Coward of the Uchiha

Danzo, although had lost two Root nin to Rayzen, he was much more satisfied with the results as he thought :

' Sooner or later, the kid would come to me! '

He knew that he couldn't convert Rayzen into Root. The best he could and he was doing was to subtly manipulate him into being an asset for the village and for his use, while ensuring that his allegiance still lies with the village.

Afterall he still had a final means of control over Rayzen, that was known only to him, ensuring that neither he nor the village will face the kid's wrath for the time being.

As he sat in his seat, while contemplating in the darkness of the Root, a message scroll came down from one of the pipelines above. He caught the scroll and read it, after which he burnt it into ashes and stood up as he thought:

' It seems all the villages are planning to attack the Uzumaki's. This is the best time to fish for benefits and cause damage to the other villages. And start the next war! I have presented a final opportunity to you, Hiruzen. If you don't use it to push Konoha towards prosperity, the village would call for a better leader. Don't blame me, my friend, for what I would do if you are not upto the responsibility of the Hokage that Tobirama sensei entrusted you with! '

Danzo vanished into the darkness, to do what he did best. While only a few knew that the village was about to be plunged into a war whether it's denizens agreed to it or not.

...

Rayzen didn't create any more waves over the years until his graduation. The extremists didn't make any more moves other than trying to tarnish his reputation by making the kids and teens insult him by the title of ' Coward of the Uchiha'.

Rayzen just ignored the dirty mouths, even though he could easily shut up these people, he didn't. Instead he seemed to be highly focused on training and improving his medical skills. Him seeking out Midori the healer of the clan and learning from her made the clansmen feel that there might be some truth behind his title. Afterall no one other than those belonging to the extremists faction and a few on Rayzen's side saw him fight.

Those close to him had seen a great improvement in their prowess over the years particularly Hyuga Haruka. And his relationship with Mikoto seem to have deepened, although there existed some tension, due to her parents supporting the extremists in the dark, while appearing to be neutral.

To everyone who knew Rayzen, what they had never expected was him to be adamant about being a medic-nin and staying away from the frontlines.

This confused Takeshi and angered Akihira, as they were supporting him to be the next patriarch, while Rayzen's decision screwed up their efforts.

Both Danzo and Hiruzen were at a loss, as each were planning to recruit Rayzen under their cause.

While the extremists were happy to use the opportunity that Rayzen gave them to cement his title of 'Coward of the Uchiha'.

Not a single person was able to comprehend his actions. Nonetheless, both Asami and Chizuru were happy that he decided to stay as far as possible from the frontlines, although they felt angered by the insults and the disdain of the clan and the village that Rayzen had to endure.

No one knew how powerful Rayzen had become over the years nor had a clue about his actual goals.

Rayzen was becoming a mystery to those who really knew him. Even the extremist faction felt that there might be something else going and hence didn't dare to ignore Rayzen's existence.

Was he really a coward? That was the question that plagued those who knew his habits and combat power, particularly Nara Shiroka who was fixated on Rayzen's intellect.

...

Besides the uninteresting tale of Rayzen, it seemed that the timeline had not changed much.

Uzumaki Kushina joined the academy on Rayzen's third year. The Uzumaki clan ceased to exist other than a few survivors. And the signs of war were showing up that pretty much alerted the higher echelons of the village. Small skirmishes were rising along the borders of the Five Great Lands.

...

It seemed as if nothing much happened over these years. Or was there?