The Gathering Clan

Just as Utatane Koharu was busy calculating her own interests, the Uchiha compound also became lively.

However, amidst this bustle, there was a solemnity and gravity that differed from the usual.

Following the repeated instructions from their parents last night and this morning, the Uchiha cubs left their homes early.

Instead of leaving through the gates assigned to their respective factions within the compound as they usually did, they followed a new arrangement, gradually converging along the wide main thoroughfare.

Uchiha Yashiro of the Hawk Faction, dressed in dark clan attire, watched the other end of the road with a calm gaze—

Uchiha Hazuki, the representative of the Dove Faction, was walking over gracefully, leading a group of children as well.

The moment their eyes met, they both revealed knowing smiles in unison.

Uchiha Yashiro nodded and said, "Sister Hazuki, let's go together."

"Alright."

Uchiha Hazuki responded softly, a gentle smile blooming within the fine lines at the corners of her eyes.

This was the plan that Uchiha Ren and Mikoto had finalized together last night—

To gradually dissolve the invisible barriers between the Hawk Faction and the Dove Faction, starting with the new generation.

To truly unite the long-divided Uchiha into a single rope.

As the two of them greeted the cubs and walked out of the compound gate together, Uchiha Fugaku, having heard the news, hurried over with the children of the Clan Head Faction.

Fugaku, who was always steady and indifferent, felt his mouth twitch imperceptibly when he saw Yashiro and Hazuki standing side by side.

The joint action of the Hawk and Dove factions, which left the Clan Head Faction behind, made the elder brother figure, Fugaku, feel somewhat dissatisfied and also a bit forlorn.

It was gratifying that the clan was developing in a positive direction, but the fact that this wave of change was not led by him left him feeling lost, as he had been determined to revitalize the Uchiha.

But this confusion lasted only for a moment before he cast it out of his mind; regardless, the clan doing well was what truly mattered, and everything else was unimportant.

"Yashiro, Hazuki, I'm late." Fugaku adjusted his emotions and stepped forward to greet them in a clear voice.

Yashiro and Hazuki exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat surprised.

For this operation, neither the Hawk Faction nor the Dove Faction had hidden their intentions; if the Clan Head Faction had the heart to do so, they could have easily followed along.

They had anticipated that the children of the Clan Head Faction would come, but they had not expected that the one leading them would be Fugaku, who held a status similar to a young master, rather than Uchiha Yakumi.

"It is we who were early, Lord Fugaku." Yashiro returned the salute respectfully.

"Let's go together, Lord Fugaku." Hazuki smiled and stepped aside to make room.

Seeing their attitudes, Fugaku understood the stance of the two factions, and three parts of a smile appeared on his rigid face.

The young Uchiha behind them were all sizing each other up, their black and white eyes filled with curiosity.

These children, who should have been familiar with one another, felt as estranged as if they were meeting for the first time, with even a hint of hostility mixed in—

Many of them did not even interact as much as they did with their classmates at the Ninja Academy, and they might not have spoken a single word to each other in an entire year.

The years of factional indoctrination from their parents and elders, contrasted with the sudden change in rhetoric, felt to the children like their left brains were fighting their right brains.

However, the children were, after all, at the age where their worldviews were most easily shaped and their natures were the most active.

The initial restraint and awkwardness gradually dissolved as they walked side by side, led by the three people at the very front.

When the Uchiha cubs appeared on the streets of Konohagakure in such a neat formation for the first time, every ninja along the way cast side-glances at them.

Especially the sight of the three representatives at the lead—the key figure of the Hawk Faction, the elite of the Dove Faction, and the heir of the Clan Head Faction walking side by side.

It left every member of the ninja clans who witnessed this scene in complete shock.

The news spread like wildfire.

By the time this special team arrived at the Ninja Academy, the rumor that the three major Uchiha factions were about to integrate had already spread to every corner of Konohagakure.

Meanwhile, in the reception room of the Hyuga compound, the fragrance of tea curled in the air, yet it could not dispel the invisible gravity.

"Elder Danzō has come in person; the Hyuga clan feels deeply honored."

The Hyuga clan head knelt in the main seat, his voice as steady as a mirror lake, and no emotion could be detected in his pale pupils.

"However, members of the main branch must strictly abide by clan rules and guard the secret of the Byakugan; they cannot easily leave."

"The vast majority of the branch family members are in the various ninja armies, and the few remaining members must guard the main branch."

"With our respective duties, we are unable to spare members to accompany Elder Danzō to the northeastern front. In this matter, the Hyuga truly cannot help."

These words were polite and thorough, and the reason was also high-sounding.

But that calm, unruffled refusal was even more infuriating to Shimura Danzō than a direct confrontation.

His withered fingers turned white as he clenched them inside his sleeves, but on the surface, he merely let out a cold snort, said nothing more, and stood up abruptly.

Then, without looking back, he strode out of the hall, which was filled with an atmosphere as sharp and hidden as the Gentle Fist.

As soon as he stepped out of the solemn gate of the Hyuga compound, a Root ninja wearing an animal mask knelt on one knee before him, silent as a ghost.

"Lord Danzō."

The ninja reported in a low voice, "Latest news. This morning, Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Hazuki, and Uchiha Fugaku led the children of the three factions together to the Ninja Academy."

"The Hawk, the Dove, and the Clan Head factions are operating in public unison for the first time, acting with such tacit coordination that every clan in Konohagakure has witnessed it."

"The naturally evil Uchiha, to think they would pull a stunt like this right before the great war...!"

"What are they trying to do? Are they planning to unite and revolt!"

Shimura Danzō spat out the curses through his teeth, the rage in his chest like a lit explosive tag, nearly shattering his habitual gloom.

The frustration of being shut out by the Hyuga, intertwined with the news of the internal alliance within the Uchiha Clan.

It only added a layer of twisted ferocity to a face that was already sinister.

He took a sharp, deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning anger back into the depths of his heart, leaving only his gaze increasingly cold and bone-chilling.

"Move!"

He forced the word out from his throat, his figure transforming into a gust of wind as he streaked toward the compound of his next target.

His plan to recruit troops must not stall because of this minor setback; Sarutobi Hiruzen had given him only a single day.

But as for the Hyuga who refused to show him respect... he had marked this debt down.

The next place Shimura Danzō visited was the secret arts families known as Ino-Shika-Cho, who shared a common breath and had sworn the oath of the earrings.

Within Konohagakure, these three clans were often viewed as a single, mutually supportive family, with strength and status second only to the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga.

Among them—

The Yamanaka Clan represents the "Ino," specializing in sensory perception and mental control, responsible for locating targets and linking the minds of the trio during combat.

The Nara Clan represents the "Shika," possessing the Shadow Possession Jutsu and extremely high intelligence, responsible for the squad's tactical planning and core control.

The Akidichi Clan represents the "Cho," possessing the Yang Release secret art, Multi-Size Technique, serving as the attackers who initiate the squad's offensive.

Since the Warring States period, these three clans had been on good terms with the Sarutobi Clan, and after Sarutobi Hiruzen became Hokage, they received even more support, making them a staunch faction of the Hokage.

However, Shimura Danzō arrived with high spirits, only to return in defeat!