Naruto: The Shadow of Uchiha

After several hours of training, Ryosuke had essentially mastered the three genjutsu techniques.

To be honest, with his current foundation, learning these three illusions wasn't particularly difficult. As long as he practiced regularly, he could easily become proficient with them in no time.

His grandfather, seeing how quickly Ryosuke had picked them up—especially the most difficult one, Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique—wasn't just surprised, but genuinely gratified.

Perhaps it was after that time Ryosuke passed out… Maybe it awakened some latent talent, unlocking the limits of his brain, the old man thought.

As his grandfather, he naturally hoped Ryosuke would grow stronger as soon as possible. Even though he no longer held authority in the clan, it wasn't as if he were blind to what was happening.

The Uchiha clan's situation was grim.

The upper echelons of Konoha were applying increasing pressure, and tensions within the clan were rising.

As for whether reconciliation was even possible at this point… his grandfather felt the chances were slim.

Shimura Danzō, in particular, deeply distrusted the Uchiha and was the one who had strongly insisted the clan be relocated to the outskirts of the village—an act meant to suppress them.

Even if the Nine-Tails incident had been orchestrated by an Uchiha, what did it matter whether the clan lived in the village center or on the edge? The forced relocation was clearly a political blow.

As long as that man existed, the possibility of reconciliation between the Uchiha and Konoha leadership was almost nonexistent.

Before leaving, Ryosuke turned to his grandfather and asked,

"Grandpa, doesn't the clan have even more powerful genjutsu techniques?"

He was referring to legendary genjutsu like Izanagi, which could overwrite reality itself. Yet he hadn't found anything like it in the scroll archives—not even Izanami.

These were the pinnacle of Sharingan genjutsu.

If his grandfather didn't have them, the only other possibility was that Clan Head Fugaku possessed them.

His grandfather looked momentarily stunned—he hadn't expected Ryosuke to even know about those secret techniques.

He sighed.

"Yes, they exist… but they were lost when the former clan head, Uchiha Madara, took them with him upon leaving the village."

Ryosuke nodded in understanding.

"That's a shame."

But in truth, he wasn't too disappointed.

After all, Izanagi and Izanami were double-edged swords: once used, the eye went permanently blind.

There were, of course, ways around that—like transplanting another Uchiha's Sharingan, as both Obito and Danzō had done in the original series.

But Ryosuke found the idea of implanting someone else's eye in his own body a little revolting.

If I grow strong enough on my own, I won't need those techniques anyway.

He turned back to his grandfather.

"Then I'll return to my room for now."

Time to resume his training—specifically, breaking through to the Fifth Gate of the Eight Gates Technique.

His grandfather nodded.

Ryosuke had already mastered the three genjutsu. From here on, further progress would depend entirely on his own dedication.

One Week Later

Seven days flew by.

The Cloud Village envoy delegation had finally arrived on the outskirts of Konohagakure.

Leading the group were Dodoi and the blonde-haired Samui. Accompanying them were only four other shinobi.

After all, the real objective of this mission wasn't the peace talks. The true goal was to abduct Hinata Hyūga, the heiress of the Hyūga Clan, and bring her back to Cloud Village for breeding purposes—to create a new bloodline of Hyūga under Kumo's control.

Once they succeeded in capturing Hinata, the small team would retreat quickly. Fewer people meant easier escape.

What surprised the group was that even before reaching Konoha's gates, they could already see a group of Leaf shinobi in flak jackets waiting to greet them, led by an elderly man in the robes of the Hokage.

A massive banner hung outside the village gates, reading:

"Welcome to the Envoys of Kumogakure!"

Dodoi couldn't help but smirk.

"As Lord Fourth Raikage predicted… this Third Hokage really is weak. No strength or presence at all."

"If someone didn't know better, they'd think Kumo and Konoha were on the best of terms."

"If it weren't for the plan to capture Hinata for our breeding program, we would've held these negotiations in Kumo, not here. Just to give these Leaf shinobi a taste of pressure."

Samui nodded in agreement.

Kumo had suffered significant casualties in the war. The ceasefire only happened because they couldn't continue fighting—not because they wanted peace.

And with the Fourth Raikage's famously explosive temper, no one expected a soft or friendly approach to Konoha.

Still, Konoha's welcoming attitude only confirmed one thing:

They were basking in the joy of peace.

That meant this mission had a very high chance of success.

When they arrived at the gates, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately recognized them as Cloud shinobi by their appearance and forehead protectors.

He welcomed them with a smile.

"Welcome, honored guests. The signing ceremony for the peace treaty will be held the day after tomorrow."

"Until then, please enjoy your time in Konoha."

In Hiruzen's mind, Konoha was far more prosperous than Kumogakure.

While Cloud Village sat atop northern plateaus, Konoha thrived on fertile plains.

Letting them see Konoha's wealth and strength would help deter any foolish moves during the negotiation.

Dodoi, abandoning his earlier look of disdain, now put on a courteous front.

"As Lord Hokage says, we look forward to the ceremony."

"And of course, since we rarely get the chance to visit Konoha, we'll make the most of our time exploring the village."

The Third Hokage was pleased by their cooperative attitude and turned to Kakashi Hatake, who was standing beside him.

"Kakashi, take our guests to the luxurious accommodations we prepared ahead of time."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Kakashi bowed in acknowledgment.

Dodoi smiled and said,

"Then we are grateful for your hospitality."

The Third Hokage grew even more reassured.

Looks like the war really scared them into submission.

Once Kakashi escorted the Cloud delegation to their lodgings, he returned to the Hokage Tower to report back.

As soon as Kakashi was out of sight, Dodoi's face twisted into a sneer.

Pathetic Leaf shinobi. They've completely lost the strength they had back in the Second Hokage's era.