Shogunate Tower, Eighth Floor.
Soft sunlight filtered in, and a faint, sweet fragrance of peaches lingered in the air.
Uchiha An Lan sat in a wide chair, his posture relaxed, his gaze gentle as it rested on the slender figure of a young Uchiha girl standing in the center of the room—her body visibly tense.
She looked to be thirteen or fourteen. Her parents were both gone. Now, standing alone before the most powerful man in the clan, her heart was filled with nervousness… and boundless admiration.
"Don't be nervous."
An Lan gently pushed forward the [Peach of Blessing] he had obtained earlier that day. The lustrous fruit gleamed softly under the light.
"Come. Eat it."
"From now on, like the others, you'll become part of the clan—one of my indispensable guards."
"Yes, Lord General!"
Recognized. Needed.
The girl spoke with excitement, reaching out without hesitation to cradle the peach in both hands. She took a small yet determined bite.
There were no ripples in the process.
An Lan watched with a smile as her ability manifested. He stood, walked over, and gently patted her head like a benevolent father.
"New branches need sunlight and rain to grow. This power is the same. Don't rush—train diligently every day and understand it little by little."
The girl lifted her face, her watery eyes shining as she nodded vigorously.
"Lord General, I'll work hard with Sister Qianyao and the others!"
"Good girl, Yaoyao."
An Lan withdrew his hand, his tone growing even softer.
"Go rest for a while. Then find your seniors and learn how to use your abilities."
"Remember—your clan is your support. The shogunate is your home."
"You are never alone."
"Mm! Thank you, Lord General!"
Yaoyao's voice was much brighter now, her cheeks flushed with the warmth of affirmation.
She bowed respectfully, then turned to leave. At first, her steps were cautious—but soon, they grew light and quick.
At the doorway, she couldn't help but glance back, her eyes brimming with gratitude. She bowed once more before finally pushing the door open and leaving.
Even before the door fully closed, cheers from Qianyao and the others echoed down the corridor.
Like a thawing stream in early spring, their laughter trickled in, bringing a touch of lively warmth to the otherwise solemn floor.
With this group of energetic girls—and those little ones downstairs chattering all day—the shogunate building has truly become livelier than before.
Listening to the fading sounds, An Lan smiled faintly before returning to his desk to handle official matters.
The room fell quiet again.
Only the soft scratching of his pen against paper remained, accompanied by the distant, low pulse of a city rising beyond the windows.
After about fifteen minutes of routine work, Uchiha Mikoto entered gracefully.
Her steps were calm, her skirt swaying slightly as she brought with her a faint, pleasant fragrance.
She moved behind her husband and reported the intelligence obtained from Fuguki.
An Lan's pen paused briefly before finishing the last few strokes. He set it aside, leaned back, and interlaced his fingers before him.
There was little surprise on his face—only a trace of something almost… amused flickered through his eyes.
"They agreed?"
He repeated the words softly, as if weighing their meaning.
"As expected of… shinobi."
The sentence was light, yet it carried a faint sigh—for the profession, for the rules of this era.
For the sake of greater goals… for so-called "strategy"… sacrificing a portion of pawns was as natural as breathing.
The Bloody Mist policy of Kirigakure was brutal, yes—but this kind of cold calculation rooted in absolute rationality… wasn't it just as deeply embedded in the very laws of survival of the shinobi world?
So emotions are nothing more than embellishments of life. One must become strong.
That fleeting sigh vanished like melting frost.
An Lan's gaze turned sharp and clear, like a mirror wiped clean.
"Since they've made their decision, inform Fuguki Suikazan. Proceed according to plan."
"Also notify the Volcano Army, the Wind Forest Army, and the Red Guard Army—prepare to move. Launch a coordinated strike and cripple Kirigakure in one blow."
"Yes."
Mikoto nodded slightly.
The two of them returned to their work.
Occasionally, reports came in about gatherings within the Oniwabanshu, but they were insignificant.
They couldn't even get an audience with the shogun—Uchiha Inabi dismissed them directly.
—
In the eastern district of Infinity City lay the new Uchiha clan grounds, along with residences for key departments and trusted subordinates.
It had replaced the aristocracy of the old era—now the center of power for the shogunate.
To the west lay vast warehouse districts.
The southern district was assigned to the Oniwabanshu.
At this moment, inside a spacious hall, representatives from various Konoha clans—Hyūga, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, and others—had gathered.
They were not part of the Oniwabanshu itself, but served as intermediaries between their clans and the Uchiha.
Not long ago, news had arrived that an Oniwabanshu squad—composed of their own clansmen—had been ambushed by Kirigakure in Maple Valley.
All fifty had been wiped out.
After failing to obtain answers from the shogunate, they had convened once more.
"Fifty men—none came back!"
An Akimichi clansman slammed his fist onto the table, his eyes red.
"In that kind of terrain, surrounded—and not even one person escaped to report back?"
His words stirred murmurs.
A Yamanaka ninja frowned deeply.
"The route was decided from above. The timing was also arranged from above. How did Kirigakure strike so precisely? It's like they already knew!"
"Could it be… someone on the inside…" He didn't finish, but the implication was clear.
"Inside?"
A Nara representative leaned back, tapping the armrest absently.
"You're suggesting the Uchiha leaked the information on purpose? Using Kirigakure's blade to eliminate us 'outsiders'?"
"Watch your words!"
A Hyūga branch family jōnin spoke sternly, his pale eyes filled with caution.
"With no evidence, how can you make such accusations against the higher-ups? Kirigakure is cunning, skilled in reconnaissance. Perhaps their scouts found an opening. Maple Valley was dangerous terrain—we were careless."
"Careless?"
The Akimichi man's voice rose.
"Once might be carelessness—but what about next time? Will it be us?"
"Our clans sent us here to seek opportunities—not to be expendable!"
"In my opinion, this place is becoming more and more dangerous. We should… find a way back to Konoha. At least the Hokage is still trying to maintain order—he wouldn't send us to die like this without explanation!"
"Go back?"
Another representative immediately retorted, his eyes flickering.
"Go back and fill trenches for the Hokage? Our clans sent us here because they saw Konoha's decline—and the rise of the Uchiha."
"What would we say if we return? That we couldn't survive under the Uchiha, so we ran after losing people?"
"And besides—"
He lowered his voice.
"The Uchiha may be ruthless, but rewards and punishments are clear. Merit can be exchanged for secret techniques—that's real. And you've all seen the foundation of Infinity City."
"In this chaotic era, following the strongest blade might not be a bad bet. We could become the 'nobility' of the new order."
"Nobility? Dream on!"
A conservative voice scoffed.
"Those not of our kind will never share our heart. The Uchiha will never truly trust us or give us that kind of status."
"They use us because we're useful. Once we lose value—or step on their interests—our fate won't be any better than those in Maple Valley!"
"Then what do you suggest? Staying isn't safe, leaving isn't safe either!"
The arguments grew louder, clashing fiercely.
Some believed it was an accident—Kirigakure seizing an opportunity.
More suspected it was a warning or purge by the Uchiha, fear creeping into their hearts.
Some longed for Konoha's relative stability.
Others were drawn to the Uchiha's power and the promise of a new order—willing to gamble for the future.
The Hyūga main family elder watched the escalating chaos, his brow tightening.
Their fears, ambitions, and doubts were laid bare.
But there was no unity.
At this rate, they would collapse from within before Uchiha or Kirigakure even needed to act.
After all, they were only here because they had seen another possibility.
Before, they had no choice.
Now they did—and that made everything chaotic.
"Enough!"
"Arguments won't solve anything. We were not sent here to quarrel!"
"The key now is to determine two things."
"First—was Maple Valley an accident, or intentional?"
"If intentional… was it the shogun's dissatisfaction—a warning?"
"Second—how should we proceed?"
"Should we align more closely with the Uchiha, prove our value, and secure protection and opportunity?"
"Or strengthen ties with Konoha and leave ourselves a way out?"
He scanned the room, his tone slowing.
"Before we understand these matters, any rash move could lead to death. What is said here stays here."
"Externally, the Oniwabanshu must remain unified and obedient. Internally… each clan must report back and await instructions."
"Until then—"
He paused.
"Watch your words. Watch your actions."
The argument subsided—for now.
But unity had not been achieved.
Silence filled the room, yet beneath it, suspicion, fear, ambition, and calculation continued to flow.
—
A few days later.
Sea fog drifted low along the jagged coastline, veiling both distant reefs and nearby slaughter in a gray haze.
The salty air mixed with the metallic scent of fresh blood, forming a nauseating, sticky atmosphere.
Kushimaru Kuriarare stood atop a black reef far from the main battlefield, his figure nearly blending into the shadows.
The long blade—Nuibari—rested in his hand, its cold edge reflecting no light.
Through the narrow openings of his mask, his eyes gazed calmly—almost indifferently—at the tidal flats below.
There, around two hundred Kirigakure patrol shinobi were being hunted down.
The hunters—
Former comrades, now traitors.
Led by Fuguki Suikazan, more than three hundred defected shinobi swarmed like sharks smelling blood, using their intimate knowledge of Kirigakure tactics to isolate, encircle, and annihilate.
Screams. Roars. The clash of weapons. The thunder of Water Release techniques.
Yet to Kushimaru, it all felt distant—like watching through thick glass.
His heartbeat did not change.
This battalion was the bait.
He had proposed the sacrifice himself—to gain Fuguki's trust, to lure out something greater.
If they were expendable, then their deaths were no different from broken training dummies.
They stirred no emotion.
He even calmly evaluated the enemy's efficiency, observing how former subordinates slaughtered their comrades without hesitation.
Perhaps, beneath the mask, his lips twitched slightly—a faint, empty mockery.
But then—
Everything changed.
His gaze had been following Fuguki's rampage with Samehada.
But something at the edge of his vision shifted.
From the flank of the defectors—
Two units broke away.
Leading them were Kisame Hoshigaki and Jūzō Biwa.
With over two hundred elite shinobi, they surged forward like a black tide—heading straight for another section of the coastline.
Another patrol route.
According to the plan, a second two-hundred-man unit should be there.
I explicitly told Fuguki to restrain his forces… what are they doing?!
For the first time, a ripple disturbed Kushimaru's otherwise still mind.
Cold realization followed.
The plan had been simple—ambush this one unit, earn "merit."
The second patrol—
Was never supposed to be targeted.
Then—
A terrifying thought struck him.
Fuguki hadn't betrayed the Uchiha at all.
The young shogun…
Was using this "merit" Kirigakure offered—
To tear open a far larger wound.
To cripple them.
Even devour them.
In the distance, Kisame and Jūzō's forces slammed into the second patrol line like starving wolves.
The slaughter that followed was even more sudden—
More brutal.
"We've been deceived…"
For the first time, Kushimaru clearly realized—
He, Terumi Mei—
The entire Kirigakure front—
Had fallen into a trap.
No more waiting.
Every second meant more blood, more losses—far beyond what had been planned.
This could spiral into collapse.
Without hesitation, Kushimaru reached into his robe, pulled out a specially made Kirigakure emergency flare, yanked the fuse—
And hurled it into the gray sky.
"Whoosh—BOOM!!!"
A blinding crimson flare tore through the sea fog—
Exploding high above.