A sharp breath cut through the forest.
The masked Uchiha shinobi had just finished exchanging information with the Root operative. Turning his head, he scanned the surroundings one last time. There was no presence, no movement—nothing out of place.
Satisfied, he prepared to leave.
Then—
A shadow flickered before him.
Before he could even react, a figure appeared out of thin air. The moment the masked ninja saw that face, his pupils shrank violently. Instinct screamed at him to run.
But he was too late.
Those crimson eyes—
Spun.
In that instant, before even a single thought could fully form, Ryujin moved.
Boom.
A devastating strike landed squarely on the ninja's chest, the impact erupting like a cannon blast.
The masked Uchiha was sent flying backward, his body tearing through tree after tree, snapping trunks like dry branches before slamming heavily into the ground. Blood burst from his mouth. His organs shattered. His body… no longer responded.
He couldn't even activate his Sharingan.
One strike.
Just one.
A Jōnin-level Uchiha—
Reduced to a dying husk in an instant.
Lying there with blurred vision, the man forced his eyes open.
And what he saw—
Was Ryujin slowly walking toward him.
Those scarlet eyes glowed faintly in the dim forest light—cold, unfeeling, utterly terrifying.
A fear unlike anything he had ever known gripped his soul.
Not fear of death.
But fear of something far beyond his comprehension.
This… is the Clan Head's power?
This… is Uchiha Ryujin?
For the first time—
He understood.
Even among the Uchiha, he had been considered elite—a high-ranking Jōnin, a man with status, strength, and pride.
And yet—
Before Ryujin—
He wasn't even worthy of resistance.
His lips trembled as he tried to speak, but the moment he opened his mouth, blood poured out. His insides were already destroyed.
Ryujin stopped in front of him, his expression calm and indifferent. Bending down, he picked up the fallen mask and casually wiped the blood from his hand.
"I hate traitors," he said flatly.
"Especially those who betray their own clan."
The words struck harder than the blow.
The ninja's eyes widened in pure horror.
He knows.
He actually knows.
Impossible.
He had been born and raised within the Uchiha Clan. He had hidden perfectly. No one should have suspected him.
So how—
Ryujin cast him a brief glance, as if looking at something already dead.
"If you're curious…"
"You can take that question with you to hell."
No explanation.
No hesitation.
Ryujin turned and walked away.
Within three breaths, the masked ninja's eyes froze wide open, his face locked in terror.
Dead.
But in the final moment before his consciousness faded—
He understood.
It wasn't that he had hidden well.
It was that…
He had never been hidden at all.
From the very beginning—
He had been exposed.
Everything.
The information he passed.
The meetings.
The exchanges.
All of it—
Had been allowed.
By Ryujin.
This wasn't Danzo's scheme.
It was Ryujin's.
A trap.
A carefully constructed illusion.
And he—
Was nothing more than a disposable piece.
This Clan Head…
He's far more terrifying than anyone realizes…
That was his final thought.
And then—
Darkness consumed him.
No one else would ever know the truth.
…
Deep beneath Konoha, in a heavily guarded underground base—the headquarters of Root—a figure sat in the shadows.
Shimura Danzo.
He had just received the intelligence report.
"Hmph… the Uchiha are planning a rebellion?"
His visible eye narrowed slightly, a cold and dangerous glint surfacing within it.
"They're truly seeking their own destruction."
A slow smile crept across his face.
"What a perfect opportunity."
"The threat that Tobirama-sensei failed to eliminate…"
"It seems… will finally end in my hands."
A killing intent surged from him.
"The cancer of the Uchiha…"
"It's time to erase it completely."
Unlike Hiruzen, Danzo had never believed in compromise.
He wanted peace.
Yes.
But his version of peace—
Was absolute control.
And now—
The Uchiha had given him the perfect excuse.
If they dared to rebel, he would unite all of Konoha against them—every clan, every force—and crush them completely.
In fact, Danzo saw this as fate itself.
A chance granted to him by the heavens.
Hiruzen might hesitate.
But he wouldn't.
This time—
He didn't even inform Hiruzen beforehand.
Act first.
Report later.
Of course, he wouldn't make the first move.
He wasn't a fool.
The Uchiha had to strike first.
Only then—
Would his actions be justified.
But what Danzo didn't know—
What even Hiruzen didn't know—
Was that everything they had learned… every piece of information…
Had been deliberately fed to them.
By one man.
Uchiha Ryujin.
As for why—
That was part of a far larger plan.
…
Walking along the quiet streets of the Uchiha district, Ryujin's thoughts shifted.
"…Maybe I should establish my own force."
The idea surfaced naturally.
Hiruzen had ANBU.
Danzo had Root.
Even the Kage of other villages maintained elite personal units.
These forces weren't just for protection—they gathered intelligence, executed missions, and handled assassinations with ruthless efficiency.
If Ryujin were to become Hokage in the future, he couldn't handle everything personally.
That would be…
Tedious.
A personal shadow force…
Might be necessary.
Lost in thought, he eventually arrived at his residence.
At the entrance, an elderly Uchiha stood waiting.
The moment he saw Ryujin, he stepped forward respectfully.
"Clan Head."
Ryujin glanced at him, recognizing the man immediately—one of the clan's senior elders, Uchiha Mu.
"What is it?" he asked calmly.
Mu hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Clan Head… after discussion among the elders, we believe…"
"You have reached the appropriate age for marriage."
Ryujin's brows lifted slightly.
Mu continued carefully.
"If you were to choose a suitable woman from within the clan…"
"It would not only ensure the birth of a highly talented heir…"
"But also serve as a form of cover."
"A marriage could lower Hiruzen Sarutobi's vigilance… and prevent him from suspecting our current plans."
He paused, then added respectfully—
"This matter… concerns the future of the clan."
Silence lingered for a moment.
Ryujin repeated softly—
"Marriage…?"
And for the first time—
A different kind of complication appeared in his path.