Uchiha Naka Shrine.
"What?!"
Inside the dim, solemn chamber, Uchiha Yoru stared wide-eyed, pointing at his own nose as he looked at Elder Uchiha Setsuna, who was nodding at him, and the impassive Fugaku, head of the Uchiha Clan.
"Clan Head, Elder, back at the Ninja Academy, I fought Sarutobi Asuma over Yūhi Kurenai for the pride of the Uchiha Clan! I've already come to fully understand my mistake."
Uchiha Yoru's eyes widened in disbelief, as though to say, How could you do this to me?
Uchiha Fugaku remained silent, acting as though he had heard nothing. Beside him, Elder Setsuna gave a soft cough, his expression grave, and said in a low voice, "The Uchiha Clan's relocation is imminent, and almost none of the village's Jōnin trust the Uchiha."
It was the third day after the Nine-Tails' rampage struck Konoha. On the first day, funerals had been held for the Fourth Hokage and countless ninja. On the second, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third, had announced his return to power. On the third, it had been decided to redraw the various clans' territories under the pretext of rebuilding Konoha. The clan head had only just notified them today to prepare for relocation.
As for why it was the Jōnin, only they had been qualified to participate in the battle against the Nine-Tails and still stand a chance of surviving. Most of the Chunin and Genin casualties had been caught in the collateral damage, so naturally, they did not know the Nine-Tails had been controlled by the Sharingan.
Uchiha Yoru's expression turned serious at those words, but his gaze shifted toward Uchiha Shisui beside him. Everyone noticed.
Uchiha Shisui lowered his head awkwardly. He was only thirteen at the time. Uchiha Yoru protested, "Shisui's the right age too."
Uchiha Shisui instantly became even more embarrassed. Seeing this, Elder Setsuna gave a long sigh. "Yoru, your talent is beyond question. Shisui merely has a little talent for training. You're different."
Seriously! What kind of thing was that to say? What did he mean by 'merely a little talent for training'?
Uchiha Shisui nodded repeatedly at those words, while Uchiha Yoru looked somewhat reluctant. Seeing his reaction, the Great Elder felt a little helpless, then shook his head. "This mission will be extremely difficult. After discussing it with the clan head, I've decided to assign it to you as a Clan A-Rank Mission. The reward will be one million."
Uchiha Yoru had looked utterly reluctant a second earlier, but the moment he heard about the million in payment, all traces of hesitation vanished. His expression became solemn and noble, brimming with passionate resolve and a sense of sacred duty. He nodded earnestly. "For the revival of the Uchiha! For the village! Clan Head, Elder! Rest assured, Uchiha Yoru will complete the mission."
Good grief. One second he had looked reluctant, and the next he looked ready to lay down his life for a righteous cause. Uchiha Shisui felt even more awkward watching him. Although this was all meant to improve relations between the clan and the village, it still felt a little shameless.
Watching the young man so shamelessly dress up his greed as devotion to the clan, even Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, could not stop the corner of his eye from twitching. Had he not known this young man's background so well, he might actually have believed him.
Uchiha Yoru was fourteen that year, a Chunin who had awakened a one-tomoe Sharingan on the Nine-Tails Night. Uchiha Shisui beside him, meanwhile, was already a genius with three tomoe. Although he still held the rank of Chunin, the Sharingan's enhancement had already brought his strength to the level of a Jōnin.
Yet this was a talent even Uchiha Shisui admitted he could not match. Looking at the handsome young man standing before him with such a righteous air, Uchiha Fugaku sighed inwardly. In this particular respect, Shisui truly could not compare.
Uchiha Yoru wore a pure white kimono and black pants. The front hung open, revealing a glimpse of eye-catching muscle. Deep black arm guards covered his forearms and extended to his palms. A black rope belt was tied around the cloth at his waist, with a ninja straight sword tucked horizontally through it.
Although he was only fourteen, he was already 1.7 meters tall. With his sculpted, handsome features and cool expression, the outfit made him look strikingly dashing. His current appearance closely resembled Sasuke during his time with Team Taka.
Looking at Uchiha Yoru's face and tall, straight frame, Elder Setsuna could not help nodding in approval. "Yoru, the Uchiha Clan has reached a critical juncture. Although the Third has taken power, it is only to stabilize the turbulent situation. Once things settle down, a Fifth Hokage will certainly be chosen, and right now, only the Sannin are qualified to contend for the position."
"But Tsunade's whereabouts are unknown, and Jiraiya is carrying out a confidential mission in another country. He won't be back for at least six months to a year. That leaves only Orochimaru to become the future Fifth Hokage. Whether our Uchiha Clan can regain the Hokage's trust rests entirely on you."
At this point, the elder's expression grew even more solemn, and Uchiha Fugaku beside him also looked grave. Seeing this, resolve appeared in Uchiha Shisui's eyes. To restore trust between the clan and the village, they had to become a bridge.
Uchiha Yoru nodded earnestly at the sight. "Clan Head, Elder, rest assured. I'll do everything I can to get close to Lord Orochimaru's Chunin disciple, Mitaraishi Anko."
Indeed! The banner under which the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had returned was that he would temporarily resume power to stabilize the village, serving as a transitional leader. Once the turmoil subsided, he would step down in favor of a worthy successor. (This was explicitly stated in the anime.)
Orochimaru had already been one of the candidates for Fourth Hokage, and in countless people's eyes, his becoming the Fifth Hokage was practically a foregone conclusion. In Konoha, which had just endured the Nine-Tails' rampage, almost no one trusted the Uchiha. To reclaim their rightful standing and restore that trust, the Uchiha had no choice but to first establish good relations with the future Fifth Hokage.
Anko was the perfect opening. If someone her age from the Uchiha Clan could get close to Orochimaru's disciple, even if they were still too young, establishing a relationship first could at least ease the tension.
Yet none of them would have imagined that Orochimaru, the man on whom nearly everyone had pinned their hopes, would defect. (Episode 586: after Orochimaru brought back the four previous Hokage using Impure World Reincarnation, Minato still addressed him as Teacher Orochimaru upon appearing. This suggests that Orochimaru defected after the Nine-Tails' rampage.)
Uchiha Fugaku exchanged a glance with the elder beside him. Although Yoru was a little young, his age was exactly right for this. More importantly, Uchiha Yoru was the best-looking member of their clan in that age group, and he had awakened the Sharingan. Though he had only just awakened it, his talent was at least quite good.
"Clan Head, Elder, as you both know, since Anko is Lord Orochimaru's disciple, I'll still need some funds." Uchiha Yoru spoke with an awkward, hesitant air.
The corners of Fugaku's and the elder's eyes twitched at the sight. Had they not known how greedy this fellow was, they might actually have believed him.
"Fine. I'll allocate two hundred thousand ryō to you first."
If you wanted a horse to run, you had to feed it well. That principle had held true throughout the ages, and the elder made his generous offer without the slightest hesitation.
Uchiha Yoru immediately smiled at those words. Greedy? He did not want to be, either, but his system required him to spend money. He had exhausted all his savings buying the Sharingan during the Nine-Tails Night three days earlier. Without securing some funds, never mind chasing girls—he would soon be too broke to eat.
Now he frowned, troubled by how he should explain this to Yūhi Kurenai. After all, Yūhi Kurenai and Anko were best friends.
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