The shift in village opinion let Danzo finally breathe easy.
He'd pinned every last crime on the Uchiha, and the rest of Konoha had bought it completely.
Controlling the Mist Anbu? The Uchiha.
Targeting Rin Nohara? The Uchiha.
Spreading rumors to drive a wedge between Konoha and Kirigakure? Still the Uchiha.
Even that suicide note was supposedly forged by them.
The Uchiha were the ultimate villains. Evil. Ruthless. The real masterminds behind everything.
But one problem still gnawed at Danzo. He still had zero leads on the shadow assassin systematically hunting down the Shimura clan. All he could do for now was keep every Shimura member locked inside the village.
It wasn't a real solution. Just a bandage.
The Shimura were a ninja clan. They needed missions and contact with the outside world to survive. Hiding forever wasn't an option.
"Cowardly little snake hiding in the dark!" Danzo snarled under his breath. "Once I find you, I'll tear you apart piece by piece!"
---
In Kirigakure, Yagura didn't believe a word of Danzo's story.
But he had no time or energy left to chase it. The village was in ruins. Everything needed rebuilding. Picking another fight with Konoha right now would be suicide.
That suicide squad he'd sent? It was never about real revenge. It was just to shut up the angry voices inside the village demanding blood.
Yagura rubbed his temples, head pounding.
The situation was a nightmare. Genshi had sacrificed himself, but his followers were furious at Yagura for allowing it. The Hoshigaki clan felt betrayed—especially after Goki's death—and every small clan and civilian ninja was starting to wonder if they'd be next on the chopping block.
Three problems loomed largest:
Jinchuriki. The Blood Mist policy. And the ninja clans.
All three had to be dealt with fast.
"The Three-Tails will take too long to revive. The Six-Tails' current jinchuriki is still too young. The village can't wait." Yagura's eyes narrowed. "I'll seal the Six-Tails into myself. If Elder Haruna won't agree… I'll do it anyway. Everything I do is for the village."
As for the Blood Mist policy… it had produced monsters like Kisame and Zabuza, but the village was running out of people. Talent mattered more than raw genius right now. He'd pause it. For now.
The ninja clans were the real cancer.
Uchiha. Taketori. Beni-yama. All three had rebelled. Even the Hozuki clan would've exploded without the Third Mizukage's iron grip. These families cared only about their own blood, never the village. They were selfish parasites.
"The only way for Kirigakure to truly grow is to wipe the ninja clans out completely."
But he couldn't do it alone. He needed allies.
Yagura looked around the empty office and felt a cold wave of despair.
"A village this big… and not one person I can trust to stand with me. I'm completely on my own. Can I even make it to the other side?"
---
Deep in a hidden valley surrounded by sheer cliffs, the Uchiha and Taketori clans had gone to ground.
With the war over, both Konoha and Kirigakure now had every excuse to hunt them down. Anyone who left the valley had to move like a ghost. One mistake and the entire clans would be wiped out.
Uchiha Yashiro's face was dark with rage.
"Shameless! Danzo is completely shameless! Hiruzen Sarutobi is shameless! The whole damn Leaf is shameless!"
He slammed a fist against the stone wall.
"Same old story. Whenever something goes wrong, they dump it all on the Uchiha. We're the eternal scapegoats. Tobirama's old lie—'the Uchiha are inherently evil'—still poisons every mind in that village. People look at us like we're monsters. And the Uchiha… we feel everything too deeply. We can't take that kind of hatred forever."
He stared at the propaganda scrolls scattered across the table, stomach turning.
"'It must have been the Uchiha.' 'The Uchiha are always like this.' 'They're a plague on the ninja world.' They even want the Taketori clan wiped out too, just like the Beni-yama."
Yashiro's voice dropped to a bitter whisper.
"The Uchiha never should have helped the Senju build Konoha. Madara-sama saw the truth from the beginning. The rest of us were fools, drunk on fake peace. And now our children are paying for it."
---
A Uchiha ninja burst into the cavern, breathing hard.
"Yashiro-sama! Someone's outside asking for you!"
Yashiro's eyes sharpened. "Who?"
"I don't know. He's dressed all in black with a black mask. Took down our guards in seconds like it was nothing. He says he's here to make a deal… one that can change the Uchiha's fate forever."