"Finally, I'm back."
Back in Konoha, inside the Uchiha Clan compound, Haori sat in his home and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Just as he'd expected, returning with Jiraiya's unit had helped him avoid a lot of trouble.
Konoha's inspections were strict, but when people saw that Jiraiya was leading the group, many things were handled quickly.
Besides, Haori had earned a certain reputation in Konoha. The bridge-bombing incident had brought him plenty of benefits behind the scenes.
"Looks like you're popular in this village."
As Haori reflected on how lucky he'd been to run into Jiraiya along the way, Uchiha Hikari's voice sounded from behind him.
"And I heard them call you a hero. You must have done quite a lot."
"Yeah. You have to adapt to your environment, or it's hard to survive."
Haori glanced back at Hikari, shrugged, and replied.
Nameless had a new name now. Though when she heard the name "Uchiha Hikari," her expression had turned rather complicated.
It was clear she seemed to like the name, but in the end, she'd only accepted it after some reluctance.
She also seemed to have trouble fitting in.
On the way back, Haori had chatted and laughed with the other shinobi, acting as if they were all brothers.
But she'd kept her head down and followed behind him, without saying a word. It had made Haori curious.
"You don't like talking to other people?"
"This isn't the time to discuss that. You should tell me what you have in mind."
A flicker of emotion appeared in Hikari's eyes, but she soon composed herself and spoke coldly.
"Destroying this clan will require a plan. Since you won't let me act directly, I assume you've come up with one."
My plan doesn't exactly line up with yours.
Haori grumbled inwardly, but he knew what he needed to say.
He did have a plan. No matter how strong he was, he'd already prepared for this.
"That's right. I have a few ideas."
Haori nodded, formed Hand Seals, and quickly set up a soundproof barrier before continuing.
"Actually, my goal is simple. A ship usually starts taking on water from the top."
"Doesn't a ship take on water from below?"
Hikari interrupted him before he could finish.
"And speak plainly."
Ignorant.
Haori grumbled inwardly, then replied helplessly.
"The clan's upper ranks aren't united. If we deal with them, the Uchiha ship will be close to sinking."
"Then why don't I just attack them?" Hikari asked, looking puzzled.
"I just said they aren't united. Why not make their disagreements even worse?"
Haori sighed helplessly. He really didn't want to spell things out so plainly.
"Then, when we act, everyone will think it was infighting. That'll keep us safer and give us time to prepare for what comes next."
"I see."
Hikari thought it over, then nodded decisively.
"How long do we have to wait before we begin?"
"Instead of rushing to start, you should get more familiar with the world as it is now."
Haori sighed and spoke helplessly.
"Once you understand the current situation, you'll have a better idea of what to do—or understand why I'm doing things this way."
Hikari said nothing, only giving a slight nod.
She knew very little about this era. Learning more might make it easier for her to carry out what she wanted.
"Also, I'm sorry my living conditions aren't great. I'm afraid you'll have to make do."
Seeing that Hikari had taken his words to heart, Haori relaxed and continued.
"Since I'm basically an orphan in the clan..."
"It's fine. It's much better than where I used to live. At least you're not locked in a cave surrounded by seals."
Hikari didn't mind. Haori's home was indeed small, with only a bookshelf, a wardrobe, and a bed.
But it also had a private bathroom and a simple cooking area, and everything had been cleaned thoroughly.
It was small, but it had everything she needed—far better than the place where she'd once been held captive.
"Good. Make yourself at home."
Haori nodded, then stood up with a smile.
"Don't worry. No one will ever force you to do anything you don't want to do again."
Hikari fell silent at his words. After a while, she nodded. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. We have the same goal, after all."
Haori smiled casually, then turned and headed for the door.
"Get some rest. I need to report in. If you get hungry, there are ingredients in the kitchen. You can cook something yourself."
Though he didn't want to, he did need to report his situation to Uchiha Setsuna.
He'd also stood the old man up and never gone to see Uchiha Shisui, so he had to take care of those matters, at least.
"Mm." Hikari nodded lightly, saying little else.
Seeing that, Haori turned and walked out.
But after closing the door, he suddenly looked back at his house, and an odd question crossed his mind.
"Wait, does this count as living together?"
After thinking it over, he realized he didn't have an answer. And now another, more important question had occurred to him.
"Damn, I forgot to buy another bed."
"Is that so? Then I suppose I can't blame you."
At Uchiha Setsuna's private residence, Haori sat across from the old man beside the pond.
After hearing Haori's account, the old man finally spoke, though no one knew how much time had passed.
"The village is holding a large funeral to mourn the dead. I didn't expect Jiraiya to return too. What a surprise."
"It certainly was. I'd wanted to see what that genius could do."
Haori spoke calmly. If he hadn't been worried that tipping his hand would affect his plans, he would've had Uchiha Hikari kill this old man.
He was always putting on airs, constantly talking about Uchiha glory, yet when it came to treason, he acted as if he wanted everyone to know.
In the end, the clan hadn't made a ripple before it was wiped out completely.
"Never mind. It's a pity, but there'll always be another chance."
Uchiha Setsuna took a sip of tea, then spoke without expression.
"By the way, what do you think will come of Namikaze Minato's visit to our clan head?"
Haori had already heard that Namikaze Minato had returned while traveling back with Jiraiya.
And he knew he could no longer dodge the issue by bringing up the Chunin exams.
He'd deliberately ignored Kakashi's Sharingan at the time, intending to pin the blame on Uchiha Fugaku. But now, it seemed he might be able to use that situation to his advantage.
"I think our clan head may not take the Sharingan back."
Haori's tone was perfectly calm, as if he were discussing something unrelated.
"After all, Namikaze Minato is Jiraiya's student."
"You mean the clan head will set aside his pride and compromise?"
Uchiha Setsuna looked at Haori with mild curiosity, though he didn't seem surprised that Haori had said this.
"Elder, I have no right to criticize. It's only a guess."
Haori immediately shook his head. He absolutely couldn't admit to anything of the sort.
"But I think no Uchiha would want their power to fall into the hands of an outsider.
Even if it might improve our circumstances, and even allow the clan head to try for the Hokage Position someday.
But what we'd gain by doing it this way..."
Haori stopped there.
He knew his place, and he'd kept some of his words deliberately vague.
He was a nobody; saying too much would do him no good.
But when he saw Uchiha Setsuna's brows furrow, Haori knew he might have achieved what he wanted.
The two of them fell silent again.
"I understand. You may go."
After a long while, Uchiha Setsuna spoke.
"And get ready to attend the funeral with us tomorrow."
"Yes, Elder." Haori nodded, then stood up.
"By the way, isn't Kakashi your friend?"
Just as Haori was about to leave, Uchiha Setsuna spoke again.
"Kakashi is my friend."
Haori paused, then answered with a serious expression.
"But I'm an Uchiha."