Naka Shrine
Uchiha Fudō stared at the man standing before him and let out a helpless sigh.
This ending was something he had never imagined—not even in his dreams.
He had truly been forced off the stage by Uchiha Nan.
Yet strangely enough, this outcome wasn't completely unacceptable.
Uchiha Nan possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. With such power, the future of the Uchiha clan would undoubtedly shine brighter than ever.
"Clan Leader!"
Uchiha Fudō knelt on one knee before Nan. From his robes, he produced a magatama carved from jade—an heirloom passed down through generations of Uchiha clan heads.
When Madara Uchiha left Konoha, he hadn't taken this symbol with him. The only thing he carried away was his war fan.
"I will lead the Uchiha toward an even brighter future," Nan said calmly as he accepted the magatama.
Frankly speaking, no matter how bad things became, they couldn't possibly end worse than in the original timeline—where the clan was wiped out by one so-called filial son, leaving only a handful alive.
Just as Nan was about to accept the clan's formal homage—
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!!"
A panicked shout rang out.
An ANBU operative wearing a fox mask rushed in at full speed.
"Lord Fudō! Konoha's defensive barrier has been destroyed! An enemy has breached the village!"
As the ANBU spoke, his voice gradually weakened.
Only then did he notice Uchiha Fudō kneeling before Nan.
…What kind of play was this?
The moment Nan arrived, Fudō rose to his feet.
"I am no longer the Uchiha clan leader," Fudō said clearly. "From this moment on, Uchiha Nan is the head of the Uchiha clan."
The ANBU froze, staring blankly at Nan. His brain short-circuited for several seconds before he finally remembered his mission and requested that Nan lead the Uchiha in defending the village.
Enemy attack?
Nan blinked.
Then he remembered that earlier slash—the one that had shattered something.
Ah. Right. The village barrier.
"Stand down," Nan said casually. "The barrier was destroyed by the residual force of one of my attacks."
"…?"
Was this even human language?
Konoha's barrier wasn't some cheap scrap. It was the combined masterpiece of Uzumaki Mito—the greatest sealing expert alive—and Senju Tobirama.
In testing, it required the sustained bombardment of more than a dozen jōnin-level techniques to breach. Alternatively, it could only be destroyed by an S-rank forbidden jutsu.
And he said… residual force?
The ANBU wisely chose not to question it. After receiving confirmation, he immediately left to report.
There was no benefit in offending the newly crowned Uchiha clan head—especially inside Uchiha territory.
The immediate crisis was resolved quickly.
But the aftermath had only just begun.
Nan's casual strike had sent shockwaves through the entire village.
The Senju, Hyūga, Nara-Yamanaka-Akimichi, and countless other clans had already armed themselves, fully prepared for a desperate last stand.
What kind of enemy could silently reach Konoha's doorstep—and shatter its barrier so easily?
Combined with the news of Tobirama Senju's death…
Was Konoha finished?
Naturally, intelligence began flowing at once.
By afternoon, detailed reports of the Uchiha clan meeting had landed on the desks of every major clan leader.
The impact was no less shocking than a direct attack on the village.
The Uchiha clan leader had changed.
That alone was alarming—but the real bombshell was this:
Uchiha Nan had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Some of these clan heads had lived since Konoha's founding. They had personally witnessed Senju Hashirama's Wood Release and Uchiha Madara's Susanoo.
They remembered those two titans—towering figures clashing like gods, each casual strike reshaping the battlefield.
That wasn't ninjutsu.
That was divine warfare.
The fear that Madara's Susanoo once instilled returned in full force.
Another Madara had appeared.
But the Senju no longer had a second Hashirama.
Konoha's skies were changing.
Senju Compound
Uzumaki Mito stared at the intelligence report in her hands, her brows knitting tightly together.
When had the Uchiha produced such a monster?
Nan's background, mission records, battlefield performance, and known techniques were all laid out before her.
The more she read, the colder her heart became.
Uchiha Nan's life could be cleanly divided into two phases:
Before Tobirama Senju's death.
After Tobirama Senju's death.
Before Tobirama died, Nan was the textbook embodiment of the Will of Fire.
His file even contained Tobirama's personal evaluation:
"Uchiha Nan—an anomaly among the Uchiha. One who transcends clan boundaries and devotes himself wholly to the village. Worthy of focused cultivation."
High praise, written in Tobirama's own hand.
But after Tobirama's death—
Nan became someone else entirely.
According to reports, he had openly used a high-destruction jutsu to suppress his own clan during the meeting.
Reckless. Dangerous. Borderline insane.
Yet…
If Nan had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, then such behavior suddenly made sense.
But the true question was when.
If Nan awakened it after Tobirama's death, it was alarming.
But if he had awakened it before—
Then it was terrifying.
A Mangekyō-level Uchiha who hid himself perfectly, fooled Tobirama, fooled the village, and only revealed his true face after Tobirama's death…
That level of patience and calculation surpassed even Madara.
Madara relied on overwhelming force.
Nan relied on timing.
This wasn't coincidence.
This was intent.
Mito's eyes darkened.
This child… could not be allowed to grow unchecked.
Nan had already seized control of the Uchiha clan.
His next target was obvious.
The position of Third Hokage.
Who could stop him?
Hiruzen Sarutobi?
Mito dismissed that thought instantly.
Her son, Senju Tōma?
He lacked Hashirama's Wood Release.
In the end…
Only she herself—borrowing the power of the Nine-Tails—might be able to suppress Nan.
But before that—
She would send someone ahead.
Someone with Tobirama's final mandate.
"Hiruzen," Mito murmured softly, folding the report.
"The plan has changed."
"You'll go first."
"Test the road for me."
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/NightScript