When Uchiha Kuro was young, he used to think things like business wars and power struggles were all about high-level intelligence battles.
Schemes within schemes, subtle maneuvering, alliances and betrayals—
A war without smoke.
Elegant.
Sophisticated.
Deadly.
But after growing up…
A few news headlines completely shattered that illusion.
Partners sending employees to post explicit images on rival apps—then reporting them.
Executives leading thirty men to physically seize company seals and tear up licenses.
CEOs climbing walls to spy on competitors.
Chairmen hiring people to break into safes.
Fake business wars: strategic mind games.
Real business wars:I'm already at your doorstep.
The most advanced tactics…
Often use the simplest methods.
And in the ninja world—
it was exactly the same.
Fake conflict: manipulating public opinion, leveraging authority, using complex strategy to defeat your enemies.
Real conflict: send assassins immediately.
Someone certain… never bothered with fancy tricks.
Straightforward.
Direct.
Efficient.
And most importantly—
effective.
…
Today—
Uchiha Kuro was strolling through the street with a relaxed smile, looking at jewelry, seemingly planning to buy gifts for his wives.
A few Root ninja quietly approached.
They blended into the crowd like ordinary shoppers.
Some even acted like street vendors.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
Until—
Uchiha Kuro suddenly stiffened.
Something was wrong.
"Who are you?! What are you trying to do?!"
He shouted in alarm, reaching for a kunai.
"Move!"
The Root ninja didn't expect to remain hidden forever.
Even if Uchiha Kuro had fallen into decadence, he was still a ninja—his instincts remained.
They acted instantly.
In the next second—
A rain of kunai shot forward like falling stars.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Uchiha Kuro clapped his hands together, forming seals rapidly.
A wall of earth rose, blocking the attack.
"Damn it! Who are you to attack in broad daylight—in Konoha?!"
He shouted while retreating.
The surrounding civilians finally reacted, screaming in terror and scattering.
Shock filled their eyes.
This was Konoha—
The strongest ninja village!
Even multiple great wars had never brought attacks inside the village—
And now someone dared to strike openly?
The Root ninja ignored everything.
Their only target—
Uchiha Kuro.
Uchiha Kuro activated his Sharingan, fighting while retreating.
Though the exchange was brief, their strength was obvious.
"One jōnin… one special jōnin… two elite chūnin…"
"A full jōnin squad…"
"What is the Third Hokage doing?! Letting people like this walk into the village?!"
"With the Uchiha Police gone, can the village not even protect its civilians anymore?!"
He shouted angrily—
But his feet didn't stop moving.
"Pursue!"
The jōnin leader gave the order immediately.
This wasn't the village center—but it was still a busy area.
Reinforcements could arrive at any moment.
Danzo had created a patrol gap—but he couldn't control random passing ninja.
Time was limited.
Ninjutsu flew like it cost nothing.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Market stalls exploded into debris.
And yet—
Uchiha Kuro kept dodging, barely escaping.
"Damn it… Uchiha are always troublesome!"
The jōnin leader grew increasingly anxious.
Time was running out.
And just as expected—
Trouble arrived.
"Who dares attack inside the village?! Do you think Konoha ninja are dead?!"
A loud shout rang out.
A man in a green jumpsuit appeared.
Might Guy.
The jōnin leader's expression twitched.
An elite jōnin—
stronger than himself.
"Haruki, stall him!"
"Yes!"
A special jōnin stepped forward.
Sending a special jōnin to stall Might Guy…
was essentially sending him to his death.
But Root showed no hesitation.
They continued pursuing Uchiha Kuro.
"Uchiha Kuro?! Who are you people?!"
Another figure appeared—
Anko Mitarashi.
"Kotaro, stall her!"
The weakest chūnin was sent out.
But even that was risky—
Anko, trained by Orochimaru, was not easy to deal with.
…
As the chase continued—
A patrol squad finally arrived.
The jōnin leader had no choice but to sacrifice yet another special jōnin to hold them off—
and continued alone.
Now—
the distance had closed.
And Uchiha Kuro was nearing the Uchiha compound.
But—
"You can't escape!"
The jōnin's eyes gleamed with killing intent.
Uchiha Kuro shouted in panic:
"Kakuzu, save me!"
"Useless! At this distance, no one can save you—"
The jōnin moved to strike.
Then—
Uchiha Kuro suddenly turned around.
The fear on his face…
was gone.
Replaced by a terrifying calm.
Chakra erupted from his body.
He inhaled deeply—
and exhaled.
Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation Arrow!
Flames exploded outward.
In an instant—
the surroundings became a sea of fire.
Heat surged.
Flames roared skyward.
The jōnin, charging forward with no restraint—
was caught head-on.
In a single moment—
he was engulfed.
"You—!"
He let out one final cry—
before being completely consumed.
Silence followed.
In his final moment—
his eyes were filled with confusion.
You were clearly this strong…
So why did you pretend to be weak and run all this time?