"What did it feel like to bury yourself with your own hands?" Tiger Mask Anbu asked, hands on her hips as she watched Uchiha Jie bustle from grave to grave.
With no one around, she finally took off her mask. Unlike most girls, she had a rather strong-looking face, somewhat square like her cousin Asuma's.
That touch of squareness only enhanced her looks, making her seem more resolute. Her silky hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, softening that air of strength into something more alluring.
Uchiha Jie didn't look back. He slowly placed his ashes in the small pit he had just dug, covered them with earth, then laid his Special Jonin certificate on top.
"Heh, it really didn't feel good." Even though Cat-faced Anbu had gone home to rest and there was no one else around, Uchiha Jie still wore his mask. If someone happened to pass by and saw his face, that would be hard to handle.
"Uchiha Itachi is strong. I lasted less than a minute before he burned me to ashes." He gave an awkward laugh as he slowly recounted what had happened the day before.
"You're not laughing now, are you?" Sarutobi Kou chuckled, then asked seriously, "So, who do you think is stronger, him or that old geezer Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
"The Third Hokage is still stronger." Uchiha Jie answered without hesitation.
"Are you that sure? Didn't you say you could give the old geezer a run for his money?" Sarutobi Kou frowned. "And weren't you always praising Uchiha Itachi's combat skills, saying he could beat anyone?"
"The Third Hokage knows the Uchiha Clan too well." Uchiha Jie formed Hand Seals and used Earth Release to bury his clansmen's remains as he answered.
"The Second Hokage developed more than one forbidden technique specifically to counter the Uchiha Clan. If the Third Hokage used all of them without caring about the consequences, Uchiha Itachi obviously wouldn't stand a chance."
"Besides, they'd never fight." He continued, "As long as Hiruzen Sarutobi remains the Third Hokage, Uchiha Itachi won't make a move against him."
"That damn Will of Fire again. I'll never understand it. Fine, my clan members believe in it, but why would Uchiha Itachi buy into that nonsense?" Sarutobi Kou lowered her head and nudged a small stone back and forth with the toe of her Ninja boot.
As a member of the Sarutobi Clan, she had been steeped in the Will of Fire from birth. Precocious and rebellious, she had often been beaten whenever she launched into one of her grand speeches about it.
Eventually, she noticed something was wrong. Some people in the clan believed in the Will of Fire wholeheartedly, while others, like her, thought it was utter nonsense.
But with their Clan Head, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in charge, everyone hid their true feelings well.
She soon learned to hide hers too—to conceal her disdain for the Will of Fire. Her natural talent as a ninja quickly earned her the Clan Head's favor and her clan's support. From entering the Ninja Academy to becoming a Jonin, everything went smoothly.
That was, until she became a squad leader, formed her own team, and met the boy in front of her. At last, her old questions began to find answers.
"Itachi... He's a lot like you." Uchiha Jie's lips curled into a smile.
"Since childhood, he'd heard things that contradicted the Will of Fire. Just as you met me, he met someone else."
"You mean Uchiha Shisui, the one who killed himself?" Sarutobi Kou asked.
"Yeah." Uchiha Jie nodded. "Just as there are people in the Sarutobi Clan who never believed in the Will of Fire, there's always been a small group in the Uchiha Clan who do believe in it. Uchiha Shisui was one of the most devoted."
"Then you should tell me why the Will of Fire is so appealing." Sarutobi Kou slowly walked forward and stopped in front of Uchiha Jie.
She was tall, almost as tall as Uchiha Jie. He was crouching on the ground, head lowered as he carved words into a stone tablet with his Ninja sword. She blocked the sunlight, and the writing on the tablet became impossible to see.
"Haha. Of course people long for beautiful things." With the light blocked, Uchiha Jie—whose eyes had yet to fully adjust to the dimness—had no choice but to stand up.
He looked straight into Sarutobi Kou's bright eyes and smiled.
"Beautiful things?"
"The Will of Fire is beautiful, of course. You've heard far more about its teachings and interpretations than I have, and understand them far better. You should know what it means. It's a good thing, so why do you resist it?"
"The ideal is beautiful, but the people who carry it out aren't necessarily so." Uchiha Jie patted Sarutobi Kou on the shoulder, then bent down again and began carving another stone tablet. "Maybe Hiruzen Sarutobi believed in it, and Shimura Danzō did too. But did all their subordinates believe in it? And even if they did, did they act accordingly?"
"Just like your clansmen. They still let you join the newly established Security Force, didn't they?"
"But I don't want to..." Sarutobi Kou blurted out.
"No, you do." Uchiha Jie took Sarutobi Kou's hand. "You'll join the Security Force, of course. You'll gain authority over things like the gates or the barrier. That way, I can leave Konoha without a hitch, without being noticed right away or easily tracked."
"Konoha is now completely in the hands of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō. With the Uchiha Clan wiped out, the Hyuga Clan and the other ninja clans can't stand alone. They're bound to side with them too. I can't help Moon and Lu Yu in this environment." Seeing Sarutobi Kou's stubborn expression, Uchiha Jie still shook his head gently.
"Whether it's the equipment needed for the experiments or the test subjects, even with your help, it'll be hard to get any of them in Konoha now."
Uchiha Jie was telling the truth. After Orochimaru became a rogue ninja, dozens of laboratories across Konoha had been raided, and countless pieces of equipment confiscated. Later, Root had resold the equipment to Orochimaru.
Now that the Uchiha Clan had also been wiped out, Root's Hyuga Clan ninja had found several small laboratories in the clan's compound. Uchiha Jie's was among them. He had only managed to seal away the experimental data before it was discovered.
"We made a promise to Moon together, and to Lu Yu too."
Sarutobi Kou fell silent. She had no reason to stop him. For the sake of their other teammate, sending Uchiha Jie out of Konoha was the better choice. There was no room for human experimentation in Konoha anymore.
Wait. Human experimentation?
She abruptly raised her head and asked, "You're not planning to kidnap Hyuga Hinata on your way out, are you? Hyuga Hiashi would go crazy!"