Reincarnated as Itachi Uchiha at the Start

As Kazuma and the Daimyo's wife hurried off, Naori Uchiha let a faint smirk cross her lips. She turned to Izumi Uchiha, who had just stepped out of the chamber.

"I've already cast a genjutsu on Kazuma," she said coolly.

"The moment he encounters Asuma Sarutobi, the Lightning Style Four, or Chiriku, he'll go berserk—he won't stop until one of them is dead."

"Understood. Thank you for your effort, Naori-senpai," Izumi replied respectfully.

"What's my next move?" Naori asked.

"The Daimyo will almost certainly send assassins to take out Asuma during the Twelve Guardian Ninja selection," Izumi said. "When that time comes, your job is to team up with Asuma—and eliminate the entire Twelve Guardian Ninja. No survivors. That will throw the Daimyo into a fury."

"Kill them all? And what about Asuma?" Naori asked.

"We'll cripple him—take his limbs but leave him alive. Then we make a dramatic entrance, save his life, and plant a genjutsu. Let him return and report to Hiruzen. Once he's done, we trigger the illusion and kill him. Let Hiruzen Sarutobi taste the bittersweet joy of burying his own son while still full of gratitude."

"That way, the Daimyo's Estate and the Hokage's faction will be at each other's throats—no turning back. And without a true master to rely on, won't the Daimyo be ours to control?" Izumi smiled faintly.

"Got it." With that, Izumi vanished into a flurry of glowing blue butterflies.

...

"Madam, you arrived at the perfect time!" the Daimyo said excitedly. "I just received word—Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura have had a falling out! Just earlier, Hiruzen sent Anbu to wipe out the Shimura clan. It's glorious! Hahaha!" He laughed heartily, thrilled by the turn of events. Who would've thought even Hiruzen's closest allies would one day betray him? Truly a reason to celebrate!

"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet," the Daimyo's wife said grimly. "I've received intel too—Hiruzen's already sent his son, Asuma Sarutobi, into our estate. He's applying to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Among the candidates, Chiriku and the Lightning Style Four are all loyal to him. We need to act now."

"What?! Chiriku and the Lightning Four are with Hiruzen?" the Daimyo paled, eyes wide with alarm.

"That means five out of twelve are his people. If Asuma gets in, half the Twelve Guardian Ninja will be under the Hokage's control!" His voice trembled at the realization. "If they stage a coup—use me to control the nobility—we're finished!"

"We can't just sit around and wait to be overthrown," he growled. "We have to strike first! Before Asuma gets in, we'll have Kazuma and the others kill him—quietly, cleanly."

"Cut the weed at the root," he said darkly.

"Exactly," his wife agreed. "The fact that he's sent Asuma here proves Hiruzen has already set his plans in motion."

"If Hiruzen wants to play dirty, then he shouldn't blame us for responding in kind."

"An eye for an eye."

"If he doesn't want us to survive, then we won't let him sleep easy."

"Danzo's on the run, isn't he? We'll reach out—back him, help him rise. Let him and Hiruzen tear each other apart."

"And we'll also contact those two old fossils—Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. They'll pressure Hiruzen from within."

"Demand that Konoha restores order, or we cut off funding from the Daimyo's Estate."

"With pressure coming from both fronts, Hiruzen won't be able to keep up. That's when we strike," the Daimyo's wife concluded.

"Madam speaks wisely," the Daimyo nodded.

The two wasted no time—Kazuma and a team were dispatched to locate Asuma.

...

In the Inuzuka compound.

Hana Inuzuka knelt on both knees, head lowered. Her mother, Tsume Inuzuka, stood before her with arms crossed, expression frosty.

"So you had the guts to sell ninja dogs to the Uchiha—but not the guts to tell your own mother?" she said coldly.

Hana had been in the same class as Itachi Uchiha. Though he only attended the academy for a year, he captivated most of the girls in their age group. Tall, handsome, brilliant lineage—and hardworking to boot.

Men like him were fireflies in the night—bright, rare, impossible to ignore. Just like Minato Namikaze back in the day… only to be snatched up by Kushina.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again," Hana said softly, bowing in apology. She never thought selling just a hundred ninja dogs would set her mother off.

"Hmph. You think I'm mad about that?"

"What I mean is—girls need to be proactive! You think just selling them ninja dogs is enough? Those Sharingan idiots probably don't even know how to raise them."

"You need to offer some after-sales service!"

"Starting tomorrow—no, starting now—you're in charge of all Uchiha transactions. Your only mission is to teach Itachi how to raise ninja dogs. Got it? Make sure he's satisfied. If not, don't bother coming back. And if you can—get him to visit our clan more often," Tsume commanded.

"..."

"Eh?" Hana blinked. Wasn't she about to scold me...?

"Well? What are you waiting for? Go deliver the dogs yourself!"

"O-Okay!" Still dazed, Hana grabbed Akamaru and hurried out.

Tsume watched her confused daughter disappear down the path and let out a deep sigh. Honestly. I even have to teach her how to chase a man. What a waste of years raising her.

Itachi was only thirteen—and already the Uchiha clan head. There was no need to guess: his future was limitless.

If we don't invest now, we'll regret it later.

And why was she so sure? A woman's intuition. The Inuzuka clan's keen sense of smell. And a key piece of intel: the 100 million ryō donated to the Konoha Orphanage? That didn't come from the Uchiha clan—it came from Itachi personally. Confirmed by none other than the orphanage head, Nono Yakushi.

Tsume felt she had a real shot.

Other clans might not dare to bet—she would. Others wouldn't dare to grovel—her daughter would.

Worst case? I lose a daughter. Still got a son… and a dog.

...

Hokage Tower – Conference Room

"The days when Hiruzen operated externally and Danzo pulled strings internally—those were Konoha's golden years," Koharu Utatane sighed.

"I can't believe Hiruzen would act so cruelly. He sent the Anbu after Danzo without even telling us."

"Can't he see this is all part of the enemy's plot?" Homura Mitokado slammed a fist on the table, fury barely restrained. "Does he even remember we're his advisors?"

"Now the two of them are completely broken. The Shimura clan's been wiped out. Once Danzo returns, it'll be an all-out war."

"What are we supposed to do?" Koharu said anxiously.

"What to do?" a voice sneered.

"Heh, losing the Shimura clan and gaining the Uchiha—what's so bad about that? Was this choice really that hard?"

The doors swung open.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped into the room.

Kakashi and two Anbu stood guard at the threshold, silent and watchful.

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