A squad of Uchiha moved into the valley and marched straight for the Hall of Serenity. On the way they passed several clanmates and exchanged brisk, friendly greetings.
They pushed open the clinic door. "Call everyone back — the clan has issued orders," one of them said. At his words, a few figures who'd been standing by simply vanished.
It didn't take long before the valley's Uchiha assembled: thirty-seven in all. That was nearly the size of some ordinary families. Seeing so many kin together filled everyone with a fierce, quiet pride.
Someone produced a sealed scroll and handed it to Ankoku. He broke the seal and scanned it in front of everyone. "Captains, gather in the meeting room. The rest of you, take positions."
The captains strode inside and passed the scroll around. After a minute of reading, Ankoku addressed them: "The clan's made a decision — we must carry it out to the letter. Now, the tactical briefing."
He spread a crude map on the table. "Our people have been scouting the valley these past few days. The hot spots are marked. The toughest point is here — the far left of the valley. On the surface it's a merchants' guild, but it's actually a Root substation: a front for moving supplies and collecting intel. We don't know their exact numbers, and there are suspected tunnels."
"This sector will be taken by me, Sa, Ryou, and Kirito," Ankoku continued. "We'll pull manpower from the various squads…"
The meeting lasted over an hour. When the captains emerged, the Uchiha outside tightened into serious lines. Ankoku stepped forward and spoke aloud for everyone: "The village has issued a statement, but the clan has its view. The valley — for allowing the ambush that struck our squad — must answer. The valley's population will be judged. We will wipe it clean; the valley will be leveled."
Captains called their squads; men fell in line. Each leader gave final orders and laid out plans.
Retsu and Honō were assigned to remain at the Hall of Serenity; the doctor and his daughter were spared and would stay too. Two jonin and a pair of mobile tactical squads were left on standby.
Kairen was supposed to stay as well — but he stuck to his guns, first begging his uncle Uchiha Kirito (the double-sword man), then pleading with his two teachers, and finally persuading Uchiha Ryou to let him go. Somehow he wriggled his way into the assault group headed for Root.
---
The battle began. From that moment the valley became a battlefield: in, but not out. Kairen's squad rushed the merchants' guild. He darted among three tomoe shinobi, his own two-tomoe flashing as he moved — somehow still looking boyish.
Kairen was a one-man utility kit: he dropped an earth release trap, hurled two shuriken, let someone use a "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough" on them, then sprinted off to set fire to another chokepoint. He darted up and down the field like a live spark.
Everyone assumed his zeal was simple vengeance; his eagerness won him respect. Being able and dependable made people warm to him — a capable, sensible kid is a treasure.
The guild's forces weren't large. As Uchiha units arrived in dribs and drabs, many of the guild's people slipped out with documents and goods, but not before two tunnels were found and sealed. Two teams were left to clear the tunnels while the rest pushed on.
The Hall of Serenity's guard detachment moved to the valley's mouth. Smoke and flame rolled across the hills; after a sweep, Uchiha returned in a procession. Kairen stared, stunned — this operation had finished with zero casualties. The clan's might felt tangible and undeniable.
At the valley's mouth someone suggested a keepsake. At first Kairen thought they meant a photo — then he understood. This was no memorial; it was a cremation.
More than thirty Uchiha gathered and unleashed wave after wave of Fire Release: "Fire Release: Great Fireball," "Fire Release: Dragon Fire." The valley flared as a chorus of flame techniques lit the sky.
For reasons he couldn't name, watching his kin laugh and stand together, Kairen felt an almost childish, ridiculous sensation — like a bunch of boys peeing against the same wall together. The thought made him laugh inside and feel warm and oddly proud.
---
On the march home the younger Uchiha drifted toward Kairen, eager for a spar. He obliged them, trading technique and teasing in turn. He won more than he lost, and in the back-and-forth real camaraderie took root. By the time the column reached the village gates they moved like returning heroes.
The whole clan seemed to parade at the gates. After the temporary disbanding of the squad, parents collected their kids like school pick-up time; families drifted back into the Uchiha compound, greeting one another as they returned home.
Kairen's father studied his son with new eyes — he'd grown taller, sturdier. Kairen's mother clung to him so tightly it looked like letting him go would make him vanish.
Kairen suspected his family had been through hell these past days. When they walked in, his mother would likely scold Konoha's higher-ups, then chew out the clan elders as well.
At lunch his mother, Uchiha Ran, asked his father to go buy groceries. She scribbled a note, handed it to him with a basket, and shot Kairen a look that said, Don't cause trouble. His father gave Kairen a helpless, almost apologetic look and slunk out.
Watching her husband's back, Ran muttered, "Your father's always been a simple man. Don't be like him — you're capable, but you still act like a kid. Politically you've got the instincts of an infant. The big players have been scheming for a long time; he still thinks this is something to celebrate."
Kairen nodded, playing along. Ran softened and said, "You've surprised me, but you're still my baby."
Kairen's face flushed. Ran decided it was time to sharpen his political sense.
"Ankoku was your uncle's teammate — you know that," she said. "This squad's formation was suggested by the grand elder; Ankoku accepted the assignment. When Ankoku takes a job, he checks the village's intel. That means he knows the big picture."
She set down the basket and leaned forward. "Whether that spy was real or not, someone was in the valley. The valley sits deep in the Land of Fire — we call it the black market. Anything shiny and righteous in Konoha bears the Third Hokage's face; anything dirty? Someone else's doing."
She tapped the table. "Putting you boys out there was like serving up meat on a platter. Wouldn't the other side be tempted? How many Uchiha could be on missions at once? We're the Guard — it's impossible to have so many Uchiha on active ops coincidentally near you."
"The moment news about your incident hit, Root task forces investigating the valley took a hit. Knowing that, who misses that we're poking trouble at the valley? This was a dangerous play. Our leadership almost burned the house down — they didn't expect Danzō to be that hungry. Now do you understand?"
Kairen sat still, listening, thinking. He'd been blind to this side of the game — always watching Konoha, never his own kin.
Ran nodded approvingly. "Destroying the valley was meant to spite the top, to gut Danzō's purse. He's been placed under house restriction and had some people handed over, but that's nothing. He'll lay low for a while. The payment you got? Go to the Third and ask for techniques — he'll give you the next volume. The rest of the payout goes to the clan. Now do you see, kid?"
Kairen absorbed it all. The politics, the poison, the ways the clan had to move. He'd thought this was about simple justice; it was also about leverage and survival.
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