The ninjas on the front lines of the war remained unaware that a major incident had shaken the village.
Elder Danzo of Konoha had been attacked—right in his own territory. The losses were devastating.
The news was so explosive that Konoha's senior officials worked tirelessly to suppress it. The details regarding Danzo's actions against fellow villagers were tightly controlled, and no one was allowed to spread them.
Only the clan leaders on the front lines received word from their families back home.
Even Orochimaru, despite his influence, only learned of the incident after noticing Tsunade's unusual behavior.
Under normal circumstances, a ninja like Uchiha Kiyo—despite possessing elite jounin-level strength—would not be privy to such high-level information. However, due to his history with Danzo, Orochimaru made an exception and shared the details with him.
Kiyo had not expected the situation to escalate this much. The final part of the plan—framing Danzo—had been an impulsive addition by his clone.
He had merely recalled Danzo's infamous reputation as Konoha's "King of Scapegoats" and figured, Why not?
He hadn't expected the results to be this spectacular.
Not that he minded. He only cared about one thing—Danzo's suffering.
As long as Danzo was in pain, Uchiha Kiyo was happy.
From his clone's memories, he knew that Danzo's last remaining right arm had been severed. Then, the full release of his shadow clone's chakra had resulted in an explosion strong enough to incapacitate Danzo for months.
For the past few days, Uchiha Kiyo had been in an excellent mood.
If I had to sum up my feelings in one word—satisfying!
The explosion had been one of his trump cards.
While researching the self-cultivation technique and experimenting with extracting mental energy, Kiyo had discovered an imbalance between spiritual and physical energy in chakra. This imbalance could trigger a violent explosion.
He had even determined the optimal percentage of extracted spiritual energy for maximum explosive force.
The results spoke for themselves.
His shadow clone had detonated over 4,000 units of chakra in an instant—equivalent to dozens of exploding tags going off simultaneously.
If Danzo was still alive after that… well, fate clearly had other plans.
This incident further confirmed Kiyo's theory—small events could be changed, but the overall trajectory of history remained difficult to alter.
Danzo's survival proved that completely eliminating him at this stage was nearly impossible.
But revenge doesn't always require killing.
This time was satisfying.
In the original timeline, Danzo didn't lose his arm until he was in his fifties.
But now?
Kiyo had crippled him in his prime.
Danzo must be utterly confused right now.
Maybe I should make this a biannual event—cripple him a little more every two years?
The thought of Danzo living in constant fear made Kiyo grin.
Still, the matter was done. No need to dwell on it.
He hadn't done anything.
He repeated that to himself a few times—almost as if hypnotizing himself.
After wrapping up his affairs, all that was left was to wait for the recall order to return to Konoha and recover.
This time, there was a lot to prepare for.
---
Five Days Later—Konoha
After confirming his identity at the village gates, Uchiha Kiyo entered Konoha.
The heightened security measures following the attack were still in effect. Every individual entering and leaving the village was subjected to strict checks. The process was tedious, and Kiyo was growing impatient.
From the message his clan leader had sent, he gathered that Danzo and the Hokage had been forced to make serious concessions.
The Uchiha clan had acquired a significant number of ninjutsu scrolls.
Since every clan had received compensation in the form of ninjutsu, the loss to the village was substantial.
The more families that possessed these techniques, the less exclusive they became—weakening Konoha's control over them.
Even if every clan received the same ninjutsu, the village's ability to restrict their use would diminish.
For centuries, the value of ninjutsu had remained immeasurable.
Even though established clans had vast repositories of techniques, those collections had been built over generations.
For an independent ninja with no clan backing, acquiring high-level ninjutsu was an arduous task. Many spent decades saving up for a single C-rank technique.
Of course, some sought alternative methods—stealing, betraying, or killing for techniques. But such paths carried significant risks.
After watching his fellow ninjas report to the Hokage, Kiyo decided to head home first.
It had been a long time since he had been in Konoha, and his house needed cleaning.
Additionally, the clan leader clearly expected him to visit and reap some of the newfound benefits.
---
Upon arriving home, Uchiha Kiyo made a quick hand seal.
A thin layer of water spread across the room, sweeping away the dust as it flowed.
"Water Release: Cleaning Technique."
With such powerful ninjutsu at his disposal, why bother with manual labor?
Kiyo had an abundance of chakra, and extracting more wouldn't weaken him.
So why not take the easy route?
---
Returning to Konoha, even after just a few hours, Kiyo could already sense the shifts in the village.
The most obvious change was in the attitudes of both the Third Hokage and Danzo toward him.
The Third Hokage's reaction made sense.
Kiyo's contributions on the battlefield had been substantial, but his increasingly aggressive and ruthless combat style did not align with his initial personality.
His actions suggested the influence of the Sharingan—its tendency to amplify emotions, particularly aggression.
The Third Hokage had likely taken notice.
After all, no ordinary ninja would slaughter opponents of the same rank in every battle.
Kiyo, however, never let a fight end without eliminating his enemies.
That was… unnatural.
But Danzo?
The way he glared at Kiyo—as if he wanted to tear him apart—was confusing.
Shouldn't I be the one hating you?
Wait… does he suspect me?
No way. That would be ridiculous.
Although his shadow clone had used his chakra, it had been infused into the body of a Root ninja, altering the chakra's signature slightly.
The difference should have been enough to avoid suspicion.
Unless…
Is he just paranoid?
Danzo had always been a man full of suspicions. If he was merely acting on a gut feeling, then there was no need to worry.
Shrugging off the thought, Kiyo focused on his next objective—visiting the clan leader.
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