The Storm Gathers

Having followed Danzo for many years, Aburame Ryoma was well-acquainted with his methods, yet he was still shocked this time and could not help but advise:

"Lord Danzo, even within the Uchiha clan, Setsuna Uchiha is the most extreme and dangerous type of person."

"If you release him at a time like this, the entire Konoha will know no peace!"

Danzo's expression remained unchanged as he said indifferently:

"Rest assured."

"I understand that fellow; he is perverse in nature and ruthless in his methods, but he values his Uchiha clansmen highly."

"Right now, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure are all showing signs of unrest, and the number of scouts infiltrating Konoha's borders has increased more than tenfold!"

"War is coming."

"Even Setsuna Uchiha would never act recklessly at a time like this, but with him around, Hiruzen and Fugaku Uchiha wanting to join forces..."

"Dream on!"

Danzo sneered and said to Aburame Ryoma:

"Find a pretext to reduce his sentence; it would be best to have him released within this month."

"It is time to turn up the pressure on Hiruzen!"

"Yes!"

Whoosh—!

As the others retreated, the torches in the Root headquarters hall were extinguished.

Danzo stood alone in the darkness.

His eyes flickered.

Konoha.

Southern District.

After the arrival of autumn, Konoha saw a rare light drizzle today.

It fell in a steady patter, soaking through clothes and leaving behind a bone-chilling cold.

Fugaku Uchiha stood in the rain holding an umbrella, gazing in the direction of Shingen Uchiha, and said:

"I heard that Shingen has recently become a disciple of Jiraiya?!"

"I only heard about it recently as well."

Uchiha Yakumi stood by Fugaku's side, nodded gently, and said:

"However."

"This can be considered good news for us."

"Have you not been waiting for an opportunity to build a bridge of communication between the Uchiha and Konoha?"

"Although that kid Shingen is usually a bit unreliable and likes to play the coward when faced with trouble, he has always been clear-headed when it comes to major matters."

"After that business with Danzo, he should also have changed somewhat."

"In this world..."

"Even if one desires nothing but stability, it is incredibly difficult, a goal that remains out of reach."

"In the end, what decides everything is the power in one's own hands."

Fugaku Uchiha was noncommittal toward this.

Shingen Uchiha's apprenticeship under Jiraiya had not been authorized by the Uchiha, nor had the Third Hokage expressed a stance on the matter.

Yet, the significance it represented was already clear enough.

After long-standing internal strife, both the village's high-ranking officials and the Uchiha were exhausted.

The existence of Shingen Uchiha was the perfect opportunity to break the deadlock.

If there were no further variables, the complete dissolution of the rift between the village and the Uchiha would only be a matter of time.

At this juncture, as the clan head of the Uchiha and one of the few leaders who yearned for stability, Fugaku Uchiha should have been happy.

However, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

In the silence.

Fugaku Uchiha reached his hand out into the rain.

Scattered raindrops landed on his palm, the chill soaking through his flesh and extending all the way into his bones.

That sense of unease, that inexplicable premonition, became increasingly distinct in this instant...

"Something is coming!"

"Is it war?!"

Uchiha Yakumi was taken aback, his brows immediately knitting together.

He had followed Fugaku for a long time and had personally experienced the Second Shinobi World War, so he naturally understood the cruelty and bloodshed involved.

Moreover, once a war begins, no one knows when it will end.

At the very least, in the previous two Shinobi World Wars, the final deciding factor was not who could fight better, but who could endure longer!

"No."

Fugaku Uchiha shook his head. The expression on his face did not soften; instead, it became even more grave at this moment.

"War will only force Konoha and the Uchiha to cling to each other even tighter."

"White Fang was forced to commit suicide years ago, and Tsunade suffers from hemophobia; right now, Konoha is at its weakest point in history."

"Even Danzo has to admit that Konoha needs the power of the Uchiha, more than it ever has before."

"What I am worried about is..."

Fugaku Uchiha's voice came to an abrupt halt.

His gaze pierced through the curtain of rain, landing on the distant Konoha Military Police Force building, where the crimson fan crest appeared incredibly glaring at this moment!

A figure that Fugaku Uchiha had almost forgotten slowly appeared before his eyes!

"Uchiha... Setsuna?!"

"Is his sentence about to end?!"

Uchiha Yakumi was stunned. After a brief calculation, his expression turned incredibly ugly.

"There are still a few months left, but I doubt the Konoha high-ups will let him out so easily."

"After all, he once led his clansmen in a coup during the Second Hokage's reign; the village will not tolerate such a destabilizing factor appearing again."

"They will likely find a way to extend his sentence."

"I hope so."

Fugaku Uchiha sighed. His gaze fell upon the clansmen moving through the rain, his eyes softening slightly.

He truly could not understand those who, in this era, still stubbornly clung to the so-called glory of the clan and resisted the rules of the Uchiha.

When Uchiha Madara wanted to leave Konoha to strike out on his own back then, not a single clansman chose to follow him, which already proved that what the clansmen craved was never power, but a stable and peaceful life.

They no longer wanted to trade their lives for a mouthful of food, nor did they want to be a blade that could be discarded whenever it was used up.

That is what it means to live like a human being.

Snap—!

Fugaku Uchiha clenched his palm tightly.

Rainwater splashed as he darted into the downpour.

His gaze became resolute at this moment.

"No matter who it is, no matter who tries to block the path of the Uchiha, they will pay with their lives—even if it is a former elder of the Uchiha."

"Let's go, Yakumi."

"We are going to see that kid."

Fugaku beckoned to Uchiha Yakumi, then stepped into the rainwater and turned to head toward the South District 4.

"Yes, Clan Leader!"

Konoha.

High-Security Prison, the deepest level underground.

The surroundings were pitch black, devoid of any light, save for the sound of prisoners gasping for air, which would appear and then quickly vanish.

Those locked away here were all heinous criminals without exception.

Slaughtering civilians, attacking comrades, selling the village's classified intelligence...

Any one of these crimes would be enough to send a person to the gallows, yet here, they didn't even amount to a single hair on the heads of these prisoners.

Being able to survive and be locked in this High-Security Prison was never due to the mercy of the Konoha high-ups.

On the contrary, in the permanent imprisonment and the days devoid of sunlight, time itself was the cruelest punishment for them!

At a certain moment.

Bang—!

The lights in the cell block suddenly flickered on.

The death row inmates, who had not seen light for a long time, felt a sharp pain in their eyes.

It took a long while for them to adapt and barely make out what was happening.

Several figures, led by Danzo, walked past cell after cell, only stopping when they reached the very depths of the prison.

"Sometimes."

"Hope is the most terrifying thing of all, isn't it?!"

"Uchiha... Setsuna!"