Yuki Sora, took office.
Instead of madly provoking war as many predicted, he chose a relatively conservative strategy of recuperation and building strength.
Kirigakure's forces began to contract, merely consolidating the territory they had already gained, with no intention of occupying new territory in the Land of Fire.
This relatively conservative strategy, however, also plunged Konoha and Kumogakure into a prisoner's dilemma.
Because after Sora took office as the Fourth Mizukage, his whereabouts had remained relatively mysterious.
After some spies were eliminated, both Konoha and Kumogakure found it difficult to obtain accurate information on Sora's location.
This placed Konoha and Kumogakure in a state of hesitation, afraid to act.
Neither dared to easily engage Kirigakure in battle, fearing that this overly powerful Fourth Mizukage might suddenly descend upon their respective battlefields.
Sora's combat power was something the entire Ninja World dreaded, because Konoha had already proven with facts that to withstand Sora's power, one first needed three Kage-level fighters of Jinchuriki caliber, plus a meat shield corps of over two thousand people, to barely manage a back-and-forth fight.
Clearly,
Neither Konoha nor Kumogakure dared to lightly touch Sora's bottom line, lest they become the sucker taking the brunt of the damage.
Because of this,
Kumogakure chose to withdraw their forces from the naval battlefield, while Konoha even more so stayed put, pulling a large number of their Ninja Forces back to the vicinity of Konoha proper.
They called it concentrating forces to defend Konoha, but what their true intentions were probably only Hiruzen and the other higher-ups knew in their hearts.
In short,
After Sora became Mizukage, the Ninja World unexpectedly entered a period of rare peace, a quite uncommon situation.
The entire Ninja World exuded an atmosphere of harmony, but within Konoha Village, a murderous feeling of preparing for war was emanating from all directions.
The number of patrolling Ninjas on the streets was more than double the usual. Observant people could easily discover that the number of patrol Ninjas concentrated around the Uchiha Clan's compound was so large it was brazen.
One could often see several Konoha's Jonin leading teams of over a dozen Ninjas patrolling around the Uchiha Clan's compound. Such a powerful configuration was clearly guarding against something happening.
The Uchiha Clan, meanwhile, maintained a relatively restrained yet somehow dangerous silence.
All Uchiha Ninjas who had returned to Konoha were going about their daily lives, but from time to time, one could see their gazes towards those patrolling Ninjas becoming hostile.
In fact, some probing actions had already occurred.
News such as a certain member of the Uchiha Clan's Police Force having a verbal altercation, or even a conflict, with a certain someone from the Jonin Team or the Anbu continuously flew into the Hokage's office and the deep courtyards of the Uchiha Clan's compound.
Any Konoha's Ninja with sharp political sense could detect an ominous atmosphere. This was clearly Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha Clan locking horns, testing each other in a hidden contest of strength, trying to sound out each other's foundations.
'First Yuki Sora, now the Uchiha clan. It's truly a time of many troubles, how troublesome!!!'
In the Jonin Team's work office, Nara Shikaku looked at the intelligence before him, a very helpless expression on his face.
In his view, Konoha's seemingly calm situation was like an extremely dangerous powder keg. Just a single spark could ignite the entire thing, blowing anyone nearby to pieces.
Especially during the critical period of the Hokage succession struggle, if the powder keg called the Uchiha Clan exploded, he's afraid many, many people would die.
Even the Third Hokage might not be able to withstand such losses!!!
'Elder Danzo is dead, Orochimaru is missing and presumed dead, Kushina is stationed at the front lines guarding against Kirigakure's army... Currently, within the village, the Ninjas who can likely withstand Mangekyo-level combat power are only the Third Hokage, Minato, and Jiraiya, these three…'
Shikaku stared at the documents on his desk, his mind racing. The Nara Clan he represented prospered and declined with Konoha.
If the Uchiha Clan really had a major problem, the Nara Clan would also suffer a huge impact.
Moreover,
Regarding the candidate for the next Hokage, the opinions within the Nara Clan's Jonin were not unanimous. Some supported the prestigious Jiraiya, some supported the stronger and younger Minato, and naturally, some supported the Uchiha Clan's head, Fugaku, who had repelled Yuki Sora.
Because of the significant achievement of repelling the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, Fugaku had gained immense prestige within the Nara Clan, and even throughout Konoha's Ninja ranks.
Many believed that Fugaku, possessing strength rivaling the Fourth Mizukage, was a more suitable candidate for Hokage than Minato.
Among them,
Many great clans, led by the Hyuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, and Yamanaka, were building momentum behind the scenes, seemingly wanting to push Fugaku into the Hokage's position.
Simply put, as the war situation calmed, the time for the transition of the Hokage's position in Konoha had arrived.
This was also unavoidable. Hiruzen's decisions and performance during the Third Great Ninja War had simply been too absurd.
He had even allowed Iwagakure to push all the way to Konoha's doorstep at one point.
Such a political stain had reached a point where the Third Hokage had no choice but to pay the price.
The Fourth Hokage was on the verge of being announced.
And Konoha, as the strongest Ninja Village, urgently needed a powerful Hokage who could stand up to Kirigakure's Mizukage, Yuki Sora.
Namikaze Minato, or Uchiha Fugaku?
This was the dilemma in many Ninjas' hearts.
Everyone was waiting for the situation to become clear, while the Hokage Faction and the Clan Faction were engaged in a frantic contest of strength.
Konoha had never been a monolithic block.
Without a powerful Hokage, it was impossible to suppress those ambitious great clans.
All day long, Shikaku handled Konoha's internal affairs intelligence. He was, after all, a strategist-level existence and stood on Minato's side, so he naturally hoped the more familiar Minato could become Hokage.
Of course,
There was also great dispute within the Nara Clan. Several senior elders with deep seniority supported Fugaku, who came from a great clan. Not just the village, the Nara Clan was also gaming over the next Hokage candidate.
After a busy whole day, Shikaku finally dragged his tired body away from the Jonin Team's work base.
Stepping outside, a trace of red light suddenly shone upon him.
Shikaku was stunned. He looked up and discovered to his utter horror that the full moon in the sky had, at some point, turned a bloody crimson.
The bloody moonlight shone down, instantly causing Shikaku's gaze to become confused.