Although the Uchiha clan and Konoha were at odds, they had not yet openly broken ties. Besides, Itachi's departure might have been the result of some deal with the Third Hokage. If war were to break out again, it was unclear whether Itachi and Fugaku would side with Konoha.
But they certainly wouldn't help Kumogakure, at least not for the time being. After all, Kumogakure's finances were so completely overwhelmed that they had been forced to initiate peace talks.
And now, this incident had occurred.
"Lord Raikage, what are your thoughts?"
The Raikage tapped a finger on the intelligence report, right over the name Uchiha. "Our original plan remains unchanged, but we must keep a close eye on the Uchiha's movements. As they are now, the Uchiha... are very strong."
While Killer Bee was the nominal leader of the envoy, he was merely a figurehead due to being A's younger brother. The true leader was Yugito Nii, who stood beside him. With the Uchiha's break from Konoha and the Third Hokage's advancing age and frailty, their mission was uncertain. With two Jinchuriki, self-preservation in Konoha would not be an issue.
Whether they were truly there for peace talks or had other motives would depend entirely on the situation they found upon arrival.
...
The Uchiha clan's recent upheavals had sparked widespread discussion among the villagers of Konoha, giving rise to all sorts of rumors.
One story claimed that during the Nine-Tails' attack years ago, it was Danzo who had prevented the Uchiha from joining the fight under the pretext of protecting the villagers, and that the clan had been ostracized ever since. Another part of this rumor suggested that the Uchiha heir's departure was because Danzo had stolen Shisui Uchiha's eye. The Third Hokage had only given Danzo a verbal reprimand, and his position as an advisor was merely a title. He was still sitting comfortably as a council elder.
Another, more interesting rumor was also circulating. This one claimed the Uchiha had long been dissatisfied with the village. The Third Hokage's incompetence had led Itachi and Shisui to defect. Now, the Third was being soft again, merely stating that Itachi had "left the village." He was clearly unfit to be Hokage.
Ordinarily, such rumors might have found some support. But after the Uchiha clan hadn't rebelled even when Shisui's eye was stolen, most people now scoffed at any slander directed at them. If they had wanted to rebel, they would have done so long ago.
Besides, the villagers were most sensitive to changes in their daily lives. Konoha only had a few main commercial streets, and the areas patrolled by the Uchiha clan had the best public safety. Their patrols were frequent, they were efficient, and they were experienced in handling emergencies.
The next best were the areas managed by the Hyuga clan. The Hyuga were gentle, and their Byakugan could see everything. Even incidents far away didn't escape their notice. Though their response time was a bit slower, it was generally acceptable.
The worst-off areas were streets one through four, which were said to be under the jurisdiction of Danzo's men. When trouble arose, they would arrest people indiscriminately without getting the facts straight. His subordinates were all cold as ice and ruthless in their methods; broken bones were a common occurrence.
Now, few people were willing to shop on those streets, and they had become much quieter. Originally, the villagers didn't have a strong impression of the elder Danzo Shimura, but now, it was crystal clear to everyone what kind of man he was. If you want to be Hokage, you need to show real skill, not spend your days framing the Uchiha and smearing the Third Hokage's name. If it weren't for his title as a Konoha council elder, the villagers would have already been spitting on his doorstep.
Even Danzo himself had recognized the problem and instructed the Root division of the police force to be gentler when enforcing the law. But deep-seated habits were not so easily changed. The villagers' prejudice against Root was already ingrained, and changing their image now would be next to impossible.
...
Meanwhile, the Uchiha clan was busy hiring construction crews to rebuild their clan compound, though the chosen location was a bit far from the village center.
Of course, the first thing the Uchiha did was build a new road to make it convenient for clan members who owned shops in the village to commute. While it added a bit of a hassle, their businesses were doing better than ever. Outsiders no longer gave them strange looks, so the Uchiha civilians had come to accept the move. The road was paved with top-grade stone and had cost a fortune. Many people thought the Uchiha must have had money to burn to build such a fine road.
In stark contrast, the construction of the Uchiha compound itself seemed half-hearted. The building materials were merely average. The workmanship was plain, showing none of the grandeur expected of a great clan. The decorations were also quite simple; the new houses could be described in one word—spartan.
This was all part of a plan hatched by Kawasaki and Fugaku. They knew that a certain someone was going to come to Konoha and teach the world pain. If the scope of the destruction was wide enough, no matter how well they built now, it would all be reduced to rubble. The plan was to develop their assets outside the main village; this compound would eventually be abandoned, so why bother making it beautiful?
Kawasaki had been spending his time researching the foods and snacks of the Land of Fire. After getting a feel for the culinary landscape of this world, he began to fill his project plan by replicating various delicacies from his past life, at least in their basic structure. In his former life, Kawasaki had worked in restaurant training, and his mind was a repository of recipes.
Here, however, the actual execution—from selecting ingredients to creating the final product—was up to Itachi and the others to figure out through trial and error. Beyond different materials, they also had to account for the local palate. Fortunately, the Uchiha's accumulated wealth was substantial enough to fund their experiments for a while.
If they ever ran short on cash, Itachi and Shisui could always take on work as bounty hunters. It would be a waste not to use their immense combat prowess. The black market was filled with bounties, and for those with the skill, it was the fastest way to make money. That's how the Akatsuki got their start, after all. Though later on, that spendthrift Konan squandered it all.
...
Some time had passed since Itachi left the village, and as the days went by, the public's fascination with the Uchiha clan's affairs began to cool. Kawasaki, who had been monitoring the public sentiment, was quite busy himself. His Faction Template system had gained a new function.
Within the template, the avatars of individuals with high loyalty or intimacy towards him would now glow. Clicking on them revealed a "Dream Button." Currently, this included Fugaku, Takuya, Yohei, Itachi, Shisui, and several other Uchiha clan members.
Kawasaki selected Fugaku's avatar. Under the "Combat" option, he found several sub-categories. He tapped "Taijutsu."
[Dreamscape constructing... Dreamscape construction complete. Uchiha Fugaku - Taijutsu]
Lying on his bed, Kawasaki closed his eyes, and his consciousness was transported to a training ground. Fugaku materialized across from him and began to demonstrate his taijutsu. Each movement possessed a distinct Uchiha flair—flashy and filled with technique. Aided by his Sharingan, his body flipped and spun through the air with a coordination that seemed impossible for a man of his build.
After the demonstration, Fugaku leaped and lunged toward Kawasaki. Kawasaki instinctively tried to use the Substitution Jutsu, but he found he couldn't mold his chakra.
*Poof!*
Kawasaki burst apart like a shadow clone. He opened his eyes and found himself back in his bedroom. "Oh, so it's a virtual training room?"
He checked the faction panel again. Fugaku's avatar was now grayed out, with a cooldown timer next to it. It seemed he could only run one simulation per day.
He then clicked on Itachi's taijutsu.
[Dreamscape constructing... Dreamscape construction complete. Uchiha Itachi - Taijutsu]
Kawasaki closed his eyes once more. He returned to the training ground, this time facing Itachi, dressed in his Anbu uniform with a sword strapped to his back.
Itachi began by demonstrating his taijutsu, much like Fugaku had. But he went a step further, showcasing his mastery of kunai and shuriken. He displayed precise control over the weapons while moving at high speeds, guiding shuriken with ninja wire and altering their trajectories mid-air by making them collide with his kunai.
Once the demonstration was over, Itachi charged at Kawasaki, just as Fugaku had, but he simultaneously unleashed a high-speed barrage of kunai and shuriken.
This time, Kawasaki was mentally prepared and on high alert. With the aid of his Mangekyo Sharingan, Kawasaki managed to dodge Itachi's kunai and shuriken with immense ease...