Evil Uchiha Itsuki

Itsuki was trying every possible way to weaken the main characters from the original story as much as he could.

Naruto!

The Tailed Beast was extracted.

Sasuke!

Don't let him awaken the Manekyo Sharingan. Just give him the normal Sharingan; that's good enough.

Kaguya!

The revived Ten-Tails had its power reduced again and again. And when sealing the Tailed Beasts, some other powers were sealed within them as well.

Who knows if it will work, but might as well do it first and see what happens.

What if it works?

He hadn't found Madara Uchiha's body either.

But if he had found it…

Let's not forget what Uchiha Itsuki does for a living.

He runs a crematorium.

He dared to burn the Hokage. Madara Uchiha didn't even become Hokage, so burning him would be no problem at all.

Itsuki was curious to know if weakening all these people from the original story would also reduce the power of the Sage of Six Paths.

And what would the Sage's next move be?

Don't say that the Sage has no plan.

That guy's been hanging out in the Pure Land for over a thousand years. He must be super bored!

He had enough time to reincarnate a few times over by now.

No matter what plan the Sage has, just don't follow the original plot.

Both Naruto and Sasuke are his kids. Weakening their powers is absolutely the right move!

Plus, Itsuki never counted on them to help him anyway!

It'd be good enough if they didn't come after him.

In the end, if he really had to face the Sage of Six Paths, he knew he'd have to rely on himself.

"Alright, I'll try to take her as my disciple,"

Konan said with a sigh as she looked at the unconscious Fu.

Jinchuriki received pretty much the same treatment in any village.

Even Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, who is the Raikage's brother, wasn't exempt from this, let alone the others.

Just think about the nine Jinchuriki—how many of them became rogue ninjas?

Even if they didn't turn rogue, how many of them lived normal lives?

For example, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki from Hidden Cloud, she used to live alone in the mountains away from the village.

Itsuki stepped forward, gently brushed Fu's hair, and smiled, "She's just a simple girl with a lot of potential. When I'm not around, she can keep you good company."

"Mm."

The two then went to inspect the construction of the Rain River.

The progress was going smoothly.

The villagers were working hard.

Most importantly, they now had hope in their eyes.

Seeing this, Itsuki finally understood why Nagato had been treating him a little better lately.

No matter how grand Nagato's plans were as the leader of the Hidden Rain Village, he couldn't help but be moved when he saw his people genuinely happy.

According to intel from Hidden Sand and with the help of Hidden Fire Village, the river connecting the two villages would be completed in at most a year, as long as no other villages interfered.

If Itsuki stepped in to help, the process would go even faster.

After all, Hidden Rain and Hidden Sand shared a border.

But!

Would the other villages just sit by and let it happen?

No way!

The Hidden Rain Village acted as a strategic buffer between several major villages.

Once the river was built, would Hidden Sand and Hidden Rain become allies?

No matter how those two villages felt, the others would definitely believe so.

At that moment...

Pakura communicated remotely with Konan and Itsuki.

Although Pain was the leader of Hidden Rain, matters like this were more suited for Konan.

"Itsuki, shouldn't we give those other ninja villages something to keep them busy?"

Pakura looked at Itsuki and said slowly.

"Mm."

Itsuki chuckled, "I was thinking the same thing. They've been too idle, getting restless. It's time to give them some trouble."

"What's your plan?"

Konan frowned. "You don't mean…"

"Yep, exactly what you're thinking—Konoha!"

Itsuki turned his gaze toward the direction of the Hidden Leaf Village.

It's time for you to make your contribution.

Pakura smiled. "Hidden Sand will cooperate with you."

"Hidden Rain too!" Konan quickly added, then hesitated and said, "If necessary, Pain can join the battle."

Itsuki's mouth twitched. "That won't be necessary for now. I don't want to destroy Konoha just yet—they still have their uses."

Let's save Pain for the Hidden Cloud Village.

As for Konoha, the traps Itsuki had set there in the past were about ready to go off.

Konoha!

The atmosphere had become tense.

There were hardly any people on the streets.

The inauguration ceremony for the Fifth Hokage was about to begin.

It wasn't Tsunade, as the rumors suggested, but instead Torifu Akimichi.

Konoha hadn't been able to find Tsunade.

Though there were reports that Tsunade had appeared in the Hidden Fire Village, Konoha had sent countless Anbu and spies there.

One by one, they disappeared without a trace!

After Tsunade infiltrated Hidden Fire Village, Itsuki practically screamed at Fugaku, berating him to his face.

The sarcasm in his words nearly made Fugaku commit seppuku on the spot.

Since then, the security in Hidden Fire Village had become ridiculously strict.

Fugaku rolled up his sleeves and personally got involved!

Not only were Konoha's spies eliminated, but nearly all the spies from the other ninja villages were wiped out as well.

With no information available, Konoha had no choice but to activate their backup plan and install Torifu Akimichi as Hokage.

And with that…

Konoha fell silent.

There were definitely people who weren't happy with Torifu becoming Hokage.

For starters, what about the current Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi?

Would he agree?

Would Danzo Shimura agree?

Definitely not!

They wouldn't agree at all!

Danzo was only slightly younger than Hiruzen. Hiruzen was 69 years old now, and Danzo was also nearing 70.

This was Danzo's last chance to become Hokage.

If he missed this, it would never happen again.

Even if Torifu's term was short, it would still last three to five years.

By then, would Konoha elect a man in his seventies as Hokage?

Absolutely not!

The daimyo wouldn't agree either!

Even electing someone in their sixties was already pushing it. If it weren't for Konoha's current turmoil, it wouldn't even be an option.

So, this time, Danzo would stop at nothing.

Even if Tobirama Senju himself returned from the dead, he couldn't stop him.

At first, when Tobirama came back, Danzo chose to endure, not because he was backing down, but because he was waiting for the right moment to strike.

And now!

With Tobirama gone, who could stop him?

Hiruzen Sarutobi also had his own plan.

He could retire, he could step down as Hokage.

But not now!

The Sarutobi clan had left too many loose ends in their rush for power.

Hiruzen needed time to clean up these messes.

If the new Hokage discovered them, it would spell disaster.

No matter how many promises Torifu made, Hiruzen couldn't trust him!

Two years!

He needed at least one or two years to handle the Sarutobi clan's affairs.

During that time, he had to remain in control.

If he couldn't be Hokage in name, then he'd rule from the shadows.

It was the only way.

For the sake of his entire family, he was ready to fight!

As for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, they were determined to make this work.

Their clan producing a Hokage would bring immense benefits.

Even Shikaku Nara was ready to take action.

They weren't just representing themselves anymore—they had the weight of their entire clans behind them. There was no backing down now.

Fight!

They must fight!

And!

You were the ones who begged us to take on the position of Hokage. So why now, at this moment, are you thinking of something else?

Power-sharing?

Or even, a puppet?

You're dreaming.

Too bad.

The world doesn't revolve around you.

And don't think too highly of yourselves.

All three sides have their own ideas and have somewhat guessed each other's intentions, but they remain silent.

No one reaches out to the other two sides.

They are all quietly preparing.

In the face of this, other ninjas are also feeling helpless.

What happened to Konoha?

Weren't they saying the Uchiha were a source of chaos?

So how come after the Uchiha left, Konoha became even more of a mess?

Danzo Shimura!

Hiruzen Sarutobi!

Torifu Akimichi!

Each of them has their own goals, and they are determined, unyielding to anyone.

Almost every ninja village has spies in other villages.

Konoha is no exception.

They have spies in other villages, and others have spies in Konoha—plenty of them.

When they discovered what was happening in Konoha, nearly every ninja village became interested.

They were already planning to take action against Konoha.

Seeing the current situation in Konoha, they paused and silently waited.

As the largest ninja village in the world, Konoha attracted much attention.

After the Uchiha's defection, Konoha's strength visibly weakened.

In the aftermath,

Konoha wanted to deal with Uchiha Itsuki, but Itsuki launched the "Konoha Collapse Plan," causing Konoha's power to drastically decline.

And yet, that wasn't the end.

There was an even bigger surprise!

Konoha was about to break out into civil war.

Good!

So good!

Konoha is like a treasure trove of surprises for other villages!

Let them fight!

After their last internal battle, it would be time for others to divide up Konoha.

No one can stop them from enjoying this feast; they're going to gorge themselves.

All eyes, bloodthirsty, were fixed on Konoha.

Even though Konoha sensed this, there was nothing they could do.

All three factions believe they are willing to sacrifice for Konoha, at least in their own minds.

But!

At this point, they can no longer back down.

If Danzo Shimura backs down, he'll lose his lifelong dream.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi backs down, his clan could be wiped out, and his children and grandchildren might die.

Torifu Akimichi can't back down either. He was begged to step in—there's no way he's going to be anyone's puppet!

He's no fool!

So!

The undercurrents began to surge.

Until...

Early in the morning,

Ninjas appeared, roaming throughout Konoha, seemingly searching for something.

The reason was simple:

A Jonin had gone missing.

This Jonin was from the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance.

A member of the Yamanaka clan!

And not just any member—he was a relative of Yamanaka Inoichi and one of his staunchest supporters, ranking among the top three in strength within the Yamanaka clan.

His genjutsu abilities were strong enough to rank in the top ten across Konoha.

Such a ninja had suddenly disappeared.

How could the Ino-Shika-Cho not be furious?

"They've made their move! They've struck!"

Yamanaka Inoichi was the most enraged.

He almost went to confront them immediately.

"Inoichi!"

Shikaku rebuked him, "It might not have been them. And even if it was, do you know if it was Hiruzen or Danzo?"

"Does it matter?"

Inoichi responded coldly, "We're going to have to fight them eventually—you told me that yourself."

Shikaku was silent.

After a long pause, he said bitterly, "From what I know, the Sand, Stone, and Cloud villages have all had irregular military movements."

"So what?"

Inoichi sneered, "If they made a move now, they'd better be ready for a backlash. Or do you think we should just roll over because of these other villages?"

He slammed the table with his hand, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Shikaku.

"Well..."

"Shikaku!"

Chōza Akimichi spoke up, "This time, I'm with Inoichi. Even if we back down, it's unlikely they'll stop. They might even think we're easy to push around."

"Shikaku, next time, it could be Shikamaru and the others!"

Inoichi added coldly, "Do you really think they wouldn't dare?"

Shikaku's breath hitched, and he gritted his teeth, "If they want to keep going, then let's give them a lesson and show them we aren't to be messed with."

"Chōza!"

"You'll personally take care of these two!"

Shikaku tossed two intel files at Chōza.

"Me?"

Chōza was surprised, hesitating. "If I go, won't it be too noisy?"

All three members of Ino-Shika-Cho were Jonin! And they were among the stronger ones.

When they worked together, they could potentially defeat even Kage-level ninjas.

Among them, Chōza was undoubtedly the strongest in combat, excelling in taijutsu with tremendous destructive power.

If he went to kill someone, the commotion would be enormous—half of Konoha would know.

Shikaku said calmly, "We want the others to know. Inoichi, you'll follow in the shadows. I'm worried they might try something against Chōza."

"Understood!"

Inoichi nodded eagerly.

When it came to playing dirty, he was the master.

Who in Konoha could compare to him?

He toyed with minds and could drive people to ruin.

The two left.

Then, a mountain of a man appeared behind Shikaku, sighing, "So, we've come to this."

He had clearly seen the list Shikaku handed to Chōza: one name from the Sarutobi clan, another from the Shimura clan.

Like the missing member of the Yamanaka clan, these two were both among the elite of their families.

If they were killed...

The mountain of a man gave a bitter smile.

"Uncle!"

Shikaku looked at Torifu and said, "We can't back down now."

"Yes, there's no turning back!"

Torifu nodded gently, then fixed his gaze on Shikaku. "Shikaku, when you convinced me to come out of retirement, did you anticipate this situation?"

Shikaku remained silent.

Silence was the best answer.

"I knew it!"

Torifu sighed, "Why? You knew Konoha might break out into civil war, so why push me to come back?"

"Half necessity, half ambition!"

Shikaku admitted, "If you didn't come out of retirement, Hiruzen and Danzo would have kept pressuring you. Right now, you are one of Konoha's strongest forces. If you were forced to return, who knows what would happen? It's better to take control of the situation."

"Also, I want the Hokage seat. If the Senju could hold it, the Uchiha could hold it, and even smaller clans have held it, then why not the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance?"

end