After spreading the news, Xuan sat quietly in Xin City, watching the storm gather.
The Akahane clan moved swiftly. Maintaining a calm facade on the surface, they rapidly amassed their shinobi in the shadows and launched a sudden, vicious night raid on the Rekka clan the very next day.
Because of what happened to the Kimura and the other two clans, the Rekka weren't entirely unprepared. However, the gap in raw strength was simply too vast. Spearheaded by two Peak Jōnin, the Akahane forces smashed through the Rekka compound with overwhelming momentum, slaughtering them with minimal casualties.
Having received the news early on, Kimei Takuya and the Shokuka Clan Head marched to the Akahane compound to demand answers.
Akahane Akira's response was unyielding. He threw down a stack of secret letters, stating coldly, "This is the proof of their treasonous collusion with the Uchiha."
The two Clan Heads picked up the letters. There were dispatched messages and replies, some even containing leaked alliance intelligence. If genuine, this was absolute proof of the Rekka clan's guilt. But—the damn ink on the letters was visibly still wet! If you're going to forge evidence, at least be a little professional about it!
However, seeing Akira's groundless, tyrannical arrogance, the words of the mysterious "Owl" echoed in their minds. Their gazes gradually turned freezing cold.
Without another word, the two Clan Heads turned and left. That very night, another shocking piece of news broke: the Kimei and Shokuka clans had launched simultaneous surprise attacks on the Matsuba and Eguchi clans. Moving at blistering speeds, they completely swallowed the two factions.
Immediately afterward, the Kimei and Shokuka jointly announced the formation of an offensive and defensive pact, dubbing themselves the "Ghost Fire Alliance". They publicly denounced the Akahane clan for treachery, accusing them of annexing the Rekka under fabricated charges—while conveniently ignoring their own annexation of the Matsuba and Eguchi. Finally, they formally declared their withdrawal from the twelve-clan alliance.
In an instant, the northern region descended into total chaos. The original alliance existed in name only. From its inception to its absolute fragmentation, the grand coalition had lasted barely a month.
Furious, Akahane Akira paraded his forged letters of "Uchiha collusion," claiming he had acted strictly according to alliance rules and that the Ghost Fire Alliance were the true traitors. He bitterly condemned their annexation of the Matsuba and Eguchi, accusing them of harboring wild ambitions to devour every clan in the north, and vehemently called upon the remaining factions to besiege them.
Unfortunately... nobody gave a damn about what he had to say.
No one was an idiot; everyone could see exactly what was happening. The remaining three clans hastily banded together to form a third faction. Led by the Hoshino clan—who possessed a Peak Jōnin—the "Three-Clan Alliance" consisted of the Hoshino, Shiraishi, and Kusabuka. They furiously denounced both the Akahane and the Ghost Fire Alliance as treacherous backstabbers, claimed that they were the true successors of the original alliance, and branded both opposing factions as traitors.
The situation escalated at a speed that defied all expectations. Even Uchiha Xuan, the mastermind who had lit the fuse, was astonished by how quickly they tore each other's throats out. In a single week, the formidable nine-clan coalition had fractured into three highly hostile, warring factions.
"Hahaha! Excellent! You damn rats, this is exactly the fate you deserve!"
Even from far down the hallway, Xuan could hear Uchiha Tō's boisterous laughter. Quickening his pace, he walked into the main hall and asked with a smile, "Uncle Tō, what's got you in such a good mood?"
He knew perfectly well why Uchiha Tō was laughing; he was just playing dumb.
"Haha! Xuan, you're here. I just received the intelligence reports. It's exactly as you predicted! That twelve-clan alliance is fighting like a pack of stray dogs. They've actually started slaughtering each other from the inside! It's so damn satisfying to watch!"
Uchiha Tō was in remarkably high spirits, waving Xuan over with his remaining left hand.
Xuan walked up, offered a few smiling words of flattery, and kept his mouth shut.
Uchiha Tō reviewed the intelligence reports in his hand two more times, a thoughtful look crossing his face. "Say... if I were to lead our forces out right now and ambush them while they're tearing each other apart, do you think we could wipe them all out?"
Hmm? Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly. Uchiha Tō wanting to interfere was not good news. He had worked so hard to muddy the waters to this perfect degree.
After a brief thought, Xuan decided not to dissuade him. Pushing back too hard would only arouse suspicion. All he needed was this piece of information. Although the six major clans outside were currently at each other's throats, their combined strength was still formidable. As long as he leaked this intel to them in advance, he could set Uchiha Tō up for a second ambush. After suffering two devastating ambushes in a row, Tō would likely be forced to sit back and behave.
The only issue Xuan needed to consider was how to completely clear his own name.
During the first ambush, Uchiha Tō had blamed the Kimura and the other defectors. Xuan hadn't fallen under suspicion. But if they were perfectly ambushed again, it would be impossible to explain away. Even an idiot would realize there was a mole in their ranks. By linking this to the previous incident, Xuan's status as a prime suspect was basically guaranteed.
After pondering carefully, Xuan formulated a plan to clear his name. All he had to do was fabricate a convenient "culprit."
"Uchiha Tō is preparing to ambush us?!" Akahane Akira asked, his face incredibly dark.
He hadn't expected the situation to spiral out of control like this. His original plan was to rapidly annex the Rekka to bolster his strength, then quickly devour a few more clans before anyone else could react, establishing the Akahane as the absolute, undisputed hegemon. He never anticipated that the Kimei and Shokuka would react with such astonishing speed—almost as if they had advance intelligence—leaving him completely blindsided.
And now, Uchiha Tō was about to jump into the fray. Even without reinforcements from the main compound, the Uchiha forces in Xin City still vastly overpowered any single faction among the three new alliances.
"How did it come to this?" Akira muttered subconsciously, feeling as if the entire situation was slipping out of his grasp.
Watching his reaction from beneath the black hood, a mocking sneer touched the corners of Xuan's mouth, though his tone was reassuring. "Clan Head Akahane, there is no need to worry. The situation isn't entirely dire."
"Oh?" Akira turned to look at him, though he could only see the dark abyss of the cloak.
"Start writing letters. Contact the Ghost Fire Alliance and the Three-Clan Alliance. Tell them this exact piece of intelligence. Under the crushing pressure of the Uchiha, I am absolutely certain they will be willing to set aside their grudges."
"Will... will that really work?" Akira frowned. He had completely burned his bridges with the other two factions; they might not be willing to cooperate.
"Of course," Xuan chuckled softly. "To put it bluntly, the conflict between your three factions is simply a matter of dividing the spoils. Everyone wants a bigger slice of the pie, which is why things escalated to this point. But that is an internal contradiction. None of your three factions possess the strength to completely annihilate the others—at least, not right now.
"But if the Uchiha march out, you will all face an existential crisis. When given the choice between life and death, the answer is virtually guaranteed."
After successfully persuading Akahane Akira, Xuan provided a few more specific tactical details before utilizing his space-time Ninjutsu to depart.
Meanwhile, at the exact moment Xuan was leaking the intelligence, back in Xin City...
Outside Uchiha Tō's quarters, Xuan's Shadow Clone knocked lightly on the door.
Uchiha Tō opened it, looking confused. "Is something the matter?"
"Ah, Uncle Tō. I suddenly hit a roadblock while practicing a Ninjutsu, and I wanted to ask for your advice," Xuan's Shadow Clone said with a bright smile.
Naturally, he wasn't actually there to ask for Ninjutsu advice. He had one singular goal: to ensure he was constantly seen in Uchiha Tō's presence over the next few days.
In the field of criminology, this was known as establishing an airtight alibi.
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