The proposal to post-disaster land redistribution came from Danzo Shimura.
After the devastation caused by the Nine-Tails' attack, nearly every district in Konoha needed rebuilding and repairs.
To organize this massive reconstruction effort, the first step was spatial planning.
Danzo seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to present his plan for a "comprehensive reallocation of clan land." But beneath the surface, the true aim was simple: to reshape the distribution of power in the chaos.
As a certain political strategist once said:
"Chaos is a ladder."
And the chaos the Nine-Tails left behind?
For Danzo, it was the perfect stage to climb.
"The eastern sector has plenty of forest. Since the Nara Clan raises deer, we'll allocate this region to them. Any objections?"
Danzo tapped the map with a pointer, feigning fairness.
"No objections."
"Agreed."
The clan heads nodded one after another.
Uchiha Fugaku sat with his arms crossed, eyes closed, completely silent.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, scanned the room, watching every reaction carefully.
At the head of the chamber, Homelander sat in the Hokage's seat, seemingly calm — but his right index finger tapped restlessly on the table.
Tap tap tap.
Tap tap tap.
His eyes bore into Danzo, already filled with deep irritation.
It wasn't because the meeting was boring — no.
He simply despised Danzo.
This scene? He'd seen it before.
Danzo would soon push the Uchiha Clan's territory to the far outskirts of Konoha, practically exiling them to the village gates.
In the event of unrest, Konoha's leadership could isolate and eliminate them before they reached the village center.
Sure enough, as Danzo went down the list of clan allocations, his pointer slid smoothly to a tiny corner of the map.
"The old Police Headquarters was destroyed, so we'll place it here. The Uchiha will continue their duties as protectors of Konoha's security. Assigning their land next to the station makes sense, doesn't it?"
His tone was calm, measured.
But when he glanced at Fugaku, his eyes were brimming with killing intent.
And not just him — even the Third Hokage remained silent, watching carefully to gauge Fugaku's reaction.
"What kind of joke is this…"
The Uchiha next to Fugaku whispered angrily.
According to Danzo's plan, the Uchiha were being shoved near Konoha's training grounds — a desolate and inconvenient zone.
It wasn't just remote. Even a shinobi with high endurance would need over 30 minutes to reach the village center — let alone ordinary civilians.
"Ahem."
Fugaku cleared his throat, halting his clan's growing rage.
"The Uchiha… have no objections."
He finally said — as if making a heavy decision.
At that moment, Fugaku gave up on the village's leadership.
From now on, the Uchiha would be the Uchiha's concern — not Konoha's.
"Very well."
Danzo nodded.
The Third Hokage seemed pleased.
Homelander, however, was not.
"Unacceptable."
He finally spoke.
"The Uchiha Police Force is a vital pillar of Konoha's security. They played a critical role during the Nine-Tails' attack. I believe they should be relocated to the village center — here."
Homelander stood, his 1.98-meter frame towering over the table.
He pointed firmly at the center of the map —
directly below the Hokage Monument, beside the Hokage Office.
"This..."
The entire room fell silent.
Not just the other clan heads — even Fugaku was stunned.
No one had expected the newly appointed Fourth Hokage to speak in defense of the Uchiha.
Fugaku looked up — and for the first time, there was trust in his eyes.
Danzo, meanwhile, frowned deeply.
This was not part of his plan.
Putting the Uchiha next to the Hokage's Office? That's suicide! This Senju fool is going to destroy the whole village!
"Third Hokage, what's your opinion?"
Danzo tried to pull Sarutobi into it, hoping for backup.
"Lord Fourth has a point... however…"
The Third glanced at Homelander's ever-smiling face and hesitated.
"However, Konoha has the ANBU. We can always entrust critical matters to them."
The moment he said that, everyone's expression changed.
Homelander's smile froze.
His eyes began to radiate pure menace.
"Leave everything to the ANBU?"
Whose ANBU?
Danzo's? Sarutobi's?
Not mine, that's for damn sure.
"Could you say that again?"
Homelander asked gently, pretending he hadn't heard.
But the murderous look in his eyes made both Danzo and the Third shut up immediately.
Fugaku's fists clenched with emotion.
He was ready—
Ready to stand with this Hokage and burn every corrupt elder to ash.
"Of course, if Lord Fourth insists on being close to the Police Force, we… we could place them by the Hokage Office…"
Danzo backpedaled furiously.
"But the village center was hit hard during the Nine-Tails' attack. Apart from the Hokage Office, most buildings need complete reconstruction. So, relocation might not be immediately feasible…"
Danzo was in full survival mode now.
He knew — until he successfully transplanted Hashirama cells, going against Homelander was a death sentence.
So Danzo yielded.
The Third bowed his head in silence.
Koharu and Homura didn't know what to say —but it was obvious now: neither Danzo nor the Third could stop the new Hokage anymore.
The power structure in Konoha had officially fractured into three poles.
And Homelander?
He now stood at the very top of it all.
...
In the end, the territory allocations stayed the same — except the Uchiha were officially reserved space beside the Hokage Office.
---
That night, in a rare move, Danzo visited Sarutobi's home.
Two old men made awkward small talk, but Danzo's face was grim.
"All that effort just to stop me from becoming Hokage... And now you put a Uchiha sympathizer in power. Really, Sarutobi? You've outdone yourself."
He finally spat out the words, bitter and mocking.
The Third puffed his pipe, worn and exhausted.
"I truly believed Senju Homelander had Konoha's interests at heart… But now, I see how blind I was."
He sighed.
"Had I known, I'd have made Minato the Fourth."
"You should've picked me." Danzo sneered.
"If I were Hokage, we wouldn't have had the Nine-Tails disaster at all."
He said it shamelessly, eyes flicking around, scanning for chakra signatures — making sure no one was listening.
"In fact, I suspect this entire Nine-Tails attack… was a setup. A collaboration between Homelander and the Uchiha. All one big performance."
"Oh?"
"You saw it yourself. Kotoamatsukami — a genjutsu powerful enough to control a Tailed Beast. And you think Homelander just got lucky enough to survive that?"
Sarutobi's hand froze on his pipe.
He looked up.
Danzo's withered face twisted with hostility.
He slowly unraveled the bandage from his right arm — his oversized sleeve slipped down, revealing a pale, bloodless forearm.
He pressed his hands into a familiar activation seal.
And in an instant—
Wood Style vines exploded, engulfing the room in thick, living roots.
"This is—!"
The Third was stunned.
"Hesitation costs lives, Sarutobi."
Danzo's eyes narrowed coldly.
"I won't miss my chance again."
His mind drifted back—
To that evening long ago.
When Tobirama chose Sarutobi over him.
When Danzo lost everything…
Because he hesitated.