You had to speak the way people expected you to, and Haori had gotten very good at it.
When dealing with Uchiha Setsuna, the old man, Haori naturally just had to play along.
His mission required him to eliminate the old man, and at the same time, he also needed to deal with the clan head.
So why not find a way to make them turn on each other, then seize the chance to bury them one by one?
"Some things take patience, and I need to awaken my own Mangekyo Sharingan if I'm going to control the situation."
Although Uchiha Hikari possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, the girl was far too extreme.
Who knew when she might have another fit? He could end up in trouble.
As the saying went, great towers rose from the ground, and whether you soared or fell depended on yourself. Haori would much rather rely on his own efforts!
"Still, I did get something out of today."
He had planted a seed in Uchiha Setsuna's mind today, though he wasn't sure how well it would take.
As for why things had blown over so easily in the original story, it was quite likely that rumors of a change in Hokage had started circulating.
Uchiha Fugaku had wanted to run for the position himself, which had been enough to silence those voices.
Although Namikaze Minato had ultimately taken the position "by accident," he was Kakashi's teacher!
"There must be rumors going around by now. I wonder what effect my words will have."
Haori hadn't been in Konoha lately, so he wasn't particularly familiar with what was happening there.
But tomorrow's funeral might provide some answers.
After all, as far as he could remember, the first time Uchiha Fugaku had shown an interest in becoming Hokage had been at a funeral.
Mulling this over, Haori arrived home.
But as soon as he went inside, he saw Uchiha Hikari sitting on the floor, looking drowsy.
Hikari was alert, though. She immediately raised her head, and when she saw that it was Haori, some of her tension eased.
"You're back already?"
She forced herself to sit up straight before asking.
"Yeah."
Haori nodded. He closed the door before speaking.
"If you're tired, get some rest."
Uchiha Hikari hadn't fought in the past few days, but her nerves had been taut the whole time. Any little sound could jolt her awake.
On top of that, she had only just been dug out, and conditions in the wilderness hadn't been good enough for her to recover properly. Her condition had been awful the entire time.
It wasn't just her. Haori was also on guard in case she suddenly had an episode, so he hadn't dared to rest properly either.
But after these past few days, he had confirmed that although the girl was extreme and a little crazy, she wasn't completely unreasonable.
"But how had the Uchiha treated her a hundred years ago?"
Haori had been curious about it for a while. She had told him a little about her past, but had mostly glossed over it.
That left Haori helpless, but he hadn't pressed her. Forcing someone to reopen old wounds wasn't a good idea.
Perhaps she would tell him someday, when she felt ready.
"I'm fine," Uchiha Hikari said with a shake of her head. "This is nothing to me—"
"I said, if you're tired, get some rest."
Haori cut her off before she could finish.
"In this state, what can you even do? You can barely do anything."
His words made her press her lips together. She said nothing, only lifting her head to meet his gaze.
Her reaction left Haori unsure whether to laugh or cry. In the end, he could only speak with a serious expression.
"I know you probably don't trust me, and you trust your surroundings even less.
"But I told you that you're no longer in the dark. I also told you that you can settle in here and make yourself at home.
"You're following the light. Why not let yourself truly feel that 'light'?"
Haori paused.
He saw Hikari's eyes flicker. He knew his words had gotten through to her.
Still, he couldn't help feeling a little helpless. Why did he sound like he was soothing a child?
It was a good thing he was always pretty good at talking people around. Otherwise, he wouldn't have so many friends—or so many friends in name only.
"So don't worry. You can feel safe with me here."
Haori crouched down and, after a moment's hesitation, rested a hand on Hikari's shoulder. When she didn't pull away, he continued.
"I know trust doesn't come easily, and becoming companions is even harder.
"But why not try to get to know each other? That way, we can at least start as friends, right?"
As she listened, Hikari's expression grew even more complicated. After a long while, she murmured,
"Friends?"
The next morning, Haori left the Uchiha Clan dressed in black.
He had to dress appropriately for a funeral, and black seemed all the more solemn.
He looked up at the sky. It was overcast, and it might rain later.
Still, the weather was perfect for a funeral ceremony.
Fortunately, Haori wasn't in too bad a mood, even though he'd been forced to sleep on the floor the night before.
"I never thought that after coming home, things would be much the same as they were on the battlefield or out in the open."
He thought he had done a decent job of talking Hikari around yesterday. Perhaps one of his words had struck a chord with her.
After that, she had indeed let down her guard a little, but she had soon fallen asleep.
Seeing the girl fast asleep, Haori had carried her to the bed and made himself a pallet on the floor nearby.
"Never mind. I'll put up with it for now. I can buy another bed later."
His house was short on space, but perhaps he could squeeze another bed in.
Muttering to himself, he made his way toward the cemetery. Along the way, he saw quite a few shinobi dressed in black.
Some greeted Haori politely when they saw him, while others only glanced at him before hurrying off.
Haori didn't pay it any mind. Before long, he spotted some familiar faces.
"Haori, over here!"
Might Guy had spotted Haori from a distance and waved him over.
His shout drew the attention of Kakashi, Aoba, Nohara Rin, and the others beside him.
"You guys came too."
Haori went over and greeted them with a smile. They were all classmates, so being together helped him relax.
"I never thought you'd change so much after going to the battlefield. You weren't much at school."
Asuma gave Haori a curious look, his expression full of disbelief.
Though he was the second son in his family and had a somewhat unruly streak, he was still a top student, being the Hokage's son.
He and Haori had gotten along fairly well at school, though he had been more of a fair-weather friend.
"Haori's strong. If he hadn't come to save us, we might not have made it back."
Rin walked over to Haori and smiled. Kakashi nodded beside her.
Kurenai and Anko also gathered around, looking at Haori with curiosity.
"I was just lucky. If Jōnin Minato hadn't arrived in time, then..."
It felt good to hear praise from Konoha's future stars, but Haori still kept up a show of modesty.
Being too humble could make people look down on you, but being too proud would make them dislike you.
"Haori, I haven't seen you around lately. What have you been doing?"
Might Guy asked curiously. He hadn't seen Haori for a while.
"He went out on a mission."
Before Haori could answer, Anko spoke up.
She and Haori knew each other well, having once been on a mission together in the Land of Whirlpools.
"He even ran into Lord Jiraiya, and they came back together."
Asuma was clearly well-informed. He shrugged as he chimed in.
"Aw, why didn't you take me along?"
Might Guy couldn't help blurting that out, and Aoba, who hadn't spoken yet, turned to look as well.
"Come on, he went on a mission with a girl from his clan. How could he take you along?"
Asuma laughed casually, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized everyone had gone quiet.
Might Guy, Kakashi, Aoba, and Rin were all looking at Haori.
After a long moment, Rin finally smiled and asked,
"Haori, who is she? Is she not here today?"
The preparations for setting out to deal with Madara and Obito are next, and the protagonist will awaken his Sharingan too.
But I'm having trouble deciding what his Mangekyo Sharingan ability should be.
Please give this newbie a follow. Follows now will decide the fate of this book—leave it on your reading list and it might never make it.
Thanks, everyone! Onz