Uchiha Rei had obtained the Kurama Clan's Genjutsu through a Sign-in. Gradually, he discovered that this power could do far more than deceive opponents. Combined with his Jonin-level Medical Ninjutsu, it could even heal people from a distance.
This was an exceedingly rare ability in the Ninja World.
If the village learned he had mastered such a power, they would likely treasure him like a priceless artifact.
Tsunade in particular would have rushed to take him as her disciple if she were in the village.
But Tsunade had vanished without a trace. Over the past few days, Rei had searched every corner of Konoha himself, yet he still hadn't found the legendary Sannin.
The other two Uchiha were nowhere to be found, either.
Uchiha Obito was clearly no longer in the village;
and Uchiha Itachi had to still be in Konoha, but he hid his movements like a ghost. Even Uchiha Rei couldn't find him for the time being.
Should I come up with a way to draw him out...? Uchiha Rei wondered.
For now, though, he was more concerned about someone else.
Uchiha Rekka, the man once hailed as a clan prodigy, was now trapped in Yellow Springs Space.
Burned by Karmic Fire, he drifted between lucidity and madness, as if caught between life and death.
Rei entered Yellow Springs Space and stood before Rekka.
"Perhaps you're the one who truly inherited the Will of Fire," Uchiha Rei murmured. "At least... you really did catch fire."
By now, he could turn the Karmic Fire in an Illusionary Realm into something tangible, making death in the illusion a real end in reality. This was True-Illusion Combination, the Kurama Clan's Genjutsu.
He waved his hand. The Karmic Fire went out, and Uchiha Rekka regained a measure of clarity.
"Kill me..." Uchiha Rekka said in a low voice, his eyes filled with a longing for release.
"Wouldn't you have any regrets if you died just like this?" Uchiha Rei asked evenly.
"Fine." He used Genjutsu again, and the Karmic Fire reignited around Rekka's soul.
"Aaaah—!"
When the flames had burned away, he woke Rekka again.
"Kill me..."
The flames burned him once more. The second time.
"Aaaah!!"
The third time.
"The fourth... Aah!!"
At last, Rekka trembled as he spoke. "I have regrets... I do."
"Tell me."
"Why... didn't I become Hokage?"
His voice echoed through Yellow Springs Space, low but filled with stubborn longing. "I never told anyone... but I had a dream of becoming Hokage, too."
"But I'm an Uchiha."
He nearly ground his teeth as he said those last words.
"Go ahead and laugh," Rekka said with a bitter smile. "I'm going to die anyway."
"I don't laugh at people for having dreams." Uchiha Rei gazed at him. "Everyone's dream is precious."
"You're the first person... to respect my dream." Rekka lowered his head, a trace of uncertainty flickering in his eyes.
"Stop burning me... I'll tell you whatever you want to know."
Uchiha Rei didn't answer. He simply watched him in silence.
Rekka continued, "The Clan Head ordered me to silence you. I just didn't expect to be weaker than you and end up trapped here... The Clan Head, he... he wants to make the Uchiha great again."
"I respect the dream you told me about," Uchiha Rei suddenly said. "But the information you have is less important than your dream."
Rekka froze.
"However," Uchiha Rei continued slowly, "since you wanted to become Hokage, I'll tell you something."
"What?"
"The Clan Head you admire has already sided with the Hokage." He spoke calmly, but his voice was like a blade.
"You're lying!" Rekka roared. "Impossible! Why would the Clan Head—"
"If that weren't true, why would Uchiha Itachi slaughter his own clan? Why would the Clan Head turn a blind eye to the Konoha high-level's secret actions? And why would he send you to kill me?" Uchiha Rei pressed coldly.
Rekka's face went pale, as though his soul had been seared by flames once more. His lips trembled. He seemed to try to argue, but couldn't utter a word.
At last, so many things fell into place.
The pain brought by this information was harder to bear than the Karmic Fire burning his soul in the illusion. Uchiha Rekka looked dazed, as if the last pillar holding up his beliefs had been torn away.
"We fought with everything we had for the sake of Uchiha's Revival... and in the end, the Clan Head was the first to surrender?" he murmured, head bowed. The anger had left his eyes, replaced by the despair of someone betrayed by his faith.
"You'll have to think carefully about what comes next," Uchiha Rei said calmly. "I can save you, or I can end you."
Rekka was silent for a long time. Then he began to cry. Every clan had people who fought for it. The Kurama Clan did, and so did the Uchiha Clan.
"We worked ourselves to the bone, only for our clan to give up on us."
"My dream was ridiculous, wasn't it?" He gave a soft laugh, his throat dry. "I once... wanted to become Hokage. An Uchiha as Hokage—doesn't that sound like a joke?"
Uchiha Rei's gaze shifted, but his tone remained steady. "I don't laugh at anyone for having a dream. People who truly have dreams are worthy of the greatest respect. To me, your dream matters more than the information you gave me."
Rekka looked up at him, his expression complicated. "You... really don't intend to kill me?"
"I did consider it," Uchiha Rei said calmly. "But now, I'd rather see whether you can keep burning. Not because of Karmic Fire, but because of your own convictions."
Rekka gritted his teeth. "Then what's your plan? Kill all the Uchiha?"
"No." Uchiha Rei smiled faintly. "I just want to put on a good show. Maybe when the curtain falls, all the Uchiha... will no longer be Caged Birds."
Rekka's eyes brightened, as if he'd grabbed hold of a lifeline. "Let me join you!"
"Give me a reason." Uchiha Rei's voice grew serious. "I need a reason."
Rekka answered without hesitation:
"First, you're strong. I, Uchiha Rekka, only submit to people stronger than me."
"Second, both the Clan Head and the Hokage want to wipe out the Uchiha Clan, while you're the only one who's stayed neutral."
"Third," he paused, his expression resolute, "you're an Uchiha. I believe someone from my own clan is at least more trustworthy than the Hokage."
Uchiha Rei studied him for a long time, a strange emotion flickering in his eyes. Then he smiled slightly and turned his fingers, quietly activating Genjutsu.
Karmic Fire from Yellow Springs slowly gathered. Phantom Flames condensed in his hand into a Fire Ring, then turned into a point of light and settled in his palm. The Fire Ring gradually shrank, solidifying into a Black Ring. Faint red patterns glimmered across its surface, like flames sealed inside.
He held out the ring. "Put it on. From now on, you'll address me as 'sir.' Your codename is Kirishima."
Without hesitation, Rekka reached out, took it, and slipped it onto the ring finger of his right hand. The instant it touched his finger, a surge of scorching energy pierced his soul. It was as if flames had ignited deep in his bones, nearly forcing him to his knees with a shout.
"This ring is more than a token," Uchiha Rei said slowly. "If you ever betray me, this ring... will turn you into true fire."
Rekka nodded silently, without the slightest hesitation. "I understand."
"Recover here. Leave on your own in an hour." As he spoke, Uchiha Rei formed hand seals, and a stream of green Medical Chakra seeped into Rekka's injured body.
"But I've already been missing for a whole day." Rekka suddenly looked up, worry flashing in his eyes. "If the Clan Head and the Hokage ask, what should I tell them?"
Uchiha Rei's gaze remained unchanged. "I've already worked out what to do. Just tell them the truth."
"The truth?"
"Tell them," Uchiha Rei said with a smile, "that besides Konoha, another force—the Akatsuki—is secretly active in this game of extermination. Their existence is enough to explain your disappearance and throw Konoha into turmoil."
"That information will be enough."
Uchiha Rekka didn't speak for a long time after hearing this. He lowered his gaze to the scorching ring, his eyes blazing, as though hope had been rekindled in his heart.
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