Winter of Year 24 (January)
The forest on Konoha's outskirts no longer bore the dull hues of winter. Though January chilled the air, the trees remained lush with green leaves still clinging to branches with unnatural vitality. The forest had changed.
For months now, Uchiha Madara had returned again and again, transforming the land into a battleground. His full-bodied Susanoo clashed daily with Hashirama's towering wooden golems and dragons. The terrain warped under their power, reshaped by divine combat.
The villagers watched in awe. What once stirred unease now inspired reverence. Their Hokage, Senju Hashirama, had proven himself again and again as a god among men. Confidence bloomed. The Senju stood tall and peace felt tangible.
But not for the Uchiha.
Each time Madara appeared, Tobirama mobilized. Senju elites and allied clans surrounded the Uchiha under the guise of vigilance. For months, Uchiha civilians were quietly confined. Ninjas who left the compound were shadowed by at least three operative of equal or greater strength.
The Uchiha began to feel it.
Their home was becoming a prison.
***
On the first day, Fukashi left his home to meet his sensei.
However, Tobirama intercepted him mid-route and arrested him without hesitation. He was detained in the Senju compound. The current Senju compound was limited only to Senju Senju clan head lineages and Senju elders' lineage. Rest of the core Senju clansmen or Asura's direct descendants were housed close to the Senju compound. While most of the non-lineage Senju clansmen dispersed into Konoha as 'civilian' ninjas or create their own branch ninja family or clans within Konoha. But details of the internal matters of Senju clan are another time to discuss.
Tobirama considered execution. Fukashi was powerful and already at Kage-level strength, and the only known disciple of Madara. Not to mention the fact that he considered Fukashi as the most likely individual to awaken Mangekyo Sharingan. But the political fallout was too great. in the end, Tobirama concluded that Interrogation would suffice for now.
Uchiha Sosuke, the deputy clan head, attempted negotiation upon learning the news of Fukashi's arrest. However, he was denied at the gates.
He stood there with his crimson eyes locked on the Senju emblem, while his fury simmered beneath his calm exterior.
Behind him, younger Uchihas couldn't hold back. Led by Uchiha Setsuna, a zealous follower of Fukashi, they launched a reckless assault to free Fukashi.
This was exactly what Tobirama had anticipated and hoped for.
Senju elites swarmed and the Uchiha were subdued swiftly.
Sosuke watched in silence, his fists clenched, his Sharingan spinning. He knew the cost of this moment. Fukashi was more than a friend – though leader of radical and aggressive clansmen, he was the clan's hope. Closest to Mangekyo Sharingan. A future pillar of Uchiha.
Sosuke himself had reached his peak at 41. He had trained relentlessly since becoming deputy and reached Kage-level strength. But that was the end. Sosuke could sense that his limit was just at the threshold of Kage-level. However, Fukashi was different.
Now in the moment of humiliation and frustration, he calculated the unthinkable: if sacrificing himself could preserve Fukashi and his future potential, it might be worth it.
He activated his Sharingan and stepped forward.
Just then, Hashirama arrived as his duel with Madara concluded.
He saw Tobirama, the Senju elites, and subdued Uchiha.
He didn't wait for explanations.
Hashirama freed Fukashi and the others immediately, declaring it a misunderstanding. He refused to let his personal conflict with Madara spiral into clan warfare.
Tobirama protested, but Hashirama stood firm.
In the end, Fukashi was placed under house arrest.
***
Back with Uchiha clan, the mood was heavy. Frustration brewed. Depression settled in.
They had seen their clansmen arrested, attacked, and humiliated.
They had felt the pressure of Madara's chakra and the suspicion of the village.
And they had realized, perhaps too late, that Konoha was no longer a shared dream.
It was a cage.
***
Deep beneath the revered Naka Shrine, in a hidden chamber known only to the Uchiha elite, over a hundred clan members gathered. Elders, elite jonin, and three-tomoe Sharingan wielders filled the room, their expressions grim. Additional guards patrolled the shrine's perimeter ensuring secrecy.
This was the pride of the Uchiha clan.
Two decades ago, they had barely thirty or so jonin-level shinobi. Now, although still dwarfed by the might of the Senju, Uchiha were a formidable force. But if the full strength of Konoha were ever turned against them, they knew they would be annihilated. Not to mention the fact that Hashirama alone would wipe them out.
But no one dared speak of that.
Silence hung heavy, broken only by clenched jaws and furrowed brows.
Then, a voice rang out.
Uchiha Setsuna, just nineteen, stood tall. His short, spiky black hair framed a half-metal face guard covering the right side of his face. His sharingan blazed.
"Let's break away from Konoha! Join Madara-sama and build our own village!"
Gasps rippled through the chamber. Some murmured in shock. Others fell into deep contemplation. A few shouted in disbelief.
"Are you insane, Setsuna?! That's a declaration of war!" Uchiha Heiwa snapped. "We're no match for the village – let alone the Senju!"
Setsuna's eyes narrowed, voice rising with fury.
"Hng! Heiwa, are you blind?! Have you not seen the way the villagers and others clans look at us lately? They're already treating us like enemies. We need to protect ourselves!"
In the corner, the ninth elder's mouth twitched.
'Why does this brat have the same name as me? And Setsuna… I swear, I just want to shut him up and give him a good beating.'
The argument escalated until Uchiha Sosuke raised a hand.
Silence fell.
"Setsuna and Heiwa are both right," Sosuke said calmly, neutralizing the aggression. "We must safeguard our clan, but not sever ties with the village. We helped build Konoha. Our blood is in its foundation, just as much as the Senju's."
A heavy sigh followed.
"If only Madara-sama hadn't defected…"
The mood darkened again.
Then, a new voice, young, clear, and passionate, spoke out.
Uchiha Kagami, sixteen years old, with soft grey-blue hair and slightly droopy eyes, stood up. The second son of Sosuke, and unofficial disciple of Tobirama.
"As the deputy clan head said, we are part of Konoha. We are its founding clan. If we accept the village's surveillance for now, they'll see we're loyal. This is just a misunderstanding."
A few nodded. Kagami's words resonated with growing faction – those who believed in coexistence.
But Sosuke frowned.
Kagami's strength had grown rapidly under Tobirama's tutelage. So had his views. He was becoming the face of the pro-Konoha faction, and was clearly drifting from the clan's core.
Then came a scoff.
Uchiha Naka, ten years Kagami's senior, with shoulder-length dark purple hair and a Konoha forehead protector, glared at him.
"HAH! You've been brainwashed by that snake Tobirama. Whose side are you on? Letting them scan our clan like cattle? What's next? Cleaning our necks so they can chop us up neatly?"
Beside him, Uchiha Naori tugged gently at his sleeve. She was 26, with long wavy purple hair and cropped bangs over her forehead protector. She sensed the frustration boiling in her childhood friend.
Naka grumbled but sat down, snorting in defiance.
"Hng!"
Then, slowly, Uchiha Fukashi stood.
All eyes turned.
His presence was commanding – respected, feared, and complicated. The clan knew his strength. They also knew his burden; As Madara's only disciple, he was in the center of the storm.
Since his detainment, Fukashi had remained quiet. Tobirama had marked him with a Hiraishin seal. Five elite jonin monitored him at all times. He could remove the seal. But he knew that doing so might endanger his family or clan.
So he endured.
Now, he stood before them – silent, composed, and ready to speak.
"Sosuke-sama…" Fukashi's voice was solemn. It was the first time he had ever addressed Sosuke formally, even in private. The room stiffened.
"All of our clansmen's opinions matter. There is no absolute right or wrong. We must find the perfect middle ground…"
He paused, then added with a faint smile, "My sensei once said: a single tree branch breaks easily, but a bundle is nearly impenetrable… well, except against him, as he liked to claim."
A few chuckles broke the tension. Heads nodded. But the question lingered – what was the middle ground?
Fukashi continued.
"I propose we recall all our clansmen and establish a unified compound, like the Hyuga. Prepare the Uchiha Flame Formation and Genjutsu Formation around the compound peripheries and walls. Fortify them, but don't activate them; just gather materials and set the ground work. If chakra sequences remain incomplete, the village won't detect it… though Tobirama might."
Gasp. Murmurs and Shock rippled through the chamber.
"Fukashi, that's too radical!"
"That's not middle ground! It's isolation!"
Fukashi ignored the protests.
"and most importantly… we relinquish our right to designate the Hokage's Right-hand."
"""??????!!!!!!!"""
The room fell into stunned silence.
Uchiha Sosuke's Sharingan flared.
"UCHIHA FUKASHI!! What is the MEANING OF THIS?! That right was earned at the founding of Konoha! Explain yourself!"
Fukashi's gaze didn't waver.
"Sosuke-sama, do we hold that position now? My sensei defected. The seat should've been filled by another Uchiha, per our agreement. But Tobirama said, 'Your clan lacks a clan head. And the position belongs to the Uchiha Clan head.' Even the Hokage stayed silent, clinging to the hope that Sensei would return."
He clenched his fists.
"What a joke. The agreement never stated it must be the clan head, only a member chosen by the Uchiha is enough. This was an accord between Senju and Uchiha, to honor our shared founding. And emphasize the fact the Senju and Uchiha will protect Konoha earnestly, together!
All these lofty positions of authority and rights are nothing more than a piece of paper that can be burned and forgotten at any moment if we don't have the right strength to uphold them!
When Sensei was here, Tobirama wouldn't dare antagonize us. But in the end. We abandoned Madara-sama! That! Should've been enough to prove our loyalty to Konoha!"
BANG!
Sosuke slammed his hand against the ground.
"So you're saying we should've followed Madara-sama? When we were weaker than ever?! And this plan, this so-called middle ground, is just both extremes mashed together! You say our clansmen aren't wrong, but not right either. Were they simply not extreme enough for you?!"
Fukashi shook his head.
"Wake up! This is Tobirama's scheme."
He stepped forward, voice rising.
"Konoha is now twenty years old. The old generation still remembers our strength. But the new generation, raised in peace, sees us as monsters. Crimson-eyed demons from bedtime stories. That in itself is not important, as they are mere stories and folktales. BUT Now. They've seen us guarded, isolated, and treated like threats. What did you expect when we were surrounded by enemy clans?
Our allies from the Warring Clans era are also changing. In this peaceful age, more children survive through adulthood. This generation, the firstborns and those raised in Konoha since youth, already make up a third of the village. Soon, they'll be the ones to define its laws, its values, and its prejudices.
For months, we've been the most visible enemy they've known. If we cling to authority, they'll only fear us more. Forever."
Taking a deep breath, Fukashi paused.
"The die is cast…. And Tobirama has already won."
The chamber filled with deafening silence coupled with small sounds of firewood crackling.
"We must retreat. Fortify. Guard our future. Let them rule the village. But! If they want to destroy us, they must pay dearly. Don't seek power. Don't provoke. Just survive. Only the next generation can redeem our image."
Sosuke looked around. The elders. The clansmen. Their eyes said it all.
Except for a small handful, they agreed.
He sighed deeply, then raised his head.
"…We follow this plan. Recall our scattered clansmen. Build our compound. Fortify it. And I… will confront the Hokage and Senju Tobirama."