"Are you really staying behind? Didn't you say you wanted to distance yourself from the village?"
Andrew's voice broke the silence between him and Tsunade. Her eyes had been lingering on the partially abandoned Uchiha compound—once vibrant, now hushed.
The Uchiha's departure from Konoha had been a carefully orchestrated operation. Silent. Efficient. Untraceable. Konoha's surveillance had weakened after Danzo's fall, and with the chaos wrought by Orochimaru and then the masked man—Obito—the village's attention was scattered.
Most of Uchiha's civilians had already relocated. What remained was a skeleton crew: Fugaku, Andrew, Uchiha Raimon, and Uchiha Inabi, overseeing final affairs. Even the clan's elders had moved to the harbor settlement, far from Konoha's walls.
Tsunade inhaled slowly. "I don't like what's become of the village, but… that resentment is reserved for the leadership—not the people who live here."
Her gaze hardened. "They still call this place home."
Andrew folded his arms, his eyes softening briefly.
"Tsunade-sama, your compassion is why we respect you. But let me give you some friendly advice…"
He leaned closer, lowering his voice with a slight smirk.
"You still faint at the sight of blood, don't you? Konoha doesn't need a shaky medic right now. It needs warriors. And we can't afford to lose our chief medical advisor due to emotional recklessness."
He added casually, "And don't forget—Uchiha has you under contract. If you break it, we'll have to charge liquidated damages."
Tsunade's glare turned amused. "You bastard… are you actually worried about me?"
Andrew shrugged.
"You already know the answer. Uchiha isn't cold-blooded. We're emotional—deeply so. That's our curse… and our strength. Every Uchiha who's worked under your guidance worries about your safety. They just don't say it out loud."
Tsunade paused, her heart briefly stirred. During her time with the clan, she had grown close to many of its members. Their ancient grudge with Senju had long faded. The village had been their mutual dream once—Senju and Uchiha standing side by side.
Now… that dream lay in ruins.
"Thanks for the concern," she murmured. "So, when are you leaving?"
Andrew tilted his head. "Who said I was leaving? This place is still part of Konoha on paper. Someone has to stay behind and handle clan affairs. We're calling it the 'Uchiha Liaison Office.'"
He smirked.
"In name, we remain Konoha's shinobi. We're just… operating remotely."
A calculated move. By leaving a visible presence in the village, Uchiha could avoid accusations of betrayal. And technically, there was no law that said a shinobi clan had to live inside the village proper. As long as they remained in the Land of Fire and didn't pledge allegiance to another village, they weren't breaking any rule.
Tsunade exhaled. "You're a slippery fox. Hiruzen-sensei will be tearing out what little hair he has left when he finds out."
She wasn't wrong. Konoha needed every fighter it had, and Uchiha's relocation was a blow to its defenses. Even with a few left behind, Andrew had made it clear:
"Whatever happens next, Uchiha's hands are clean."
That kind of political neutrality—in wartime—was practically a declaration.
And the Third Hokage knew it.
But what could he do?
If Hiruzen antagonized Andrew now, Konoha might find itself not only isolated—but facing an enemy from within. After witnessing Andrew's clash with the masked man on Sixth Street, no one in their right mind wanted to provoke him.
"They say you killed civilians that day," Tsunade muttered.
Andrew's gaze sharpened.
"Casualties of crossfire. Collateral, not target. Uchiha doesn't strike first… but we don't hesitate to defend ourselves."
He turned his back to her, looking out over the village skyline.
"They blamed us for the Nine-Tails. They spat on us in the streets. But when war knocks on their door, suddenly we're their protectors again."
He scoffed.
"Hiruzen's little announcement was quite the performance, wasn't it?"
After the most recent invasion scare, the Hokage's office had issued a village-wide declaration:
Danzo's crimes were exposed
Orochimaru's actions condemned
Obito's infiltration revealed
Uchiha's innocence in the Nine-Tails incident formally recognized
A formal apology was issued to the clan.
But Andrew saw through it.
"If they didn't need us, do you think we'd get that apology? Of course not. This isn't about guilt—it's about survival. They want us to come running when they whistle. Well… we're not lapdogs."
Tsunade didn't argue. She couldn't.
She had read the mood of the villagers after the announcement. Most of them weren't moved by the apology. They were too busy worrying about the rumors of war. To them, Uchiha's innocence wasn't urgent—it was a footnote.
"To the people," Andrew said bitterly, "our suffering is background noise. They'll apologize now, then shun us again once the danger passes."
He stepped away from the railing and turned back to her.
"Let them clean up their own mess this time. We'll be watching—from a distance."
Before Tsunade could respond, a sudden explosion rocked the village.
"BOOM!"
A pillar of smoke erupted from the center of Konoha. Shockwaves rippled outward, triggering alarms from nearby posts.
The peace that had settled after Danzo's jailbreak and Obito's assault had finally shattered.
Tsunade's eyes widened.
"That came from the central district—near the Hokage Tower!"
Andrew's Sharingan snapped open. "So it begins…"
Across the village, shinobi scrambled into formation. Emergency sirens howled, ANBU squads disappeared into the rooftops, and medics began preparing triage centers.
Konoha's fragile calm had officially ended.
In the Land of Rain, far below the earth where the Gedo Statue loomed like a specter, Nagato stood in still contemplation.
The Akatsuki meeting was underway. Obito had not arrived.
But the air was charged.
"Wood Style has surfaced," Nagato murmured to Konan. "The great nations will not sit idle. Their spies are already on the move."
Konan's eyes narrowed. "Will Konoha be their first target? Or Danzo?"
Nagato's voice was cold.
"They'll come for both. But first, they'll watch each other. Wait for one to move. Then the blood will flow."
Back in Konoha, as the smoke began to settle, villagers screamed and ran for cover. Chuunin squads formed defensive barriers, while Jonin sprinted toward the epicenter.
Tsunade turned to Andrew.
"I have to help."
He nodded once.
"Then go. But be careful. If this is what I think it is, it's only the beginning."
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