Outside the hidden village of Konoha, a brutal, one-sided massacre was taking place. Nearly a hundred Rock Shinobi had descended upon a patrol squad from Konoha and mercilessly wiped them out. The ground was soaked in blood, and the screams had barely faded before the enemy vanished into the woods like ghosts.
"Loess, Konoha sent out an early warning. Do you think we've been discovered?" a Rock ninja asked cautiously, wiping blood from his blade as he approached the squad leader.
Loess, a seasoned commander of Iwagakure, narrowed his eyes and frowned. The situation had changed faster than expected.
Konoha's developing Wood Style techniques had drawn attention from all the great villages. Initially, when word spread that Konoha had been researching the legendary bloodline of the First Hokage, many didn't believe it. But once confirmation came that someone had indeed awakened Wood Style and had been placed into the Anbu under the Third Hokage's orders, the villages could no longer ignore it.
The shadows of the other hidden villages convened secretly, not to declare war but to plan strategies. They wanted to either force Konoha to stop its research or obtain the Wood Style secrets for themselves.
However, when they learned through spy networks that Konoha's version of the Wood Style was far inferior to that of the First Hokage—more like a diluted imitation—they began to see it as less of a threat and more of an opportunity.
"If we can get our hands on the user," one of the village elders had said, "we might even be able to breed a new bloodline. Even a weaker version of Wood Style could prove useful in future generations."
And so, all four of the major hidden villages began acting—each in secret, each with their own plan to abduct the Wood Style user. Not to unite against Konoha, but to steal from it. The result? A complete lack of coordination. There was no joint invasion. Each group moved like vultures, waiting for the right time to strike.
This fragmented approach, ironically, spared Konoha a full-blown war.
Cloud Shinobi moved first. They had been bold ever since the Hyuga incident, where they attempted to kidnap Hinata and failed. Even though Konoha had forced them to retreat, it was clear that the Third Hokage was unwilling to escalate things. The Cloud Village took this as a sign of weakness.
So when they learned of Tenzo, the Wood Style ninja, they made their move immediately.
But this time, they were stopped at the borders by Konoha's patrols and suffered heavy losses. Meanwhile, Iwagakure's forces had only just reached the edge of the Land of Fire and received word of Konoha's alert status.
Loess wasn't convinced they'd been discovered. "Even if Konoha is cautious, they shouldn't have known our position before we made our move. Maybe one of the other villages triggered their alarm."
Still, Konoha's preparations couldn't be ignored. "If they think we'll delay because of the warning," Loess said, "we'll do the opposite. Attack now!"
At the same time, deep within Konoha, Andrew had just returned to the Uchiha compound alongside Fugaku and other clan members. Before he could even settle in, a loud explosion echoed in the distance.
The next battle had already begun.
This time, the fighting wasn't within the village like the previous surprise strike from the Cloud ninjas. That had been embarrassing enough. But this time, the situation was worse. Rock Shinobi had broken through the outer defense barrier and were charging directly toward Anbu headquarters.
Cloud used stealth. Rock used brute force.
The difference was clear.
Cloud's strike force had only twenty elite shinobi. Their mission was quick and precise—grab Tenzo and escape. While that failed, it didn't severely damage Konoha.
But Rock Shinobi? They came with over a hundred ninjas, smashing through everything in their path. They weren't trying to steal secrets—they were venting anger and seeking destruction. Buildings were leveled, civilians ran for cover, and the air filled with smoke and fire.
The hatred between Iwagakure and Konoha ran deep, stretching back to the Second and Third Ninja Wars. Old grudges had only festered with time.
Andrew frowned as he listened to the reports. "The Third Hokage is a failure in some ways," he muttered. "Even the supposed secret location of Anbu's base is known to outsiders."
He wasn't wrong. How could such a vital part of the village be so exposed?
Still, Fugaku reminded him of the bigger picture. "Konoha may have flaws, but we are not weak. Even without Uchiha support, our standing among the Five Great Nations is firm."
From the observation tower built to monitor Uchiha movements, Fugaku and Andrew could see Konoha's true strength. The sheer number of defenders mobilizing from every major clan was staggering. Aburame, Inuzuka, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Nara—each family moved with practiced coordination.
In particular, Nara Shikaku stood out, calmly directing forces like a master strategist. Combined elemental attacks lit up the night sky, and enemy groups were wiped out with precision.
There were more enemies than usual—but this was Konoha.
And Konoha had even more soldiers.
Loess had misjudged Konoha. He assumed they'd act like every other village—divided, greedy, reactive. But Konoha had responded with unity and discipline, something Loess couldn't have predicted.
The strength and numbers of Konoha were overwhelming. Their combined strategy, numbers, and use of terrain gave them a huge advantage. Iwagakure's attack quickly lost momentum, and retreat became their only option.
"They've started falling back," Andrew observed. "But Konoha really showed its power today. I just wonder—has the Hokage played all his cards?"
The question lingered. Had the Third Hokage revealed his full hand—or was he holding back?
One thing was clear: the Sarutobi clan's performance had been exceptional. Their Fire Style jutsu tore through enemy formations. Walls of flame separated invaders from escape routes, and giant fire dragons roared through the battlefield, forcing Rock Shinobi into a chaotic retreat.
Andrew watched closely. While the Uchiha were also masters of Fire Style, he knew that outside of Mangekyō Sharingan, Sarutobi's wide-area attacks had their own advantages.
"And it's not just the Sarutobi clan," he added. "This village has more than just one weapon."
Despite the chaos, Konoha's inner systems had held together. The clans hadn't collapsed into panic or infighting. They'd acted together, quickly and with purpose.
That said, Uchiha's place in the village was still fragile. Their exclusion from early warnings and combat deployments made it clear they weren't fully trusted. But that also meant they hadn't taken losses today.
Andrew sighed. "The village has strength. But if we keep being treated like outsiders, that strength might not be enough."
Fugaku didn't respond. He was watching the smoke in the distance, thinking about how long
this uneasy balance could last.
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