1st January — New Year
Konoha Village
The entire village was bathed in an atmosphere of joy and celebration. Lanterns lit the streets, laughter echoed through the air, and even the cold night seemed warmer under the glow of the festivities.
Uchiha Clan Estate — Main Street
On the most prosperous street within the Uchiha clan estate, the Uchiha celebrated the New Year in their own traditional way. As a thousand-year-old clan, they possessed customs and rituals passed down through countless generations.
After hours of rituals, celebration, and finally a sumptuous communal dinner, the gathering gradually came to an end. One by one, clan members began to leave.
The Uchiha celebrated the New Year twice—once in the morning with the entire clan, and again at night with individual families, friends, and close acquaintances.
"Happy New Year, Big Brother Itachi!
Big Brother Shisui!"
Sasuke greeted them cheerfully, his eyes bright with excitement.
"Happy New Year, Sasuke,"
Shisui and Itachi replied in unison.
Just then, Itachi recalled an episode he had once watched on Doraemon, where elders gave children envelopes filled with money.
"Hm—mmm… Sasuke, take this."
Moving with the speed of a Kage-level ninja, Itachi disappeared into his room and returned moments later with an empty envelope. He slipped a ten-thousand ryō note inside, sealed it, and handed it to Sasuke.
Sasuke's face lit up instantly. Though he was the young master of the Uchiha clan, he didn't actually receive much spending money.
"Come home ear—"
Before Itachi could finish, a voice came from inside the house.
"Itachi, give another envelope to Sasuke. Tell him to give this one to Naruto."
Itachi paused briefly, then nodded.
"Yes, Mother."
In the blink of an eye, another envelope appeared in his hand.
When Itachi looked back at Sasuke, he noticed the boy already holding three envelopes—two of them clearly given by Shisui.
"Sasuke, you heard what Mother said. Here, take this too."
"Okay, I understand."
Then, with barely contained excitement—
"Brother, I'm going! Byeee!"
Sasuke dashed off as if he were about to miss a departing train.
Watching his retreating figure, Itachi and Shisui exchanged small smiles.
"Itachi, it's almost time for the Konoha Annual Meeting. Let's go."
"…Hmm."
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Konoha Hokage Building — Meeting Room
The meeting room was already filled to capacity, and none of the people present were ordinary.
The weakest among them were jōnin. Alongside them were the leaders of Konoha's major clans—figures whose words could influence the entire village.
After several minutes of waiting, the doors finally opened.
Four figures entered from outside.
The moment they appeared, everyone in the room bowed slightly in respect. At the front was Sarutobi Hiruzen, followed closely by Shimura Danzō and two accompanying elders.
Hiruzen walked to the head of the table and took his seat. Only after that did the jōnin and clan leaders move to their respective seats and sit down.
Once everyone had settled, Hiruzen nodded. Then, with a warm smile so gentle it could make even a three-year-old child feel at ease, he began to speak.
"Good afternoon, everyone.
Today marks the first day of the new year. I thank you all for attending this sacred meeting.
Every year, from January 1st to January 15th, we discuss the village's budget for the coming year, review the previous year's expenditures, address unresolved issues, and evaluate new innovations brought forth by the younger generation.
Just like last year, we will begin this year's Konoha Annual Meeting with Elder Koharu presenting the budg—"
And just like that, the meeting dragged on.
For the next three hours, Itachi listened—no, endured—as one report after another was presented, each detailing last year's achievements, failures, and minor adjustments.
Over the next three days, the same process would continue. Thankfully, Itachi was only required to attend the first day.
Just as he thought the meeting was finally coming to an end, Hiruzen's next words caught him completely off guard.
"Everyone," Hiruzen said solemnly, "two months ago, the acting Sarutobi clan patriarch was assassinated within the village."
A wave of shock rippled through the room.
Many of the jōnin exchanged stunned looks.
While the clan leaders possessed their own intelligence networks, most of the civilian jōnin had been away on missions. They never expected something like this to occur inside Konoha itself.
"After a thorough investigation," Hiruzen continued, "it was found that Itsuki was under the protection of the ROOT department during that unfortunate incident.
However, ROOT failed to fulfill its duty… and Itsuki lost his life."
He paused briefly.
"Upon hearing this news, Elder Danzō was deeply saddened—"
At those words, many eyes turned toward Danzō.
Indeed, Danzō appeared grief-stricken. His expression was heavy, solemn.
But the sadness in his eyes stemmed from an entirely different reason.
"After careful consideration," Hiruzen said, "Elder Danzō has decided to disband ROOTS. All ROOTS members will be reintegrated into ANBU."
Silence fell over the room.
Then—subtle reactions began to appear.
A slight upward curve of lips. Barely concealed relief. Expressions that spoke far louder than words.
This announcement was nothing short of a bombshell.
Hiruzen, who had originally harbored some hesitation about making such a decisive move, finally understood something as he observed the room's reaction.
Just how deeply unpopular Danzō truly was.
Finally, Danzō spoke for the first time since entering the room.
"I have failed to fulfill my duty as the head of ROOT," he said slowly, his voice heavy.
"Because of my failure, Sarutobi Itsuki lost his life. I bear full responsibility for this tragedy."
The room remained silent.
"I am deeply guilty," Danzō continued. "I have already promised Hiruzen that I will step down from my position as Konoha's Advisory Elder in order to repent for this crime."
He paused briefly before delivering the final blow.
"Thus, from this moment onward, I am no longer an Advisory Elder of the Hidden Leaf Village."
If the disbanding of ROOT had been a shock, then this announcement was an outright earthquake.
The expressions of nearly every major clan head changed instantly.
Excitement flickered in their eyes.
Becoming an Advisory Elder meant standing at the very center of the village's power structure. It meant influence, protection, and authority lasting for decades.
With such a position, a clan could avoid suppression, sidestep political attacks, and—if played cleverly—even gain certain… unofficial benefits.
For a brief moment, ambition filled the room.
Then, almost as if guided by an unspoken agreement, everyone turned their gaze toward one man.
Uchiha Fugaku.
The collective consensus was clear.
No matter what happens, the Uchiha must not obtain an Advisory Elder position.
The Hyūga clan did not wish for the Uchiha to rise above them.
The Sarutobi and Shimura clans, for obvious historical and political reasons, had no intention of allowing the Uchiha to prosper further.
Even the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans—surprisingly—stood in opposition.
The reason was simple.
Nara Shikaku was a smart man. He understood that if an Uchiha were to become an Advisory Elder, then the village would be pulled into a dangerous political game.
Danzō, the natural enemy of the Uchiha, operated in the light, while the kind-hearted Hokage maneuvered in the shadows.
Between the two, the Uchiha would be cornered—and the village itself could be dragged toward destruction.
As for the remaining clans—Inuzuka, Aburame, and Kurama—their thoughts were far more straightforward.
They wanted the position for themselves.
Or, at the very least, for someone closely aligned with their interests.
After all, power shared was power multiplied.
Fugaku observed the expressions around the room and immediately understood their meaning.
A faint, bitter smile appeared on his lips—but it vanished just as quickly.
In the end, he didn't care.
Neither did Shisui, Itachi, nor any of the other Uchiha present.
By now, the Uchiha had reunited once more. They were clear about their future and their goals.
If even a single person in that room had shown support for Uchiha participation in the Advisory Elder election, they might have hesitated—might have reconsidered whether to fully side with Itachi.
But there was no such hesitation now.
The people of Konoha had already made their choice.
And so, the Uchiha no longer needed to make one.
Fugaku stood up.
"The Uchiha clan will not participate in the Advisory Elder election," he said calmly. "Nor will we cast any votes in it."
His gaze swept across the room, cold and unwavering.
"Everyone, we are leaving."
With that, Fugaku turned and walked away.
Immediately after, Itachi, Shisui, and the other Uchiha rose from their seats. Without waiting for the meeting to conclude, they followed Fugaku out of the room.
The door closed behind them.
And with it, an invisible line was drawn—one that separated the Uchiha from the rest of Konoha.
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