The Far West – Land of Craftsmen
A four-man shinobi team paused at the border of the Land of Craftsmen. Their leader, Uchiha Ishi, appeared visibly uneasy. He was one of the original members of Naraku's personal guard.
Under orders from Clan Head Uchiha Naraku, Ishi had brought a small squad of elite Uchiha shinobi to this remote region, tasked with locating any remaining survivors from the now-defunct Takumi Village (Artisan Ninja Village).
What troubled Uchiha Ishi was that the Land of Craftsmen was desolate, with no visible traces of the original Takumi Village.
"The clan head believes our current weapons procurement is too centralized. He wants an alternative supplier... but with Takumi gone without a trace—what can we do?"
Following Naraku's command, Uchiha Ishi had led his team from Konohagakure, crossing through the Amegakure, Land of Birds, and the Bear Country Corridor, finally arriving in what was once the Land of Craftsmen, where they had already lingered for several days.
To the south lay the Land of Wind, and to the north, the Land of Earth. After the Land of Craftsmen fell, both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth made significant advancements in ninja tool development.
"Captain Ishi," asked Uchiha Den, a teammate, "Did Takumi Village have any unique jutsu? Why would the clan head send us all this way to search for them?"
Uchiha Ishi glanced at Den, then responded with measured calm:
"Takumi Village wasn't known for powerful jutsu. Its fame came from weapon-crafting. Their shinobi were expert artisans—masters of forging specialized ninja tools. Their craftsmanship was so refined they could even create Advanced Ninja Tools (Kinjutsu-class weapons).
Their tools were traded globally, even to the Five Great Nations. War made them rich. But that same prosperity drew resentment.
In the early part of the Second Shinobi World War, Takumi was wiped out by unknown forces—similar to the fate of the Uzushiogakure."
Den and the others nodded, finally understanding the Land of Craftsmen's historical importance.
"Meow, meow, meow!"
A stray cat jumped in front of the team and let out three cries.
"It's a Nekobaa Summons marker? Summoning Technique!"
Uchiha Den quickly formed hand seals. With a puff of smoke, an orange-furred ninja cat appeared—wearing a utility belt and holding a shovel.
"Tch... I was cooking. But I've got intel for you. Here."
The ninja cat gave Den a scroll, then vanished in smoke.
"Sorry for disturbing your dinner," Den muttered, opening the scroll and reading carefully.
"Captain, after Takumi Village's destruction, most surviving Artisan-nin fled to the Land of Snow. The Daimyō of Snow offered them refuge—and status. We might not be able to recruit them so easily…"
They had remained in the far-west Land of Demons for days, using Nekobaa's network to gather information. Finally, this scroll offered a breakthrough.
Ishi held the scroll and took a moment to reflect. This was his first time leading a Uchiha squad on a solo mission.
"The Land of Snow, huh..."
It was distant, and the mission complex—but it came directly from Naraku. Failing here might jeopardize his standing.
"Now that we have a lead—we move."
"Yes! Lord" ×3
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Konohagakure
In a remote area of Konoha, not far from a small lake and surrounded by several training grounds, a young man in a black robe embroidered with golden rice ears and a violet outer cloak was slowly patrolling the perimeter—accompanied by a host of guards and shinobi.
This was Uchiha Naraku.
"This place really reminds me of the district where the Uchiha were relocated after the Nine-Tails Incident… Especially the lake and the walking paths."
This parcel of land had been officially requested by Naraku through the Hokage's Office, to be used as a recreation and training base for the Konoha Military Police Force.
Currently, the village wasn't densely packed—large tracts of land remained beyond the outer walls. Since shinobi don't rely on agriculture, open land was readily available.
The Third Hokage, though cautious of the Uchiha, had approved Naraku's request after some deliberation—primarily because it didn't involve monetary funding or military expansion.
Once granted, Naraku ordered the construction of a multi-purpose security facility—complete with housing, rest areas, and dedicated training grounds.
The Special Police Force (a militarized wing of the Konoha Police) often had long stretches of idle time between missions. Keeping them at headquarters made other departments envious and led to unnecessary transfer requests.
Naraku decided to decentralize and build this Special Mobile Division base away from Konoha's busy center.
It would also house training programs for police recruits—reminding shinobi that beyond bureaucracy, they were still warriors.
"Chihiro-kun, Jirō-kun—this land is to be split into three zones," Naraku instructed calmly.
"The central zone will be the rest and training compound for Division One of the Special Police Force.
The left sector will be for Division Two.
The right sector remains unused—for now."
"Yes, sir!"
His aides, Uchiha Saburō (Captain of Division One) and Uchiha Chihiro (Captain of Division Two), responded respectfully.
Division Two: Composition and Purpose
Division Two had recently been established. Unlike Division One, it was structured with more diversity:
70 members total, including:
Uchiha
Kurama
Uzumaki
Inuzuka
Each sub-team was composed of one member from each clan. That meant around 16 members per clan, with the remaining staff serving as officers and captains.
The Inuzuka clan, initially hesitant, had only dispatched ten members—but thanks to Naraku's persuasion, the number increased to eighteen, most of whom were assigned to Division Two.
While captains and sub-captains were exclusively Uchiha, squad leaders were selected based on merit—regardless of rank.
This inter-clan cooperation mirrored the traditions of Sarutobi clan jonin leading Ino–Shika–Chō trios, reinforcing political bonds through joint military command.
Naraku glanced behind him, seeing not only his Division Commanders, but also members of his personal protection detail.
Guard Team 1: Uchiha elite—Naraku's direct family guards.
Guard Team 2: Special Police protection squad under Uchiha Bai.
Bai's team included:
Inuzuka Manomaru – eldest grandson of the Inuzuka clan head
Kurama Kaori – a prodigy kunoichi from the Kurama clan
Uzumaki Taki – a kunoichi of the Uzumaki clan
Naraku had formed this four-person inter-clan guard team deliberately, following the example of the Ino–Shika–Chō formation, symbolizing alliance between the Uchiha, Uzumaki, Kurama, and Inuzuka.
The original main-branch Red Fire Guard Unit had been dissolved. Those shinobi had been dispatched on other missions. Only Uchiha Bai remained at Naraku's side.
He was also joined by the Dark Guard Team, led by:
Uchiha Zensui, age 17, a Three-Tomoe Sharingan user, intelligent and observant.
Uchiha Inahira, a standout in the recent Chūnin Exams, now marked as one of Naraku's key protégés.
Every shinobi Naraku selected was either exceptionally gifted or politically significant—the future of the clan rested on them.
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