Konoha's Decision, Yunyin's Blame
Truthfully, Konoha had no energy to spare on lengthy investigations — not in the middle of a war.
And besides… it was only Uchiha who had died.
The village had long been wary of the Uchiha, restricting their power in every way possible. The death of a few more was hardly a loss — some might even consider it convenient.
If they hadn't died within the village walls, they would likely have been used as expendable pawns on the battlefield sooner or later.
Uchiha deaths meant Uchiha influence weakened. And that served the village's interests.
So Sarutobi Hiruzen made his decision immediately, without hesitation.
This case would be closed — and Kumogakure would take the blame.
Not only would this deflect suspicion away from Konoha, but it would also turn public anger toward an external enemy and rally the village together.
A win-win.
Without delay, Hiruzen gave the order.
Nara Shikaku, sharp as ever, acted quickly to spread the news throughout the ninja world.
And as the story spread, Kumogakure's reputation plummeted overnight.
After all — pictures spoke louder than words. The way the three Uchiha had died, without offering any resistance, looked exactly like the work of a highly skilled taijutsu specialist.
Before Might Guy's name would ever be known, the entire ninja world assumed only Kumogakure could produce such a physical powerhouse.
---
In Kumogakure
Hidden Cloud Village: "…"
They didn't even know what to say.
It was said that when the Third Raikage, A, received the report, he flew into a rage and issued a public statement across the ninja world:
Konoha's accusations are slander. I, the Third Raikage, am a man of honor and would never stoop to such underhanded acts!
But Konoha didn't even bother to respond with words.
Instead, they released the old mission reports and evidence from the attempted Kekkei Genkai theft two years ago — evidence that pointed directly to Kumogakure's involvement back then.
The message was clear: The Cloud has done this before. Of course they would do it again.
There was no arguing with that.
The Third Raikage: "…"
He was speechless — and furious.
If he had truly ordered the attack, he would have admitted it and faced the consequences. But he hadn't.
He was also a victim of this plot — and no one would believe him.
Even Iwagakure, their supposed ally, began treating Kumogakure's envoys with suspicion and caution during strategy meetings.
The distrust in their eyes drove the Raikage mad.
This slander is too heavy to bear!
Clenching his fists, the Raikage silently swore:
If I ever find the real culprit behind this… even if the Third Great Ninja War ends, I will hunt them down myself.
---
Back in Konoha
Morale in the village surged higher than it had been in months.
Konoha's shinobi fought the Cloud with renewed ferocity, shouting their anger on the battlefield.
For them, this wasn't just war anymore — it was revenge.
---
Uchiha Clan Compound
Meanwhile, the man at the center of it all, Uchiha Jin, had no idea how far the waves from his actions had spread.
He sat in the living room, facing Shisui, who had come to visit.
"Can you tell me what happened?" Jin asked, frowning slightly.
"Today's scene was… too big. Of course, if it's a secret, you don't have to tell me."
Shisui smiled and shook his head.
"Don't worry, I've got the full story. Uchiha Yoshio and the others really did die last night. But we've already figured everything out — this was a plot by Kumogakure to spark internal conflict within Konoha."
"Those wolves!" Shisui's tone was sharp, his Sharingan almost flickering to life.
"Luckily, we have the Nara clan. Their leader, jonin commander Nara Shikaku, pieced everything together after careful analysis and completely exposed Kumogakure's conspiracy!"
"Now this incident has been broadcast to the entire ninja world. Everyone will know just how vile the Hidden Cloud truly is!"
Uchiha Jin: "…"
He stared blankly at Shisui, completely speechless.
Kumogakure's conspiracy?
Why am I hearing this for the first time?
He had indeed intended to frame Kumogakure as a backup plan, but he had never expected Konoha to go this far — turning it into a public, international scandal.
He had only wanted to deflect suspicion long enough to stay off the investigation radar.
And yet, here was Shisui, brimming with righteous fury, ready to throw himself into battle for Konoha's honor.
Jin's lips twitched.
This kid is too earnest.
But still… something about this situation felt off.
Jin narrowed his eyes, his voice serious.
"Shisui, calm down. Tell me everything in detail. Since this case involves me, I deserve to know what was actually said in the council."
He wasn't about to underestimate Nara Shikaku.
The man was famous for his genius intellect across the entire ninja world — far from the naive trust Shisui placed in him.
Whatever Shikaku had said to convince the entire council… Jin wanted to hear it word for word.