The rustling of early-autumn leaves carried unsettling news all the way to Konoha.
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The Hokage's Office
Senju Tobirama slammed a fist onto his desk, the sharp crack echoing through the room.
"Uchiha Makoto, that insufferable brat—what on earth is he thinking?!" His voice was low but seething with restrained fury. "He's turned a manageable incident into a public spectacle!"
Originally, Tobirama had crafted a careful plan. He intended to cooperate with the newly rising Akatsuki Ninja Village to pressure the Hidden Cloud. Konoha was, after all, the most powerful village in the shinobi world. When a Konoha Chūnin was killed under suspicious circumstances during a mission, the logical course was simple: Hidden Cloud would offer a formal apology and pay fair compensation.
Minor issues would be quietly resolved, major ones downplayed, and only a few high-ranking officials would even know the details. The bereaved family, given generous restitution, would not press for a public reckoning. A controlled, diplomatic solution—exactly as Tobirama liked it.
But Makoto had upended everything.
The Uchiha had demanded outrageous terms: thirty million ryō for the dead Chūnin, five million for each injured shinobi—over a hundred million in total for two squads. Extortion, pure and simple.
Worse, Makoto insisted the Cloud ninja involved be tried in Akatsuki territory and that the Raikage himself kneel before the victims' graves to repent.
Tobirama rubbed his temples. This is madness. Who would accept such humiliation? These demands were the political equivalent of a surrender treaty. Even the shrewdest negotiators of old—Li Hongzhang came to mind—would have balked.
Makoto clearly had no interest in a quiet settlement. He wanted provocation, spectacle… chaos.
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A Web of Complications
What infuriated Tobirama even more was Akatsuki Village's reaction. Their public declaration framed Konoha as their firm ally, and rumors spread like wildfire across the shinobi world. Now every village believed Akatsuki and Konoha were joined at the hip.
We look like we're wearing the same pair of pants, Tobirama thought bitterly.
Any attempt to issue a denial would only look suspicious. Makoto—already connected to the prestigious Uchiha clan and, through a recent political marriage, tied to the powerful Uzumaki—made it impossible for outsiders to believe that Akatsuki's stance wasn't secretly Konoha's as well.
Before Tobirama could ponder a response, the door burst open.
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Uzumaki Mito's Warning
"Tobirama, what's happening?" Uzumaki Mito's crimson hair framed a face tight with worry. "The entire village is talking about the dispute with the Hidden Cloud. Everyone demands justice. The mood is… dangerous."
Tobirama exhaled slowly. "So it's reached the streets."
"Yes. Akatsuki spread the story everywhere. People are ready to fight. If the Cloud refuses these demands, the villagers expect our command to join Akatsuki in war."
Mito's words confirmed his fears. Akatsuki had roused Konoha's population with near-military efficiency. Short essays with slogans like The Rise of the Ninja Villages and Culture Within, Barbarian Without were reprinted in New Ninja, the popular paper Mito herself had helped fund.
Thanks to her support, New Ninja was now in every household, its rhetoric of unity and strength striking a chord with rank-and-file shinobi. Grass-roots fighters in both villages felt the same: they wanted strong leadership and the pride of a powerful alliance.
Konoha's ninja were jubilant. Akatsuki had raised the banner, and Konoha, as their ally, basked in reflected glory. Many assumed Konoha's leadership endorsed every fiery word.
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Outmaneuvered
Tobirama wanted to tear Makoto apart. This entire storm was beyond his control. Public opinion—once his tool—now belonged to Uchiha Makoto.
"Those demands are insane," Tobirama muttered. "No Kage worth the title would agree. These men built their villages through blood and iron. They'd sooner burn the treaty than bend."
Yet Konoha's people clamored for action, and war loomed.
An even darker thought took root. How did this spread so fast? One newspaper couldn't wield such power alone. Was this really just Makoto's gambit? Or did the Uchiha clan in Konoha help fan the flames, secretly plotting with him to increase their political weight?
Tobirama's suspicion of the Uchiha ran deep. He imagined the clan using Makoto's rising prestige to seize influence, perhaps even positioning themselves to reclaim the Hokage's robe for Uchiha Madara himself.
The idea chilled him. War was the quickest path to power. If the Cloud fell and Makoto emerged as the hero, the Uchiha's standing would skyrocket.
The inherently dangerous Uchiha… I will not let them succeed.
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Outside, the village buzzed with restless energy, banners of Ninja Dignity snapping in the breeze.
Inside, Tobirama sat alone with his thoughts—calculating, brooding, and vowing to counter the Uchiha's next move, even as the world edged toward another great war.
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