Not long after Uchiha Ren and Uchiha Shisui left, four cloaked figures appeared at the training ground.
They were ANBU.
"Hiss… what a terrifying Fire Release technique."
The four masked shinobi looked at the training field—now a chaotic landscape of molten earth—and collectively sucked in a cold breath.
They had seen Fire Release techniques that could scorch the ground.
They had seen techniques capable of igniting forests.
But a Fire Release powerful enough to melt earth and stone into magma…
That was a first.
"A Fire Release of this magnitude… could it be him?"
One of the ANBU suddenly spoke, sounding uncertain.
"Who?" another asked.
"Who else could it be? Someone with this level of mastery over Fire Release… it must be Uchiha Ren ."
"The man who earned tremendous fame on the Kirigakure front, and whom the Mist shinobi call the 'Crimson Sun.'"
Understanding dawned on the others.
"Uchiha Ren … causing something like this at a time like this…"
"What exactly are the Uchiha trying to do?"
"A threat? Or a warning?"
Nearly the same question surfaced in the minds of every ANBU present.
As members of the ANBU, they were among the first to grasp the political climate inside Konoha.
They all knew about the escalating tension between the village leadership and the Uchiha clan.
And they all understood that this incident could not be handled through normal procedures.
"Enough. Report the situation to the Hokage first."
"The rest will depend on the Hokage's decision."
The ANBU captain interrupted the others' thoughts and turned to leave.
ANBU shinobi were the sharpest blades in the Hokage's hands.
And a good blade did not need its own opinions.
It only needed to execute the Hokage's orders flawlessly.
Uchiha Clan Compound
Back in the Uchiha clan compound, Ren and Shisui walked calmly along the main road.
Due to the rumors spreading throughout the village, far more Uchiha than usual were staying inside the compound today.
Almost everyone wore gloomy expressions.
The atmosphere in the clan district was oppressively heavy.
"Big Brother Ren , we—"
Shisui clearly noticed the situation as well, but hesitated.
"Let's talk inside," Ren said briefly, quickening his pace.
Soon, the two arrived at Ren 's home.
Although Ren had lost his parents early in life, they had left him a small independent house and a decent inheritance.
Combined with financial support from the clan and help from fellow clan members, Ren had never struggled for food or clothing growing up.
Compared to the orphans in the Konoha Orphanage, his life had been far better.
That was one of the advantages of having a clan.
As soon as they entered the house, Shisui spoke eagerly:
"Big Brother Ren , the clan's reaction to the rumors is even stronger than I expected. It looks like our plan can move ahead earlier."
In truth, more than half of the rumors currently circulating in Konoha had been released by Shisui himself.
Seeing the results now, he couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
Ren nodded thoughtfully.
"The stronger the clan's reaction, the more it shows how much they still care about the village."
"But this… still isn't enough."
A sharp glint flashed in Ren 's eyes.
"We need to add more fuel to the fire."
Most members of the Uchiha clan were extremely proud.
Even when affected by rumors, they disdained lowering themselves to argue with ordinary villagers.
Ironically, that attitude actually slowed the spread of the rumors.
If the Uchiha started openly arguing with villagers in anger…
Ren believed the anti-Uchiha rumors would explode even further.
However, Shisui looked worried.
"But the genjutsu I used on the Iwagakure spy and the Root operative wasn't extremely subtle."
"It may deceive them for a while, but not forever."
"The Third Hokage will figure it out sooner or later."
To buy time and divert Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention while they consolidated power inside the clan, Ren had devised this smoke-and-mirrors strategy.
The Iwagakure spy itself wasn't truly hidden.
Both ANBU and the Konoha Military Police Force had already been monitoring him.
However, since foreign spies were outside the jurisdiction of the Military Police, and the ANBU apparently wanted to feed false information back to Iwagakure, the spy had been allowed to remain active.
Ren had instructed Shisui to place both the Iwagakure spy and the Root ninja under genjutsu.
This temporarily redirected Hiruzen's suspicion toward Iwagakure.
But the interrogations conducted by ANBU would not stop.
Even though Shisui's genjutsu mastery could evade most interrogation techniques, both prisoners would eventually be subjected to memory extraction by the Yamanaka clan in the Konoha Interrogation Division.
When that happened, Shisui's manipulation would inevitably be discovered.
Maybe tonight.
Maybe tomorrow.
But at the latest—the day after tomorrow.
That was why Shisui felt so anxious.
Ren simply smiled.
"Don't worry."
"If nothing unexpected happens, the number of ANBU watching the Uchiha compound will double tonight."
"Once that news spreads, even the calmest members of the clan will start feeling anger."
Shisui froze for a moment.
Then realization struck.
"You mean the training ground incident…"
"No wonder you deliberately avoided the clan's training ground today."
Ren nodded.
"The traces left at that training field will easily point to me."
"With how cautious and suspicious Hiruzen and the others are, they'll interpret it as the Uchiha clan making a statement."
"And they'll take countermeasures."
"So even if they discover tonight that the rumors originated from us, it won't matter."
"By then, the Uchiha—already angered—will react even more aggressively."
"And the leadership will respond with greater caution and tighter surveillance."
"That will only provoke the clan further."
"With each layer of tension piling up…"
"In just a few days, the Uchiha's anger will reach its peak."
"And that will be the moment we make our move."
Shisui nodded slowly, now understanding.
He hadn't expected Ren to plan things this far ahead.
However—
Ren 's eyes flickered slightly.
After hesitating for a moment, he continued:
"Still… prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain."
"I can't guarantee how deeply the villagers' bias against the Uchiha runs."
"Shisui."
"Later, go to the Daimyō's residence."
"Secure another trump card for the Uchiha."
Shisui frowned slightly but didn't question him further.
"What should I do?"
Ren leaned closer and quietly explained his plan.
As Shisui listened, his eyes widened more and more.
And his admiration for Ren grew even stronger.
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