Time Skip: Two Years Later (Dan is 11 years old)
The Leaf Village had changed, though most civilians couldn't point to exactly how. The streets were cleaner, the merchant caravans were arriving more frequently, and the Uchiha Police Force—once known for their arrogance and abrasive nature—had become eerily efficient. They no longer shouted; they observed. They no longer bullied; they managed.
At the center of this transformation sat Dan Uchiha. At eleven, he had reached a height that made him look like a young man, his presence so heavy that even veteran Jonin felt a reflexive need to stand straighter when he passed.
[System Notification: Total Synchronization Complete.]
[Physical Rank: Mid-Jonin | Chakra Reserves: High-Jonin.]
[Hiraishin Mastery: Level 2 (Multi-Jump & Blind Leaping).]
[Clone Task 1: Sage Mode (Nature Energy Integration) — 18.4% Progress.]
Dan stood in the "Command Center" of the Shadow Architecture. The basement had been replaced by a massive, underground complex beneath the Uchiha District, reinforced by Anko's seals and Shisui's genjutsu traps.
"Report," Dan commanded.
Anko Mitarashi, now twelve and wearing a custom trench coat over her mesh armor, stepped forward. She looked sharper, her eyes reflecting the cold pragmatism Dan had instilled in her. "The economic squeeze is complete, Dan-kun. Through front companies, the Architecture now controls 40% of the grain imports and 60% of the medicinal herb trade. If we stop the flow for even three days, the village council won't be able to feed the Academy."
"And the Hokage?"
"Sarutobi-sama is suspicious, but he's distracted," Anko smirked. "Cloud and Stone are still testing the borders. He thinks the Uchiha are just 'investing' their war reparations wisely."
Shisui, now seven but possessing the skills of a Chunin, added, "The 'Mirror of Truth' has been implanted in 60% of the clan. The elders who supported the coup are now obsessed with 'Administrative Superiority' instead of armed rebellion. We've turned their rage into productivity."
The Root's Desperation
While Dan was building his empire, Danzo Shimura was rotting in his own paranoia. The "flawed" lightning jutsu Dan had given him had backfired during a ROOT training exercise, leaving three of Danzo's best men with permanent nerve damage.
Danzo sat in his dark office, his hand trembling. "He is mocking me," he hissed to the empty room. "He is eleven years old, and he has successfully insulated the Uchiha from my reach. If he reaches adulthood, he will be untouchable."
The door opened, and a ROOT agent knelt. "Lord Danzo. We have confirmed it. The girl, Anko, is no longer reporting to Orochimaru. She is reporting to Dan Uchiha. And Orochimaru... has gone silent."
"The snake is hiding," Danzo muttered. "Or he is collaborating. No matter. If the village won't act against the Uchiha, I will force their hand."
The Laboratory of the Forbidden
Later that night, Dan visited his "partner," Orochimaru. The Sannin was looking more haggard than usual. His experiments with the Hashirama Cells had hit a wall, but Dan's system-assisted feedback had kept him from several catastrophic failures.
"You've come for the data on the 'Living Corpse Reincarnation,' haven't you?" Orochimaru asked, his voice echoing in the cold lab.
"I have no interest in body-hopping, Orochimaru," Dan said, walking toward a series of glass canisters. "I want to know about the Reaper Death Seal. I know the Uzumaki masks are kept in a shrine on the outskirts of the village."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "That is a god's jutsu, Dan-kun. Even the Third Hokage fears it. Why seek the power of death?"
"Because the man who started this world's suffering is hiding in the cracks between life and death," Dan replied. He was thinking of Madara. He was thinking of the Gedo Mazo.
[System Warning: High-Level Chakra Signature approaching the lab.]
[Identification: Itachi Uchiha (Age 4).]
Dan paused. Itachi. In the original timeline, Itachi was the one who would carry the burden of the massacre. Here, he was just a toddler with a genius-level intellect, currently wandering the compound looking for his "big brother" figure, Shisui.
"We're done for today," Dan said, his body flickering.
Zip.
He appeared in a courtyard near the Uchiha lake. A small boy with long lashes and a serious face was sitting on a pier, staring at the water.
"Itachi," Dan said softly.
The boy turned, his eyes wide. "Dan-san! Shisui told me you were busy with 'The Architecture.' Is that a castle?"
Dan sat down beside the boy who would one day be a king-slayer. He looked at Itachi's small hands—hands that shouldn't have to hold a bloody blade.
"It's not a castle, Itachi," Dan said, looking at the moon. "It's a net. It's meant to catch the people we love before they fall into the dark."
"Can I help build it?" Itachi asked.
Dan placed a hand on the boy's head. "You are the reason I'm building it. When you grow up, this village will be a place where you can be a scholar, not just a soldier. That is my promise to you."
[System Notification: New Quest Generated!]
[Quest: 'The Guardian'. Objective: Prevent the 'Darkness' of Itachi Uchiha.]
[Reward: Permanent Sync with 'Izanagi' Theory (Cost-Free).]
Dan's heart skipped a beat. A cost-free Izanagi? The ability to turn reality into a dream without losing an eye? If he could master that through the system, he would truly be a god.
The Catalyst
The peace was shattered at midnight.
A massive explosion rocked the northern sector of the village. The sirens began to wail—the sound that every shinobi feared. It wasn't a foreign invasion.
"Fire!" someone screamed. "The Uchiha Police Station is under attack!"
Dan stood on a rooftop, his cloak fluttering. He saw the smoke. He saw the ROOT agents moving in the shadows, dressed in civilian clothes to frame a riot. Danzo had finally made his move. He was trying to spark a conflict between the Uchiha and the rest of the village by sabotaging the very peace Dan had built.
"Shisui! Anko!" Dan's voice carried through the wireless headsets he had developed through the Architecture's R&D. "The 'Red Protocol' is in effect. Do not kill the rioters. Use the Genjutsu nets. I'm going for the head of the snake."
Zip.
Dan didn't go to the fire. He appeared directly in Danzo's private garden.
Danzo was standing there, waiting, his cane tapping the stone. "You are fast, Dan. But are you faster than the consensus of the village? By morning, the Uchiha will be blamed for the 'accidental' explosion that killed thirty civilians."
"The village doesn't care about consensus," Dan said, his Mangekyō Sharingan spinning into existence. The black sun pattern glowed with a terrifying violet light. "The village cares about results. And the result of tonight... is your retirement."
[System Command: Overclock Mirror Space.]
[Ame-no-Uzume: Reality Overlay—ENGAGED.]
The world around Danzo began to warp. The garden didn't just change; it disintegrated into a digital-like grid of violet light. Danzo tried to form a hand sign, but his fingers wouldn't move. He looked down and saw that his arm was turning into cherry blossoms.
"What... what is this Genjutsu?" Danzo gasped.
"It's not a Genjutsu," Dan said, walking through the falling petals. "It's the Architecture. I've spent two years mapping your chakra, Danzo. I know every seal on your body. I know every secret you keep."
Before Danzo could respond, Dan appeared in his space, his hand glowing with a concentrated sphere of violet lightning.
"This is for the future you tried to steal," Dan whispered.