Homura Mitokado fell silent.
After hearing Koharu Utatane's words, his eyes flickered for a long while before he finally spoke in a low voice:
"Alright, I understand.
But we have to be extremely cautious. On the surface, we must act as if everything we do is for Hokage-sama's sake.
After all, our Hokage isn't someone who's easy to fool."
Koharu nodded.
Of course she knew this too. After so many years working together, who didn't understand each other's nature by now?
Immediately afterward, since they had reached a consensus, they dropped the subject.
They were well aware—
Inside the Hokage Tower, Anbu were everywhere.
And the Anbu Captain wasn't just anyone.
It was Hiruzen's own son, Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Unlike that fool Asuma, Shinnosuke was no simple man.
If he caught even a whiff of their scheming, their fate wouldn't be much better than that of the Uchiha right now.
So…
On the surface, late that night, the two Elders appeared diligent and dutiful, working hard through the night.
But deep inside, both were secretly pondering the same thing—
How to eliminate Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
If he were left in charge of Anbu, their future plans would be crippled from the start.
Almost instinctively, both thought of one man: Shimura Danzo.
Yes.
Hiruzen valued Danzo greatly.
But Danzo himself never saw it that way.
He had always believed he should've been the Third Hokage.
He had no desire to remain in Hiruzen's shadow forever.
He didn't even bother to hide it—his ambition was plain for all to see.
So if they could just make him realize that Shinnosuke was a leash around his neck, they wouldn't even need to say much—Danzo would move to kill him himself.
As Danzo's old comrades, the two of them knew his personality too well.
He was arrogant. Conceited to the point of madness.
Forget Shinnosuke—
If given the chance, Danzo would even dare to move against Hiruzen himself.
"...Koharu, Danzo's really rough," Homura muttered quietly.
"Hiruzen only did what he did today because the pressure was too much.
As Hokage, he couldn't personally go and comfort Danzo.
But as his friends, it's our duty to show some concern.
We're all friends here. It wouldn't let things sour completely. Don't you agree?"
Koharu chuckled softly.
Now that she and Homura were of one mind, there was no hesitation. She nodded right away.
"Yes, you're right!
After we finish signing the peace agreement with Hidden Stone VIllage tomorrow, let's pay that old fellow Danzo a visit.
We're all friends, after all. Even if Hiruzen went too far tonight, we can't let ourselves grow too distant.
As friends, it's our job to talk sense into him."
Their eyes met, and both smiled knowingly.
With everything clear between them, they said no more.
They simply bent their heads and quickly returned to processing paperwork.
The next day, late morning.
Uchiha Kai blinked awake groggily.
Seeing the sun high overhead, he dragged himself up, reluctantly washed, and after about ten minutes, stepped out into his courtyard.
The blazing sun shone above.
Kai stretched lazily and yawned.
"Ahh… this is life.
Nothing beats being at home—sleeping until I wake up on my own."
"All my fatigue, completely gone!"
He muttered contentedly.
On missions outside the village, even with his current strength, he never had to worry about enemy shinobi.
But eating poorly, sleeping in the open—it was always uncomfortable.
Last night, though? He had slept like a rock.
Afterward, he strolled to Ichiraku Ramen, had a simple lunch, and returned home to sprawl in the sun, utterly relaxed.
He had no idea—
Because of some of his schemes, the village had already descended into chaos.
Especially last night.
Things had been lively.
The Uchiha clan elders were secretly plotting.
Minato Namikaze had shifted his mindset, starting to build his own faction in preparation for becoming Hokage.
The higher-ups of the village were in turmoil.
An enraged Hiruzen Sarutobi had clashed openly with Danzo.
Even the two long-overlooked Elders had begun to hatch little schemes of betrayal.
Yes—things had changed!
Because of Kai, the "butterfly effect" had already warped Konoha far beyond the original timeline.
Had he died outside the village, maybe things would've remained calm.
But alas, he'd come back alive.
The assassination plot against him had failed completely.
That was the first domino to fall.
Now, as things stood—
The village leadership and Hidden Stone VIllage's delegation were locked in tense negotiations within the Hokage Tower.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat high above, smiling kindly, projecting an air of warmth and benevolence.
Danzo sat beside him, his face dark as a storm.
Meanwhile, Koharu and Homura bickered endlessly with Hidden Stone's representatives—while secretly wondering how to coax Danzo into stabbing Hiruzen in the back.
At Akimichi's BBQ restaurant—
Minato laughed and drank, charmingly chatting with handpicked Jounin he hoped to win over.
At home, Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, minded Minato's students and kept watch, ready to repel any threat.
Even Shisui was busy—darting around the Uchiha compound, contacting everyone who resented Kai.
At first, none of them wanted to join him.
After all, Kai was far too powerful for them to oppose.
But the moment Shisui revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan, everything changed.
Yes.
With Mangekyo, he truly had the qualifications to challenge Kai.
The first to back him was Uchiha Yatsushiro, leader of the moderate faction.
They had always resented Kai most of all. Their faction existed only because they cozied up to the Hokage's camp.
Before, they had no choice but to hide in the shadows.
But with Shisui's Mangekyo, they finally had confidence.
Next came Uchiha Setsuna.
Though he was from the militant faction, and Kai's actions aligned with their ideals—
Setsuna bore a personal grudge against him.
Now, given the chance, he leapt at it.
Ideals didn't matter—what mattered was bringing Kai down.
Most of the militants had already joined Kai. Setsuna was almost a one-man band now.
If he wanted to reclaim his power, Shisui's faction was his only hope.
And with both Yatsushiro and Setsuna on board, the rest of the Uchiha discontent naturally began rallying to Shisui as well.
Meanwhile—
Uchiha Tekka and the others, sensing the shift in atmosphere, quickly gathered around the clan head Fugaku and Kai.
Tekka rushed to find Kai in a panic…
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