"Andrew, don't act recklessly. The family's development is finally on track—now is not the time to get into a conflict with the village."
Fugaku's brows furrowed as he spoke, his voice heavy with caution and concern.
He wasn't wrong. Despite the internal tension with the village, the Uchiha clan had been making real progress. Their influence was growing, and the economy they were building was slowly solidifying. To get into a direct conflict with Konoha now—especially with someone like Danzo Shimura—could lead to mutual destruction.
Sure, they had three pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan among their ranks, which gave them a clear advantage in elite combat. But the Mangekyō came with a price. Overuse led to blindness, and not everyone in the clan had that kind of power. The vast majority of their people were civilians, merchants, or low-ranking shinobi. A war would devastate them.
Danzo, for all his flaws, was still the Hokage's official assistant. His authority, while unofficial in nature, gave him considerable leverage. Getting too aggressive with him could spiral into open political warfare—and that was something Konoha wouldn't ignore.
"I understand," Andrew replied calmly. "But I need Shisui and Itachi to return. We'll need their help for what's coming next."
Fugaku gave him a long look but didn't object further.
Andrew had decided it was time to recall the two most "problematic" talents in the clan.
Itachi had always been a critical thinker, somewhat isolated in his worldview. Andrew had placed him in the Daimyō's service, along with a squad of twenty Uchiha shinobi. It wasn't just a matter of political trust-building—it was strategic. By working outside Konoha, Itachi could see the broader ninja world and escape the village's narrow ideology.
The move was also a symbol of Uchiha's loyalty. Placing the patriarch's own son under the daimyo's protection force spoke volumes about their commitment to national stability.
Shisui, however, was a bigger concern.
His sense of justice had once been naively idealistic. So Andrew threw him into a "thug company" and made him lead a battle squad, forcing him to see the darker side of shinobi life. Shisui had power, and too much time spent thinking about "how to make peace" would only rot that strength.
"Enough of this 'to be Hokage is to be recognized' nonsense," Andrew had told him once. "Recognition comes from power. You don't wait for approval—you seize it."
Whether Shisui had finally let go of the so-called Will of Fire remained uncertain. But Andrew was betting that his time away from the village, and the trauma of having his eye gouged out, would harden him enough.
Fugaku, meanwhile, remained silent. He wasn't a fighter of political battles; he preferred the quiet satisfaction of watching his clan thrive financially. If Andrew wanted to take the war to the village's doorstep, he wouldn't stop him. He trusted Andrew completely.
Andrew didn't say anything, but he noticed the quiet approval in Fugaku's eyes.
Maybe it was because of the rumors—some said Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan could glimpse fragments of the future. Maybe he'd seen Andrew's arrival as the moment Uchiha's destiny changed. Whatever the case, Fugaku had backed him since day one.
······
As ninja messengers disappeared into the smoky distance, the gears of the Uchiha clan began to turn.
Dozens of shinobi—previously unassigned—donned combat uniforms and deployed to the clan's industrial district. They formed coordinated three-man cells, each stationed near shops and warehouses.
The numbers were impressive. With so many personnel suddenly active, there was roughly one squad for every two stores. And these were just the fixed units.
Andrew also ordered the number of mobile patrols to increase to eight teams. Surveillance was tightened. Civilian troublemakers would find no easy targets here.
Danzo could send agents to stir unrest, but now Uchiha would outnumber and outmaneuver them.
And still—none of this involved the official police department. The patrols in Uchiha territory were purely internal clan forces. Andrew had simply reallocated responsibilities under his authority as the department captain, and no one could argue with that.
The actual police patrols? They were now operating deep within Shimura territory.
Andrew's plan was simple: if he couldn't touch Danzo directly, he'd drown the Shimura clan in bureaucratic misery.
"You throw civilians at us? Fine. I'll throw uniforms at you. Let's see how many of your people I can arrest under Konoha's own legal system."
Of course, proximity to the Shimura clan was risky, so Andrew took precautions. Shisui was secretly deployed to watch over the police teams operating in the Shimura district. Even if his ideology was still soft, Shisui's loyalty to the clan was unquestionable now. The scars left by Danzo's past treachery had changed him.
As expected, the sudden spike in Uchiha security in Industry Street had a chilling effect.
The disturbances stopped. The riots vanished. The hired troublemakers sensed the change in atmosphere and retreated. Uchiha retaliation had proven more efficient—and more merciless—than they were prepared to handle.
And so, peace returned to the district.
Meanwhile, in Shimura territory, things were getting interesting.
Shimura Taro, a mid-level shinobi, had just finished a mission. Drunk from an evening at the izakaya, he stumbled along the streets, humming to himself.
Unfortunately for him, he accidentally bumped into a passing Uchiha patrol officer.
Before he could even slur an apology, the officer pointed at him and shouted,
"How dare you attack the patrol unit of the police department! What courage!"
Taro's eyes widened. "W-What?! No! I didn't attack anyone—it was just an accident!"
But the patrol team had already surrounded him. One of them stepped forward and delivered a brutal punch to the gut, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Accident? Our Sharingan saw it all. You dare slander our dojutsu too?"
The man barked as Taro was promptly restrained and dragged away.
Word spread like wildfire.
"Did you hear? Shimura Taro got arrested for attacking a police patrol!"
"What the hell? Isn't he from the Shimura clan? They're not supposed to mess with Uchiha!"
"He probably did it on purpose. The Shimura clan follows Danzo's orders. Maybe they're testing Uchiha's reaction."
"They better not! Uchiha finally restored order here—we can't afford to lose that just because the Shimura want to play games."
Public opinion shifted like a tide. Merchants and civilians began giving Shimura traders suspicious glances. The damage was done—public trust was no longer on Danzo's side.
Andrew didn't need loud propaganda. Uchiha didn't need big speeches.
They had Sharingan—and they had subtlety. A little suggestion here, an illusion there—and word-of-mouth did the rest.
Taro was the first. But far from the last.
Over the following week, all six Uchiha patrol teams assigned to Shimura zones went on a quiet rampage.
"Illegal trading."
"Obstructing law enforcement."
"Suspicious behavior."
"Possession of restricted goods."
Excuses were easy to fabricate. And every target?
Shimura. Ninja or civilian, it didn't matter.
Back at the central station, the non-Uchiha officers were stunned. The arrests were piling up fast, and the Shimura clan's liaison officer was visibly sweating.
The message was clear to everyone.
"Are you Shimura clan so brave? Are you seriously challenging Uchiha enforcement like this?"
No one said it aloud. But everyone saw it.
Danzo's harassment campaign had backfired. He thought he was playing a slow game. But Andrew?
Andrew struck fast, and he struck hard.
And this time, the whole village was watching.
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