The news of a new "Konoha Alliance" spread across the Land of Fire like wildfire through dry grass. In ten days, they said, the alliance would be born.
Every major clan took notice. Seven families, united under one banner—it was no small matter. Two of them were considered great clans in their own right. Together, that strength could rival even the legendary giants of the Warring States.
A new superpower appearing out of nowhere meant one thing: a shift in the balance of power. Territory, trade, influence—everything could change. And no one wanted to be the clan left outside the new order.
So, under the polite excuse of "offering congratulations," every major house began sending spies, envoys, and opportunists to see what this Konoha Alliance really was.
In the darkened meeting hall of the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Madara sat in silence, news scroll open beside a flickering lamp. His Sharingan eyes reflected the crimson light as he murmured, voice low and almost amused.
"Raizen… still as naïve as ever. You really think the world will let a new power rise? Everything you're building will be torn down before it takes root."
He dismissed the messenger with a wave of his hand. "Ignore it. We have no time for children's dreams."
The Uchiha were still bleeding from their last war with the Senju. Their losses had been heavy, and rebuilding would take years. Madara had neither the men nor the patience for fantasies of peace.
Meanwhile, at the Senju compound, Senju Hashirama read the same announcement—and froze.
His expression shifted from surprise to something softer. "So… he actually did it."
He clenched his fists. Years of battle had eroded his ideals, the dream he once had of uniting all clans under peace. Yet Raizen—Amamiya Raizen, the boy from a forgotten clan—had taken a step toward that very dream.
"Prepare a gift," Hashirama said suddenly. "We're going to the Konoha Alliance."
"Big brother?" Tobirama looked up sharply. "Why bother? Even if he pulls this off, the other clans will crush him. Sending someone to observe should be enough."
Hashirama shook his head. "You don't understand. I need to see it with my own eyes."
He wasn't going to measure Raizen's strength—he wanted to see if unity itself was possible. If clans that had slaughtered each other for generations could actually sit at the same table.
Tobirama exhaled through his nose, resigned. "Fine. I'll go too."
Elsewhere, in the Hyūga compound, Hyūga Tennin, the patriarch, called out to a young man kneeling before him.
"The Amamiya Clan intends to form an alliance of families. You'll attend as our representative."
The boy bowed. "Understood."
This was Hyūga Tennin—the younger, proud, and sharp-eyed prodigy who once fought Raizen and lost. Hearing his old rival's name again stirred something bitter inside him.
He clenched his fist. "Don't disappoint me, Amamiya Raizen. I want to see just how far you've come."
At the Sarutobi compound, Patriarch Sarutobi Muliang spoke to his son.
"Amamiya Raizen is younger than you, yet he's building something historic. Go see it for yourself. Find out where you fall short."
"Yes, Father."
Sarutobi Sasuke bowed deeply. He still remembered his loss to Raizen years ago. But that was then. This time, he swore, things would be different.
Across the Land of Fire, every clan stirred.
Even the lesser—but still proud—Ino-Shika-Chō trio sent envoys: Nara Kimura, Akimichi Uchida, and Yamanaka Inoue. The three were veterans now, almost twenty, but they still remembered the sting of losing to Raizen eight years ago.
Nara Kimura gave a quiet laugh when he heard the news. "He was already terrifying back then. Eight years later... I can't imagine what he's become."
He straightened his vest, half-smiling. "Guess we'll find out."
And it wasn't just the clans.
Wandering shinobi, traveling merchants, even frightened civilians who'd spent their lives dodging kunai and stray fire—all began drifting toward the forested heart of the Land of Fire, toward the place they now called "Konoha."
Rumor said the new alliance would welcome everyone. Families, wanderers, even ordinary people who wanted a place to belong.
For the first time in decades, hope moved faster than war.
Even the daimyō's court couldn't ignore it. The lord of Fire sent emissaries to witness the birth of this strange new "village."
And beyond the borders—far beyond—shinobi from other nations began crossing the forests and rivers, drawn by curiosity, ambition, or fear.
The world was watching.
The storm that would one day reshape the shinobi world was about to begin.
...
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