Growth changes everything—power, status, and the rules of the game.
Konoha, Year 53.
Two years had passed.
Across the shinobi world, this period was relatively peaceful.
The Five Great Nations still clashed occasionally—
small conflicts,
minor skirmishes.
A few casualties here and there.
To a great village—
such losses were negligible.
Perhaps—
that was the quiet tragedy of being a shinobi.
…
Meanwhile—
Konoha underwent a major shift.
The Uchiha's real estate project—
had exploded in success.
At first—
the Sarutobi, Shimura, and even the Ino-Shika-Chō clans—
had watched with amusement.
Waiting for failure.
But once the installment payment system was introduced—
everything changed.
A storm swept through the village.
Shinobi lived unstable lives.
Constant missions.
Endless danger.
Who wouldn't want—
a home?
A place to rest.
To grow flowers.
Raise pets.
Heal.
The moment Uchiha housing projects launched—
they sold out instantly.
Phase one.
Phase two.
Phase three.
Gone.
Though the initial investment had been massive—
two years later—
the hardest period was over.
Now—
money flowed into Uchiha coffers every day.
When other clans finally realized what was happening—
it was too late.
Prime land—
already taken.
Not just in Konoha—
but even in the Land of Fire's capital.
The Uchiha—
had effectively monopolized real estate.
And were beginning to expand outward.
The result?
Wealth.
Massive wealth.
And wealth—
meant resources.
Training materials.
Equipment.
Support.
The number of Uchiha Jonin and Chunin increased.
Their overall strength rose.
Partly due to funding—
partly due to the Young Eagle Policy.
Their standard of living improved drastically.
Even the Military Police—
no longer relied on village funding.
They were self-sufficient.
And after years of suppression and discrimination—
the response was simple.
If you don't respect us—
we stop caring.
The Uchiha Police—
started slacking.
Openly.
"Not doing enough?"
"Taking the blame?"
Fine.
Then we won't do it at all.
Enjoy your freedom.
As a result—
village order declined.
Even Hiruzen—
was forced to address it in a council meeting.
Publicly criticizing Fugaku.
"Say something."
Fugaku cleared his throat.
Then began:
"Since Hokage-sama asked me to say a few words, I'll say a few words. Though these few words may not be as comprehensive as a few more words, I believe these few words are still better than those few words, so for now I'll just say these few words. If everyone feels these few words aren't enough, I can later add a few more words…"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Rambling nonsense.
Pure verbal chaos.
Hiruzen's eye twitched.
These… were clearly learned from Kai.
Even Fugaku sometimes wondered—
where did that kid come up with this stuff?
Finally—
just as patience wore thin—
Fugaku got to the point.
"The village's criticism is correct."
"I will return and criticize the Police Force."
"They will criticize each other."
"Reflect deeply."
Then—
the real message.
"The Police Force bears heavy responsibility."
"The Uchiha… may not be capable."
"Perhaps another clan should take over."
One sentence—
and the entire room froze.
Because—
deep down—
they all knew.
The Uchiha Police had always done their job well.
Their reputation had only worsened—
due to deliberate smearing.
If they stepped down—
who could replace them?
After a long silence—
Hiruzen spoke.
"The village… cannot do without the Uchiha."
And just like that—
the matter was dropped.
Because now—
the Uchiha had strength.
Independence.
Leverage.
And with that—
they could finally stand as equals.
…
Konoha Ninja Academy.
Training field.
Kai faced off against Sarutobi Daiki.
Daiki—
rounder than before.
Cheeks bouncing as he moved.
Yet surprisingly agile.
Chakra flowed through him—
kunai in hand.
Whoosh—!
Three shuriken flew toward Kai.
Blunt.
But still painful.
The Academy—
was not a shelter.
Students needed to understand—
the cruelty of the shinobi world.
At a distance—
Instructor Watanabe Yu observed closely.
Kai—
calm as ever.
Every move—
precise.
Efficient.
Suppressing Daiki completely.
A true genius.
Two years—
and students had mastered chakra extraction.
Ninjutsu—
now allowed in sparring.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Daiki formed seals—
a blazing fireball surged forward.
The Sarutobi clan—
like the Uchiha—
excelled in Fire Release.
"Body Flicker Technique."
A light step—
Kai vanished.
The fireball missed.
The next instant—
he appeared behind Daiki.
A kunai—
pressed to his throat.
Cold.
Deadly.
Even unsharpened—
it sent chills down his spine.
On a real battlefield—
he'd be dead.
The kunai withdrew.
Daiki collapsed.
Panting.
Sweat soaked his back.
Then—
he spoke with absolute seriousness:
"As expected of the man I acknowledge."
"You, Uchiha Kai, are worthy to be my bond!"
"When I become Hokage, you'll share in my glory!"
"…Right."
Kai resisted the urge to sigh.
That word again.
"Bond."
Why did it sound so strange?
"Kai, you're amazing!"
Nami ran over.
Her appearance had matured.
Clear skin.
Bright eyes.
Shoulder-length hair.
A faint dimple when she smiled.
Less baby fat—
more refined beauty.
In time—
she'd be one of Konoha's finest.
"Just luck," Kai replied with a smile.
Watanabe stepped forward.
"This match—Kai wins."
"His strength comes from effort."
"He trains before dawn."
"Practices during breaks."
"You should all learn from him."
"In six months—the graduation exam."
"Pass—and become genin."
"Make your parents proud."
Encouragement—
but also pressure.
The Third Shinobi War—
had thinned Konoha's ranks.
Graduation age—
lowered to nine.
Kai and the others—
eight and a half now.
Six months later—
they would step into the real world.
Missions.
Danger.
Maybe even war.
The shinobi world—
remained cruel.
Because this world—
ran on survival.
Land.
Resources.
Conflict.
An endless cycle.
The only answer—
was strength.
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Open status panel."
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