Konoha, late at night.
The office on the top floor of the Hokage Building was brightly lit.
Uchiha En sat behind the broad Hokage's desk. With a flick of his fingers, he drew the top document from the stack.
The handwriting was neat. Signature, mark, and official seal were all in place; the contents were clear and free of errors.
He skimmed two pages, then pulled out several more documents in succession. A trace of satisfaction crossed his eyes.
Over the past month, the Shadow Clone had handled the village's affairs flawlessly in his stead.
The poor fellow had been buried in paperwork when En's real body returned.
The moment the clone saw him, he jolted, blurted, "You're finally back. I'm free!" and promptly dispersed himself without lingering another second.
Uchiha En brushed off his sleeves and sorted through the flood of memories.
Much of the Capital lay in ruins. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind was dead. The West Quarter's powerful figures had all perished in the flames, and Gaara had been abducted.
Every last incident was a wildfire he had personally set where no one could see.
The System Panel's progress settled at: Unify the Shinobi World, 29 percent.
"The fire's lit."
Uchiha En closed the last document and tapped the cool desktop. The low, measured sound carried the certainty of a man in control.
"Now it's time to feed the flames and strike while the iron's hot."
Soon after, a soft knock came at the office door.
"Come in."
Uchiha Yashiro strode in and bowed, his posture straight and his movements crisp.
But when he looked up, he stopped short. Genuine shock filled his eyes.
Lord Hokage had announced that he was secluding himself to meditate and work out the details of the village's reforms. How