"Uchiha Izuna… actually died?"
Hyūga Tennin's voice cut through the council hall, sharp enough to make a few elders flinch.
Even I couldn't blame him. Izuna wasn't some mid-tier Uchiha brat throwing fireballs for fun. He was Madara's younger brother, a prodigy who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan just like his demon of an elder sibling. In the Warring States era, guys like Izuna weren't names — they were natural disasters shaped like people.
"For Senju Tobirama to kill a Mangekyō holder…" Sarutobi Keigo muttered, jaw tight. "I underestimated him."
The murmurs were rising. Confusion. Awe. Worry.
Typical clan-leader chorus.
I finally stepped forward.
"I called everyone here because Izuna's death changes everything."
The room quieted, dozens of eyes landing on me. Clan heads, elders, old war ghosts. They all wanted the same thing: a reason not to panic.
"Uchiha Izuna dying isn't our business," I said. "But Uchiha Madara's reaction is. With his brother gone, Madara's power is going to spike hard. That's why this meeting is happening."
"Amamiya-dono…" Shimura's patriarch frowned. "Are you saying Madara grows stronger because of his brother's death?"
"Exactly."
Their expressions froze.
Right. Because the normal response to grief isn't "unlock eldritch demon eyes."
"Everyone here knows I have Sharingan."
A few people shifted, as if remembering something awkward they'd rather forget — like the fact I had Byakugan too. Tennin kept quiet, so the rest of the Hyūga politely pretended this was normal human behavior.
If only they knew the truth: modern-world me still wanted to file an HR complaint about my eyeballs.
"Sharingan has levels," I continued. "Mangekyō is powerful, but it isn't the peak. Above Mangekyō is the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. To awaken it, you need… a certain condition."
Tennin sucked in a breath.
Sarutobi's hand clenched.
The room stiffened like someone had snapped a genjutsu trigger.
"And with Izuna dead," I said, "Madara almost certainly awakened it."
Silence swallowed the entire hall.
They understood enough to be terrified.
"The Eternal Mangekyō gives access to abilities far beyond Mangekyō-level jutsu," I said. "Including full-body Susanoo and the ability to control a tailed beast."
That got them.
Even the old wolves — men who'd seen entire clans burned off the map — flinched at the memory of a rampaging Three-Tails.
"So you called this council," Sarutobi Keigo said quietly, "because you intend a southern campaign."
I nodded.
"Konoha has rested for a year. The Senju and Uchiha bled each other dry. But if we wait for Madara to master his new power, taking the southern Fire Country will cost us thousands. Before he stabilizes it, we strike first."
Hyūga Tennin stood immediately.
"I support Raizen-dono."
The others followed, one after another.
No arguments. No hesitation.
They all knew the truth: this was our only window before Madara became something even war couldn't explain.
"Good," I said. "Seven days from now, Konoha marches south. I'll act as commander-in-chief."
The meeting ended.
Word spread like wildfire.
Konoha roared back to life — armor clattering, tags being inked, medics prepping kits, blacksmiths hammering until their fingers bled. Everyone knew what the southern expedition meant:
If we win, the entire Land of Fire unifies under one banner.
If we lose… there won't be anything left to unify.
Seven days flashed by.
Twenty thousand shinobi stood ready. Supplies rolled out in endless caravans. Scouts vanished into forests and returned with updates that spread across nations.
The world reacted.
Hidden Villages accelerated their own unification wars. Alliances shifted. Borders shook. Everyone sensed it — Konoha was about to redraw the map.
In the south, the Senju and Uchiha didn't move.
They didn't fight.
Didn't posture.
Two clans who hated each other more than poison sat there in an eerie, unnatural calm.
Everyone else in the south had the same sinking fear:
Whatever they were waiting for, it wouldn't be good.
Konoha marched through the canyon and reached the southern border.
Smaller clans folded instantly, kneeling before us.
Only two names stayed unmoved:
Uchiha.
Senju.
The storm was ready.
We just had to light the fuse.