"Stop!"
"Splurt~"
The kunai plunged viciously into Uchiha Mina's chest.
The next instant, two Guardian Ninja appeared beside Uchiha Tunan and held two kunai to his throat.
"Damn it."
Shunkawa Yamanaka stood before the iron bed, his expression utterly grim as he roared at Ryoji Yamanaka, who was shakily climbing to his feet by the door:
"Notify Lord Takuya, now."
Ryoji Yamanaka had only just awakened from the genjutsu and had no idea what had happened.
After freezing for a moment, he immediately ran outside.
"Hehe..."
Uchiha Tunan gave a miserable laugh, two streams of bloody tears spilling from his eyes.
Ignoring the kunai pressed against his neck, he leaned forward and gently kissed Uchiha Mina on the forehead.
"Mina... I love you..."
Just then, Takuya Yamanaka hurried in after receiving the news.
He was slightly taken aback by the sight inside the interrogation room and asked:
"What happened?"
Shunkawa Yamanaka hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Lord Takuya, this is what happened..."
After hearing Shunkawa Yamanaka's report, Takuya Yamanaka fell silent for a moment. He looked at the grief-stricken Uchiha Tunan and said in a low voice:
"Give me the memory record. Everyone else, leave."
"Yes."
Uchiha Tunan ignored Takuya Yamanaka as he entered and fumbled to undo the metal restraints binding Uchiha Mina.
He left the blindfold on.
Then he lifted Uchiha Mina's corpse into his arms and walked outside with a vacant expression.
"You..." Takuya Yamanaka instinctively wanted to stop him.
However, he withdrew his outstretched hand halfway and sighed.
"Go."
Uchiha Tunan looked at Takuya Yamanaka with a pale face and said hoarsely:
"Thank you."
With that, Uchiha Tunan staggered away.
For some reason, the sight of Uchiha Tunan's back filled Takuya Yamanaka with a sense of desolation.
"He can already use the Sharingan so skillfully? Even two Chunin couldn't stop him. That kind of talent..."
Takuya Yamanaka narrowed his eyes and looked at the record in his hand.
"I should let Lord Hokage decide."
After leaving the Interrogation Department, Uchiha Tunan did not head directly for the cemetery, nor did he return to the clan grounds.
Instead, he took a detour through Konoha's bustling commercial district.
How could a scene like this be without an audience?
All along the way, people around him pointed and whispered.
Members of the Security Force wanted to step forward and question him, but they were stopped by Anbu temporarily dispatched by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Where is he going?" In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared thoughtfully at the crystal ball before him.
In his eyes, Uchiha Tunan's current condition was far from good.
Hiruzen Sarutobi counted it over. In just three short months, Uchiha Tunan had lost his clan elder brother, his parents, his classmates, and his girlfriend.
Not a trace of family, friendship, or love remained.
Any child his age would have turned dark after that.
Even if he did not, he would probably sink into despair.
"This is troublesome. Why hadn't I thought of it before?
I should have stepped in and protected that girl.
Tunan, I hope you won't disappoint my expectations."
Carrying Uchiha Mina's corpse, Uchiha Tunan came to the swings outside the Ninja Academy and sat down.
Several Anbu watched him from different places in the shadows.
"Mina, this is where we first met.
Without you here, I don't intend to stay either.
When this term ends, I'll apply to graduate early.
Take one last look."
Uchiha Tunan reached out and gently pulled open a small gap in Uchiha Mina's blindfold.
Beneath it, Uchiha Mina's eyes were wide with terror.
Couldn't close your eyes in death? Then don't look anymore. You might scare someone.
Uchiha Tunan pretended to sob, withdrew his hand from the blindfold, and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.
Then he carried Uchiha Mina's corpse to the cemetery for burial.
After burying her, Uchiha Tunan knelt in the cemetery all night.
Perhaps because Hiruzen Sarutobi had secretly issued an order, no one came to disturb him during that time.
After all, this was when Uchiha Tunan was at his weakest and most in need of comfort.
It was also the best time to take advantage of his vulnerability. How could he leave such a perfect opportunity to someone else?
Thus, when dawn was just beginning to break, Hiruzen Sarutobi came up behind Uchiha Tunan.
"Tunan, pull yourself together. Mina definitely wouldn't want to see you like this."
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice, Uchiha Tunan turned around and stood up.
He pressed his lips together, then forced a smile.
"Right. Mina said she liked mature, steady people. I can't cry... I can't cry..."
As he spoke, tears surged uncontrollably in Uchiha Tunan's eyes, and he could only keep wiping them away.
Even as he wiped them, he explained:
"Something got in my eyes."
Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh and gently stroked Uchiha Tunan's hair.
"Sigh... You've gone through too much and lost too much lately.
But you still have the village, and you still have me.
There are also many, many people who care about you.
You're still young. The village will protect you, and I will protect you too.
When you grow up, the village will need you to protect it."
Uchiha Tunan froze at those words. He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with glistening eyes and murmured blankly:
"Lord Hokage..."
"Tunan..."
"Lord Hokage... sob..."
At last, he could no longer suppress his emotions. Uchiha Tunan threw his arms around Hiruzen Sarutobi and buried his face in his chest.
He looked exactly like a child who had been wronged outside.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked down at the sobbing Uchiha Tunan in his arms, his eyes narrowing slightly, though no one knew what he was thinking.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Tunan, who was feigning grief, had thoughts racing through his mind.
Is this old man's approval really that hard to get?
It seemed that, aside from my parents, everyone else whose approval I got was an inexperienced child.
And this system doesn't even have a progress bar. What a headache.
So they remained like that for a while.
The crimson sun gave a gentle leap over the horizon, rising from behind Hokage Rock.
Golden sunlight fell over the two of them, while green leaves drifted in the wind. The scene looked so harmonious and natural.
Seeing that the time was about right, Uchiha Tunan pulled away from Hiruzen Sarutobi's embrace, took a deep breath, and forced a smile.
"Lord Hokage, thank you. I'll pull myself together and protect our village."
Seeing that Uchiha Tunan was no longer grieving, Hiruzen Sarutobi inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
No despair, no turning dark. Good, good.
He immediately put on a kind, gentle smile.
"Can you make it to school on time tomorrow? Do you need me to approve some leave for you?"
"I'm fine."
"Have you had any difficulties in your daily life lately..."
The two chatted as they left the cemetery.
They parted ways when they reached the intersection by the commercial district.
What had happened yesterday had already become strange gossip among the villagers.
On his way home, Uchiha Tunan saw people around him chatting mysteriously, occasionally pointing at him.
As the person involved, Uchiha Tunan naturally had no objections to this.
After all, in this matter, he was innocent, and he was the tragic party.
Suddenly, Uchiha Tunan's gaze sharpened slightly before his expression returned to calm.
Straight ahead, a pale man with waist-length hair was walking toward Uchiha Tunan.
"Look, look! It's Lord Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin."
"Lord Orochimaru."
"Lord Orochimaru."
The passersby all whispered among themselves, looking at the newcomer with reverence.
Orochimaru calmly nodded to the passersby greeting him.
Only a few years had passed since the end of the Second Shinobi War. The Legendary Sannin were Konoha's pride.
When Orochimaru reached Uchiha Tunan.
Uchiha Tunan placed both hands on his knees, reverence in his eyes as well, and bowed to Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru paid no special attention to Uchiha Tunan. Just as he did with everyone else, he merely nodded.
Then they passed each other.
However, after Orochimaru had walked a short distance, the snake-like pupils in his eyes contracted slightly.
A snake's instincts told him that someone was watching him.
He immediately stopped and turned to look back.
Yet there was nothing unusual on the vast street.
"Was it an illusion?"
Orochimaru scanned the area again. Only after confirming that nothing was amiss did he turn and leave.
After Orochimaru had left the street.
Uchiha Tunan took off the cap on his head.
When the two had passed each other just now, Uchiha Tunan had sensed a special yet familiar Chakra leaking out.
He had quietly observed with the Byakugan.
Inside Orochimaru's ninja tool pouch was a sealed test tube containing a pair of Sharingan soaking in fluid.
He had already started making his move.
Looks like I need to be more careful.
He probably won't come after me, right?
"Kid, you look very handsome in that cap."
"Thank you, but I'm not buying it." Uchiha Tunan gave the shopkeeper a reserved smile and put the cap back on the shelf.
Before you continue