Within a traditional Japanese-style courtyard…
Everything in the small garden was serene and elegant.
A winding path paved with fine white pebbles curved gently forward, guiding one as if into another world altogether. On both sides of the path stood carefully pruned bonsai, their branches lush and full, flowers competing in vibrant bloom. Under the sunlight, countless colors shimmered softly, releasing faint, soothing fragrances into the air.
Most striking of all were the irises—white irises, Cambridge irises—clearly revealing just how deeply the garden's owner adored this particular flower.
A small arched bridge spanned a gently curving stream. The water was so clear that the bottom was visible, fish swimming lazily beneath the surface. When the breeze passed through, ripples danced across the water. Beside the bridge stood a dense bamboo grove, bamboo leaves swaying with the wind, producing a soft rustle-rustle sound.
At the center of the garden stood a delicate pavilion. Wind chimes hung beneath its eaves, chiming crisply and melodiously whenever the breeze stirred. Everything felt calm, peaceful—like a painting of tranquil years gone by.
Here, time itself seemed to slow, filling one's heart with a sense of quiet harmony.
—
On a clear afternoon, Uchiha Ran sat in his family's courtyard, gently rocking back and forth in a rocking chair, savoring the rare tranquility. At the center of the garden lay a small pond, its clear surface reflecting the surrounding trees and flowers like a mirror.
Ran held a slender fishing rod in his hand. With a light flick of his wrist, the bait on the hook glimmered faintly.
His posture was undeniably cool.
Unfortunately—
Still no catch.
Ran closed his eyes, listening to birds chirping and the wind brushing through the leaves, as though he had merged with a perfectly harmonious world.
Quickly rebaiting the hook, Ran resumed his role as a quiet, dedicated fisherman.
Suddenly—
The fishing line twitched.
Ran reacted instantly, pulling it taut. In the next moment, a golden koi leapt out of the water, scales flashing brilliantly in the sunlight.
"Nice! I knew no fisherman stays empty-handed forever!" Ran encouraged himself as he tossed the koi gently back into the pond.
"Get hooked by me again, and you won't be getting away so easily~"
The flowers and grass in the courtyard released their faint fragrance as Ran quietly enjoyed the simple pleasure of fishing. At this moment, time seemed to stand still—only the man, the warm sunlight, the clear pond, and the leisurely swimming fish remained.
—
Just as Ran was fishing peacefully, Uchiha Mikoto arrived nearby, holding baby Uchiha Itachi in her arms.
"Little Ran, fishing in the courtyard again?" Mikoto asked with a hint of confusion. "You haven't gone on missions or trained for three days straight now, have you?"
She truly couldn't understand it.
Ran barely seemed to train, yet his strength—especially his genjutsu—was skyrocketing at an absurd pace.
"I am training, Mikoto-nee," Ran replied seriously.
And so, he explained how, ever since returning from the last mission, he'd found himself with almost nothing to do.
The reward from the S-rank mission had been enormous. Three and a half shares of S-rank bounty money were more than enough to support Ran for a long time.
As for why he wasn't throwing himself into research—
Well, just like how going to the bathroom on company time was considered paid, doing things like research outside of work hours would be a massive loss.
By the same logic, why would he ever fund research with his own money?
Wasn't that what their beloved Danzo-sama was for?
Danzo-sama was truly rich—and when he paid, he paid without hesitation.
Research needed new equipment?Danzo-sama: Buy it. Three sets. Two for use, one spare.
Research needed experimental tools and test subjects?Danzo-sama: Buy them. Capture them. If it's not enough, buy more.
Orochimaru-sensei even handed over his previous research成果 to Shimura Danzo.
Danzo-sama's response?Excellent results. Increase funding. Increase it again. And again.
In just over half a month, Danzo-sama launched what could only be described as a massive money-burning campaign, pouring out staggering sums—and the trend showed no signs of stopping.
Because of this, Orochimaru-sensei personally sought out Ran to discuss future plans.
Teacher and student reached a unanimous agreement:
In the early stages, Orochimaru would focus on research areas that were most likely to yield quick results—squeezing Danzo-sama's assets dry to the greatest extent possible. Only afterward would they shift to long-term, conventional research.
Danzo-sama was incredibly willing to invest in research.
But—
This version of Danzo wasn't the real Danzo.
The true Shimura Danzo was the shinobi world's ultimate chaos stirrer.
As the saying went—
Whether the shinobi world descends into chaos or not depends entirely on Danzo-sama.
—
By all logic, the disappearance of the Third Kazekage should have quietly faded away under the joint intervention of both villages' Kage.
Sunagakure's power transition proceeded smoothly, and the shinobi world should have continued on in calm, peaceful waters.
However—
Their beloved Danzo-sama began his micro-operations.
After clashing directly with the Hokage, an enraged Danzo openly violated the Hokage's orders.
To Danzo, the Hokage's commands—or more precisely, the orders of Hiruzen Sarutobi—were nothing more than background noise.
Danzo had always believed that the Root existed as Konoha's darkness.
Whenever a situation threatened Konoha—or could benefit it—
Root had the authority to independently decide whether to act.
And they could do so while ignoring the Hokage's orders.
—
Thus, a shocking piece of news spread quietly to the upper echelons of every shinobi village.
"Are we certain the Third Kazekage isn't recuperating… but actually missing?"
"The Third Kazekage disappeared? No wonder Konoha and Sunagakure have been cooperating so actively lately—could it be to search for him?"
"Hah! I heard he disappeared inside his own village!"
"Hahaha! I thought he collapsed from exhaustion on some woman's belly—who knew he actually vanished? He's probably dead!"
"Is this information confirmed? Is the source reliable?"
Inside the Tsuchikage's office of the Hidden Stone Village, a short, elderly man wearing the Tsuchikage hat turned to the heavyset man beside him.
"Dad—ah, no, Tsuchikage-sama," Kurotsuchi quickly corrected himself. "We've verified the source and authenticity multiple times. The credibility is extremely high."
"This kind of disgraceful affair would never be announced by Sunagakure themselves," Ōnoki muttered. "And with Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality, he wouldn't do this either."
As he spoke, he pondered who could possibly have spread such news.
Suddenly—
A figure surfaced in his mind.
"It feels like him," Ōnoki murmured. "But what exactly is his objective…?"
"Tsuchikage-sama," Huangtu asked cautiously, "have you figured out who spread the information?"
"If my guess is correct," Ōnoki said slowly, "only that schemer from Konoha would pull something like this."
"Shimura Danzo?" Huangtu frowned. "But what does he gain from it? From Konoha's standpoint, they have no real need for the Sand Village at all."
"Huangtu, don't worry about his schemes," Ōnoki said coldly. "No matter what his goal is—once we occupy the Land of Wind, do you really think Konoha will be able to make us give it back?"
Under Ōnoki's command, a thousand-man shinobi force began mobilizing.
Ōnoki decided to strike first.
He wanted to test this so-called Fourth Kazekage's capabilities.
And if that man proved weak—
Then the Land of Wind's territory would simply become Stone's prize.