In the dead of night, Konoha seemed asleep.
Yet the eight corpses lined up at the entrance to the Hyūga compound had plunged the village into turmoil.
High-ranking officials, summoned urgently, exchanged grave looks with the diplomats from Kumo.
"We will inform the Raikage!" one of them thundered before storming off.
The faces of Konoha's four leaders darkened.
No one had foreseen such a bold move.
But with Kumo, the worst was always to be expected.
They would reverse the roles, using this as a pretext to justify war...
"Kakashi…" Hiruzen called out.
The ANBU team rushed in to receive his orders.
Within minutes, ninjas spread out across the village.
Konoha would have to wake up with a jolt.
---
At dawn, the sun rose over a village in upheaval.
After a night of fruitless negotiations with the Raikage, Hiruzen had to face the inevitable.
Reinforcements were dispatched to the border, near the Uchiha outpost.
In the streets, civilians watched with concern the comings and goings of shinobi.
Itachi, returning from his morning training, noticed the unusual tension.
"What's going on?"
His friend Shisui landed beside him.
"It's serious..."
He quickly summarized the events of the night.
"Another war would be disastrous," Itachi murmured, his mind troubled.
Before heading to the front, Shisui patted his shoulder.
"Watch over the village while I'm gone."
The unspoken message: Keep an eye on the Uchiha.
As Itachi prepared to head home, Izumi appeared.
"Itachi-kun… do you know what's happening?"
Her touch made him hesitate. Strangely, he didn't pull away.
"Nothing to worry about. Probably just a drill."
She instantly calmed down. If Itachi was calm, everything must be fine.
"Want to take a walk together?" she asked shyly.
Itachi blinked.
"I have to go home for breakfast."
His routine was unchanging: training, genin missions, repetition…
Refused at the chūnin exams year after year.
Not for lack of skill, but because of prejudice against his clan.
While Shisui was already shining on the battlefield, he remained stagnant.
The frustration ate at him.
"Itachi-kun?"
Izumi brought him back to reality.
"Sorry, I was thinking."
A silence settled between them.
"Itachi..." she finally whispered.
"The adults in the clan… they're planning something awful, aren't they?"
Itachi tensed.
The secret meetings at the shrine.
The fiery speeches against Konoha.
"Izumi."
He stopped abruptly.
"Don't speak of this to anyone. Not the others. Not even your mother."
She nodded, trusting his judgment.
As he watched her walk away, Itachi felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier.
"Aniki!"
sako greeted him at the doorstep, pouting.
"You left without me again!"
He gave a faint smile.
"You sleep too much."
"Not true! Tomorrow, I'm getting up early!"
Looking at his little sister, Itachi made a promise:
I'll protect you.
No matter the cost.
…
At the same time, in the Hyūga compound...
Naruto stretched lazily before getting up.
"Naruto-kun, your clothes are dry. I left them at the entrance..."
The kneeling silhouette of the servant stood out like a shadow puppet against the shoji lit by the morning sun.
Standing still in the middle of the room, Naruto kept a blank expression.
Then he called out to her:
"Could you bring them here? I might catch a cold otherwise."
Silence.
The servant froze—just barely perceptibly.
Naruto didn't need to see her face to imagine her grimace of disgust.
Clack.
The sliding door opened.
Hyūga Aoba stood there, holding a neatly folded kimono.
When her pale eyes swept across the room...
Rustle.
The fabric slipped from her hands.
In that instant...
As the rising sun bathed the world in light...
Aoba stood speechless.
It wasn't until Naruto stepped closer that she seemed to snap out of it.
Watching her flee in haste, Naruto's eyes followed the trailing ribbons of her servant's apron.
Then... the "monster" awakened even more.