The Land of Snow, the Uchiha Clan's residential quarter.
Uchiha Itachi stood quietly on the Rooftop, looking over the homes built specifically for the Uchiha Clan and the clanspeople coming and going among them.
He felt no deep attachment to his clanspeople. Aside from a handful of family members and friends, the Uchiha name meant little to him.
"Still haven't seen enough?"
A slightly hoarse voice sounded behind him. The whorled wrinkles covering half his face and his scarlet eyes both marked him as a member of the Uchiha Clan.
But he cared even less about his clanspeople than Itachi did, not even bothering to glance their way.
Obito Uchiha.
"Word has already come from the village. The Reshape Organization will attend this conference." Itachi turned to look at him.
"...Good. Saves us tracking them down." Obito snorted. "We can just make them hand over the eyes."
"...The Fourth Hokage won't let us attend."
"Sensei... Has Minato Namikaze figured out what we're planning?"
Itachi looked calmly at Obito. "So we'll need to attend under a different identity."
"..."
Obito finally glanced at the Uchiha Clan members in the Land of Snow. After a long moment, he said, "...I'll convince them."
"No need."
Itachi reached out to stop him. Under Obito's slightly puzzled gaze, he pointed at the towering building nearby—
The Daimyo Mansion of the Land of Snow.
And at Kazahana Koyuki, the reigning queen of the Land of Snow, sunbathing on its balcony.
Obito understood at once and nodded. "Good idea. A country carries more weight than a clan. The Uchiha going to Konoha now would only stir up needless trouble."
Kazahana Koyuki felt rather content. Since partnering with Konoha, the Land of Snow had gone from an impoverished country with little to offer to an industrial nation. Both