Uchiha Clan Compound, Main Meeting Hall
"After three months of relentless work, the clan has finally been renewed!"
"I remember when I first took office as patriarch, I had two main goals."
"The first was to improve the villagers' impression of the Uchiha."
"The second was to revive the clan's internal economy, striving to make every clansman prosperous!"
"Now, it seems both goals have achieved truly satisfying results!"
"This success is inseparable from everyone's efforts!"
Uchiha Qianye sat in the main seat, his Sharingan-black eyes calm yet sharp.
"Where there!"
"It's all thanks to the Patriarch's leadership!"
Immediately, one elder stood up and declared.
It wasn't mere flattery, nor an attempt to curry favor, it was the genuine voice of all the elders of the Uchiha Council!
Qianye simply smiled, then continued:
"But we must not stop here, nor allow ourselves to stagnate!"
"So now, I wish to propose a third goal!"
Hearing this, every elder's attention sharpened like kunai drawn from their sheaths.
"That is," he paused, letting the air grow heavy
"To improve the combat effectiveness of every clansman!"
"Since our Uchiha are known as a battle-born family, we must live up to that title!"
"Prestige and wealth are fleeting—mere illusions like smoke. Only strength is real, tangible, and eternal!"
Qianye spoke each word clearly, his tone echoing through the chamber like the crack of fire release.
The elders' blood surged with heat he was right!
No matter how great their fame, or how vast their riches, without true power, everything could be taken away in an instant.
Only strength is the foundation of survival.
"As for how this new goal will be implemented," Qianye said, "I will plan it step by step."
"But before that, there is one more task to complete."
As he spoke, his gaze turned toward Uchiha Iron Fire, a trusted member of the clan police force.
"Don't worry, Patriarch I've already arranged everything," Iron Fire replied firmly.
---
Uchiha Iron Fire paced into a dimly lit operations room.
Monitors covered the walls each screen showing live feeds of the Uchiha district, from the training grounds near the Naka River to the main street by the Nakano Shrine.
The entire clan compound was now blanketed by a secret surveillance network installed under the directive of the Third Hokage, with Kakashi Hatake supervising on behalf of the ANBU.
"How's it going? Starting to get used to it?" Kakashi asked lightly, leaning back with a tired grin after another long night.
Iron Fire didn't answer. His heart was conflicted.
He was a Uchiha himself, yet here he was spying on his own people.
This operation treated every Uchiha as a potential threat.
Still, orders were orders.
"I'll leave the next shift to you," Kakashi said, yawning and handing over his headset. "Don't overdo it."
But just as he turned to leave
"Captain Kakashi! Something's wrong!!" one of the surveillance officers shouted.
Both Kakashi and Iron Fire turned sharply toward the main monitor.
Onscreen, a group of Uchiha were seen using Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu and Earth Release: Rock Breaker to demolish houses in the outer sector of the compound!
Explosions thundered across the feed, dust and flame rising into the night.
"What the hell are they doing?" someone gasped, eyes wide with confusion and dread.
Not only Kakashi, but everyone in the monitoring room was full of question marks!
No one could understand what those Uchiha clansmen were doing.
Under such violent demolition, several hidden surveillance seals and chakra-powered cameras embedded throughout the Uchiha compound were damaged one after another.
Zzzt
Zzzt
Static filled the screens as the images turned into flickering snow patterns...
"Not good!!"
Kakashi muttered under his breath, immediately signaling an ANBU operative to report the situation to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
---
By the time Hiruzen arrived with several ANBU and Konoha Police Force members, the entire Uchiha district near the Naka River was already in ruins.
Hiruzen's face twitched his heart ached.
He had spent months secretly authorizing the surveillance of the Uchiha, justifying it as a "preventive security measure."
The installation of those chakra-sensitive monitors developed with the help of the Konoha Science Division had cost the village a small fortune in both ryo and manpower.
And now, every single one of them was gone.
Completely destroyed.
Even worse, without those cameras, he could no longer track the Uchiha's movements in real time.
Just as he was gritting his teeth, a calm voice came from behind him.
"Yo, Hokage-sama, what brings you here so early?"
It was Uchiha Qianye, walking toward him through the dust, wearing a relaxed smile.
"Qianye," Hiruzen said, masking his irritation behind a tone of curiosity, "what exactly is going on here?"
"That's right," Qianye replied lightly. "I found that many of the houses in the clan's residential area were old and unsafe some were even on the verge of collapse. So I decided to demolish them all and rebuild new homes for everyone."
Hiruzen's eyes widened.
"For that reason alone, you destroyed the entire district?"
He nearly dropped his pipe.
You really are as extravagant as the rumors say!
But as Hokage, it wasn't his place to interfere with the clan's internal property.
Still, the loss of the surveillance network made his chest tighten painfully.
---
"By the way, Hokage-sama," Qianye continued, brushing some dust off his cloak, "I plan to hire a few experienced carpenters from outside the village to speed up the rebuilding."
At that, Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"There are plenty of skilled carpenters within Konoha," he said evenly. "Why go beyond the village to find them?"
Of course, Hiruzen's concern was twofold: he didn't want the Uchiha interacting too freely with outsiders—and if Konoha's own workers took the job, the mission funding would circulate back into the village treasury.
But if the clan hired craftsmen from outside, Konoha would gain nothing.
Qianye, however, clasped his hands together respectfully and replied, "Hokage-sama, as you can see, the entire compound has been cleared. It's a massive project, if we rely only on local carpenters, it could take months. You wouldn't want your loyal villagers sleeping under the stars all that time… would you?"
Hiruzen froze for a moment, his pipe nearly slipping from his fingers.
This kid… he's turning the tables on me.
It was you who destroyed the houses and now you're blaming me for their hardship?!
Taking a deep breath to keep his temper, the Third Hokage finally sighed and said, "What you say makes sense. Very well—proceed as you wish. But..."
His tone hardened.
"As clan head, you must not leave the village yourself. Delegate the matter to your subordinates and let them handle it."
Qianye smiled faintly. "Of course, Hokage-sama. Thank you for your understanding."
—