The True Beginning of Isolation and Alienation

But this obviously had no direct connection to the Uchiha Clan.

Unless a full-scale war broke out immediately.

The Konoha High Command decided to deploy the Uchiha Clan to the front lines at once.

Clearly, Konoha lacked the will, while Iwagakure and Kumogakure might not have had the strength either. Only a little over a year had passed since the Third Shinobi World War ended, and the major hidden villages had yet to recover from the scars of war. Kumogakure's Third Raikage had only fallen in battle a little over a year ago.

And Iwagakure, in order to kill the Third Raikage,

had paid an extremely terrible price despite Third Tsuchikage Onoki not being on the front lines at all.

The two hidden villages had merely acted on instinct upon hearing of the drastic changes in Konoha, and that was all. Asking them to gather vast forces once again and continue the Third Shinobi World War was truly asking too much.

No one had the ability or the nerve to start a war amid such a delicate situation.

Thus, along the borders,

the guard forces of the major hidden villages merely faced each other across the distance, staring each other down.

No further crisis erupted.

After repeatedly confirming the situation at the borders, the Third and Shimura Danzō, along with the others, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then, according to their established plan, they began arranging Konoha's reconstruction in an orderly manner.

This was a moment that had been bound to come.

When the professional technicians arrived to survey the land anew and designate the new residential areas for the various Ninja Clans,

no matter how many members of the Uchiha Clan were unwilling,

they still had to suppress their feelings and obey their clan head's orders. Under the arrangements of the officials sent by the high command, the clan began its collective relocation.

Although only around one-fifth of Konohagakure had been destroyed by the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox,

this reconstruction plan was far from simple.

As a result, the area involved covered more than one-quarter of Konohagakure's total land.

More than twenty Ninja Clans had to relocate their compounds together. In truth, only two or three of those clan compounds had genuinely suffered damage. The rest had been ordered to move from their original territories for "special reasons."

What those reasons were,

everyone knew perfectly well.

Moreover, among these clans, some had members who had died in the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack, while others stood firmly on Sarutobi Hiruzen's side. This included the Sarutobi Clan, from which the Third himself came, as well as the Shimura Clan, from which Danzo came. Both were included in this relocation plan.

This was the first massive reconstruction project since Konoha's founding, involving every conceivable aspect. Clearly, it could not be completed in a short time.

But once the project officially began,

it meant the Uchiha Clan would be truly isolated and alienated.

Yet these were not matters Shōji could interfere with right now. Adapting to his Mangekyō Sharingan as quickly as possible and strengthening his own power were his highest priorities.

In this world where strength reigned supreme,

he needed at least Kage-level power before he would have the qualifications and ability to truly involve himself in such major affairs.

For that reason,

during these past few days,

aside from carrying out his routine village security patrols and making preparations for the relocation in advance, Shōji devoted all his remaining time to training. His previous duel with Shisui

had made him clearly realize that his current strength was nowhere near enough!

He had to become stronger.

"Shouji-nii? I heard we're moving. Is that true?"

First came the clan's Jōnin, then all the ninja, and only finally the ordinary members of the clan. This was not limited to ordinary Ninja Clans. Even within the prestigious Uchiha Clan, a considerable portion of its large population consisted of ordinary people.

These ordinary people did not refer to clan members incapable of awakening the Sharingan.

They referred to clan members who simply had no potential to become ninja.

As the lowest stratum of the clan, their daily lives were naturally not much of a problem, but they faced certain restrictions when it came to the flow of information and personal movement. The latter especially was understandable—being unable to become ninja did not mean they lacked Uchiha blood.

Across the shinobi world,

every Ninja Clan regarded its bloodline and inheritance as extremely important.

This was especially true for clans like the Uchiha and Hyūga, who possessed exceptionally powerful Kekkei Genkai.

They would never allow outsiders to lay hands on the clan's bloodline. Thus, these "ordinary people" were indeed easily restricted in every respect.

These people were also the last to learn that the clan compound needed to be relocated. Shōji had originally planned to tell his family within the next couple of days, but Little Saki had learned of it beforehand. That day, as Shōji trained in his family's dojo,

she came to call her brother when lunch was ready and could not help asking.

After a brief pause, Shōji gently patted his little sister's adorable head. "Yeah, the clan has been making the necessary preparations these past few days. But don't worry, Little Saki. Our new home will be just like this one!"

"Mm..."

Even though her brother said so,

Little Saki still seemed to have something weighing on her heart.

When Shōji saw the obvious dejection on his little sister's face, he crouched down. Amid Little Saki's startled expression, he picked her up and said softly, "Little Saki, where we live isn't really important. As long as Grandma is there, and Little Yang and I are there, isn't that enough? Family is what matters most!"

Little Saki leaned against Shōji's chest.

Listening to her brother's gentle words,

she obediently nodded.

"I knew our Little Saki was the most well-behaved. Come on!"

"Mm, Shouji-nii!"

For a clan that had to relocate as a whole, dissatisfaction, panic, suspicion, anger, and reluctance naturally spread throughout the Uchiha Clan the moment the relocation project officially began. In Shōji's eyes, that was completely normal.

But from Shisui's perspective, this development was far from pleasant.

Already caught between the clan and the Konoha High Command,

Shisui truly did not want to see the clan nearly overflowing with unchecked negative emotions.

Because he understood clearly.

The more dissatisfied the clan became,

the more wary and fearful the village would become toward them.

That was an absolutely unacceptable path.

Shisui wanted to earn the support and understanding of more people within the clan, while Shōji likewise wished to find companions of his own.

The only two members of the younger generation besides Uchiha Fugaku to possess the Mangekyō Sharingan, driven by different thoughts and ideals, set out on two completely opposite paths.

Only,

though the two seemed to have embarked on paths leading in entirely opposite directions,

whether they would ultimately arrive at the same destination by different routes was something only that bitch, the goddess of fate, knew!