"I never said the Uchiha would stop being shinobi," Toyoma said calmly, his eyes moving across the gathered Uchiha.
"Then what do you mean by becoming merchants, Toyoma?"
Grand Elder Setsuna raised his hand, silencing the rising shouts and questions from the clan.
Not only were the Uchiha—clan heads and village higher-ups watching closely now, all trying to grasp what Toyoma truly meant.
Hiruzen observed Toyoma with a steady, unreadable expression.
Experience had taught him that whatever this boy said always carried more than one meaning.
Uchiha in name only, Hiruzen thought.
His way of thinking is far more difficult to comprehend than any Uchiha, past or present.
Toyoma turned toward the Grand Elder."Grandpa Elder, I said we will stop being Konoha's shinobi," he said evenly.
"Not shinobi altogether."
A brief pause.
"We will remain Uchiha shinobi. Clan shinobi. There is a difference."
Grand Elder Setsuna froze.
The Uchiha exchanged glances, confusion clearly visible on their faces.
They tried to understand—but the explanation only deepened the uncertainty.
Among the village higher-ups, a single thought surfaced at the same time.
If the Uchiha are no longer Konoha shinobi… doesn't that mean rebellion?
"I can't stay silent anymore," Jiraiya said, stepping forward.
"Uchiha kid—are you trying to make your clan rebel against the village by refusing to be called Konoha shinobi?"
The hall fell silent.
It was the same question the Uchiha themselves were thinking.
Toyoma's expression darkened instantly.
"Rebel?" he snapped. "Your mother is rebelling."
Shock rippled through the room.
"Are you people really that braindead?"
Toyoma continued, anger spilling out.
"If we wanted to rebel, why would we help build this village? Why would we invest our resources into it? Why would we serve as its guard force for over twenty years? Son of a—"
Jiraiya's face grew steadily gloomier with every word.
Toyoma stopped himself, inhaled sharply, then corrected his final words at the last moment.
"…toad."
Toyoma then turned back toward the Grand Elder.
"Grandpa," he said calmly, "the situation is simple. Even if we let this matter go today, there's no guarantee the same thing won't happen again."
His gaze shifted—briefly, deliberately—toward Hiruzen.
"The village only needs to create another unit like Root.
Call it Jhoot, Old Coots, or whatever name they prefer."
Hiruzen understood immediately.
He's cursing me.
"And as Konoha shinobi," Toyoma continued, his voice steady but cold,
"We would still be forced to go to war for ungrateful people—without recognition, without protection—and always with the risk of being stabbed in the back by those same 'old coot' units."
The faces of the villagers darkened as they listened.
"So the best option for us," Toyoma said, spreading his hands slightly, "is to dedicate our shinobi to business."
Murmurs spread.
"We will operate across the Fire Nation—especially in the capital—serving ordinary citizens and the nation of the Daimyo himself. Konoha exists within the Fire Nation, after all."
He paused, then smiled faintly.
"That way, no one can accuse us of rebelling against the Fire Nation."
Toyoma turned his eyes toward Jiraiya.
"And if the village higher-ups think serving the Fire Nation is rebellion," he asked calmly, "does that mean Konoha itself is an enemy of the Fire Nation?"
Jiraiya opened his mouth—then closed it.
No answer came.
Hiruzen finally understood what Toyoma was truly proposing.
The Uchiha want to serve the Daimyo directly, he realised.
They want to remove the village's authority over them completely—without raising a single banner of rebellion.
Toyoma's eyes never left Jiraiya.
"Tell me, Jiraiya Sannin," he asked quietly, "does serving the Fire Nation count as rebellion?"
Hiruzen looked directly at Toyoma.
"You don't have to stop being Konoha shinobi," he said firmly. "Things like this won't happen again."
He could not afford to let go of his authority over the Uchiha.
Toyoma met his gaze without hesitation.
"I'm not asking for your advice," he replied flatly. "I'm stating what we want—and whether you'll accept it."
Hiruzen fell silent.
He couldn't counter it by force.
Grand Elder Setsuna finally spoke, his voice heavy.
"Toyoma… do we truly have to stop being shinobi?"
He didn't want his clan to lose its title as one of the great shinobi clans.
The same thought appeared in the minds of many Uchiha Hawk members.
None of them wanted to abandon what they were.
Toyoma turned back to him, his expression calm.
"Grandpa, we will not stop being shinobi," he said. "We will remain a shinobi clan."
He continued evenly. "You already know the value of what we sell. Goods like those must be protected by our own hands."
Toyoma glanced around the hall.
"Or do you believe Konoha has the will—or the power—to go as far as we would to protect our property?"
Setsuna understood immediately.
Homura, who had been listening closely, finally spoke.
"Boy, will the Daimyo even agree to shinobi becoming merchants?"
What he received was not an answer—
—but a smile.
Both Grand Elder Setsuna and Toyoma smiled.
It was unsettling.
"That is our problem, Elder of Konoha,"
Toyoma said calmly. "What we want is clear."
He straightened.
"We will stop being shinobi of Konoha and be recognised as merchants of the Fire Nation. As such, we demand the same rights."
His eyes swept over everyone present.
"Our property is here. Our homes are here. You will not enter a merchant residence under the excuse of 'village authority.'"
The air grew cold.
"And if any shinobi enters our territory without permission," Toyoma continued, his voice steady, "we will have full authority to kill them on the spot."
A sharp silence followed.
"Am I asking for something excessive?" Toyoma asked. "The clan heads present here can judge for themselves."
He gestured slightly.
"As of now, the Uchiha will no longer take Konoha missions or village tasks. That means fewer competitors for you—more missions for your clans, your jōnin, and your civilians."
Another pause.
"And since we will only be a merchant clan, we can never become Hokage. Your fears should decrease."
Toyoma looked at the crowd without emotion.
"If the village cannot agree to even this," he concluded matter-of-factly," then we have no other option."
Silence swallowed the Yamanaka territory.
Clan heads.
Villagers.
Shinobi.
Everyone began to think that it was not difficult.
And the terrifying part was—
…it didn't sound unreasonable.
Shikaku, Hiashi, and several other clan heads looked at Toyoma in silence.
They all knew about the energy fasting pill—the product the Uchiha were preparing to sell.
They also knew how much profit it would bring, especially once it reached the capital.
More importantly—
…it didn't affect their clans in any way.
They exchanged glances, then nodded subtly to one another.
Hyūga Hiashi stepped forward and looked at Hiruzen.
"Third Hokage-sama," he said calmly, "I don't believe there is anything excessive in this request."
Shikaku sighed quietly.
He understood the problem far better than most.
If the village agreed to Toyoma's proposal, they would lose all leverage.
Konoha could no longer restrict or regulate the sale of those pills—because merchants could not be stopped from selling their own products.
He's using this moment perfectly, Shikaku realised. Turning danger into an irreversible advantage for his clan.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Shikaku said aloud.
"There is nothing unreasonable in their request."
Hiruzen's expression darkened as more clan heads began to show agreement.
From the edge of the crowd, a civilian shinobi swallowed hard, suddenly realising that the Uchiha were not leaving in anger—but stepping away by choice.
Hiruzen turned his gaze toward Koharu.
This wasn't a rebellion, Hiruzen thought.
It was precedent—and precedent was far more dangerous.
She caught it immediately and stepped forward.
"Uchiha boy," Koharu said sharply, "you claim your clan will stop being Konoha shinobi. Do you even have the authority to make such a decision?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"Are you the clan head of the Uchiha? I don't recall hearing that."
Before Toyoma could reply, Shisui—who had been silent until now—stepped forward.
"Yes, Toyoma," Shisui said, his voice controlled but firm.
"Who are you to decide this for the entire clan? I want to be known as a Konoha shinobi and serve the village. Who gave you the right to choose for us?"
The hall stirred again.
Toyoma listened quietly—then smiled faintly.
"Well," he said calmly, "you're right. I can't decide for the entire clan."
He raised his head, his eyes sharp.
"But I can decide for my Hawk faction."
A ripple passed through the crowd.
"If any Uchiha wishes to remain a Konoha shinobi," Toyoma continued evenly, "to risk being sacrificed, framed, or stabbed in the back for meaningless reasons—they are free to choose that path."
His voice hardened.
"But my Hawk faction will no longer be called Konoha shinobi from today onward."
Toyoma turned toward the Grand Elder.
"Am I right, Grandpa Setsuna?"
All eyes shifted.
Grand Elder Setsuna did not hesitate.
"Yes," he said firmly. "The Hawk faction will stop being Konoha shinobi."
His gaze swept across the villagers.
"We refuse to be sacrificed for ungrateful fools. Everything Toyoma has asked for will apply to my faction as well."
Silence fell over the Yamanaka territory.
And this time—
It was not a shock.
It was a realisation.
************
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I'm new to writing. What I truly have are ideas and a way to share them with you.
I usually write chapters in a raw form first, then use AI only to polish grammar and presentation.
Sometimes that made the language feel heavy or a bit robotic—and I only realised it after reading your comments.
Because of that, I've started using minimal AI polishing, especially avoiding full polishing after long drafts, since even I found those versions hard to follow at times.
Up to Chapter 50, I relied more on full AI polish, but from Chapter 51 onward, I've been experimenting and asking for feedback.
*******What I really need from you now is this: please tell me where a chapter feels hard to understand, so I can fix it in future chapters. This is my first fanfic, and it has already gone much further than I ever expected—I don't want to drop it, and your feedback truly helps me improve.******