"Old man, shouldn't you take a long, hard look at yourself?" Tsunade's voice sliced through the tense air of the Hokage's office. "Just look at what's happened to Konoha recently. As the Hokage, don't you feel even a shred of guilt?"
Her tone was sharp, but it wasn't filled with hostility—more exhaustion than anger. She knew all too well that blaming the Third Hokage directly wouldn't change anything. He would just offer the same worn-out excuse:
"It was all for the good of the village."
Across the room, Andrew—once known as Uchiha Mingfeng—picked up a scroll that had been left on the table. His eyes scanned it briefly, his expression curling into a smirk. He didn't say a word, but his silence spoke volumes.
In truth, this crisis didn't begin with the current conflict. The roots traced back to the Second Hokage's policies—specifically, his attempts to empower civilian ninjas and reduce the influence of the traditional clans. On paper, the idea was progressive. In practice, it had become twisted under the Third Hokage's leadership.
When the village was founded, many small and mid-tier ninja clans migrated to Konoha. They weren't as dominant as the Senju, Uchiha, or Hyuga, but they were still respected shinobi bloodlines.
However, once Hiruzen Sarutobi took the mantle of Hokage, he implemented Tobirama's civilian-favoring ideals with excessive zeal.
Over the years, clan after clan withered under the weight of these changes.
They lost their rights, their land, and their traditions.
What remained was rebranded as "civilian ninja." In reality, most of them were descendants of wiped-out clans. Their secret techniques were absorbed by the village, their legacy erased. Their homes were reassigned. Their identity was replaced with a label: "ordinary."
Yuhi Kurenai was one such example. She inherited her clan's genjutsu talents, yet she was known simply as a civilian ninja now—her bloodline hidden beneath layers of politics and reclassification.
Meanwhile, the clans of Konoha's leadership—Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane—thrived.
Where did their prosperity come from?
Village resources don't magically multiply. The development of the political clans came at the expense of others. The very policies designed to empower the common ninja had become a tool for the powerful to consolidate more.
And the victims?
They simmered in silence. They learned to hide their resentment, bury their names, and wait. They didn't have the power to resist, but they remembered.
When a rare opportunity arose, even at the cost of their own lives, some acted—not for glory or revenge, but to honor their clans.
To give their fallen ancestors one last breath of dignity.
And ironically, these very individuals—bitter, broken, yet highly skilled—had been hand-picked into Anbu by the Third Hokage.
The elite black-ops unit, directly under the Hokage, now had among its ranks men and women with every reason to hate the system.
So it was no surprise, then, that Anbu operatives helped the enemy bypass Konoha's security—leading them straight to the Hokage Building.
If it hadn't been for the Hyuga clan, stationed nearby, the invaders might have attacked Anbu headquarters directly instead.
And now, finally, the truth emerged.
Cloud Shinobi had invaded not for just any Wood Style user, but specifically for Tenzo, also known as Yamato.
This was their objective all along.
A perfect fit with their track record—come in fast, take what they want, leave chaos behind.
The Third Hokage sat quietly, shadows deepening under his eyes. Then, finally, he broke the silence.
"I will take full responsibility for what has happened. Once this crisis is over… I will step down as Hokage."
He didn't fight back. There were no excuses left.
He had made compromises—for the village, for peace, for control—but now, it was clear he'd lost both trust and authority.
"Third Hokage-sama…" Andrew spoke up, voice sharper now. "The existence of Tenzo was classified at the highest level. How did Cloud Shinobi know about him? And how did they know exactly where to find him in Anbu headquarters?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"Let me make it clear now—Uchiha has nothing to do with this. Yes, I knew of Tenzo's existence, but only because Jiraiya told me in private. And I've never shared it, nor have any other Uchiha."
Andrew's words came out fast, direct. He was doing more than distancing himself—he was cutting all ties.
Privately, he cursed Jiraiya for ever telling him about Tenzo. It had been a casual conversation, but now the damage was done.
The moment the secret got out and Cloud Shinobi came knocking, suspicion fell back on him—and by extension, Uchiha.
Everything they had worked to distance themselves from Konoha now risked dragging them back in.
If Cloud Shinobi had come for a random Wood Style scroll or experiment, maybe Uchiha could claim ignorance. But for Tenzo? The ties were harder to shake.
Even if the suspicion was baseless, the damage to Uchiha's reputation was real.
Third Hokage looked at Andrew, then turned his gaze toward Fugaku and Uchiha Kamasu, who remained silent.
He knew they were innocent. They truly didn't know about Tenzo.
In fact, the only people aware of Tenzo's existence besides himself were Jiraiya, Tsunade, and now, Andrew.
And he trusted Tsunade and Jiraiya. Despite their disagreements with the village, they would never sell it out.
As for Andrew—he had every reason to be angry with Konoha, but his actions today suggested that he simply wanted a clean break, not revenge.
That left only one person.
Danzo.
Or rather—Danzo's hidden allies.
Danzo might be dead, but the legacy of the Shimura clan's scheming lived on. Somewhere out there, his shadow still lingered.
And now it was clear: someone close to Danzo had leaked the existence of Tenzo to the enemy.
It wasn't about Wood Style itself anymore—it was about dragging Konoha into chaos.
"Damn you, Danzo…" the Hokage muttered under his breath. "Even in death, you continue to haunt this village. I defended you for so long… and now you repay me by stabbing Konoha from the grave."
He clenched his fists.
"I believe you, Andrew. This has nothing to do with Uchiha. Others knew about Tenzo too."
The Third Hokage sighed deeply. Andrew's words made one thing very clear: Uchiha had no interest in salvaging their relationship with Konoha. Their exodus to the harbor had finalized that.
And even if he wanted to summon them now—perhaps to ask for help during the upcoming war—they wouldn't come.
They had left. And they were never coming back.
Meanwhile, far from the Hokage's office, in the shadows of the world, Obito Uchiha watched his plan unfold.
It was he who had spread word of Tenzo's existence.
He had several reasons:
First, it diverted attention away from Rain Shinobi Village, where the Akatsuki organization was growing, hampered by constant foreign interference.
Second, it pushed Konoha closer to collapse. A vulnerable Konoha made it easier for him to retrieve what he truly wanted: his lost Sharingan.
Third, if another ninja war broke out, the five great nations would bleed each other dry, making it easier to capture the Tailed Beasts later on.
But above all…
Konoha's suffering brought him joy.
After all, it was this village that had destroyed his life.
Why not return the favor?
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