One month after the Nine-Tails' rampage.
Rebuilding proved far more difficult than destruction. It had taken a full month merely to clear the ruins and tally the casualties.
With the Fourth Hokage dead, Konoha urgently needed new leadership.
Among the Sannin, the most qualified candidates—
Orochimaru had defected.
Tsunade could not be reached.
Jiraiya had been contacted and was returning—but he had firmly refused the position.
…
Thus, the retired Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to resume the mantle, steadying a Konoha that was chaotic and weakened.
—
Hokage Tower, conference room.
Bang!!
Danzō Shimura, now one-armed, slammed his hand onto the table.
"What kind of joke is this?! The Uchiha have defected as a clan, and you're not sending pursuit forces?!"
Nara Shikaku, current Jōnin Commander, looked at him with restrained displeasure.
"Danzō-sama, you've just returned and aren't fully informed. The situation is—"
"Why was I brought back?!"
Danzō's fury boiled over.
"Was that brat using me as a bargaining chip?!"
"Are you all idiots?!"
"If I was captured, then that should have marked the end of my life as a shinobi! There was no need to hesitate! You should have annihilated the Uchiha clan!"
If he could have taken the Uchiha down with him, it would not have fulfilled his ambitions—but it would not have been a loss.
"It was the Fourth Hokage's final order."
From the head seat, Hiruzen spoke coldly.
"The Fourth—he didn't understand what kind of people the Uchiha truly are! He didn't know—don't you all know? No…"
"Danzō. Your matter isn't settled yet. Stop shouting."
Hiruzen's voice grew even colder. There was a sharp glint in his eyes.
On the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, he had repeatedly instructed Danzō: avoid direct conflict with the Uchiha. Simply prevent them from approaching the Nine-Tails.
And what had Danzō done?
Regardless of who struck first—what were those legs of yours for? Couldn't you report to me?!
Fighting was one thing—
Losing was another.
Being captured. Exposing the stolen Sharingan. Forcing events beyond recovery.
Utter stupidity.
Danzō bristled, ready to retort—
Koharu Utatane hurried to mediate.
"Danzō, stop. The situation is more complicated than you think…"
Hiruzen pointed out the window toward the horizon.
"Danzō. When you returned, you saw that wasteland outside the village."
"With your experience—what kind of power produces a scene like that?"
Danzō pondered.
"Did the Fourth Hokage use Flying Thunder God to redirect a Tailed Beast Ball?"
Hiruzen shook his head.
"I sent scouts after the departing Uchiha."
"That devastation was caused by Uchiha Sora's summon."
"You understand what that implies."
"The Uchiha clan now possesses power comparable to a Tailed Beast."
…
"So what?!"
"If we don't kill that Uchiha brat now, are we to let him grow stronger?!"
"Three thousand seven hundred twenty-one."
Hiruzen spoke a number quietly.
"That is our death toll. The majority were shinobi. Many elite jōnin."
"Even the Fourth Hokage and his wife perished."
"Do we still have the strength to hunt down the Uchiha?"
They did.
Konoha was still Konoha.
If they committed fully, wiping out the Uchiha was not impossible.
But afterward?
With their forces depleted, could they defend the richest land in the shinobi world?
Danzō was no fool.
He quickly grasped the dilemma.
The Fourth Hokage's final order was merely a pretext.
Hiruzen's wife had died that night as well.
Was he not human?
Did he not wish to take revenge?
But he could not.
Too many hopes rested on his shoulders. Too many lives depended on him.
Danzō's eyes darkened as a scheme formed.
"The Uchiha clan… a clan possessing a rare bloodline limit."
"Many would be interested."
"If we inform Kumogakure—"
"Danzō-sama, calm yourself."
Shikaku finally interjected.
"If Kumogakure learns that the entire Uchiha clan defected, will they chase the Uchiha—or strike Konoha first?"
"If we guide them toward attacking the Uchiha, that Sora brat will immediately align with Kumogakure and turn their forces against us."
"After paying a heavy price, would the Raikage prefer a few Sharingan… or an entire Uchiha clan—and Konoha's wealth?"
"The Raikage is no fool."
"Danzō-sama… you're tired. You should rest."
Ordinarily, Shikaku would never speak to Danzō so bluntly.
But Danzō's actions had crossed a line.
That arm implanted with multiple Sharingan had not gone unnoticed. The news had already spread.
Yes—the Uchiha defecting was wrong.
But was Danzō without blame?
Why had he pushed them so far?
…
Danzō scanned the room.
The jōnin present regarded him with hostility.
Even Koharu and Homura—his longtime allies—wore expressions urging restraint.
He said nothing further.
The timing was wrong.
"I am… indeed tired."
For now, he needed to lie low. Rebuild Root. Reclaim influence.
"Then stay home and rest."
Hiruzen's words carried quiet finality.
"Do not leave."
Danzō met Hiruzen's gaze.
One sentence went unspoken.
Hiruzen… you will regret this.
—
After Danzō left, Shikaku presented a document.
"The Uchiha clan has settled at the ruins of Uzushiogakure. It appears they intend to establish themselves there."
"Uzushiogakure…"
A small island nation once home to the Uzumaki clan.
Strategically, it served as a maritime gateway between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
After the Uzumaki's destruction, none dared inhabit it.
"This is a letter from Uchiha Sora."
Hiruzen opened it.
The contents were straightforward.
If Hiruzen wished, he could publicly declare that the Uchiha clan remained allies of Konoha.
Internal discord had merely prompted relocation to Uzushiogakure—where they would act as a buffer against the Land of Water, much like the Uzumaki once had.
Whether that alliance was genuine—
Both sides understood the truth.
If Hiruzen refused—
Sora would lead the entire clan into Kumogakure.
…
Sora understood reality.
Even as the strongest clan in the shinobi world, the Uchiha could not rival a Great Nation alone.
To buy time to grow, he had to endure humiliation and shelter beneath Konoha's banner.
Konoha, likewise, could not publicly admit the Uchiha had defected.
The Uchiha comprised at least one-fifth of Konoha's military power—perhaps more.
If other nations learned of that fracture…
The consequences required no explanation.
They were like a divorced couple pretending to remain married—solely to deter outside predators.
The Uchiha had options.
They could relinquish sovereignty and join another Great Nation. Few would refuse their strength.
Well—
Except perhaps Kirigakure.
And Iwagakure's old Tsuchikage might hesitate—he harbored a particular fear of the Sharingan.
Konoha, however—
Had no such luxury.
…
Hiruzen exhaled deeply.
More than Sora's raw power—
It was his precise grasp of timing that unsettled him.
In hindsight, there had been no better moment to defect than the night of the Nine-Tails' attack.
Years earlier, Konoha held absolute dominance over the Uchiha.
Years later, the village would recover enough strength to crush them at tolerable cost.
Even Hiruzen had only realized this afterward.
That brat—
Had he truly calculated everything at the moment it happened?
In their few interactions, Hiruzen had felt it clearly.
He had been led by the nose.
Fully aware—
Yet powerless to change it.
"…So be it."
"Let us move on to reconstruction planning."