"The Uchiha's Lost Home."

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Uchiha Aki had just left Okayama City. He followed the map given to him by the Second Hokage and, after five days of travel, arrived at a small village somewhere in the Land of Fire. He studied the map but couldn't find any sign of the old Uchiha settlement, so he started asking around in the village.

But after a full day of searching, he came up empty. No one had ever even heard of a clan called Uchiha, and no one in the area had that name either.

As the sun set, Aki sat on a rock at the village entrance, staring at the map and trying to make sense of it. Just then, an old man slowly walked past him, casting a surprised glance at the fan-shaped crest on Aki's back. He then looked at the map in Aki's hands and chuckled softly."You're never gonna find that place like this, kid."

Aki turned around, a little startled, but when he saw it was just an elderly man, he stood up respectfully and bowed. Holding out his map, he pointed at the location of the old Uchiha grounds and asked, "Sir, do you know where I can find this place?"

The old man slowly sat down on the same rock Aki had been using and said with a sigh, "Didn't think I'd live long enough to see one of you strange ninja again…"

His tone was full of nostalgia, maybe even a bit of awe, and it made Aki curious."Sir, I'm looking for this place. It used to be where my clan lived. I came back to see it again. Could you please tell me how to get there?"

The old man smiled. "The Uchiha clan, huh? Yeah, I remember them."

Aki nodded eagerly.

The old man pointed toward a nearby mountain. "Heh… that clan was the stuff of legends. What you're looking for is right there—in that mountain."

Aki quickly handed the map to the old man. "Please, sir, show me how to get there."

The old man squinted at the map for a bit, then pointed in a direction. "From here, it's about two days on foot. You'll come across a huge lake. Next to the lake, there's a cave. Go through that cave, and you'll find the old Uchiha grounds."

Aki bowed and thanked him, then escorted the old man home before rushing off in the direction he'd been shown.

"Lord Kinkaku and Lord Ginkaku have returned!"

Inside the joint Cloud-Mist forces camp in the Land of Hot Water, a wave of cheers erupted. Two brawny men stood at the entrance of the camp, and all the surrounding Cloud ninja looked at them with admiration and awe.

Not far off, a muscular man with white hair silently watched the scene before turning away and heading toward the office of the Second Raikage.

When he entered the tent, he found the Second Raikage buried in paperwork and said, "Sensei, looks like those two returned victorious. If this keeps up, your position might not be so secure. Should I… maybe…?"

The Second Raikage cut him off. "You're my student. You should know how I operate. I won't let anything damage the stability of our village right now. And besides, those two are considered heroes of the Land of Lightning. I've let go of my pride. Maybe it was my mistake from the start. The war has dragged our nation into a mess—that's on me. The Earth Country's bastards are too many to deal with. Keeping Kinkaku and Ginkaku around is good for us."

The white-haired man frowned. "But you know they don't exactly respect you. If someone from the village decides to support them, that could be dangerous for you."

The Second Raikage laughed. "You're overthinking it. You're my successor, and your achievements in battle aren't any less than theirs. In a one-on-one, neither of them could beat you. They only look flashy because of the Sage's relics. Don't worry too much."

He waved the white-haired man off.

The man sighed and left the tent. Just as he stepped out, he spotted Kinkaku and Ginkaku walking toward him in the distance. He muttered to himself,"Looks like I better make some backup plans, just in case. Even if the Raikage isn't worried, I should take care of the essentials."

Okayama City — the capital of the Land of Fire and a world-renowned metropolis.

After the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, created the Hidden Leaf Village and made it the strongest ninja village in the world, the Land of Fire rose alongside it to become the most powerful country. Thanks to its wealth and perfect location, Okayama City became the most prosperous area—home to all the major noble clans of the Land of Fire.

Back when Hashirama was still alive, these clans had to suppress their ambitions out of fear. But less than two years after his death, they quickly seized control of almost all the country's power—excluding the military might of Konoha, which they dared not touch… at least, not yet.

And today, things were about to change.

A surprise council was called by the son of the late daimyo. He summoned the leaders of all the great clans to discuss matters of succession.

In the Council Hall

The young daimyo scanned the hall, noticing how few representatives had actually shown up. He was furious."Good thing I've got the Second Hokage backing me today… otherwise, who knows what they'd do to me!"

At that moment, Hatake Sakutsuki checked the time and respectfully said, "My lord, it's time to begin."

The young daimyo nodded, eyes cold as he looked at the sparse crowd."I summoned you all here today because my father has passed away, and yet I'm still not officially the daimyo. Can someone explain why?"

One of the elders from a major clan sneered. "No need to get upset, my lord. We're just working out the finer details of your ascension. You'll have your answer soon enough."

"No need to drag it out," the young daimyo said. "We'll settle it now. The Second Hokage is here today. Bring him in."

"Summon the Second Hokage! Summon the Second Hokage!…"

The echoing cries filled the hall like a funeral bell. To the clan reps present, it sounded more like a death sentence.

The Second Hokage appeared, dressed in white robes bearing five bold red kanji on the back: "Second Hokage". He looked around at the sparse crowd and said coldly,"Today is the daimyo's council—a day of utmost respect. Yet you noble families show no courtesy. This is grounds for execution."

He then looked at the young daimyo, almost like asking for permission."My lord, I suggest we make an example of them. All the clans that didn't bother to show up should be stripped of their titles and executed. That should teach the rest."

His words hit the room like a blizzard. One man trembled as he stood, pointing at the Second Hokage and stammering,"Y-You're just a…ninja! And besides… there's no daimyo yet—!"

The Second Hokage ignored him and asked Hatake Sakutsuki,"Commander, what's the punishment for disrespecting the throne?"

Sakutsuki knew things were getting out of hand, so he put on a serious face and replied,"Minor offenses get flogged. Major ones… execution."

The Second Hokage turned to the young daimyo. "My lord, this man spoke out of turn, denied your legitimacy. Is this minor or major?"

The young daimyo was grinning on the inside, but kept a serious face."Major offense."

The man panicked and was just about to shout in protest—when a sharp water spear suddenly shot from beside the Second Hokage and pierced him clean through.

Dead in an instant.

The Second Hokage then said,"My lord, give the order. I'll lead a squad to deal with the rest. Anyone who didn't show up today will be declared guilty of disrespecting the daimyo and their entire clan executed."

Hatake Sakutsuki was sweating bullets by now. As soon as he heard the Hokage talking about a full-on purge, he rushed forward and said,"My lord, please reconsider! Some clans might've had urgent matters and couldn't make it. If we start killing people over one missed meeting, the country will descend into chaos!"

The young daimyo had been this close to agreeing, but Sakutsuki's words snapped him out of it. He realized the general was right—wiping them all out would wreck the country's structure. So he sighed and said,"General Hatake is right. Send out the order. Get the rest of the lords here immediately."

The Second Hokage added,"Don't tell them I'm here."

Sakutsuki's heart sank.The Second Hokage's clearly out for blood… no excuse, no justification. Just kill. Is it really right for the Hatake clan to join Konoha?

In a pitch-black, hidden location…

Beneath a massive petrified flower, a white-haired man sat cross-legged on a stone throne. Suddenly, a white humanoid figure rose up from the ground and looked at him.

"Hey~ found an interesting Uchiha kid. Wanna go check him out? He's almost at the old Uchiha stronghold."

The man on the throne slowly opened his eyes, revealing mysterious ripple-patterned pupils that glowed faintly in the darkness.

"Oh? Who is he?"

The white figure grinned. "He's your relative. Looks pretty strong too."

The man went silent for a moment."Test his strength. See if he's useful. Don't reveal your identity. It's not time for us to appear just yet."

Then he closed his eyes again.

The white creature slowly sank back into the earth, giggling,"Don't get all emotional if he ends up getting hurt~"

"....."