I noticed the fight had vanished. Even my clan didn't really care anymore. While I was fighting, we gave as good as we got. We were making moves. With me gone, we had been too long on the defensive. And now the people were tired.
The constant rumors and fighting need morale. With that at rock bottom, they just rolled over. I also realized something. My commanders were managers. Not leaders. They could manage things well enough. In fact, way better than me. But when it came to the bigger picture or high risks. They were too clueless and spineless. Even Haruto.
But my presence alone couldn't reignite that spark. It needed a medium. So I chose to lie low until the end of my 8th year here. There was no big movement. Only subtle changes in regulations. Increase in frequency of inspections and the strange feeling of the tightening noose. They had eased up on the rumors now. Sensing the giving-up spirit.
A few days before my 8 years here. They finally struck. It was a proposal for a reformation law. Inevitable, I know. But it was too soon.
The law contained a lot of sections.
Section 1: Establishment of the Fuinjutsu Oversight Council (FOC)
The Fuinjutsu Oversight Council (hereafter "the Council") shall function as the supreme regulatory body governing research, application, production, and teaching of all sealing arts within the Hidden Leaf Village.
The Council shall consist of five permanent members:
The Hokage or their designated representative (Chairman)
The Head of the Fuinjutsu Association
One representative from the Nara Clan
One representative from the Kurokami Clan
One representative appointed by the Civilian Council
(Implies a "balanced" body, but since the Hokage chairs and Kurokami manage execution, it's completely under their thumb.)
Section 2: Registration and Classification of Fuinjutsu Practitioners
All individuals, clans, and organizations conducting sealing work above C-rank complexity must register with the Council.
Failure to register constitutes an act of "willful concealment of potential threats" and may be treated as civil treason under Village Law 27-B.
Only certified practitioners may conduct independent sealing, teaching, or tag production.
(This immediately criminalizes any Kurosawa member doing research privately.)
Section 3: Licensing and Production Control
All production of chakra tags, sealing scrolls, and related paraphernalia shall be subject to licensing.
Licenses shall be granted by the Council, renewable every six months, contingent upon compliance with audit standards.
Unauthorized production shall be punishable by confiscation of equipment, fines, and suspension of sealing privileges.
(This seizes the economic foundation of the Kurosawa clan — their ability to produce and sell tags.)
Section 4: Research Regulation
Any sealing research involving chakra amplification, containment, or multi-layer resonance (including unstable prototypes) must receive prior written authorization from the Council.
All research results must be filed within 30 days of completion, regardless of commercial intent or classification.
The Council reserves the right to repurpose or reproduce research for village use with or without compensation.
(This legalizes intellectual theft under the name of "village need.")
Section 5: Inspection and Enforcement Authority
The Council's appointed Inspectors shall have full right to enter, inspect, and evaluate any workshop, laboratory, or storage facility engaged in sealing operations.
Interference with or obstruction of an Inspector's duties constitutes resistance to lawful authority and may result in summary suspension of operations.
(Makes sabotage or espionage by the Kurokami legally untouchable.)
Section 6: Containment and Sanction Powers
If any clan's or individual's sealing activity is deemed "a potential threat to chakra stability, village security, or political order," the Council, with approval of the Hokage, may invoke Containment Protocol 9, allowing:
Immediate suspension of all sealing activities.
Temporary seizure of assets, facilities, and research data.
Restricted mobility of key personnel until the threat is assessed.
(The legal weapon that can be used to seize the Kurosawa compound later.)
Section 7: Education and Apprenticeship Control
All formal instruction of Fuinjutsu, whether in clans or private tutelage, must be conducted under Council-approved curriculum.
Unauthorized instruction shall be deemed an act of "unlicensed knowledge dissemination" and is subject to punitive measures.
(Destroys our legacy — forbids me from training his next generation freely.)
Section 8: Emergency Directives
In times of national emergency or at the Hokage's discretion, all Fuinjutsu operations within Konoha shall fall under the direct command of the Council.
The Council may conscript registered sealers for classified operations, regardless of clan status.
(Strips autonomy entirely.)
Section 9: Ratification Clause
This Act shall take effect immediately upon passage.
Existing contracts or clan privileges in conflict with this Act shall be deemed null and void, subject to renegotiation under Council supervision.
(Wipes away all Kurosawa protections and treaties overnight.)
Before, they at least gave me warnings before inspections. This fundamentally destroyed the black box. And my ability to create the SS tag. The worst thing was that these guys and these laws looked the picture-perfect image of responsible righteousness. And my clan looked at the proposal like an inevitability.
I hated this.
I hated all of this.
Especially since I knew that all of this was a hypocritical power grab. And I was determined to make sure the Kurosawa stays afloat.
This was also the day when I finally realized. His support and sweet words had me fooled all this time. I was an idiot. Hiruzen was a good man, but only when it was convenient. As soon as it got hard. He took the easy, selfish way out. He was just as power hungry as the rest of them. I was a fool to have ever believed in him.
I'll make them all regret this. I'll make sure they suffer for all these years of suffering my clan went through. I'll make sure that their dreams of power and glory get grounded under my feet.
But for that, I needed to protect my clan for now. And thus, political warfare it shall be.
But where do I start?
Step one, I needed my own clan to fire up again.
Step two, I needed allies. Powerful allies who will crush this law in its infancy. The other Fuinjutsu clans had lost their will to Kurokami long ago, with the constant internal oversight and economic and political control. That's why nobody was opposing this power grab.
Step three, I needed to destroy the Third Hokage's Power and credibility. Drag him down from his throne. And then make him pay. Not for justice or the greater good. I didn't believe in it anymore. Every step these bastards had been on the side of the greater good. Logically too. But it was all a power play.
Let's play.