"Hey, Gen, you're back. Captain Hachidai's been looking for you."
Uchiha Gen had just returned to the clan grounds when a member of the Uchiha clan who was on patrol appeared in front of him in a flash.
"Ah, it's Hiro. What does Captain Hachidai need me for?" Uchiha Gen smiled slightly.
"You'll find out when you get there. It's nothing bad, though."
Uchiha Gen couldn't help but feel a little exasperated. Clearly, he was just trying to build some suspense.
"Alright, thanks, Hiro."
Hiro nodded slightly, and with a flash of movement, he disappeared.
Gen then turned and left the clan grounds, heading towards the Police Department located on the western edge of Konoha Village. The prison was also located nearby.
At this time, the Nine-Tails' rampage had yet to occur, so the Uchiha clan's grounds weren't on the outskirts of the village, and the Police Department was a bit far off.
It wouldn't take long if he jumped, but in non-emergency situations, regular ninjas weren't supposed to jump around the village.
Only the Anbu, the Police Department, and the even more secretive Root were able to move freely within the village in that way.
Since Gen wasn't part of any of those groups, he had to walk.
Konoha Village wasn't particularly large but wasn't tiny either—about 400,000 square meters, which would be around the size of 55 football fields.
About twenty minutes later, Gen arrived at the Konoha Police Department and went upstairs to Hachidai's office.
Knock knock knock.
"Come in."
Uchiha Gen entered and gave a slight bow. "Captain Hachidai."
"Ah, Gen, you came at the right time. Take your things back with you."
Captain Hachidai, with his stern face, gave a rare smile and tossed a green vest from his desk.
Gen caught it, noticing that there was a rolled-up piece of paper in the right pocket of the vest. He unrolled it and confirmed—it was his Chūnin promotion certificate.
"Thank you, Captain Hachidai."
"No need for thanks. This is what you deserve."
"I didn't expect you'd kill so many enemies. You're truly a genius of the Uchiha clan."
"Actually, I feel like I might have been a little too lenient on you."
"You killed thirty-four enemies, four of them Chūnin, and you did it alone, with a double-tomoe Sharingan, during wartime."
"If it were up to me, I'd promote you straight to Special Jōnin."
Uchiha Gen deliberately concealed half of his achievements, burying the bodies with Earth Style jutsu to avoid drawing too much attention. Even with the partial report, the file caught the attention of Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had the Anbu verify it in secret.
Though Hiruzen didn't believe that the Uchiha would fabricate such things, verification was still necessary.
After Gen unlocked his double-tomoe Sharingan and gained more recognition from the clan, he had tested his chakra nature using a chakra paper.
Besides the standard Fire Style that all Uchiha possessed, he also had Earth and Wind attributes—relatively rare compared to others.
Though not as versatile as those with all five chakra natures, having three was still quite rare.
With three chakra natures, as long as one learned the corresponding jutsu, they could handle any enemy with ease, even those with all five elements.
"No worries. Special Jōnin or Jōnin—it's only a matter of time."
Gen didn't seem particularly excited about his Chūnin promotion. His expression was neutral, and his tone was calm.
"Good. Keep up the good work. You may go."
Despite Gen's pride, Hachidai didn't find it off-putting. In fact, he seemed to appreciate it—as though it were exactly how a member of the Uchiha clan should be.
"Goodbye, Captain Hachidai."
With his Chūnin vest in hand, Gen left the office and closed the door behind him.
On his way out, Uchiha clan members congratulated him, and Gen responded graciously to each one without letting it get to his head.
Meanwhile, in the other great ninja villages—Cloud, Sand, Mist, and Stone—intelligence reports from the Battle of Kikyō Mountain had arrived.
Cloud, Sand, and Mist all felt regret, but after their crushing defeats, they had no intention of taking any further risky moves. They planned to secure their positions and advance carefully.
In the Stone Village, in the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki was reviewing the battle reports. His eyes flicked slightly, and a contemplative expression crossed his face.
Ōnoki, dressed in a red sash, green-striped vest, and Tsuchikage hat, was a small man with a large nose and an almost comical appearance. However, none of the Five Great Shinobi Nations dared to underestimate him, even though he was aging.
If Sarutobi Hiruzen were in the prime of his career, then Ōnoki was nearing the end of his peak years.
In fact, Hiruzen was most wary of Ōnoki—shrewd, cunning, and stubborn. Ōnoki was a master of strategy and deception.
"Bring them in."
"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama."
An Anbu from Iwagakure, wearing a tight tan combat suit and a face mask, suddenly appeared before the desk, kneeling respectfully.
"Notify the elders to come for a meeting."
"Understood."
Fifteen minutes later, in the clean and bright conference room of the Tsuchikage Building, Ōnoki and the Iwagakure elders gathered.
"Take a look at this intelligence."
At Ōnoki's command, the elders picked up the documents from the table and began reading.
"Well, what do you think?"
Two minutes later, Ōnoki spoke up.
"Konoha truly lives up to its reputation as the number one ninja village. Despite fighting on four fronts, they still managed to defeat the combined forces of the Cloud and Sand ninjas' surprise attack. It's terrifying."
"Do we really have a chance to defeat Konoha?" one of the elders asked.
As soon as this question was asked, it sparked a lot of murmurs from the other elders.
Ōnoki's face darkened with each passing second. He slammed his hand on the table, glaring fiercely. "I'm not showing you this to boost your morale by putting down others!"
Ōnoki's authority was immense, and when he raised his voice, none of the elders dared to respond. They all lowered their heads in silence.
"Don't just look at the surface!"
"According to this report, Konoha took heavy losses as well, even with Hiruzen Sarutobi himself intervening."
"And despite that, Konoha was still pushed to the gates of the village by Cloud and Sand. What does that tell us?"
"It means Konoha is already on its last legs—strong on the outside, but hollow on the inside!"
"What do you think would happen if we attacked again?" one of the elders asked with bright eyes.
"There's a high chance we could break through Konoha's defenses this time, and if we do, it will trigger a chain reaction."
"Even if Konoha doesn't collapse, it will never again be able to dominate the rich lands and resources of the Fire Country."
Ōnoki gave the elder a look of approval before his expression turned serious. "Elder Matsumoto is right."
"That's why I plan to send a force around the Land of Grass and into the Land of Fire, making a direct assault on Konoha."
The Iwagakure elders were intrigued by this idea, but some more rational ones voiced objections.
"Tsuchikage-sama, your plan is good, but we suffered heavy losses in the ambush on the Third Raikage. Our forces are already fighting Konoha on the frontlines, and we must also guard against the Cloud and Sand forces. It's difficult to form another squad."
Ōnoki shook his head. "We can take some risks."
"Though Cloud lost the Third Raikage and holds a deep grudge against us, they won't jeopardize their own interests."
"The Land of Fire is the true prize, dripping with wealth. The Land of Earth is just a small, lean piece of meat by comparison."
"And since we are separated by the sea, preparing enough ships isn't easy, so they're unlikely to attack us."
"That's why we can divert some of the forces from Cloud's defensive lines, as long as we don't undermine the most basic necessities."
"And if Cloud becomes too reckless, we'll have the frontlines pull back, lure them deeper, and then strike them hard."
"What do you think?"
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