Three weeks later—
For once, the Uchiha district was filled not with tension, but with celebration.
The first child of the Uchiha Clan Head had been born.
A boy.
Lanterns were hung across the main streets, clan members moved in and out of the compound, and congratulatory voices echoed through the halls. Laughter mixed with formality as guests from various clans arrived to offer their blessings.
At the entrance, Elder Kohaku and Kazuto stood alongside Elder Setsuna, personally receiving the guests. Fugaku himself moved through the gathering with a restrained smile—composed, dignified, yet clearly proud.
"Congratulations, Uchiha Clan Head," said the Kurama clan head, offering a respectful bow.
"Congratulations, Fugaku," Minato said warmly as he arrived with Kushina at his side.
Fugaku inclined his head. "Thank you for coming."
Nearby, Kushina moved toward Mikoto, her expression bright.
"Congratulations, Mikoto," she said sincerely. "A baby boy."
"Thank you, Kushina," Mikoto replied with a gentle smile, one hand unconsciously resting near where her child slept inside.
As the adults spoke, watched, and celebrated—
Toyoma stood among them.
Watching.
To say he was happy would have been a lie.
His gaze drifted briefly to the infant—Itachi Uchiha.
For a fleeting moment, a thought surfaced in his mind.
I should do something.
The thought vanished almost as soon as it appeared.
Toyoma clenched his fingers at his side and forced himself to breathe.
One mistake.
Just one—
And the future would become irreversible.
Knowing what this child would become, restraining himself felt unbearable. Every instinct screamed at him to act, yet reason held him back with iron chains.
Across the hall, Elder Setsuna noticed Toyoma's expression.
For just a moment, the boy's calm cracked—something dark flickered in his eyes. Setsuna felt an inexplicable chill and moved closer.
Toyoma noticed.
He turned and spoke before the elder could ask anything.
"grandpa Elder," Toyoma said evenly, "I will go out for a while."
Setsuna studied him silently, then nodded. "Go."
Toyoma turned and walked away.
He was not the only one who noticed.
Kushina, standing near Mikoto, felt it too.
Inside her, the Nine-Tails stirred.
"Interesting human," Kurama muttered.
Kushina stiffened slightly. What do you mean? she asked internally.
"That boy," Kurama replied. "He carries malice—directed at the child."
Kushina's expression sharpened instantly.
She watched Toyoma's retreating as he left the compound, her instincts screaming warnings she had learned never to ignore.
Turning back to Mikoto, Kushina leaned closer and spoke in a low voice.
"Mikoto… who is that boy?"
Mikoto followed her gaze and smiled lightly. "Oh, that's Toyoma. A genius from the Grand Elder's faction."
Kushina's brows furrowed. "Be careful around him, Mikoto. I feel he could be dangerous—to Itachi."
Mikoto blinked, then laughed softly.
"Kushina, you're overthinking it," she said gently. "He's just a child. And he's an Uchiha—he wouldn't harm his own clan. He has a good reputation."
Kushina didn't smile.
"The Nine-Tails sensed malice from him," she said firmly. "And he's never been wrong about things like this."
Mikoto fell silent.
Her gaze returned to where Toyoma had disappeared.
She remembered the stories—how the boy had openly opposed elders, how he challenged authority without fear, how he held little respect for Fugaku himself.
A faint unease settled in her heart.
"I'll… be careful," she said at last, though uncertainty lingered in her eyes.
As Toyoma stepped out of the hall, the distant sounds of celebration slowly faded behind him.
Moments later, Uncle Uzuku followed.
Toyoma glanced at him and managed a faint smile as the two walked away from the gathering, their footsteps echoing softly along the stone path. Uzuku said nothing at first. He could see it clearly—the conflict written across Toyoma's face.
After a long silence, Toyoma finally spoke.
"Uncle," he asked quietly, "if you knew someone was going to commit a terrible mistake in the future… what would you do?"
Uzuku stopped walking.
He turned to look at Toyoma, truly look at him this time. The boy's expression was far too heavy for his age—burdened with thoughts no child should carry.
Uzuku thought for several seconds before answering.
"If it were possible," he said slowly, "I would try to stop him from making that mistake."
Toyoma listened carefully.
Then he smiled.
Not a happy smile—but a calm, resolved one.
He turned his gaze toward the sky, watching the clouds drift silently above.
That's true, he thought. That mistake hasn't happened yet.
And—
Itachi alone isn't the cause.
There were many hands involved.
Many choices.
Many failures.
If eliminating a single child could truly change the future, then the solution would have been simple. But it wasn't. Removing Itachi would not erase the system, the fear, or the ambitions that shaped what was to come.
The problem was far deeper.
Toyoma turned back to Uzuku.
"Uncle," he asked, "what did Grandpa Elder say?"
Uzuku noticed it immediately.
The conflict in Toyoma's eyes had eased—if only a little.
He smiled faintly.
"The Grand Elder spoke with the Clan Head," Uzuku replied. "Some of our jōnin and chūnin will be joining the war. I'll be leading them."
Toyoma nodded.
He already knew.
He had discussed this plan with Grandpa Setsuna long ago.
During the chaos of war, several squads would be officially declared dead. Their names would be recorded as casualties, their bodies never recovered.
In truth, they would disappear.
Those shinobi would withdraw from the battlefield and move north—toward the Land of Snow. There, together with the Cat Clan, they would begin building something far more important than short-term victory.
A shipyard.
A hidden base.
A future.
Elder Kiyone of the Cat Clan had already made contact with a group of rogue ninja. They had no village, no allegiance—but they possessed unusual craftsmanship. Their weapons were not powerful by shinobi standards, but they were reliable. Adaptable.
Enough.
Toyoma believed that establishing a stronghold there was the correct move. Few ninja ventured into the Land of Snow. Fewer still paid attention to it.
From there—
They could observe.
Expand.
And eventually make contact with the Temujin Empire.
That was the real reason Toyoma had agreed to send Hawk faction members on this mission.
After carefully considering all possibilities, he knew—
This war was not just about Uchiha survival.
It was about preparation.
While the Uchiha clan grounds echoed with celebration—
The Hokage Building was suffocating with tension.
Inside the council chamber, the village's higher-ups sat grim-faced around the table. The war had reached a point none of them had anticipated—one that threatened not just a single battle, but the foundation of Konoha's entire military effort.
"Hiruzen," Koharu said, her voice tight with concern, "the price of weapons has increased nearly twentyfold. Even acquiring a single kunai has become difficult."
She clenched her hands.
"If we exhaust all the funds currently stored in reserve," she continued, "we still won't be able to secure even half of the supplies the village needs."
This was unfamiliar territory.
In previous wars, Konoha had never faced such problems. When the Senju and Uchiha stood at the height of their power, resources had been abundant—almost excessive. Other villages struggled, while Konoha fought with ease.
This—
This was the first time they were experiencing true supply pressure.
And they had no experience dealing with it.
Across the table, Danzo's expression was darker than usual.
Since Hiruzen had frozen Root's independent funding, Danzo had lost his primary source of financial leverage.
Expansion was impossible.
Recruitment had stalled.
The situation only deepened his irritation.
"What are those damned Uchiha doing?" Danzo snapped. "They agreed to reduce prices. Now everything has doubled again!"
Homura looked at him as if he were a fool.
"They stopped commercial production the very next day," Homura said coldly. "Whatever stock remained in the shops was withdrawn into the clan. They're reserving it for their own use in the war."
He continued, unfazed.
"And we can't pressure them. The merchant guilds—especially those dealing in iron and raw materials—have raised prices across the capital."
He tapped the table lightly.
"We're fighting on three fronts. From a merchant's perspective, this is exactly what they should be doing."
Danzo slammed his fist down.
"Then let Root confiscate their shops!"
The moment the words left his mouth—
Hiruzen's chakra flared.
"Sit down, Danzo," he said sharply. "Are you trying to get Konoha blacklisted by every major merchant network in the ninja world?"
The room fell silent.
Hiruzen glared at him.
"Do you have any idea what would happen if we used force now?" he continued. "Trade would collapse overnight. No caravans. No raw materials. No neutrality."
He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down.
And that wouldn't be the end of it…
Other clans within Konoha also produced war resources. If they saw merchants being coerced, they would stop production immediately.
Even the Sarutobi clan—
They had only recently begun expanding weapon production, and already the rising cost of raw materials made it unprofitable. In the last two wars, Konoha had squeezed the merchants dry—limiting profits, forcing discounts, even driving some into losses.
Now—
The merchants were taking full advantage of the situation.
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, suddenly feeling the weight of the war pressing down on him.
How had it come to this?
When had Konoha gone from controlling the flow of resources—
To be trapped by it?