Sarutobi Hiruzen was quick on the uptake.
He knew the truth no longer mattered. As Nara Shikaku said, stabilizing hearts came first. This was wartime. Who had the bandwidth to investigate.
Besides, the dead were Uchiha. The village had always been wary of them. A few more dead was not a problem in his book. If they did not die here, he would find ways to let them die at the front. The clan had to be kept in check.
With that in mind, Hiruzen decided on the spot. Label it, close it, and, while he was at it, smear Kumogakure and rally Konoha's morale. Two birds, one stone.
Orders flew, and Shikaku did not disappoint. News blanketed the shinobi world. Cloud's reputation cratered. The photos and evidence spoke for themselves.
The three Uchiha had died without resistance. A taijutsu monster had done it. Before Might Duy ever cut loose, only Cloud was assumed to field such fighters.
Kumogakure: "…"
They had a thousand curses and no place to put them.
The Third Raikage rushed a statement across the nations, calling Konoha's accusation a slander and swearing he would never stoop to such tactics. It did not help. Konoha released the old case files from two years prior, when a Cloud team was caught stealing bloodline limits in the village.
This time Konoha showed only evidence and said nothing. Silence hit harder than words.
The Third Raikage had no reply. Rage swallowed him until he smashed his office to splinters. If he had ordered it, he would take the loss like a man. The problem was he had not. He was a victim too.
No one believed him. Even Iwagakure, their shadow partner, started treating Cloud like an untrustworthy neighbor, negotiations hedged with suspicion that drove the Raikage mad. The pot was too big to carry.
He swore to himself that if he learned the real culprit's name, he would kill that bastard even if it meant pausing the war. It was disgusting.
Konoha felt the opposite. Morale surged. Against Cloud, troops howled and charged as if they shared one breath. Cloud's supposed treachery had sickened them. Revenge burned hot.
Back in Konoha's Uchiha district, Jin had no idea the storm he had kicked up.
He sat in his living room, facing Shisui. "Can you tell me what happened. That lineup today was a bit much. If it is classified, forget it."
Shisui waved him off. "It is settled. The three, including Uchiha Yoshio, died last night. The case is clear. It was a Cloud plot from start to finish to spark civil strife in Konoha."
"Wolfish ambition."
"Thanks to the wisdom of the Nara, Jonin Commander Nara Shikaku dissected their plot and broke it. The notice has gone to every village. We will let the whole world see how filthy Kumogakure is."
"…"
Jin stared, blank.
What was this.
A Cloud plot.
He, the one involved, knew nothing of it. He had only meant to plant a diversion. Whether it would do much, he was not sure. So long as the trail did not point to him, that was enough.
Watching Shisui seethe, itching to go to the front and kill, Jin did not know what to say. The kid was too earnest.
Even so, something felt off.
"Hold on, Shisui. Slow down."
"This also touches me. Give me the details. What exactly did Nara say."
Jin's voice was steady. He did not underestimate the clan that held Konoha's brain. He was not a wide-eyed child. He needed specifics to judge.
Shisui did not hide a thing. He relayed the meeting and quoted Shikaku's reasoning word for word.
Jin listened, thought for a moment, and saw through it all.
Shikaku was steering them.
The story had set up, arc, and motive, but here was the hitch. What kind of village was Cloud. From the Third Raikage down, it was a place that worshiped fists, muscles packed into their heads as well. Brain games were not their brand.
In all Cloud history, when had they ever played the long game. Their answer to problems was a single word: charge. The only one in the entire tale with real analytical chops was Mabui, the Fourth's secretary, and in this period she was still a girl, about his age. Was she advising the Third.
Ridiculous.
Which raised the real question. If he could see this, could Shikaku, the sharpest mind in Konoha, really not. Impossible. Even in a world ruled by force where politicking lagged, anyone with a decent head could sketch Cloud's profile.
Especially a Nara.
He had to know. He was fooling the room, on purpose.