The Third Hokage's concessions ultimately yielded results.
Konoha and Kumogakure formally signed a peace treaty, and with the ink on that document, the Great Ninja War—one that had lasted nearly ten years for the Land of Fire—was finally brought to an end.
On the day the news spread, all of Konoha—and indeed the entire Land of Fire—was swept up in an unprecedented wave of joy.
A war that had consumed three generations had finally ended.
Konoha's suffering was over.
People would stop dying.
The Third Great Ninja War, sparked by the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, had once placed Konoha under siege from all sides.
In the early stages, the village had relied on the steady support of The Three Sannin(Legendary Sannin).
In the middle phase, the "Yellow Flash" had single-handedly broken the balance of the war.
And in its later stages, a new generation—represented by Hagoromo—had emerged unexpectedly to turn the tide.
Even so, the cost of war was never measured in time alone.
Countless Konoha shinobi had fallen on the battlefield.
The once-dominant "Professor of Shinobi," the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, had visibly aged under the burden.
And during the war itself, the Fourth Hokage—so watched by the entire shinobi world—had died.
Peace had been secured.
But looking at Konoha's current state—could this really be called victory?
Ordinary villagers couldn't sense these undercurrents. Even most lower-ranking ninja lacked the perspective to see them.
All they knew was that the war was over.
And they were happy.
When people were happy, they drank.
When they drank, they caused trouble.
And when trouble started, the Konoha Military Police Force was dispatched.
It had to be said—the Second Hokage had given the Uchiha a "great" assignment.
Generation after generation, the police force had remained an extremely unpopular position. After all, they were responsible for enforcing law against their own people in broad daylight.
In many ways, it attracted more resentment than even the covert operations of ANBU.
This, too, was one of the slow-burning sources of conflict.
On the surface, peace reigned.
In the shadows, tension between Konoha and the Uchiha only grew.
As a result, the already sparsely populated area near the Naka River saw even fewer passersby. Meanwhile, Uchiha clan members were frequently gathering at the Naka Shrine.
Even without an informant like Uchiha Itachi, anyone could tell that such frequent, clustered meetings meant trouble was brewing.
It wasn't that the Uchiha wanted to hold such blatantly obvious "secret" meetings.
They had no choice.
Planning a coup was enough to put Konoha on full alert—but for the Uchiha themselves, the pressure was even greater. As the weaker side, success required overcoming the strong.
Every step demanded deliberation.
Naka Shrine.
Night fell on the third day after Hagoromo returned to Konoha.
"The new development we must address," Uchiha Fugaku said, seated at the head of the hall,
"is the return of the White Yaksha."
By the flickering candlelight, his voice was steady and measured.
"Originally, our greatest concern was the possible return of Jiraiya of The Three Sannin(Legendary Sannin). Instead, White Yaksha has come back. In a sense… he's even more troublesome than Jiraiya."
This was a correct assessment.
Hagoromo was more troublesome than Jiraiya—not necessarily because of strength, but because of temperament.
No one in the Uchiha clan had ever fought both men directly, so comparing raw power was meaningless.
The problem was Hagoromo's style.
Jiraiya hesitated.
Hagoromo did not.
He was someone who would shut the door and unleash a tailed beast without blinking.
The barrier seal he had set up to protect his teacher Kushina was proof enough—when necessary, he had no problem taking things to the extreme.
As for doubting his strength?
Please. Just look up at the Hokage Monument during patrols.
Do the faces of the First and Second Hokage look crooked to you?
"According to our intelligence, after the Nine-Tails incident, White Yaksha should've been operating outside Konoha's system. Why would he return at a time like this?"
"'Outside' isn't quite accurate," someone replied. "At most, he was half-detached."
"After all… he is the Fourth Hokage's disciple."
That description wasn't entirely precise.
Hagoromo was Kushina's student—but in common understanding, calling him Minato's disciple wasn't wrong.
Kushina and Minato were husband and wife, and "White Yaksha" was the most important title Konoha had raised after the "Yellow Flash."
"When it comes down to it, he'll still stand on Konoha's side."
As Fugaku finished speaking, murmurs rippled through the gathered clan members.
For them, Hagoromo's return at this moment was extremely inconvenient.
"The real issue," Fugaku continued, cutting through the discussion,
"is that our planned actions regarding the Nine-Tails may need to change because of White Yaksha's return."
"Judging by his past attitude toward the Fourth Hokage's orphan, he will unquestionably protect the jinchūriki with everything he has."
"If we want to free the Nine-Tails like we did five years ago, we'll first have to break through his defense."
That would be extraordinarily difficult.
Regardless of Fugaku's personal stance, the clan as a whole had been cornered into rebellion.
It was an unsolvable problem.
Konoha's suppression only fueled Uchiha resentment.
The more resentful they became, the harsher Konoha's response grew.
A vicious cycle.
So the Uchiha faced only two paths:
Fade away with time—or rise up in resistance.
At this point, pressure of circumstance outweighed right and wrong. Konoha's actions were correct from the village's perspective.
From the Uchiha's standpoint, however, their resistance wasn't wrong either.
Their very right to exist was being threatened.
"No matter what," Fugaku concluded,
"White Yaksha has become our enemy. Once things begin, he must be the first target to be eliminated."
Meanwhile, Hagoromo himself was still moving at his own pace—yet the Uchiha had already declared him an enemy.
That much was inevitable the moment he returned to Konoha.
In truth, whatever was said in the Uchiha's "secret" meetings wasn't secret to Konoha at all.
First of all, present among them was Uchiha Itachi—nominally the clan's spy within ANBU, but in reality a double agent whose loyalty clearly lay with the village.
Then there was Uchiha Shisui.
A descendant of Uchiha Kagami, Shisui was a steadfast Hokage loyalist and frequently took direct instructions from Danzō Shimura.
Beyond those two, it was difficult to believe there weren't other village informants within the clan.
Their intelligence network was riddled with holes.
Every plan was laid bare before Konoha.
"However," Fugaku said slowly,
"it could also be said that recalling Kamishiro Hagoromo was Konoha's greatest mistake."
"Shisui. Itachi. If it comes to it, the two of you will deal with White Yaksha."
"But the 'removal' we're talking about… has another meaning."
"Shisui—find an opportunity to use that technique on him. Turn him into our combat asset. Do you understand?"
Hagoromo's assessment was wrong.
The Uchiha took him extremely seriously—seriously enough to hold a dedicated strategy meeting.
They were even prepared to have two prodigies work together against him.
In the end, Fugaku's conclusion was clear:
Kotoamatsukami.
Shisui and Itachi exchanged a glance, then nodded simultaneously.
Whether that nod meant agreement or mere acknowledgment—
Only they knew.
Fugaku, naturally, believed it was the former.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789