c1: Clouds of War
It was late at night on January 10, 1950, in the Hidden Leaf Village Konohagakure.
Konoha, nestled in the heart of the Land of Fire, lay under an unnatural stillness. The bustling village streets usually filled with chatter and footsteps even after sunset were utterly deserted. A cold winter moon hung high in the cloudless sky, casting down a silver sheen like gauze, cloaking Konoha in a dreamlike, silvery haze.
The Hokage Tower at the village's center blazed with light, standing like a beacon in the darkness.
Masked ANBU operatives in regulation black gear tight uniforms, flak jackets, and signature animal-themed porcelain masks stood like statues around the tower. Each bore a ninjatō strapped diagonally across the back, their presence radiating silent tension. The very air vibrated with an oppressive pressure an omen of impending conflict.
Suddenly, a figure cloaked in white and wearing a blank white mask materialized on the Hokage Tower's upper platform. His voice cut through the silence like a blade: "Kumogakure and Sunagakure have launched a coordinated assault. Alert every active shinobi immediately!"
"Have them assist the Konoha Military Police in evacuating civilians to the designated shelters. Afterward, all forces are to regroup here at once!"
"Yes, Commander!"
The ANBU agents kneeled briefly in acknowledgment, then vanished in a flurry of flickering shadows, dispersing across the village with speed and urgency.
Roughly six minutes later, on the west side of the Uchiha District a fortified enclave within the village a shinobi landed outside a modest two-story house.
"Uchiha Gen. Emergency call-up. Report to the Police Headquarters immediately."
"Understood."
The messenger vanished almost instantly.
In a second-floor bedroom, a figure sat bolt upright, awakening from slumber. He dressed swiftly, pulling on the standard Uchiha shinobi gear: reinforced black top, snug pants, armored chestplate, vambraces, greaves, and shin guards. His ninja tool pouch was secured to his thigh, and a katana sheathed on his back. He wore black combat boots instead of the usual shinobi sandals.
As he leapt from the window into the courtyard below, the moonlight revealed his youthful face twelve or thirteen years old with sharply defined features. His dark hair framed intense eyes, his brows like blades, his expression unreadable.
On the back of his armor gleamed the red-and-white fan crest of the Uchiha clan a proud symbol of his bloodline.
He looked formidable cold, focused, and solitary.
"What the hell is the Third Hokage thinking, sending an emergency summons at this hour?"
"What kind of stunt is he pulling this time?"
The disdain in his words was jarring unusual, even suspicious, for a loyal Konoha shinobi. In the Leaf Village, reverence for the Hokage was deeply rooted in both civilians and shinobi. Open disrespect was rare, if not dangerous.
But Uchiha Gen wasn't like other villagers. He wasn't even from this world.
He hailed from Blue Star a completely different reality. On the night of his transmigration, he'd been lying in bed binge-watching "Naruto" on one phone and "One Piece" on the other. At some point, sleep overtook him.
When he next awoke, he was in the broken, dying body of a young Uchiha, bleeding out on a remote battlefield. The original Gen had perished from his wounds.
After taking over the body, Gen had been found by a medical squad and returned to a base camp behind the front lines. His injuries were too severe for immediate redeployment, and he was eventually sent back to Konoha for treatment and recovery. Three and a half months had passed since then.
Now healed, Gen had spent every day within the Uchiha compound, quietly training and sharpening his skills. No new mission orders had come since his return.
"Sigh... With a joint attack from Kumo and Suna, this definitely isn't some minor skirmish. This could be the start of a major war."
"Even with the original Gen's memories of combat, this'll be my first real battle since coming here. I'm nervous... but also kind of thrilled."
He raised his head slightly, and his black pupils twisted and morphed. In an instant, his eyes glowed with the crimson hue of the Sharingan. Two tomoe swirled in each eye, symmetrically balanced and deadly. The glow pierced the nightnominous and otherworldly.
This Sharingan this curse and gift had awakened in the original Gen through trauma and grief.
Now, it was Uchiha Gen's tool.
And perhaps, his only hope for survival.
The first time he awakened the Sharingan was when the original Gen, only ten years old, was informed that both his parents had died on the battlefield casualties of the Third Great Ninja War. The trauma unlocked his one-tomoe Sharingan. The second evolution occurred during a mission, when he witnessed the brutal deaths of his jonin sensei and two teammates during a failed ambush operation near the Kusagakure border. That moment, drenched in blood and grief, unlocked the two-tomoe stage in both eyes.
Sadly, even with his awakened Sharingan, the original Gen was fatally wounded in a later skirmish. His chakra reserves depleted and body battered, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after evading pursuit by enemy Iwagakure nin.
A chill night breeze swept through the compound. Uchiha Gen shook off the past and suppressed his rising thoughts. His silhouette flickered and vanished without a sound.
Outside the Konoha Police Department headquarters, a dark square spread out before the austere building. Dozens of Uchiha shinobi stood in disciplined rows, clad in standard issue dark combat gear tight-fitting black clothing reinforced with mesh armor and steel-plated flak jackets. Despite the looming threat, not a single voice broke the silence.
The Police Force operated with paramilitary efficiency silent, methodical, and bound by strict codes.
When Uchiha Gen appeared, the clan shinobi instinctively shifted to form a narrow corridor, allowing the boy to stride forward and take his place in the front rank.
The Uchiha were not only one of Konoha's founding clans but also its wealthiest and most formidable. With over 2,000 members, they made up a substantial part of Konoha's elite. However, only about half the population were active or potential shinobi; the rest were civilians artisans, merchants, and support personnel.
Even among the shinobi, not all could awaken the Sharingan. In fact, it was rare. Many Uchiha completed their careers without ever unlocking it. Those who did were respected, but the clan revered the dojutsu almost religiously.
Within the clan hierarchy, one-tomoe wielders were acknowledged, two-tomoe users regarded as elite, and three-tomoe users ranked among the upper echelons. At just thirteen, Uchiha Gen had already manifested two tomoe in both eyes a feat that placed him firmly among the clan's rising prodigies.
Just moments after Gen arrived, three more shinobi joined the assembly. A quick roll call followed, confirming full attendance. Then, the heavy doors of the police headquarters opened.
Out stepped a tall figure broad-shouldered, narrow-eyed, and exuding quiet authority.
The man had close-cropped brown hair and wore a form-fitting combat uniform beneath a dark blue outer robe. The Uchiha crest was tattooed between his shoulder blades, and the jonin-ranked flak jacket he wore bore the clan emblem prominently on both shoulders.
"Captain Yashiro," several whispered with slight bows of respect.
Uchiha Yashiro a senior member of the Police Force and known for his loyalist stance nodded minutely, his eyes slitted with intensity. "Kumogakure and Sunagakure forces have launched a joint surprise attack. Their vanguard is already approaching the outer forests."
"Hokage-sama has ordered all civilians relocated to shelter zones immediately. Once that's done, every unit is to regroup under the Hokage Tower."
"Move!"
The news hit hard. A collective heaviness descended like a fog. Konoha had not been threatened within its borders since its founding in the Warring States Era. For war to reach their doorstep this was unthinkable.
Gen's expression darkened. His worst suspicion had been confirmed. War had begun.
Kumo and Suna, emboldened and well-coordinated, were driving straight for Konoha's heart. The village's defenders would have to give everything to repel them. The cost would be steep.
But this sudden invasion also clarified a long-standing mystery for him.
Why had Hiruzen Sarutobi, still strong and sharp in his prime, stepped down so soon before the Nine-Tails incident? This war may have been the reason. Combined with the massive casualties of the Third Shinobi World War, Hiruzen likely bore deep blame for his decisions. Facing political pressure and public doubt, he may have had no choice but to relinquish the Hokage title to Minato Namikaze.
"Understood!" the clan members answered in unison, their voices grave but resolute.
They immediately split into action. Some returned to the clan compound to rouse sleeping families and guide them toward the shelter paths. Others broke off into the village proper, leaping across rooftops and down narrow alleys, alerting civilians and organizing evacuations.
Within minutes, Konoha's quiet night had exploded into frenzied motion. Lights flickered on in every household. Doors slammed open. Cries rang out. The streets were filled with panicked villagers clutching children and dragging belongings wide-eyed and disoriented.
Infants wailed. Children screamed. Adults tried to maintain composure, but fear was palpable.
Because Konoha had never practiced for such an emergency not since the founding days there was widespread confusion. Coordination between ninja squads and civilians was inefficient, and bottlenecks formed near shelter access points.
Only by sunrise had every civilian been safely relocated to underground bunkers beneath the village.
The Konoha shinobi, having worked through the night without rest, assembled once more this time under the Hokage Tower's stone arch. Rows upon rows of armored ninja stood shoulder to shoulder.
From a distance, the dense black crowd made the plaza look as if it swarmed with insects.
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