The Three Swordsmen (Not)

It was already the next day, and because of Izuna's public announcement, people who wanted to know about Izuna began to investigate him. Naturally, the incident of Izuna's glasses falling off was like a pebble thrown into a lake, with ripples spreading in circles in all directions.

The Uchiha Clan Compound was the first to be in an uproar.

Originally, only a few people knew about this, and those who did were afraid that the news would hurt Izuna, so they didn't say anything.

They only spread the news after they discovered Izuna's public announcement the next day.

This was also to protect Lord Izuna. They believed that once they knew about this, even the most stubborn and least trusting members of Izuna clan would instinctively want to protect him.

That is indeed the case.

"What?! Lord Izuna's eye has popped out?!"

An Uchiha man was having dinner when he heard his companion across from him say those words. His chopsticks slipped from his hand and hit the rim of his bowl with a crisp sound.

Who told you that?

"My child saw it with his own eyes today at the Training Ground! He wasn't the only one; many children saw it!"

"No... wait..." The Ninja's expression shifted from shock to confusion, then to an indescribable terror. "Could it be true that Clan Head Madara said he'd need six months to recover?"

"But can recovering from an injury lead to this?!"

"Did he mean this when he told the children he had a minor health problem? Is this a minor health problem?! No wonder Lord Madara wouldn't let him leave the village! Why did his eye pop out so easily?! Something's not right here!"

That's exactly what I'm saying!

A buzzing sound filled the restaurant; everyone was whispering and their expressions were quite varied.

"An eye falls out and can be put back in? How is that even possible?"

He said it was Artificial Eye...

"Do you believe that? You believe it's Artificial Eye? My child said there's something trailing behind it!"

"Stop talking, stop talking, I'm getting goosebumps..."

"What exactly was Lord Izuna's injury? What has he been through in the past six months?"

"He thinks he can defend the Arena in this condition?"

"Has he gone mad?!"

"But he already made that claim. Besides, if we can't beat him, how can anyone else?" The man scoffed. "There were seven or eight Jonin back then, and he took them all down without even using Dōjutsu or Ninjutsu."

"That's true..."

"We can't just stand by and watch, can we?"

"I'm going to support Lord Izuna!"

"I'm going too!"

"I also!"

However, clans other than the Uchiha have completely different focuses.

Inside a teahouse in the Senju Clan Compound, several Senju Ninjas were surrounding their companion who had just returned from outside.

"What did you say? Uchiha Izuna's eyeballs popped out?"

"Yes, it was right there at the Training Ground. Lots of people saw it."

"... They can actually take out the Uchiha's eyes and put them back in?" A Senju girl shuddered. "How terrifying!"

"What are you afraid of? It's not like you're the one doing this."

"No, I was thinking, if I encounter Uchiha on the battlefield, and his eye pops out during the fight—what should I do? Pick it up for him?"

"Are you out of your mind?"

"I'm serious! What if he makes me pay?"

"Shut up!"

"The key issue now is whether this will affect him," Senju Kai with some concern. "He is, after all, one of Konoha's current decision-makers. If something happens to him..."

One of the Senju scoffed, "Hmph, what's there to worry about with just one Uchiha? Our Clan Head and Second-in-Command are fine even without him."

"No, you don't understand," Kai sighed, "He... sigh..."

"In short, Uchiha Izuna cannot be harmed." Senju Yūki Yuuki stepped forward. "I'm here to announce the Clan Head and Elders ' decision: none of you should register. If we find anyone with the surname Senju on the Arena Match registration form, they will be dealt with according to Clan Rules."

Upon hearing their Young Clan Head speak, the members of the Senju clan, whether they knew the truth or were dissatisfied, could only lower their heads and reply, "Yes."

Yūki nodded, then looked at Kai and the Senju youth who had once played the role of Kumagai, sitting in the corner. "Kai, Asari, spread this news."

"Yes, Lord Yūki."

Watching the two leave, Yūki sighed, "You two are such a handful... If either of you continues to belittle or distort Lord Izuna's standing in the village, I can act first and ask for permission later. Understand? Then leave! Go home!"

After watching the Senju who harbored hostility towards the Uchiha leave, he continued to other places to find the Senju who had clearly expressed his agreement with Izuna and to inform the clan members about this.

When the news reached Hikaku's ears, he was sitting on his porch working on documents.

Old Man Shigō slowly Earth Flow over with a cup of tea, sat down opposite him, put down his teacup, and began by saying:

"Izuna's eye fell out of its socket yesterday."

Hikaku, his brush in his hand still.

He looked up at his father's calm face and wondered if he had misheard.

"... What?"

"Izuna's eyes... they fell out of their sockets." Shigō repeated, his tone as flat as if he were remarking on the Tenten.

Hikaku and stared at his father for a full three seconds. A slowly rising sense of absurdity made his pupils dilate.

"No," Hikaku's voice was filled with disbelief, "What are you saying? That thing is supposed to fall out like that?"

"Long said so." Shigō picked up his teacup and blew on the steam. "Long saw it with his own eyes."

"With my own eyes???"

He said they were real eyes.

"Wait a minute!" Hikaku's voice rose a half-octave. "It's terrifying enough that it fell out of its socket! And you're telling me it's a real eye?!"

Shigō nodded. "Mm."

Hikaku a deep breath, as if trying to process the information. Then, a question occurred to him, and his voice suddenly lowered, carrying a hint of cautious probing:

"... He is... both eyes..."

"It's said to be the left eye." Shigō took a sip of tea.

"It's really not Artificial Eye?"

Shigō raised his eyelids and glanced at him. "Do you think Artificial Eye can have the patterns of Sharingan?"

Hikaku: "..."

"It's still the Sharingan!!"

"Calm down."

"How can I stay calm?! That's the Sharingan! Wait, didn't he already give the Sharingan to the Clan Head? How could he...? Could it be that he transplanted a regular one...? That's why..."

"No, I think those must be his own eyes."

"... ha?"

Shigō summarized the message Madara had conveyed to them. "Izuna isn't from our world. He has his own family and friends, but given his various behaviors, something major must have happened in his world, causing him to leave and come here. He's currently suffering from amnesia."

Hikaku: "..."

Shigō continued calmly, "The Clan Head said everyone should remain calm and proceed as planned. Hikaku, I know you care about that child, so..."

Hikaku: "So he is Izuna."

Shigō was taken aback. "What?"

"He's Izuna, right?"

Looking into his son's eyes, which seemed to gleam with golden light, Shigō was speechless. "He doesn't even know you."

"Then he's also Izuna!" Hikaku stood up. "Since he is, I'll go help him."

"Hikaku!" Shigō sighed after seeing Hikaku jump out of the yard in slippers without even going through the main gate. "Never mind."

As the Hikaku burst out of its yard, the Geta made a series of rapid sounds on the stone pavement, startling several sparrows pecking at food by the roadside into taking flight.

He had only one thought in his mind.

Find the Tadayo, find the Setsuna.

It wasn't about discussing it, but about confirming it. Confirming that they knew, confirming that they would do the same thing.

The first person Hikaku found was Tadayo.

At that moment, Tadayo was standing outside his own yard, looking up at the Red Camellia Tree. The morning light fell on his shoulders, casting a long shadow.

"Tadayo!"

Tadayo turned around, and the expression on his face made Hikaku pause in his steps.

He looked so relaxed, as if he had let go of something, with a slightly bittersweet sense of relief on his face.

"You know?" Tadayo asked.

Hikaku caught its breath. "Where's Setsuna?"

"It should be at his usual Training Ground."

The two turned and walked together toward the Training Ground.

There weren't many pedestrians on the road, except for a few early-rising Ninjas jogging occasionally, who would nod hurriedly in greeting when they saw them. Hikaku and Tadayo returned the greeting, their pace undiminished.

The Training Ground was located on the east side of the clan's territory, near the wall. It was called Training Ground, but it was actually just a leveled open space with a few old locust trees planted around it, and several targets for practicing Shuriken.

That place was Training Ground secretly set up by some Uchiha members. There were always some people who wanted to hide their Strength or train quietly.

This is a place like this.

As expected, it was there in Setsuna.

He stood alone in front of the target, holding a bow, nocking an arrow, and aiming.

But the arrow was not released for a long time.

Hikaku and Tadayo remained silent, standing still in the shade of the tree, waiting.

After a few more breaths, Setsuna finally released his grip. The arrow shot through the air and landed firmly to the left of the bullseye.

It didn't miss the target, but for Setsuna, this deviation already speaks volumes.

He put down the bow in Setsuna and turned around.

"You all know that too."

Hikaku stepped forward. "What are you thinking?"

Setsuna a moment of silence, he uttered almost the exact same words as the Hikaku: "He is Izuna."

Tadayo paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile, "You two are quite in sync."

Hikaku looked at the two of them. "I confirmed it with my father. The Clan Head chief said it himself. He's not from this world. He's lost his memory, but he is Izuna."

"That's enough." Setsuna hung the bow on the shelf beside him and dusted off his hands. "We need to help him."

The three people's eyes met, their understanding as seamless as if they were one.

No further discussion is needed.

There's no need to hesitate any longer.

They grew up together, trained together, and went to the battlefield together.

When Izuna was alive, they followed the brothers Madara and Izuna. When Izuna was gone, they each shouldered their own responsibilities. Now Izuna has returned.

No matter where he came from, no matter if he is the same person as before, as long as he is Izuna, what they have to do will not change.

Hikaku was the first to speak, "I'll go keep an eye on the Delegation's movements. The news that Lord Izuna's eye popped out has already spread; those outside won't let this opportunity pass."

"I'll go and try to get the captain's position from Tobirama, and arrange for people to be deployed around the Amusement Park. Anyone acting suspiciously will be stopped," Setsuna said.

Tadayo said, "Then I will go and mobilize the people in the clan, telling them not to get agitated by external criticism, but to remain neutral and behave themselves."

After each of them finished speaking, they remained silent for a while.

Then Tadayo suddenly laughed.

"Speaking of which, when was the last time the three of us discussed something together?"

Hikaku thought for a moment, "After Lord Izuna's funeral, let's discuss how to deal with the Senju's side."

"Setsuna then, we sat together, and neither of us said a word." There was a hint of nostalgia in her voice. "In the end, it was Hikaku who spoke first."

"Because I don't say anything, the two of you can sit there until dark," Hikaku said irritably. "Alright, enough nonsense, let's call it a day and get back to work."

Tadayo turned to leave, then stopped and looked back at Hikaku.

"Hikaku."

"Um?"

"Did you just climb over the wall again? I heard noises next door."

"Aren't you the same?" Hikaku pouted. "Your front door isn't in this direction from mine, you know."

Tadayo chuckled and looked at Setsuna, "Are you alright?"

Setsuna shrugged. "At worst, I'll let White Hair beat me up. Besides, he broke his promise first. I can give up my ministerial position, but I won't give up my captain's position."

After saying that, he strode Earth Flow.

Tadayo also left, heading towards the main street of the clan's territory.

Hikaku stood on the Training Ground, watching the two figures disappear at the end of the road.

He glanced down at his flip-flops, thought they could still hold up, and then activated his Ninja Footwork, heading straight for the Hokage Building.