In the end, Nara Kazuki spent the entire night outside the Kumo delegation’s quarters—feeding the mosquitoes.
The shinobi from Kumogakure had been incredibly well-behaved. Especially after confirming that both the Fourth Hokage and Hiruzen Sarutobi were alive and well, they got even more docile. Their earlier aggression vanished completely. Now they were all politeness, not at all like the muscle-bound thugs from the Village Hidden in the Clouds.
It was like watching a gang of beefy anime gangsters from a minotaur doujin get isekai’d into North America—only to be given 100 free gacha pulls at login and ordered off to pick cotton quietly.
Truly, all beasts become tame once they realize the strength they’re up against is overwhelming.
Kazuki was a little disappointed.
If Kumo’s shinobi weren’t going to make trouble, then he’d have to go accept missions if he wanted to kill enemy ninja and increase his chakra reserve.
Fortunately, the ninja world never lacked missions of that kind.
"All right. We’re done here. Let’s go home," Kakashi said calmly. In his mind, shinobi from other villages rarely dared stir up trouble while on diplomatic visits—especially not within another Hidden Village. That was a shortcut to suicide. And this was Konoha. Good luck trying to push them around.
So he’d never expected anything to happen here.
"Tch." Kazuki cast one last wistful glance at the inn where the Kumo shinobi were staying, sighed, and gave up. No meat on the table this time.
Yawning, he started heading back home to catch some sleep.
He’d only made it halfway when he saw two Uchiha wearing Konoha Military Police uniforms, glaring coldly at an elderly street vendor.
"Oh please, I’m just an old lady trying to make ends meet!" The hunched, poorly dressed woman was on her knees, crying and clutching the ground. A crowd had gathered around, murmuring angrily. Many people were clearly upset with the Uchiha, though no one dared speak up after being glared at.
"I told you already," one of the Uchiha sighed. "You’re blocking access to other shops. We’re confiscating your cart. You can retrieve it later from the Police Department."
The bystanders’ sympathies clearly lay with the weeping grandmother.
"Enough, old hag! Keep making a scene, and you’re coming with us!" The second Uchiha was more aggressive, and his words triggered an even stronger wave of silent indignation. But ultimately, no one dared speak out. He sneered as he grabbed the old woman’s goods and walked off with his reluctant partner.
Kazuki shook his head.
Yes, Shimura Danzō had helped engineer the Uchiha clan’s fall—but the Uchiha themselves had played no small role in their own destruction.
Just a moment ago, that Uchiha’s words alone were enough to make Kazuki think, They’re digging their own grave. And if he thought so, how many more Konoha citizens did too, witnessing these scenes daily?
Kazuki shook his head again and kept walking. The old woman was helped away by some kind civilians and soon disappeared into the crowd.
On the street, low whispers about Uchiha bullying continued.
Though no one dared speak loudly, their resentment and disdain were clear.
The Konoha Military Police was still considered a powerful arm of authority, so even if they were disliked, most villagers only grumbled in secret.
After walking through that powder keg waiting to blow, Kazuki finally made it home.
He actually was interested in the Uchiha clan. His Special Achievement was tied to them, after all. Whether he chose to save them or help exterminate them, he’d earn a Recall Point either way.
"Uchiha..." Kazuki muttered, seated in his room. He dispatched Shadow Clones to train ninjutsu, while he himself worked on physical conditioning.
Jutsu proficiency could be passed back through clones, but physical strength couldn’t. That likely had to be trained by the real body—clones lacked the true muscle and tension to make it count.
Kazuki’s understanding of the Uchiha mostly came from the famous ones:
Obito, Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke—and of course, Madara, who got his heart punched out by Black Zetsu.
Their traits? Prone to extremes, emotionally unstable—and terrifyingly powerful.
If the timeline played out as in the original story, the Uchiha would eventually be annihilated. But now, Minato was still alive, so the clan’s fate was less certain. It all depended on how the Hokage chose to act.
Of course, Danzō would still have his own plans.
Kazuki tapped his fingers against the desk.
If someone really wanted to push a clan into destruction, they could do it by manipulating the Hokage’s hand. All it would take was turning public opinion so violently against the Uchiha that even Minato would struggle to protect them.
"If I were Danzō, I’d..." Kazuki narrowed his eyes.
If he wanted to force the Fourth Hokage into signing off on the Uchiha’s elimination, the method was simple: provoke the clan into growing universally hated, then stir the flames during an Elders’ Council meeting.
Once public pressure reached its peak, even the Hokage would have no choice but to yield. That would embolden the hawk faction inside the Uchiha. And when the hawks rose up?
That would be the end.
That, Kazuki realized, might’ve been exactly what Danzō did in the original timeline. The difference was, the Third Hokage had taken office again—and likely gave quiet approval from behind the scenes.
Kazuki rubbed his hands together.
If he went with the massacre route, he could earn a ton of chakra. The Uchiha and Hyūga clans were Konoha’s two strongest bloodline clans. Below them were the mid-tier clans like Ino-Shika-Chō and the Sarutobi.
So the Uchiha clan had plenty of shinobi.
"This might actually work. But I’ll need to plan it carefully," Kazuki muttered, taking a deep breath.
If the plan succeeded, he’d get a Recall Point, a powerful ally or two, and a huge boost in chakra reserves.
It would be like Qin Shi Huang grabbing a power line—guaranteed victory.
Having settled his internal debate, Kazuki felt much better. He drained most of his chakra reserves before climbing into bed and falling asleep.
Meanwhile, as Kazuki slept...
The Kumo shinobi were strolling through Konoha when they happened to run into Hiashi Hyūga and his wife.
Several of the Kumo men immediately locked eyes on her swollen belly.
And on the couple’s unmarked foreheads.
The Kumo shinobi exchanged glances.
There was a glint of opportunity in their eyes.