Time passed day by day. People grew, and with a year gone, nothing was the same as before. People change. Ambition, once planted like a seed, could quietly sprout in the heart.
Much had happened during this year. Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang, had already been given the half-sleeves that carried the implication of being the next Hokage.
Smaller clans, sensing the winds, began docking their ships at the harbor of the Hatake.
The Uchiha were stirring loudly in the Land of Fire. First came cooperation with the Heigen clan: chicken farms and meat processing plants.
That grew into the founding of the largest restaurant chain in the Land of Fire, KFC, the only officially recognized fast-food brand.
Then came partnership with the Tōno clan. Together they purchased wide swathes of land between Konoha and the capital, establishing breweries and producing Wuliangye, a spirit that swept across the shinobi world.
Finally, they built the Royal Chamber of Commerce, with even the Daimyo himself holding shares.
All others were divided among the clans behind the Guardian Twelve, including the Fire Temple, which drew incense money from it every month.
The Royal Chamber opened the Royal Hospital, the largest in the Land of Fire. Nobles and commoners alike no longer needed to travel far for treatment.
The hospital was 60% controlled by the Chamber, with 15% belonging to the Uzumaki, 15% to Konoha's medical corps, and 10% directly to Konoha's administration.
Most doctors were Uzumaki, with some Konoha medical ninja assisting.
Another branch was the Royal Investment Chamber, spearheaded by the Uchiha, but joined by the Daimyo, Konoha, and several loyalist nobles.
Together they poured money into everything from daily necessities like rice, oil, salt, and tea, to luxuries such as poetry, paintings, and fine wines.
Renji Uchiha's reasoning was clear: bind the interests of the Daimyo and the Guardian Twelve tightly together through profit. In any world, words alone meant nothing without power and resources. The surest way to maintain cohesion was shared gain.
Although the Uchiha were growing rich, they did not hoard everything. Konoha's treasury was fuller than before, and so the Hokage's office did not resist. And should conflict break out, the Daimyo would serve as a third party, a face-saving buffer for both sides.
After all, when arguments erupted, someone needed to mediate. And with the Daimyo personally profiting, there would always be an incentive to keep the Uchiha in play.
Still, one cancer remained: the black-market stronghold known as the Valley. Renji had spent months planting spies, gathering intelligence, and preparing to crush it.
He laid the plan before the Guardian Twelve. All agreed quickly, even the Fire Temple, whose monks declared:
"These men are steeped in sin. To purify this stain, we shall give our all."
The Valley was erased in minutes.
In Root headquarters, a shinobi knelt before Danzō.
"Lord Danzō, the Valley base has been destroyed by the Guardian Twelve."
"I know. Leave."
The Root agent withdrew.
Danzō stood before a hanging scroll with the word Nin written by Tobirama Senju. His voice was calm.
"So, White Fang, you think I don't see through you? For Konoha… hm."
Elsewhere, the Hokage's office.
"Sakumo, this mission is yours. Orochimaru and Jiraiya will support you when they return," said Hiruzen, handing him a scroll.
"Yes, Lord Hokage. I will give everything." Sakumo bowed and left.
Hiruzen gazed out the window at the setting sun, sighing softly.
"For Konoha… I entrust this to you, Sakumo."
Rumors began to spread.
"Did you hear? White Fang failed his mission."
"They say he abandoned the objective to save a comrade. Because of him, many shinobi died."
"No way… White Fang? That can't be true."
"It is. The comrade he saved even came to his house, shouting at him, nearly killing himself at the gate. The ANBU had to intervene. Dozens witnessed it."
"But isn't a shinobi's duty the mission first? What he did… it breaks the very code."
"He doesn't deserve to be called a shinobi. And they want someone like him as the next Hokage? Pathetic."
Two Uchiha patrolmen overheard the gossip.
"Slander, spreading dissent, insulting Konoha's leadership. That's treason. Come with us," one snapped, grabbing a villager.
"You can't arrest me! My family has been loyal to Konoha for generations. I only spoke words"
His protest was cut short by a fist that dropped him to his knees.
"Words? I'm Uchiha. You defame our leaders, you answer for it. Walk or be dragged."
Another villager muttered,
"I get it now… you Uchiha are in league with the Hatake…" He was promptly knocked unconscious and carried away.
Uchiha Nobunaga watched squads hauling villagers into custody, sighing inwardly. Arresting them only fanned the flames. The rumors multiplied.
But at least the Uchiha had shown restraint, not joining the chorus against Sakumo. If nothing else, they had proved themselves reliable allies, loyal partners, when it mattered.
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