"Yesterday was Pakura-sama's wedding day, and today she's already leading a squad to the front lines."
"She's sacrificing herself for the village to this extent…"
One villager clenched his fist, eyes red.
"Damn that Kirigakure!"
"I wish I could kill every single one of them!"
"It's a pity… I'm just not strong enough."
…
Night fell.
Rasa stepped out of the Kazekage Building.
All of today's work had already been completed, and tomorrow's matters had already been arranged as well.
In other words—
Tonight, he could finally use the One-Day Ninja Experience Card.
When he returned home, Karura was waiting for him.
"Husband… has Pakura gone to the front lines already?"
Rasa looked at her and nodded.
Karura's expression dimmed.
"Husband… Pakura will be alright, won't she?"
"She'll be fine," Rasa said.
"As long as Konoha doesn't intervene, Sunagakure's position may be difficult, but there is no way Kirigakure can crush us in a short period of time."
"And as long as Pakura doesn't fall into the encirclement of too many enemies at once, with her strength, she'll be fine."
"In a one-on-one fight, none of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure is her match."
Then Rasa glanced at the sky.
"It's getting late, Karura. Get some rest."
"Alright."
They entered the room and slept in each other's arms.
Rasa felt the softness in his embrace, yet he had no trace of sleepiness.
In the middle of the night, he rose.
"Karura, I'm going to the study. There's something I need to take care of."
Karura opened her eyes drowsily.
"Okay…"
Rasa went to the study and shut the doors and windows tightly.
With a thought—
A translucent card appeared in front of him, and in the upper-left corner was the emblem of Konoha.
[One-Day Ninja Experience Card (Konoha Genin Edition)]
Rasa began creating the character.
"Name: Uchiha Dou."
"Gender: Male."
"Age: 14."
As he made the settings, a corresponding figure began to appear on the card.
"Use."
[Use successful!]
In the next moment, Rasa felt his body vanish. His consciousness was pulled away and sent hurtling through space at astonishing speed.
Very soon, he had left Sunagakure behind.
And arrived in another village.
"This is… Konoha?"
There were three faces carved into the iconic Hokage Rock.
Each of the major shinobi clans occupied its own section of the village.
At that moment, inside the Uchiha compound, one particular house was brightly lit.
He could hear fierce arguments from inside.
Rasa suddenly felt his consciousness plunge.
And when it stopped, he found himself awake in the body of a young Uchiha boy standing quietly in a corner.
Uchiha Dou.
Just a moment ago, no such person had existed.
There had been no Uchiha Dou—not even recorded in the Uchiha clan's genealogy.
But from the moment Rasa arrived—
Everything had been filled in.
As though Uchiha Dou had always existed.
Rasa swept his gaze around the room.
This was the Uchiha clan's assembly hall.
On the main seat at the front sat an old man. Beside him stood a familiar figure.
"Uchiha Fugaku…"
A young Uchiha stepped forward.
"Clan Head Yamakaku—at this point, with so much evidence already before us, are you still saying it proves nothing?"
"Is my own experience fake too?"
"You know perfectly well how Konoha has treated the Uchiha over the years."
"You're the clan head of the Uchiha, yet you still refuse to do anything. What matters more to you in your heart—the Uchiha clan, or your position as clan head?"
Uchiha Yamakaku's expression darkened.
"And there's this as well!"
The young man pointed toward another Uchiha.
That man then took out a letter.
More precisely—
A suicide note.
"This is the suicide note of a Kumogakure shinobi. The name, the handwriting, and the time all match. And the contents state very clearly what happened to Kagami-senpai back then."
"Kagami-senpai was sold out by Senju Tobirama and Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"Clan Head Yamakaku, what do you say now?"
Uchiha Yamakaku slowly rose to his feet.
"Everyone."
"I understand your anger. I understand your demands."
"But please give me a little time."
"Tomorrow morning, I will make a decision. I swear it on my position as clan head."
In the end, they still gave him face.
One by one, the people in the room gradually dispersed.
Uchiha Fugaku watched them leave, anger flashing in his eyes.
"Father, those clansmen have gone too far. How dare they treat you like that?"
Uchiha Yamakaku waved a hand.
"Enough of that. Let's go back first."
They returned home and entered the study.
Uchiha Yamakaku sat down and pointed to the chair opposite him, motioning for Fugaku to do the same.
"Fugaku, this time… what do you think we should do?"
Fugaku shook his head.
"I don't know, Father. What do you think?"
Uchiha Yamakaku looked at him.
"At this point, there is only one option."
"Delay."
"Delay?"
"That's right. This time is different from the last. It can't be suppressed."
"If we try to force it down, the backlash will only be worse."
He glanced outside.
"But with my authority as clan head, I can still stall them."
"If we keep stalling, the problem will slowly shrink on its own."
"And when that time comes, dealing with it will be much easier."
The next day—
Before dawn had fully broken, the Uchiha assembly hall was already crowded.
Some people had not even slept at all.
Uchiha Yamakaku arrived with Uchiha Fugaku.
Every gaze in the room turned toward them.
"Everyone."
Yamakaku looked over the crowd.
"I thought carefully all night."
"Like all of you, I am angry. I am furious. I want answers. I want the truth…"
"But this is a critical time for Konoha."
"What if all of this truly is a scheme by Iwagakure and Kumogakure? If we start making trouble now, won't that make us the sinners of the Uchiha?"
"The sinners of Konoha?"
The moment those words fell, unrest immediately spread through the room.
They had waited an entire night—
Only to hear this?
They could not accept it.
Sensing the shift in the crowd's mood, Uchiha Yamakaku quickly added,
"Of course, that is only one possibility."
"Once the war is over, I will investigate everything thoroughly and give everyone the justice they deserve."
"If I fail, I will step down as clan head immediately."
"That is my promise to all of you."
"At the very least, wait until this current period has passed."
The agitation in the room lessened somewhat.
After all—
Uchiha Yamakaku had put his position as clan head on the line.
"Maybe… we should trust him one more time."
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