The patrol continued in suffocating silence.
By the time the three of them reached the lower reaches of the Nakano River, near the familiar riverbank, the tension had already thickened.
On the opposite shore, figures wearing animal masks stood beneath the trees.
ANBU.
They made no attempt to hide. No attempt to retreat.
They were watching.
Across the narrow river, their gazes met—cold, sharp, hostile.
Uchiha Izumi's body tensed instantly, like a drawn blade. Her Sharingan was on the verge of activating.
"Calm down, Izumi."
Uchiha Mo stepped forward, his voice low and controlled.
"Not yet."
Across the river, the ANBU seemed to receive a signal. After a brief standoff, they withdrew silently.
No words. No clash.
Yet the pressure only deepened.
This wasn't mere friction.
This was reconnaissance—before war.
A silent confrontation between two sides that already understood:
Conflict was inevitable.
"Mo…"
Izumi's voice trembled slightly.
"Why is the village treating us like this?"
It wasn't fear.
It was resentment. Anger. Confusion—built up over years.
She didn't look at him. Her eyes remained fixed on the forest where the ANBU had disappeared, as if searching for an answer beyond the trees.
Mo didn't respond immediately.
He, too, looked across the river. The faint sound of flowing water only made the silence heavier.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Why? Because the Uchiha are too strong."
The answer was simple—and crushing.
Izumi turned sharply, her eyes widening.
"Too strong? Since when is strength a crime? We built Konoha! The First Hokage and Lord Madara—!"
"Precisely because we built it…"
Mo interrupted calmly.
"…we cannot be tolerated."
His voice didn't rise, but every word landed heavily.
"When merit exceeds authority, suspicion follows. When power grows beyond control, fear replaces trust."
He looked at her directly.
"Look at us. A unique dōjutsu. A powerful bloodline. An independent police force. And a district separated from the rest of the village."
"In their eyes—what are we?"
"A state within a state."
"A blade that could turn on them at any moment."
"They don't care whether we are loyal."
"They only care that we can choose not to be."
Izumi opened her mouth—but no words came.
Because deep down, she knew.
This wasn't a misunderstanding.
It was structural.
Unavoidable.
"So…" she whispered, "because we might betray them… they push us toward it?"
"That's not fair…"
"Fair?"
Mo turned fully toward her, his eyes dark and unreadable.
"In the world of power, only the weak seek fairness."
"The strong create the rules—and enforce them."
He raised his hand and pointed across the river—toward Konoha.
"Right now, they are the strong. They make the rules."
"And us?"
"We are the variable. The risk. The problem."
"To be controlled… or erased."
The words fell like ice.
Izumi's world shifted.
Everything she believed in cracked—and something else formed in its place.
Colder.
Harder.
More real.
She turned away, silent.
But her eyes had changed.
Mo watched quietly.
Some truths couldn't be taught.
Only realized.
What he needed wasn't rage—but clarity.
And now, she had begun to see.
…
The patrol ended, and they returned to headquarters.
Uchiha Yashiro observed them, his gaze lingering briefly on Izumi before he spoke calmly:
"Well done. I understand the situation. Rest—but stay alert."
Izumi left first.
Her steps were unsteady, as if something inside her had been shaken loose.
Mo wasn't surprised.
He gave a slight nod and turned to leave, already planning, already calculating.
But at the exit, a figure blocked his path.
Uchiha Xiuren.
"Talk?"
"…Let's talk."
…
The sun was setting, amber light stretching across the compound.
They walked in silence toward an empty training ground.
Xiuren stopped first.
"The conflict is accelerating. What's our next move?"
Mo didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he asked, "What do you think?"
Xiuren paused, then spoke slowly.
"De-escalation? Impossible."
"Once trust is broken, rebuilding it is far harder than destroying it. And Danzō… won't allow it."
He continued, his tone steady.
"As for the radicals—they're walking toward annihilation."
He looked directly at Mo, eyes sharp.
"The village won't act openly. Not yet. Konoha can't afford internal war."
"What they want is for the Uchiha… to collapse on their own."
"Or…"
"To be eliminated by 'external forces.'"
Mo's gaze sharpened.
"External forces?"
Xiuren nodded.
"The masked man."
"He's the real threat."
"If tension reaches its peak, he'll act again—ignite the final spark and ensure there is no return."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Then Mo spoke.
"…So your plan is?"
Xiuren met his gaze calmly.
"Let it happen."