The bystander who had raised an objection turned pale. What the other man said wasn't wrong—ninjas really could turn him into a member of the Hyuga clan if they wanted to. But how could he willingly give up his own life for that?
He immediately retorted, "This has nothing to do with me. Why should I be the one to sacrifice my life?"
Someone immediately scoffed and shot back, "If it has nothing to do with your life, then what does it have to do with that innocent Hyuga? So your life is worth something, but theirs isn't?"
"When it's someone else dying, you're all righteous and noble. But when it's your turn, you cower and whine. Shameless."
The surrounding crowd joined in, jeering loudly at the man who had dared to speak up.
Overwhelmed by their scorn, the objector slunk away in humiliation. His single mouth was no match for the dozens railing against him.
Meanwhile, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans had also received news of the battle's outcome. The three clan heads gathered together.
Akimichi Choza beamed, joy written all over his round face.
"I didn't expect the battle against the Hidden Cloud to be such a resounding victory!" he exclaimed.
"This is fantastic news!"
For so long, Konoha had been locked in a tense standoff with the Cloud Village along the border—proof of the latter's considerable military might. And yet, this seemingly mighty force had just been soundly defeated by the Uchiha and Hyuga clans alone. Not only that, they had even released the captured enemy ninja afterward, showcasing Konoha's benevolence.
Surely, the Hidden Cloud wouldn't dare provoke Konoha again for decades to come. These two clans had brought peace to the village—a deed worthy of admiration.
Yamanaka Inoichi nodded solemnly.
"They're truly powerful," he said. "They didn't even need our help to win."
Among them, the sharpest mind belonged to Nara Shikaku, who remained quiet, his expression unreadable. He wasn't celebrating. In fact, he felt uneasy.
Was this really a good thing?
To win against a force as strong as the Cloud without help from the rest of the village... the strength of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans was too great. And with such power, the higher-ups would surely begin to fear them even more.
The Uchiha—so proud and defiant—were not the kind of beast you could easily tame. If a conflict erupted between them and the village leadership, it could spiral into a catastrophe. Civil war was a more dangerous threat than any foreign enemy.
Seeing Shikaku's calm face, Choza asked with concern,
"Shikaku, what's wrong? Aren't you happy?"
Shikaku forced a smile.
"Of course I'm happy," he said. "Come on, drink. Let's celebrate peace for Konoha and the Land of Fire."
The three men clinked their sake cups and drank.
Choza, ever the simple one, didn't overthink things. That was his strength—he didn't worry too much.
Inoichi, however, could sense Shikaku's unease. He said nothing, but he understood. After all, their three clans had long supported the Third Hokage. The rising power of the Uchiha wasn't necessarily good news for them.
Still, after years of war during the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha was exhausted. And the Hidden Cloud's defeat had been so devastating, it was unlikely they'd try anything again any time soon.
Even if they didn't like the Uchiha, this time the clan had done something truly commendable. Their efforts had spared the three clans from sacrificing their own people.
Elsewhere, Kakashi, now an Anbu operative, received word of the Uchiha-Hyuga victory and immediately rushed to the Hokage's office to report to the Third Hokage.
He relayed everything—the combined clan forces had utterly defeated the Hidden Cloud's forces, taken a large number of captives, and later released them.
The Third Hokage was stunned. He sat there motionless, his mind reeling.
"Is this true?" he asked, his voice low.
How could two clans possibly defeat the Hidden Cloud's entire expeditionary force?
After all, a shinobi village was a conglomeration of countless powerful clans, plus large numbers of civilian ninjas. Even if the Uchiha and Hyuga were strong, they shouldn't be this strong. Capturing so many enemy ninjas—was this some kind of joke?
Even the Third Hokage himself—reputed as the strongest of his era—doubted he could have accomplished such a feat.
But Kakashi remained serious.
"I saw it with my own eyes," he said. "Among the returning Hyuga and Uchiha forces, I identified two prisoners—Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, and Mabui, the Fourth Raikage's secretary."
"These are key figures in the Hidden Cloud. Both were bound and brought back to Konoha. I don't think this is fake."
Yugito Nii was a perfect Jinchūriki, renowned throughout the ninja world for her combat prowess. Mabui was a top-level aide to the Raikage. The Anbu had images and records of both.
Hearing this, the Third Hokage dismissed Kakashi.
"You may leave now. I understand."
Once Kakashi left, the Hokage's face twisted into a grimace. He shouted in disbelief:
"How could this be possible?!"
If they truly captured the Two-Tails Jinchūriki and the Raikage's secretary—
That means they neutralized a walking war machine.
"Could the Uchiha have used the Sharingan to control the tailed beast and disable its combat power?" he muttered.
But no—that wasn't right. He had already asked Itachi Uchiha about that. Even with his powerful eyes, Itachi couldn't control a Tailed Beast.
That had been one of the key reasons the Hokage had dismissed the idea that the Uchiha were behind the Nine-Tails' attack years ago.
But what if... Itachi had lied?
He had to get to the bottom of this. How exactly did the Uchiha defeat the Cloud and capture a Jinchūriki?
If he didn't find out, his own position as Hokage could be in jeopardy. Maybe not his life—but his power, his authority—definitely.
This investigation comes first. Even my own son can wait.
Meanwhile, in the shadows, Danzo of Root received the same intelligence. His face contorted into a furious scowl.
The damned Uchiha.
They, along with the Hyuga, had defeated the Hidden Cloud. Now the villagers were singing their praises, calling them heroes who brought peace to Konoha.
Fools, Danzo thought. The Uchiha are the village's greatest misfortune.
This wasn't just his opinion—it was the result of meticulous "research" handed down by his mentor, the Second Hokage. The Uchiha were inherently unstable. Whenever something didn't go their way, they'd spiral into darkness.
With such overwhelming power now on display, they weren't just a danger to Konoha's peace—they were a direct obstacle to Danzo's dream of becoming Hokage.
He knew the Uchiha clan had always hungered for the Hokage's seat. That's why, ever since the Nine-Tails' incident, he had worked tirelessly to suppress them.
If only that coward Hiruzen had taken his advice and eradicated the Uchiha while he had the chance, none of this would be happening now.
Danzo could feel it. In recent months, the Uchiha—once weakened—had grown stronger, like a beast regaining its fangs.
And now they had a Jinchūriki in their grasp?
Absolutely not.
If he let them gain control of a tailed beast, the Uchiha would have power rivaling the village itself. That couldn't be allowed.
Not while he still lived.
If Konoha's leadership hesitated, he would act on his own. While the Third Hokage was still reeling in disbelief, he would strike.
Danzo called for several Root operatives.
"Go to the Uchiha compound immediately," he ordered coldly.
"Retrieve the Two-Tails Jinchūriki and bring her back to Root."
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
Without delay, they vanished into the night—headed straight for the Uchiha clan grounds.
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