Target: Nine-Tails

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled spots of light onto the stone path.

Shops on both sides of the street pulled open their wooden doors one after another, beginning their day of business.

Inside Ichiraku Ramen Shop, Teuchi was skillfully tossing dough, and the aroma of hot broth wafted halfway down the street.

Occasionally, a ninja would dash across the rooftops, their figure vanishing in a flash against the blue sky, causing the wind chimes under the eaves to sway gently and emit crisp, lingering echoes.

Everything was as peaceful as if nothing had happened, save for the fact that there was plenty more gossip to be found on every street corner.

"Hey, have you heard? The Uchiha were wiped out last night!"

"How could I not have heard? When I first caught wind of the news, I thought it was a lie! That was the number one clan in the village; I don't even know how many Jonin they had in there."

"What good does having many people do? I heard it was an assassination—they were sleeping in the middle of the night and died without even knowing what hit them. I also heard it was Clan Head Fugaku's son, that boy they called a genius, Itachi, who did it. Who could ever guard against their own kin?"

"Ah, I really couldn't tell. Isn't that going a bit too far? At the very least, those were his own clansmen. If there was a conflict, couldn't they have just talked it out? How could he just..."

"What do you know? That Uchiha Clan is born evil. When they go crazy, they don't even spare their own parents, so what does it matter if it's their clansmen? Hey, have you ever seen those blood-red eyes of theirs? Just looking at them makes my scalp crawl!"

A group of people shook their heads and sighed, all cursing Itachi for being heartless and cold-blooded, but in truth, very few felt any sorrow or pity for the Uchiha Clan.

Under the persistent, long-term instigation of Danzo, the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the other clans in the village had grown distant. Even among the common villagers, few liked the arrogant and conceited Uchiha.

Now that the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, these villagers at most sighed a few times; they didn't feel that their own lives would be affected in the slightest.

After a round of gossip, the crowd dispersed, each returning to their own business.

No one noticed that not far away, a figure silently turned into a side alley.

Uchiha An had returned!

His deep understanding of Konohagakure allowed him to easily adopt a new identity and blend back into the village without raising any suspicion.

The face he was wearing now belonged to a real person—the kind of ordinary individual whom everyone finds familiar but with whom they have never had any deep interaction.

Coupled with the fact that he walked openly on the street, no one would come to check if this person was a product of the Transformation Technique.

Besides... there was no longer a Konoha Military Police Force. Even if someone discovered something was wrong with this person, who would be foolish enough to run over and meddle in other people's business?

People say that revenge shouldn't wait until the next day, and for those like the Uchiha who often went to extremes in their emotions, this was even more true.

Since he couldn't find Uchiha Itachi last night, Uchiha An knew he must have left with Obito. If he wanted to settle the score, he would have to go to the Land of Rain.

However, before leaving, he had to find some trouble for Konoha. He absolutely could not let Konoha brush this matter aside so lightly and pretend as if nothing had happened.

Uchiha Itachi was certainly the primary culprit, but the ones egging him on from behind—Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō—were no good either. In fact, they were the true masterminds and could absolutely not be let off the hook.

And those detestable clans in Konohagakure, those ignorant villagers—every single one of them was a lackey and accomplice to those two!

If not for their encouragement and secret indulgence, how would the two Sarutobi dared to suppress the Uchiha in so many ways?

They all deserve to die!

The Uchiha were among the founders of Konoha. Now that the Uchiha are gone, how can this Konoha still exist?

A Konoha without the Uchiha Clan has no meaning to exist!

An intense sense of hatred surged wildly in his heart. Waves of negative emotions violently assaulted his mind, causing his ocular power to grow ever stronger.

Under the influence of the Mangekyo's extreme Yin Release Chakra, his originally non-extreme personality had now become doubly paranoid.

Just like Uchiha Obito, the depth of his former love was now matched by the depth of his hatred!

The extent of his former kindness was now matched by the extent of his malice!

Uchiha An concealed his breath and lurked in a dark alley, carefully observing the passersby, searching for a suitable target.

Not long after, his eyes lit up as he saw a group of children running toward him, shouting and hollering.

The child in the lead was six or seven years old, wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt under an orange hooded vest. The collar of his shirt was crooked, revealing the strap of a ninja tool pouch underneath. He wore cropped jeans with metal-plated knee pads, an Explosive Tag pouch strapped to his left leg, and green goggles pushed up onto his forehead.

He had spiky black hair, with two tufts on top sticking up like the ears of a puppy, his face full of the innocence of someone who had never been beaten down by society.

Seeing him so innocent and cute, Uchiha An couldn't help but think of his own equally cute younger brother, Uchiha Sachi. But the moment the image of his brother's miserable death flashed through his mind, a raging fire of fury ignited in his heart.

Why!

Why can you, Sarutobi Konohamaru, live so innocently and happily, while our Sachi could only lie cold in a pool of blood!

Uchiha An roared in his heart, his eyeballs burning red. His body trembled slightly, and he even struggled to maintain his Transformation Technique.

He gasped heavily, lowered his head slightly, and reached out to cover his blood-red eyes, forcing himself to calm his emotions.

Uchiha An, you must stay calm!

Now is not the time to lash out!

You are not strong enough yet!

If you want to destroy Konohagakure, if you want to make everyone pay a sufficient price, you need to be stronger!

You need more companions!

Come, go and execute your plan!

Before you resurrect your parents and brother, build a safe and danger-free ninja world for them!

Uchiha An took a few deep breaths before finally managing to restore his composure.

He formed a hand seal, and with a "poof" of white smoke, a ninja dressed like an Anbu appeared in the alley. He wore a fox-like mask that obscured his true face, the only identifiable feature being a head of fluffy, silver-white short hair.

"Ahhh... I'm first! I finished the mission first!"

Konohamaru was jumping and shouting with joy, though his little friends nearby didn't seem as happy.

"What are you talking about! You clearly got a head start!"

"I did not get a head start!"

The group of children bickered, their faces turning red from the argument.

"Oh my, oh my. Lord Konohamaru, don't always bully your friends. These are all your future companions, you know!"

As the voice drifted over, a white-haired ninja flashed into view, standing before Konohamaru.

"I'm not bullying them!" Konohamaru shouted angrily. "We're playing ninja games!"

After he finished shouting, he looked up and saw the Anbu mask, jumping in fright.

"Eh? Are you Anbu? Did Grandpa send you here?"

"That's right!" Uchiha An nodded solemnly. "Lord Konohamaru is not so young anymore, and you'll be entering the academy soon. So, Hokage-sama wants to issue you a trial mission to see if you have what it takes to qualify for enrollment."

"Oh!" Konohamaru immediately threw all his annoyance to the back of his mind. He leaped high into the air, punched his right fist against his chest, and shouted excitedly, "Please tell Hokage-sama not to worry! Konohamaru guarantees the mission will be completed!"

"I want in too! Me too! Count me in on the mission!" The group of children, burning with envy, all began to shout along.

To prevent any information from leaking, Uchiha An nodded and agreed to them all, changing his tone:

"Then the mission shall be converted into a group mission."

"However, you must understand that once you begin this mission, you must maintain strict confidentiality. You cannot let any information slip. You are not to reveal the specific details of the mission, not even to your parents."

"Can you do that?"

The group of ignorant children, who had been brainwashed by various ninja codes since birth, were so focused on the mission that they didn't even consider how unreasonable it was. They all raised their hands, swearing to keep the secret.

"Good! Please remember this well: anyone who cannot keep a secret is not qualified to be a ninja!"

After Uchiha An added a bit more psychological manipulation, he explained the mission:

"Given that you have not yet entered the academy, this is not a combat mission."

"The mission is as follows: before the sun sets today, bring Uzumaki Naruto to the large tree by the Shimizu River, north of the village."

"Remember, this is not a combat mission. Use your wits."

"Also, you must not let the target become suspicious."

After saying this, Uchiha An used the Body Flicker Technique to leave, while Konohamaru and the others let out war cries and charged out of the alley, beginning their search for Uzumaki Naruto.