Evil Uchiha Itsuki

The Hidden Cloud Village's disdain for Konoha ran deep, down to their very bones. 

After all, Konoha had consistently shown weakness. 

Despite winning several of the previous ninja wars, Konoha kept making concessions—offering land and paying reparations. 

They always justified it with flowery words: *"For the sake of peace!"*

Not even a fool would believe that. 

Years ago, the Hidden Cloud had tried to steal the Byakugan from Konoha. When their thief was killed, Konoha actually handed over the body of the Hyuga clan's branch family head to calm the Hidden Cloud's anger. 

No one in the Hidden Cloud could believe it at the time. Their jaws dropped. 

Was this really Konoha? 

Were they really this submissive? 

The strongest of the five great ninja villages? 

They might as well be the number one turtle! 

After that incident, Konoha completely lost its diplomatic leverage. 

Whenever the Hidden Cloud got upset, they'd immediately threaten to march to war. 

The Third Hokage, who was getting older and more averse to conflict, preferred avoiding war at all costs. *Why fight when peace is an option?* he thought. 

In the end, this attitude became a habit for both Konoha and the Hidden Cloud. 

So even now, after suffering a major loss, the Hidden Cloud's long-held habits couldn't be easily changed. 

Just like this time—they believed that simply mobilizing troops would make Konoha bow down and surrender without a fight. 

Though they claimed to have eight thousand soldiers, they really had just over seven thousand. 

They were confident Konoha would compromise. 

But did Konoha ever think that if the Hidden Cloud really wanted to start a war, they wouldn't stop just because Konoha gave in? 

No, the Cloud would only demand more! 

*"Smack!"*

The Hidden Cloud's commander couldn't hold back anymore. He slapped one of his advisors hard across the face and yelled, "We've lost! The Hidden Cloud has lost! Do you understand that?" 

"Stop clinging to your delusions!" 

"Order an immediate retreat! Everyone, fall back now!" 

He knew exactly what this advisor had been thinking. 

The advisor wanted him to send a message to Konoha: *Let's negotiate for peace.* 

The fool thought Konoha would immediately agree, and like always, give the Hidden Cloud some sort of compensation. 

But have you seen the look in those Konoha shinobi's eyes? 

Do they look like they want to negotiate? 

No! They look like they want to wipe the Hidden Cloud off the map! 

The commander knew that even if he sent a messenger, they wouldn't make it to Konoha—they'd be "accidentally" killed along the way. 

"Yes, sir!" 

The advisor snapped out of it, immediately obeying and went to pass on the order. 

The commander glared coldly at Konoha's shinobi. 

Konoha! 

Damn it, I don't know what's going on with you, but this isn't over. 

When I'm ready, we'll fight again! 

*"Boom!"* 

The commander slammed his fist onto the table, shattering it. His hand was covered in blood, but he didn't seem to notice. 

"Just wait, Konoha!" 

*"Boom!"*

A flare shot up into the sky. 

A squad of hollow-eyed shinobi marched toward the battlefield. 

Their mission: to die. 

Their sacrifice would cover the retreat of the main forces. 

These shinobi were crazed. The moment they hit the battlefield, they fought with suicidal tactics, trying to take as many Konoha shinobi with them as possible. 

At first, Konoha's shinobi were stunned. 

But they quickly recovered, howling as they charged forward again. 

You want mutual destruction? 

We'll give you mutual destruction! 

Let's see who dies first! 

An eerie scene unfolded. 

A suicide squad from the Hidden Cloud approached, but three Konoha shinobi rushed in, tearing one of them apart on the spot. 

*"Hiss!"* 

Even the Hidden Cloud commander couldn't help but gasp at the sight. 

Brutal! 

What's going on with Konoha? 

If Konoha had always been like this, there wouldn't be any need for the other ninja villages—they'd have wiped them out long ago. 

Over seven hundred Hidden Cloud shinobi in the suicide squad, who were supposed to buy time for the main forces to retreat to a pre-prepared trap, were eliminated within seconds. 

It turns out that not fearing death only makes you die faster! 

Sweat started to form on the Hidden Cloud commander's forehead. 

Something's wrong! 

At this rate, forget retreating—the entire main force might be wiped out! 

No! 

I can't let that happen! 

The commander, experienced and decisive, immediately issued a new order. 

"Order Kawatani to lead his battalion and cover the retreat!" 

The advisor was stunned. 

Kawatani was a high-ranking jonin of the Hidden Cloud, and his battalion had over a thousand shinobi. 

Was the commander really ordering them to sacrifice Kawatani's entire battalion to hold off Konoha's forces, just so the main army could retreat? 

But remembering the slap from earlier, the advisor quickly obeyed without hesitation. 

A harsh lesson indeed. 

"Yes, sir!" 

Kawatani, upon receiving the order, looked momentarily dazed, but then his expression hardened. 

"For the Hidden Cloud!" 

With a low growl, he led his battalion to face Konoha's shinobi. 

His battalion, over a thousand strong and well-organized, managed to significantly slow Konoha's advance this time, but Konoha had gone mad. 

What's a thousand men? 

Konoha's shinobi tore them apart, and the main force of the Hidden Cloud barely managed to get three hundred meters away. 

*"Howl!"* 

Konoha's shinobi roared as they charged again. 

The two sides were about to clash once more. 

"Damn it!" 

The Hidden Cloud commander cursed himself for not bringing Killer Bee along. 

If he'd had the Eight-Tails, they could've dealt a serious blow to Konoha. 

He shouldn't have underestimated Konoha from the start. Why hadn't he planned better? 

If this battle had been executed properly, it could've paved the way for Konoha's destruction! 

But it would also be disastrous for the Hidden Cloud... 

"Activate the trap!" 

Seeing Konoha's shinobi about to catch up again, the commander gave the order. 

"Sir!" 

This time, the advisor didn't immediately follow the command. He looked at the commander in shock. 

"Our own men—our own men haven't cleared the trap's range yet!" 

"We can't wait any longer!" 

The commander's face was cold as he ordered, "Carry out the command!" 

"…Yes, sir!" 

The advisor's lips trembled. He wanted to say something but, seeing the commander's expression and the Hidden Cloud shinobi about to be overtaken, he had no choice but to relay the order. 

*"Boom!!"* 

Just as Konoha's shinobi were about to catch up, a series of violent explosions erupted. 

The blasts tore through the ground, swallowing countless shinobi and forcing a divide between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud. 

"Hm?" 

Kakashi, stationed in the rear, narrowed his eyes and coldly said, "Order the retreat. Don't pursue." 

"Yes, sir!" 

The communication officer quickly relayed the order. 

Kakashi glanced back at the battlefield, his Sharingan activated. He saw clearly that the explosions had not only hit Konoha's shinobi but also engulfed many Hidden Cloud shinobi. 

The Hidden Cloud was desperate. 

They couldn't wait for their forces to fully retreat to a safe distance and had been forced to trigger the trap early. 

Otherwise, the two sides would've been tangled up in battle again. 

"But this is enough," Kakashi sneered, giving the final order. 

"Pull back and prepare to return to Konoha." 

"Now?" 

The advisor was taken aback. 

"Yes," Kakashi explained. "Don't bother with a follow-up attack. I know their commander—a seasoned jonin who's led several wars. He won't give us another chance. Besides, we've already won big this time. It's enough to make the Hidden Cloud weep." 

And he was right. 

The Hidden Cloud commander regrouped his forces and immediately ordered a retreat to the Hidden Cloud Village. 

Konoha's actions were too strange. 

The Hidden Cloud had never seen Konoha fight so fiercely before. 

Did all of Konoha's shinobi suddenly inherit Uchiha blood? 

Apart from the Uchiha... no, apart from the Kaguya Clan, they'd never seen shinobi fight with such madness. 

They couldn't keep fighting! 

The Hidden Cloud's morale had completely collapsed; they were no longer battle-ready. 

... 

Both sides, as if by mutual agreement, retreated to their respective villages. 

On the way back, the casualty reports were compiled. 

Konoha had lost over two thousand shinobi, with more than four thousand injured. Over five hundred of them would never be able to serve as shinobi again.

Over two thousand ninjas from the Leaf Village were killed in action, and more than four thousand were injured. Among them, over five hundred will permanently lose their qualifications to be ninjas.

After this major battle, the Leaf Village lost nearly three thousand ninjas again.

But!

Compared to the Hidden Cloud, the Leaf Village's losses are almost negligible.

It's said that when the Hidden Cloud's ninjas returned to their village, the Fourth Raikage let out a roar and almost charged alone at the Leaf Village.

The losses were just too great!

Out of the more than seven thousand ninjas they sent out, less than half returned.

That's right!

Over four thousand ninjas were killed in action! And that's not even counting the more than seven hundred from the suicide squad!

If you include them, the number of losses exceeds five thousand.

Of course, the suicide squad can't be counted.

They were made up of Hidden Cloud ninjas who had committed serious crimes, defectors, and even ninjas from other villages controlled by Hidden Cloud's secret techniques.

They were only given suicide missions and aren't counted as part of the ninja army.

"How could this happen?"

The Fourth Raikage's massive frame was trembling.

He glared fiercely at the leader of the ninja army and gritted his teeth, saying, "Explain. I need a reasonable explanation."

This was a battle he didn't think would happen.

Even if it did, it shouldn't have been this devastating.

They should've won!

The leader of the ninja army sighed and said, "They went crazy. The Leaf ninjas completely lost it. They gave me the feeling that they had all turned into the Kaguya Clan."

That was a good, strong explanation.

With that one sentence, the Fourth Raikage and the others understood the state of the Leaf Village during the battle.

The Fourth Raikage's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Prepare the ninja army for me. Gather every ninja in the village that can be called up. I'll personally lead the charge and wipe out the Leaf Village!"

"Raikage-sama!"

"No way!"

"Please, calm down!"

Almost everyone opposed the Fourth Raikage's decision.

"Why?"

The Raikage roared.

The leader of the ninja army was the first to respond: "We need to figure out what exactly happened to the Leaf Village. If they're still in that state, even if we win, we'll be expelled from the ranks of the Six Great Ninja Villages."

Besides, facing the Leaf Village in that condition, there was no guarantee the Hidden Cloud could win.

Even if the Leaf Village was half-destroyed, it was still once the number one ninja village, with deep roots.

If the Hidden Cloud really fought them to the bitter end without help from the other villages, the outcome would be uncertain.

Ask yourself, if the Hidden Cloud went head-to-head with the Leaf Village, would the other ninja villages intervene?

Most likely, they'd just stand by and cheer.

"Fine!"

The Raikage calmed down, gritting his teeth as he said, "I'll wait for your report. Damn the Leaf Village!"

...

The Hidden Cloud's defeat shocked everyone.

It was something no one could have imagined.

In fact, everyone believed this battle wouldn't even happen.

Given the current state of the Leaf Village, how could they dare to go to war?

Yet the outcome was surprising.

Not only did the war happen, but the Leaf Village decisively crushed the Hidden Cloud.

They wiped out more than four thousand of the enemy's ninjas in one fell swoop, marking a huge victory not seen in years.

The Hidden Cloud was also badly hurt by this.

The most critical point was that their plan with the Hidden Stone Village had been ruined.

Who knows how furious Ōnoki must be!

Their strategy against the Leaf Village would have to be recalculated.

...

"Impressive!"

Itsuki quickly learned the reason for the war and its outcome.

He set the report down and smiled, saying, "They sent a castrated Hyūga to the Hidden Cloud. With the Cloud's temper, they were bound to send troops. Naturally, they wanted more than just that Hyūga."

"But Kakashi wouldn't let them get their way."

"He stirred up the emotions of the Leaf ninjas, igniting the fire in their hearts, which led to this battle!"

"And then, without giving anyone time to react, Kakashi led his forces swiftly and went straight into battle!"

"Haha, Kakashi probably didn't even prepare much for logistics, just planning to return immediately after the fight!"

Itachi frowned and asked, "Would Kakashi think that far ahead?"

"You used to be his subordinate. What's your opinion of Kakashi?"

"He's excellent!"

Itachi answered bluntly, "In every respect, Kakashi is an exceptional ninja. He absolutely has the qualifications to become Hokage. If it weren't for the Sharingan holding him back, he might already be at the Hokage level."

"Your assessment is quite fair."

Itsuki smiled and said, "Since you hold him in such high regard, isn't it normal for Kakashi to do something unexpected?"

"It just doesn't seem like Kakashi. The start, process, and end of this battle all feel like the actions of a hot-headed rookie."

"Haha!"

Itsuki chuckled, saying, "You're thinking too conventionally."

"What is the current state of the Leaf Village? Everyone there is seeking change. If they don't change, they'll die!"

Itachi nodded in understanding, then stared at Itsuki: "Does Kakashi's situation have anything to do with you, Lord Mokage?"

Itsuki was taken aback and then smiled bitterly, saying, "Why is it that everything gets pinned on me? Itachi, am I really that bad?"

Itachi sneered and said, "I'm not calling this a bad thing. The Leaf Village becoming stronger is good for the Fire Shadow Village. After all, the Leaf Village has been severely damaged, and even if they want to recover, it'll take decades. That's plenty of time for the Fire Shadow Village to regain its strength."

"Besides, the Leaf Village also gained real benefits."

"The only ones unhappy are probably the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud!"

"Hmm, you make a lot of sense."

"So, did you have a hand in this, Kakashi's situation?"

Itsuki blinked and was about to deny it when he saw Itachi's exasperated look and smiled bitterly, saying, "Fine, I just gave Kakashi a few suggestions. As for how he acted… I got involved."

"I knew it!"

Itachi laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You really are something."

He sighed, saying, "For something this big to happen in the Leaf Village, and you've got your hand in it, Lord Mokage, I have to hand it to you."

Itsuki sighed as well, saying, "Do you think I wanted to? It's all for the sake of the Fire Shadow Village."

(End of chapter)