There had always been an unspoken agreement among the Five Great Shinobi Villages—not to trigger another ninja war unless absolutely necessary. While minor attacks and skirmishes still happened, no village was willing to bear the cost of another full-scale conflict so soon after the last one.
Konoha, however, remained a tempting target.
Other villages had occasionally sent infiltration squads or conducted minor assaults, but the Third Hokage had already prepared Konoha's defenses thoroughly. These attacks, while disruptive, never managed to seriously harm the village or shake its stability.
To reduce further tensions and shift the spotlight away, the Third Hokage issued an official statement to the entire ninja world.
In the announcement, he claimed that the controversial Wood Style research wasn't a sanctioned project by the village leadership. Instead, he placed full blame on Danzo, declaring that Danzo had worked in secret with Orochimaru to conduct forbidden experiments—using war orphans as test subjects.
He admitted that while one incomplete Wood Style user had emerged, Konoha gained nothing else from the unethical research.
But the statement didn't stop there.
The Third Hokage also revealed that Danzo had colluded with the Akatsuki organization, a powerful rogue ninja group. Orochimaru was said to be the bridge between Danzo and Akatsuki, suggesting a deep and dangerous partnership.
To support this story, Konoha even "confirmed" the identity of the masked man who had attacked the village during the Nine-Tails incident. The statement boldly said this man was part of Akatsuki, had access to both Wood Style and space-time ninjutsu, and was the true mastermind behind the chaos.
They further revealed that the leader of Akatsuki possessed the so-called "immortal eyes," hinting at the Rinnegan—a terrifying dojutsu known to be connected to ancient legends.
The genius of this announcement was in its mixture of truth and lies.
Danzo was painted as the villain, a scapegoat who had acted without the Hokage's knowledge. Konoha positioned itself as the innocent party, misled by its own trusted elder, and victimized by the Akatsuki's influence.
Naturally, other villages remained skeptical. But the details seemed to line up.
First, their own attacks on Konoha hadn't revealed anything suspicious. Apart from the lone Wood Style user, no advanced techniques or secret jutsu had surfaced during battle.
Second, their spies had also reported sightings of a mysterious masked man capable of Wood Style—confirming Konoha's claims.
Whether Danzo had truly worked with Akatsuki was debatable. But if he shared similarities with the masked man, there was enough smoke to assume fire.
In the end, after much discussion and investigation, the other villages found no major inconsistencies in the announcement. They didn't fully believe it, but they couldn't disprove it either.
Most agreed: Konoha probably got something out of Danzo's schemes, but maybe not as much as feared. Danzo had clearly kept secrets even from Konoha, and whatever he gained was likely incomplete.
Since Tenzo and other experimental Wood Style users were heavily guarded, there was little chance of stealing them away. That left the other villages with no real options.
For now, they turned their attention elsewhere.
Rain Village suddenly became the center of attention. Not only had rumors of the Rinnegan emerged there, but now people believed Wood Style existed within its borders too.
When Obito, the real masked man, heard about this announcement, he almost exploded with laughter and rage.
He had been preparing for a new ninja war—his plan was nearly ready. But now, Konoha had flipped the blame on him, and not only that, they made him look like Danzo's ally!
"They even got the story half-right," he muttered bitterly. "If I didn't know I got my powers from Uchiha Madara, I might believe it myself!"
Sure, Akatsuki and Danzo had never worked together directly. But Orochimaru had worked with both, and Akatsuki did have Wood Style and the Rinnegan.
"There's no way to untangle this now," he thought grimly.
Who would believe a criminal organization filled with S-class traitors?
The result? The Akatsuki organization became the world's new enemy.
With Konoha shifting the blame so neatly, the other villages began investigating Akatsuki in earnest. This time it wasn't just out of curiosity. They viewed the group as a serious threat—one with power, ambition, and roots similar to Madara himself.
This shift in focus gave Konoha some much-needed breathing room.
With attention now off their village, the constant invasions slowed down. The tension inside Konoha remained high, but the Third Hokage could finally exhale without fearing another surprise attack every other day.
Meanwhile, Andrew had left the village and made his way to the harbor.
Even though the ninja world was a boiling pot of hidden wars and secret agendas, the sea trade routes had opened smoothly. Mist Village, still recovering from civil conflict, had stayed out of the power games entirely.
In fact, the Water Daimyo and Terumi Mei needed trade more than war, and were happy to engage in economic exchanges. Though Terumi Mei had access to intel, Mist Village made no moves.
With the sea route now active, the Uchiha clan had reaped their first massive profit. The money was flowing in, and Andrew stood at the port overseeing it all, pleased.
"The five-year plan was supposed to take longer," he murmured, watching the workers haul crates of goods from ship to ship. "But we've already achieved it."
The new Uchiha district was still under construction, but the infrastructure at the port was complete. It was enough to host the first official Uchiha clan meeting.
Fugaku remained in Konoha to stay close to Sasuke, ensuring that their family's partial move away from the village wouldn't cause suspicion. They still needed to maintain appearances.
Back at the port, the elders gathered under a massive tent for the clan assembly.
Andrew stood up to speak.
"Strength is the foundation of our survival," he said firmly. "We've escaped the control of Konoha, and now it's time to grow—together."
He laid out a clear plan:
"We must continue pursuing power."
Mangekyō Sharingan is rare and hard to awaken. Everyone should study the Book of Seals, identify a forbidden jutsu that suits them, and begin practicing. Share your knowledge. Share the scrolls. Every clan member must rise.
"Adapt our combat strategies."
Melee fighting is our strength, but not always the best choice. Every shinobi must now carry at least a thousand explosive tags. "If we can't win with fists, we'll win with fire!"
"Advance our economy."
Right now, we only trade with the Land of Water. Start diplomatic outreach to the Land of Lightning. Remember, we represent Uchiha, not Konoha. Our interests come first.
"Create a formal Uchiha Group Company."
Merge our businesses: the Uchiha Hotel, Crown Casino, security agency, and shipping terminal. Build a board of directors. Assign clan members as department heads. Share resources. Hire experts.
"Build an intelligence network."
Establish spy cells not just in the Land of Fire but across all nations. The Fourth Elder will coordinate missions through the security agency, doubling them as covert agents.
"The Uchiha are not yet restored," Andrew concluded, voice firm and proud. "But we are on the path. Stay sharp, stay loyal, and stay hungry—for the future belongs to us!"
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