How to Survive as an Uchiha

151 – Thumbs Up to Death

The Fourth Raikage, who inherited the name "A," was reviewing documents in his office.

Since Killer B's death, he had become noticeably more silent.

But there was no doubt he was the strongest ninja in Kumo, quite literally.

After finishing a document, he put down his pen.

Every hour, he made it a point to stand up for a moment—his work routine was very strict.

After walking around his office, he ended up at the huge window, staring out at the mountains with their snowy peaks

A and B—the Raikage and the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, known as the A–B Combo—were the cornerstone of Kumo's strength.

Kumo was not only a village that thrived on martial arts but also a truly centralized one, with supreme authority concentrated in the hands of the Raikage alone.

Like the Will of Fire in Konoha, Kumo also united the village under the concept of a large family.

However, due to its organizational habits, which were closer to those of a clan or gang family, its cohesion was even stronger. A key requirement for this was the Raikage's strong leadership charisma and absolute power.

The Eight-Tails jinchūriki was both a partner and a personal bodyguard for the Raikage, serving as his most potent source of strength.

But now, the Eight-Tails was gone.

The Two-Tails was still imprisoned in Konoha.

A didn't want to delay retrieving the Two-Tails, but demonstrating weakness to emphasize Konoha's strength, while adopting a do-or-die attitude to deter other villages' ambitions toward Kumo, had been the previous strategy.

This strategy couldn't exactly be called a failure—it had initially progressed as planned.

If not for Masashi, by now Konoha should have been in a state of being feared and opposed by all the villages. This would have allowed Kumo to launch its second phase of actions smoothly.

However, Masashi's emergence had been far too sudden. During the Third Great Ninja War, the Uchiha clan had only produced Shisui the Teleporter.

Everyone at the time assumed that was the peak of this generation's Uchiha members.

But in subsequent battles, Masashi had frequently appeared. His strength was overwhelming, and his cunning even more so.

Now, the Lands of Earth, Fire, and Water formed a continuous block stretching from west to east.

Although Suna harbored resentment toward Konoha, it was currently powerless to act. With the three great nations united, Kumo's direct interactions with others were severely constrained.

If Kumo continued to show weakness, a pack of wolves might soon descend upon them.

Stretching his neck and back in front of the window, A returned to his desk and pressed the desk buzzer.

Soon, the door opened, and the leader of Kumo's ANBU entered.

"Raikage-sama."

"Any news on the Eight-Tails?"

"No. We've mobilized all our resources to

This was also why Konoha did not actively attack Kumo. If Kumo refused to sign a treaty, Konoha would simply continue to stall.

---

Following the Ice and Snow Festival, Kumo finally made its move.

In the first half of Year 54, Kumo, seemingly unable to bear the pressure, proposed peace talks and an alliance.

As the second-in-command of the Uchiha clan and a ninja of Hokage-level strength, Masashi attended the internal discussion meeting at the Hokage building.

Minato announced the proposal and began soliciting opinions from various parties.

Masashi immediately expressed his opposition.

"Peace talks are fine, but an alliance is out of the question," he stated, explaining his reasoning to the gathered high-level officials. "Konoha doesn't need so many allies. Our cooperation with Kiri and Iwa is already beneficial. Adding Kumo won't bring any gains; it'll only harm the interests of all three villages. Without those benefits, our alliance with Iwa will immediately fall apart."

"Masashi-sama," the head of the administrative department adjusted his glasses, "since forming an alliance with Iwa, trade between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth has flourished. The Land of Lightning is also a wealthy nation. If we ally with Kumo, our funding for next year could increase significantly."

"That won't happen," Masashi replied, shaking his head. "Once the war ends, all nations will enter a period of military contraction—except for the Land of Lightning. We need to rely more on the association's revenue. Letting Kumo join our alliance will only weaken our financial strength. Military contraction is inevitable, and the feudal lords' investments will decrease. This will put greater pressure on the village's self-sufficiency, leaving no room to share profits with Kumo. Moreover…"

He paused, his gaze turning unfriendly.

"Kumo should be paying compensation. If they expect to take money from Konoha, they can forget it."

To Masashi, the head of the administrative department seemed suspicious.

He hoped the man hadn't accepted bribes from a Kumo envoy. If he had, Masashi would ensure he faced consequences.

Deciding to investigate, he resolved to have the man checked out as soon as he returned.

When it came to administrative department personnel, Masashi never overestimated their integrity.

While they wouldn't outright betray the village or intentionally harm its interests, they were certainly prone to personal gain in areas they didn't fully understand.

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