Target-Nine-Tails

Dawn light streamed through the gaps between the leaves, scattering across the stone-paved road in tiny patches.

The shops on either side of the street began opening their wooden doors one after another.

Inside the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, Teuchi expertly tossed the dough, the aroma of hot broth wafting halfway down the street.

Now and then, a ninja darted across the rooftops, their figure flashing beneath the blue sky. The wind chimes under the eaves swayed gently in their wake, ringing out a crisp note.

Everything was so peaceful, as if nothing had happened. The only difference was that there was a lot more to gossip about on the streets.

"Hey, did you hear? The Uchiha were wiped out last night!"

"How could I not? When I first heard, I thought it was a hoax! They were the biggest clan in the village. Who knows how many Jōnin they had?"

"What good is having numbers? I heard they were assassinated in their sleep and died without even knowing what was happening. I also heard it was Fugaku's son, Itachi, that genius boy. Who would ever be on guard against their own family?"

"Wow, I never would've expected that. That's going too far, isn't it? They were his own clan, after all. Whatever their differences, couldn't they have talked it out? How could he just..."

"What do you know? The Uchiha were born evil. When they go berserk, they'll kill even their own parents. What do they care about their clan? Hey, have you ever seen their blood-red eyes? Just looking at them gives me the creeps!"

The crowd shook their heads and sighed, cursing Itachi as heartless and cold-blooded. Yet hardly anyone truly mourned the Uchiha Clan.

After years of persistent meddling by Danzo, the Uchiha Clan had grown estranged from the other clans in the village. Even among ordinary villagers, few liked the Uchiha, with their arrogance and conceit.

Now that the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, the villagers merely sighed over it. None of them thought their own lives would be affected.

After gossiping for a while, the crowd dispersed, each person returning to whatever they had to do.

No one noticed a figure nearby silently turning into an alley.

Uchiha An had returned!

His deep familiarity with Konoha made it easy for him to assume a different identity and slip back into the village without arousing suspicion.

The face he wore belonged to a real person, someone who looked vaguely familiar to everyone but had never formed any close connections.

And since he walked openly down the street, no one would stop to check whether he was using the Transformation Technique.

Besides... the Konoha Military Police Force no longer existed. Even if someone noticed anything suspicious, who would be foolish enough to meddle?

People said revenge was best served before the next day. That was all the more true of the Uchiha, whose emotions often veered to extremes.

When he failed to 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.

But before he left, he had to give Konoha something to deal with. He couldn't let the village gloss over everything so casually, acting as though nothing had happened.

Itachi might have been the chief culprit, but Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō, who had incited him from behind the scenes, were no better. They were the real instigators and absolutely could not be spared.

And those wretched clans in Konoha, those ignorant villagers—every last one of them was a lapdog and accomplice of Sarutobi and Danzo!

Without their encouragement and tacit consent, how would Sarutobi and Danzo have dared to suppress the Uchiha in every way?

They all deserved to die!

The Uchiha had been one of Konoha's founders. Now that the Uchiha were gone, how could Konoha continue to exist?

Konoha had no reason to exist without the Uchiha Clan!

A seething hatred surged through his heart. Waves of negative emotion battered his mind, making his Pupil Power grow ever stronger.

Under the influence of the Mangekyo's immense Yin Release Chakra, his once fairly moderate personality had grown all the more obsessive.

Just like Obito: the more he had loved, the more he hated now!

The kinder he had been, the more vicious he had become!

Uchiha An concealed his presence in the alley, carefully watching the passersby as he searched for a suitable target.

Before long, his eyes lit up. A group of children came running toward him, shouting at the top of their lungs.

The child at the front was six or seven years old. He wore an orange hooded vest over a black short-sleeved T-shirt, with the skewed collar revealing the strap of a ninja tool pouch underneath. He had cropped jeans with metal knee guards, an Explosive Tag case strapped to his left leg, and green goggles pushed up on his forehead.

His hair was a black crew cut, with two tufts sticking up like puppy ears. His face was full of innocent cheer, untouched by the harshness of life.

Seeing his sweet, innocent face, Uchiha An couldn't help thinking of his own equally adorable younger brother, Uchiha Sachi. But in an instant, the horrific image of his brother's death flashed through his mind, and rage flared in his heart.

Why?!

Why could you, Sarutobi Konohamaru, live so happily and carefree, while our Sachi had to lie cold in a pool of blood?!

Uchiha An howled inwardly. His eyes burned red, and his body trembled faintly. He could barely maintain the Transformation Technique.

Breathing hard, he lowered his head slightly and covered his blood-red eyes with one hand, forcing himself to calm down.

Uchiha An, you have to stay calm!

This isn't the time to lose control!

You're not strong enough yet!

To destroy Konoha and make everyone pay the price they deserve, you need to grow stronger!

You need more allies!

Now, go carry out your plan!

Before you bring your parents and younger brother back to life, build them a safe Ninja World, free of danger!

Uchiha An took several deep breaths before he finally managed to regain his composure.

He formed a hand seal. With a puff of white smoke, a ninja dressed like an Anbu appeared in the alley. A fox-shaped mask concealed his face, leaving just one identifiable feature: a head of fluffy, silver-white hair.

"Yeah! I'm first! I finished the mission first!"

Konohamaru was jumping and shouting with excitement, while his friends weren't nearly as pleased.

"What? You clearly started early!"

"I did not!"

The group of children bickered, their faces red with anger.

"My, my, Konohamaru-sama, don't keep picking on your friends. They'll be your teammates in the future!"

At the sound of the voice, a white-haired ninja appeared in a flash and stood in front of Konohamaru.

"I'm not picking on them!" Konohamaru shouted angrily. "We're playing ninja!"

After yelling, he looked up, saw the Anbu mask, and jumped in surprise.

"Huh? Are you Anbu? Did Grandpa send you?"

"That's right!" Uchiha An nodded solemnly. "You're not so little anymore, Konohamaru-sama, and you'll be starting school soon. So Hokage-sama wants to assign you a trial mission to see if you're qualified to enroll."

"Oh!" Konohamaru instantly forgot all his earlier anger. He sprang high into the air, thumped his chest with a fist, and shouted excitedly, "Please don't worry, Hokage-sama! Konohamaru guarantees he'll complete the mission!"

"I want one too! Count me in!" The other children were so eager they all chimed in.

To prevent the news from leaking, Uchiha An nodded and agreed to include them all, revising his answer.

"Then we'll make it a group mission."

"But think carefully. Once you start the mission, you must keep it strictly confidential. You can't let the news get out. You mustn't reveal the mission details to anyone, not even your parents."

"Can you do that?"

The ignorant children had been indoctrinated with ninja rules since they were young. With their minds full of the mission, they never considered how strange it was. They all raised their hands and swore to keep it secret.

"Good! Remember this: anyone who can't keep a secret isn't qualified to be a ninja!"

After giving them another dose of brainwashing, Uchiha An explained the mission.

"Since you haven't started school yet, this isn't a combat mission."

"Mission details: before sunset today, take Uzumaki Naruto to the big tree by the Shimizu River, north of the village."

"Remember, this isn't a combat mission. Make good use of your wits."

"And don't let the target get suspicious."

With that, Uchiha An vanished in a flash. Konohamaru and the others charged out of the alley, shouting excitedly as they set off to find Uzumaki Naruto.