Hokage's Office.
"Hiruzen, stop hesitating already!"
Danzō's voice was sharp, almost as if he wished he could grab Sarutobi Hiruzen by the collar and force him to agree.
The southwest border had fallen.
The news had sparked panic among the villagers—and anger toward the leadership of Konoha.
Danzō claimed he had a solution, which was why this emergency meeting had been called.
"No. I won't allow it."
Hiruzen shook his head firmly.
Because Danzō's proposal… was to pin the blame for the border's fall on the Uchiha clan.
Under normal circumstances, that would've been unthinkable.
But there was an Uchiha unit stationed at the southwest border, so framing them sounded "reasonable enough."
They'd simply announce that the Uchiha's intelligence had been inaccurate, which led to the fall of the outpost.
As for what "intelligence" it was—no villager would care.
Just like that, the responsibility would shift from Konoha's leadership onto the Uchiha.
One thing could be said for Danzō—he knew how to throw people under the carriage.
"Hiruzen, the villagers are angry at us! We must do something to calm them!"
Koharu Utatane suddenly interjected.
No wonder—after all, the commander of the fallen outpost had been one of her clansmen.
If Danzō's proposal passed, her family's disgrace would vanish overnight.
"This could also be an opportunity," said Homura Mitokado, speaking up as well. "Ever since their new clan head took over, the Uchiha have been too active. We can use this incident to make them behave—and perhaps squeeze more out of them in the process."
To chastise the Uchiha was second nature to Tobirama's disciples.
Homura wasn't as extreme as Danzō, but he wouldn't miss a chance to "remind" that clan of its place either.
"This… No. I can't allow it."
Hiruzen hesitated for a moment, but ultimately his belief in the Will of Fire would not let him cross that line.
Danzō's face hardened. Without another word, he turned to leave—but at the doorway, he threw a cold sentence over his shoulder:
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
"Danzō! I am the Hokage!"
The familiar scene of "You'll regret this" versus "I'm the Hokage" once again played out, marking the end of yet another classic argument between old friends.
But of course, Danzō was never one to give up simply because the Hokage said no.
The moment he returned to the Foundation, he ordered his operatives to put Uchiha Tangping on the trending topic list—Konoha-style.
When it came to manipulating public opinion, Danzō was a dimensional warlord among a village full of honest fools.
"Hmph… Uchiha Tangping, since you refuse to become one of Konoha's roots, then burn for the Will of Fire instead. Everything I do is for the village."
Danzō's voice was a low mutter as he issued his command.
In his mind,
any ninja who refused to serve under him was already walking the path of death.
He would prove that his Root's Will was superior to Hiruzen's Will of Fire.
"Hiruzen… I will show our teacher that I am more worthy of that position than you. Only I can make Konoha great again."
He slowly closed his single visible eye.
Within days, a rumor began to circulate throughout Konoha Village.
The fall of the southwest border camp, it claimed, was due to faulty intelligence—
provided by none other than Uchiha Tangping, the top-ranked Chūnin from the last Joint Chūnin Exams.
The story spread like wildfire.
And of course, it didn't take long before the entire blame was pinned squarely on the Uchiha clan.
After all, the Uchiha name was practically everywhere in Konoha—so infamous that no one thought to question it.
In short:
If something bad happened to Konoha—it was the Uchiha's fault.
If something good happened—it was thanks to the leadership and the villagers themselves.
A double standard, played to perfection.
Within the Uchiha compound, resentment toward Tangping began to brew.
If not for the firm suppression by Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mei, there might already have been an uproar of "He doesn't deserve the Uchiha name!"
Of course, the other major clans of Konoha all saw through the setup instantly.
But so what?
Just like with the tragedy of the White Fang—no matter how famous or well-connected one was, when the village turned against you, no one dared to speak up.
Because the rumor came from the top.
And who in their right mind would defy the leadership?
What, did they want to be branded traitors next?
Meanwhile, far away on the southwestern border of the Land of Fire, Tangping had no idea that a massive black cauldron of blame had already been dropped squarely on his head.
Bathed in moonlight, he sat by the campfire alone, swallowing a few soldier pills while tending to his wounds.
The pursuit by the Sand shinobi had been relentless.
They were endless, fearless, throwing their lives away like madmen.
And fanatics like that were far more terrifying than any "terrorists."
Even he had suffered minor injuries.
To conserve his limited healing potions, he tended to the cuts manually rather than wasting medicine.
"Tangping… we can't go on like this."
Honda Taka, his abdomen bound in bandages, sank down beside him, face pale with fatigue.
In just one day, their escort team had lost a third of its men.
Both of Taka's teammates were dead—(author's note: "Two nameless extras. No names, no mercy.")—and if not for Tangping's timely intervention, he wouldn't have survived either.
And Konoha was still over a thousand kilometers away.
At their current pace, it would take nearly a month to return.
Even if the Sand forces couldn't pursue forever, it would take at least a week before the convoy could truly escape their range.
But with their current state and speed, lasting even a week seemed impossible.
"I know. But…"
Tangping trailed off, knowing that his friend would understand what he couldn't say.
Even if he was the strongest among them, his rank was still just Chūnin.
He didn't have command authority—so no matter what he thought, the decisions weren't his to make.
"Yeah… makes sense."
Taka lowered his head in dejection.
With his teammates dead and no light ahead, even his usual optimism was fading.
"Don't worry. We'll make it back alive."
Tangping gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
He'd never doubted that for a moment.
As long as they weren't being chased by someone like Pakura or Rasa—and as long as he avoided being caught by hidden techniques or poison—returning safely was entirely possible.
Just then, a Konoha Genin approached.
"Chūnin Tangping, Captain Kobayashi wants to see you."
Though the messenger was older, he spoke with deep respect.
Among shinobi, strength mattered more than age or seniority.
"Understood."
Tangping stood and walked toward the convoy encampment.
With sentries posted all around, there was no need to worry about a surprise attack.
Soon, he reached a cleared area surrounded by wagons.
The flickering firelight revealed Captain Kobayashi Hei and two Chūnin squad leaders—
all of them wounded.
It was clear that life on the battlefield was a world apart from ordinary missions.
"You're here,"
Kobayashi greeted weakly.
His own injuries were severe—not just from battle, but from poison.
Sunagakure shinobi were notorious for it. Nearly all of them carried toxins—ones that ordinary antidotes couldn't cure.
"What are your orders, Captain?"
Tangping sat down on an open spot nearby.
After all, Kobayashi was his superior. He wouldn't have summoned him for small talk.
But the captain's next words carried a grim expression—
as he delivered an unfortunate piece of news.
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