Morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the Ninja Academy classroom.
Sakura Haruno stood beside Sasuke's desk, worry filling her eyes.
Sasuke hadn't come to school for a week, and today she finally saw him again.
She quietly asked where he'd been all this time.
Sasuke kept his gaze on the desk and said nothing.
Across the classroom, Ino Yamanaka kept glancing toward the door.
Her eyes swept across the room, searching for a familiar figure.
It had been a year since Kyoshin graduated, but she still found herself looking for him out of habit.
Ino bit her lip.
She had gone to look for Kyoshin near the Uchiha Compound several times, but the Anbu Ninjas had stopped her every time.
They said the area was now off-limits and outsiders weren't allowed in.
Her unease grew with each passing day.
Had something happened to Kyoshin?
The thought left her unable to sit still.
At last, Ino summoned the courage to approach Sasuke.
She hesitated as she walked, but still stopped in front of him.
"Sasuke." Ino's voice trembled slightly. "Do you know where Kyoshin is? I haven't seen him in days."
The name brought the classroom to an abrupt silence.
Several students looked their way.
Sasuke raised his head, his dark eyes calm and unclouded.
He looked at Ino's hopeful, frightened expression and slowly spoke. "Kyoshin is dead."
The color drained from Ino's face. "Don't joke about that. Didn't they say he was just on a mission and hadn't come back yet?"
Perhaps she hadn't heard the cover story Kyoshin had fabricated to distance himself from the Uchiha and Konoha: that he had died during a mission.
Naruto Uzumaki shot to his feet at the back of the classroom.
He had been glaring at Sasuke with envy, but now his blue eyes were filled with shock and anger.
"You're lying! How could Kyoshin be dead? You bastard, Sasuke!"
Naruto rushed over and grabbed Sasuke by the collar. "Kyoshin is my best friend! He promised to teach me Shurikenjutsu!"
Sasuke knocked Naruto's hand away, his expression still cold. "I never lie."
Naruto turned and ran out of the classroom.
Sakura Haruno watched Ino, who looked utterly lost, and hesitated, unsure what to say.
Shikamaru Nara leaned against the window and sighed, a trace of sorrow flickering in his eyes.
Sasuke lowered his head again, as if nothing had happened. Only his clenched fist betrayed the turmoil inside him.
The door to the Hokage Office was flung open.
Naruto Uzumaki burst in, tears still streaking his face.
"Grandpa Third!" Naruto cried urgently. "What happened to Kyoshin? Sasuke said he's dead. That's not true, right?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the documents in his hands and looked at the panic and hope in Naruto's eyes.
The portraits of the Hokages through the ages silently looked down on them from the wall.
"Naruto." The Third Hokage's voice was a little hoarse. "Are you keeping up with your classes at the Ninja Academy?"
"Don't change the subject!" Naruto raised his voice. "Tell me where Kyoshin is! He's my only friend!"
A complicated emotion flickered in the Third Hokage's eyes.
That remarkable Uchiha boy...
Kyoshin really was different from the other Uchiha.
"A ninja has a ninja's fate," the Third Hokage finally said. "Naruto, you should get back to class."
"But..." Naruto began, still wanting to say more.
"This is the Hokage's order." The Third Hokage's voice carried an unquestionable authority. "Go back."
Naruto looked at the Third Hokage. The kindly face was stern now, and tears welled up in his blue eyes again.
"I don't care what happened. Someday, I'll find out the truth!" Naruto left the office, his shoulders slumped.
Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his documents again, but couldn't make sense of a single word.
He walked to the window and looked down at the streets of Konoha.
Where was that boy now?
The question circled in his mind.
Memories came rushing back like a tide.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered the first time he'd met Kyoshin.
The other Uchiha children had all carried an innate arrogance, but Kyoshin was always smiling.
He could make friends with anyone: children from the Hyuga Clan, the Yamanaka Clan, and ordinary families.
He trained harder than anyone. His Shurikenjutsu, Taijutsu, and ninjutsu were all exceptional.
The teachers called him a prodigy, but he never let it go to his head.
Instead, he often helped struggling classmates, patiently explaining difficult concepts.
Kyoshin became a legend at the Ninja Academy.
Not only for his strength, but also for his character.
A kind Uchiha was a rare thing in Konoha's history.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had kept an eye on the boy in secret.
He had watched Kyoshin become friends with the lonely Naruto.
Kyoshin had been the best ninja student in years and graduated early. But later, word came back that he had died on a mission, leaving no body behind.
That day, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in his office for a long time.
After the Uchiha Massacre Night, Itachi Uchiha's report brought the truth to light.
Kyoshin hadn't died. He had escaped during the mission and left Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's feelings grew complicated.
On one hand, he felt a hint of relief that Kyoshin was still alive. On the other, he was overcome with deep worry.
According to Itachi's assessment, Kyoshin knew the Uchiha's secrets and the decisions made by Konoha High Command.
If he made those things public, Konoha's reputation would be ruined.
The balance among the Five Great Nations was already fragile. If Konoha lost its credibility and turmoil broke out within the village, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Other ninja villages would seize the chance to attack, and war could break out again.
His lingering sorrow over the past gradually gave way to anxiety about the present.
Kyoshin was no longer the kind boy he remembered, but a potential threat.
A threat that could destroy the prestige Konoha had spent decades building.
And if he was a threat, then he had to be dealt with.
That was also why Hiruzen Sarutobi had kept the truth from Naruto.
He knew Naruto's nature. If he learned Kyoshin was still alive, he would likely turn Konoha upside down.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and spoke to the empty room. "Send for Advisor Shimura."
A few minutes later, the hidden door to the office opened, and someone stepped inside.
Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane. Bandages covered his right eye and right arm, and his expression was cold, his single exposed eye watchful.
"As for Kyoshin Uchiha," Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly, "we need to deal with him as soon as possible."
Danzō's lips curled into a mocking smile. "What a tactful way to put it."
"Hiruzen, you're still the same. You want to take care of everything, and in the end, you take care of nothing."
"Danzō!" The Third Hokage's voice turned stern.
"I know what needs to be done!" Danzō turned toward the door. "You always stand in the sunlight, while I'm destined to work in the shadows. This time is no different. I'll handle the dirty work."
The hidden door closed, and silence returned to the office.
Outside the window, sunlight bathed Konoha as children ran and played in the streets.
This was the place he had sworn to protect with his life.
Even if it meant carrying the burden of guilt again.
Even if it meant making the boy who had once made him proud disappear forever.
The Hokage's duty came before everything else.
Personal feelings had to give way to the interests of the village.
That was what he had learned from the First Hokage and the Second Hokage.
But why did his heart still feel so heavy?
Before you continue