The unexpected name in the letter brought all of Konoha's high-ranking officials back to the war room.
An emergency meeting was reconvened.
"Neiki has discovered the culprit behind the Hyuga branch-family attacks and is currently tracking him."
"Uchiha Madara… is that just a coincidence of names?"
"But there's no one named Uchiha Madara in the current Uchiha clan registry."
"You know who it refers to."
"Of course I do. But that man has been dead for over thirty years."
"Regardless, he bears the Uchiha name. So… is this the hidden confidence behind the Uchiha clan's rebellion?"
The name itself seemed to carry immense weight. The four elders who had lived through that era fell silent.
They strongly suspected that the "Madara" in Neiki's letter was just someone masquerading under the name. But with the Uchiha's recent madness, they couldn't simply dismiss the possibility. Could this "Uchiha Madara" be some ancient relic the clan had dug out of a grave?
"Should we recall Neiki and ask him for a clear explanation?" Homura suggested.
"No," Sarutobi and Danzo said at the same time.
Such a rare lead couldn't be casually cut off.
"What about Itachi? Did he ever mention this Uchiha Madara as a secret weapon for the clan?"
"No."
If Itachi had known about some hidden ally, he would never have kept it from them.
Seeing Sarutobi shake his head, Danzo frowned. So Fugaku isn't quite as clueless as I thought. He even managed to fool his own son…
The intel Neiki provided was extremely valuable. Even if the connection between Uchiha Madara and the Hyuga branch-family killings seemed strange, it was still an enemy revealed for them. All they had to do was prepare accordingly and face whatever came.
Sarutobi thought for a moment. With the Uchiha rebellion now possibly backed by an unexpectedly powerful ally, he needed to adjust their strategy.
"The original battle plan remains unchanged," he said. "But to handle this sudden appearance of 'Uchiha Madara,' we'll form a special strike team. Its strength must be of the highest—Kage-level standard."
A Kage-level-standard team wasn't just a squad composed of Kage-tier fighters. It meant a team capable of killing or suppressing a single Kage-level opponent in a straightforward battle.
Likewise, a jōnin-standard team could defeat or kill a single jōnin-level enemy.
No one objected. Given the potential threat this name represented to Konoha, caution was the only option.
They would treat the "Uchiha Madara" in Neiki's letter as if he were the real thing.
"What about the personnel?" Koharu asked.
Sarutobi listed several elite ninja—each one capable of fighting alone on the front lines. Still feeling it wasn't enough, he glanced at the jōnin and ANBU gathered in the corridor and paused.
"Add one more… Kakashi."
And thus, the special strike team existed: a blade reserved solely to decapitate "Uchiha Madara" during the clash between Konoha and the Uchiha.
They might never need to be deployed. But for a military organisation as large as a ninja village, they couldn't rely on improvisation alone. Having a plan in place brought peace of mind.
Once the "Madara problem" was addressed, the atmosphere in the room relaxed slightly. Sarutobi seemed to remember something and shook his head in a kind of rueful admiration.
"No wonder they're called Konoha's Twin Stars. One infiltrates the Uchiha and brings us critical intelligence."
"The other investigates the Hyuga branch-family cases and unexpectedly digs up a potential powerful Uchiha ally."
"Both have contributed greatly to Konoha."
Everyone nodded slightly—everyone except Danzo, whose brow furrowed.
Is this your way of warning me not to go too far with these two 'heroes of Konoha,' old man?
…
Everything quietly slid into place in the shadows. Even as they harboured killing intent, Konoha and the Uchiha clan still wore the mask of harmony, like a married couple pretending nothing was wrong.
War was inevitable. Everyone had already steeled themselves.
But once the beast was released, Sarutobi's plan of "kill the ringleaders and spare women and children" felt unbearably naïve to Danzo. He couldn't tell whether Sarutobi was truly sincere… or simply playing the righteous Hokage to the end.
Being Hokage required that kind of public image.
Meanwhile, with his grim face and menacing presence, Danzo was never meant for that seat.
He was the root of Konoha's great tree, buried deep in the dark soil. The deeper the roots grew, the taller the tree could stand. Danzo had no complaints about his role. He took pride in being the king of Konoha's darkness.
Light and shadow obeyed different rules. Fighting in the dirt against other roots required ruthlessness. Crushing threats was how you secured survival. Sarutobi might not say these words aloud, but Danzo believed he understood them all too well.
As for the Uchiha, Itachi's massacre the night before their rebellion was only Danzo's first move. If Itachi failed, Danzo had already prepared a backup plan.
The next day, when the Uchiha clan fully mobilised, Root operatives would sweep through the compound and slaughter every woman and child left behind, leaving no survivors.
Of course, that extermination order was absolute.
Even Sasuke would not be spared.
If Konoha and the Uchiha openly crossed blades, it would mean Itachi had failed to complete his mission. Having not fulfilled his end of the bargain, Itachi would free Danzo from any promise he'd made about sparing Sasuke.
Those were the rules of the darkness.
Itachi himself seemed confident. That confidence gave Danzo a sliver of hope.
If Itachi's strength could help him erase the Uchiha, then Danzo's prize—the Sharingan—would multiply many times over.
…
Only two days remained before the Hyuga clan meeting.
The sunset was as red as blood.
Wind blew through his long hair as Itachi leaned on a rooftop and looked down over the village.
In the smoky twilight, the noisy life of Konoha continued. People came and went through the streets.
"I wasn't going all out! Ha… ha!"
"You already went all out, you idiot!"
A blond boy's frustrated shout echoed from the training field as Sasuke left him behind in a footrace.
The watching girls giggled.
"Let's compete at something else—how about high jump?"
"Sure!" Sasuke grinned, full of confidence.
Itachi's gaze softened.
These were the people he wanted to protect.
This was the world he wanted to preserve.
That narrow-minded clan was nothing compared to the bright smile on that boy's face and the dust the wind carried away.
The decision had already been made two years ago, the night Shisui cast himself into the Naka River.
Hundreds of lives—his clan.
Fired up by ambition, swept along by the crowd, ignorant, elderly, children.
A life was not weightless… but compared to some things, it could be as light as paper, easily torn away.
As the sun dipped and darkness swallowed the village—and everyone Itachi loved—he turned and walked away.
This journey was solely to ensure the things he cherished could one day see the light again.
…
Deep in the forest, Neiki stood scanning the area, looking puzzled.
"Who are you looking for?"
A long-haired man wearing a tiger mask hung upside down from a tree trunk. Through the hole in the mask, a Mangekyō Sharingan stared coldly at Neiki, its pattern like three hooked sickles.
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