The smoke had barely cleared, and the two colossal Susanoo figures had long since vanished into thin air. But what they left behind was a crater of fear, silence, and shattered assumptions.
The once-proud land of the Shimura clan now lay in ruins—its ancestral compound leveled as though a tailed beast had descended upon it.
Not a whisper stirred among the watching shinobi.
Everyone had witnessed it with their own eyes, yet their minds struggled to accept it. Susanoo. Two of them. Not tales from a war-torn era. Not some long-lost story of Uchiha Madara. But today—now—in the heart of Konoha, summoned by teenagers.
"Was that... really just two Uchiha?"
That unspoken question haunted the air like smoke over a battlefield.
For many, Susanoo was nothing but a footnote in old war records—a terrifying power attributed to legends. Something that belonged in history, not in the present. And yet, here it was again, shattering their peace and exposing their ignorance.
"Uchiha... was never truly weak." That was the unspoken conclusion now stamped into the minds of every ninja present.
The Third Hokage stood grim and silent on the rooftop, his robes fluttering faintly in the wind. He could feel the morale draining from his troops. Not a glimmer of defiance shone in their eyes. In its place was awe—and fear.
He could no longer pretend that Konoha's forces could stand up to the Uchiha. Not when three Mangekyō Sharingan users had revealed themselves.
"Hokage-sama, you know... our Uchiha minds can be a bit extreme," Andrew finally said, stepping forward to shatter the silence, "Itachi's behavior was driven by grief. Shisui's injury... was too deep."
The words were measured, but loaded with meaning. A warning and an excuse, all in one.
The Third Hokage sighed deeply. "I understand. I must shoulder the blame for that. I failed to consider the emotional cost my decisions inflicted on your clan. Especially in Shisui's case."
It was as close to an admission of guilt as a Hokage would ever give.
His eyes lingered on Andrew. Deep down, he now understood something else: if Andrew ever turned against Konoha, the entire village might fall. Alone.
That realization sent another chill down his spine.
Around them, representatives from other major ninja clans stood frozen. But when Hiruzen finally admitted his mistake and walked away without retaliation, they collectively exhaled.
They were all thinking the same thing.
"Thank God we were never hostile to Uchiha."
While the top leadership had kept the clan suppressed and marginalized, most ninja families had only watched. Some even sympathized. And now, their silence seemed like a blessing. None wanted to end up like the Shimura clan—reduced to rubble and memory.
Indeed, aside from the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Koharu clans—those with deep entanglements in Konoha's power structure—most families had remained neutral. For them, siding against the Uchiha had never made sense. Not politically. Not strategically.
Now? It looked outright suicidal.
From Afar — Danzo Watches in Silence
Beneath the shadow of the Hokage Monument, Danzo Shimura stood with a handful of Root members, staring at the smoldering wreckage where his home once stood.
Only his single exposed eye was visible, but it burned with obsession.
"So... this is the true strength of the Uchiha." His voice was low, almost reverent. "The Sharingan… its potential far exceeds what we previously estimated."
He touched the bandages over his right eye—the one that had once held Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan—and frowned.
"Why did Shisui's Susanoo fall so short? Compared to Itachi... to Andrew..."
It didn't make sense. They all had Mangekyō. But the strength displayed today—this wasn't just variance. It was dominance.
"Third Hokage isn't going to retaliate." A Root agent approached carefully. "The crowd has dispersed."
Danzo's lips curled into a sneer.
"He's too old. Too soft. He's forgotten what it means to lead. Under Uchiha pressure, he gives up our village's pride? Betrays other ninja clans to appease them?"
His tone turned cold. "Begin a new operation. Spread rumors throughout the village. Make them whisper: 'The Third Hokage is weak. He bowed before the Uchiha.' Turn the people against him."
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
In the Hyuga Compound – Eyes That See Everything
Across the village, inside the austere halls of the Hyuga clan, the elders of the main and branch houses had convened.
Hiashi Hyuga sat at the head of the table, flanked by his brother Hizashi and the clan's high-ranking councilors. In front of them lay detailed reports—of the destruction, the chakra signatures, the eyewitness testimonies.
"This level of destruction... it's as if a tailed beast ran rampant."
No one spoke for a long time. Finally, Hizashi said what they all feared.
"Can we even match this?"
Hyuga had always been considered Uchiha's equal. Both clans had dojutsu. Both had ancient bloodlines. On the battlefield, their histories were filled with tales of equal exchange.
But now?
Two Mangekyō Sharingan. Two perfect Susanoo. And both users were teenagers.
"Uchiha has transformed," one of the elder advisors finally said. "They've abandoned their old rigidity, discarded the suffocating role of the police department, and found a new path—one that garners respect instead of resentment."
Even the most traditionalist elder had to admit: Uchiha's internal reforms, their careful detachment from Konoha politics, their new-found economic independence—had changed the game.
Hiashi finally spoke. "We will not interfere. The Hyuga and Uchiha are rivals—but we are also allies. We will maintain the current relationship. We do not seek to provoke nor pander."
Then, after a pause:
"Have Hinata and Neji begin forming ties with Uchiha Sasuke. The next generation must not fall behind."
His eyes turned toward the Hokage monument.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen… do you finally see the cost of your silence?"
Third Hokage's Private Reflections – Regret in the Hokage Tower
Inside the dim confines of the Hokage office, Hiruzen leaned on his desk, eyes closed, pipe forgotten on the table beside him.
He regretted it. All of it.
His failure to protect Shisui. His failure to rein in Danzo. His refusal to stand up for the Uchiha when they still trusted him.
And now? It was too late.
The Uchiha were still in Konoha—but they were not of Konoha.
They had made their position clear: "You don't bother us, we don't bother you. You touch us again—and Konoha burns."
There was nothing else to be said.
In any other case, Hiruzen would have ordered suppression, investigation, perhaps even exile. But with the Uchiha?
"Forget it. I'm lucky they didn't aim their wrath at me."
And the worst part?
The entire shinobi world would know within the week.
Spies from the other Great Villages had surely recorded the chakra surges. Perhaps even photographic evidence. Soon, Kumo, Iwa, and even Kirigakure would learn that Konoha housed not one, but three Mangekyō Uchiha.
They would assume the worst. Perhaps even see this as an opportunity to strike, while Konoha was fractured and uncertain.
Uchiha's strength may be an internal matter today, but tomorrow, it could become an international crisis.
"Damn you, Danzo. Look at what you've done…"
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