Contacting the Uchiha

Though Guy's kick carried no killing intent, the fierce gust it whipped up still made the clothes of nearby passersby flap wildly.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed, and his body reacted instinctively.

He leaned back just slightly, dodging the kick by a hair's breadth. Then he formed a hand seal with one hand, vanished in an instant, and reappeared on a utility pole several meters away.

"Guy, cut it out."

"We're not done yet! Looks like you haven't gotten rusty after all! Then I'll get serious!"

Watching the two of them chase each other through the street, causing utter chaos, Uchiha Hikari, who was hiding in the crowd, flashed a look of surprise.

"That guy in green... he's strong."

Hikari lowered her voice and spoke to Yue beside her. "He may look like an idiot, but there's hardly any chakra moving through his body. He's relying purely on the speed and strength of his physique, yet he can keep up with the Senju Clan's jonin who specialized in Taijutsu back in the Warring States Period."

"And..."

Hikari turned her gaze to Kakashi, standing on the utility pole, and furrowed her brow slightly. "That white-haired one... his left eye gives me a familiar feeling. Is that... a Sharingan? Maybe even a Mangekyo? But he's clearly not an Uchiha."

"The guy in green is Might Guy. Don't let his looks fool you. If he really went all out, he could end the fight with a single kick."

Yue explained softly, his eyes filled with a hint of wistfulness.

Guy hadn't opened the Gate of Death yet, but his dedication to Taijutsu was already beginning to show.

"As for the white-haired one... Kakashi Hatake. That eye of his is a keepsake from one of your 'juniors.'"

A meaningful glint flashed in Yue's eyes as he said this.

Obito's eye.

The key connected to the Kamui Dimension.

If possible, Yue wanted to get his hands on it during this Night of the Nine-Tails.

But a weapon that was sure to alter the "main plot" like this would provoke a backlash from the Corrective Force if he touched it.

"An outsider transplanted with a Sharingan? And he can keep it activated?"

Hikari looked incredulous. "Can his body handle the strain? No wonder he looks like he's about to die. That eye is constantly devouring his chakra."

"Yeah. It's like a fuel-guzzling machine that can't be switched off."

Yue watched Kakashi's forlorn figure.

Minato was still alive, and though Kakashi was in pain, he at least had his teacher to lean on.

But in a month, when Minato and Kushina both died, the boy—who was around their age—would be left completely alone, until he met the three students who would give him such a headache.

"Let's go, Hikari."

Yue looked away, unwilling to cross paths with these two key figures in the story right now.

"Hidden in that white-haired kid's eye is a secret leading to another world. I'd love to study it, but now isn't the time to take it back."

The two slipped away from the crowd without a sound, like two drops of water merging into the sea.

Night fell.

The lights of Konoha gradually came on. They weren't as dazzling as Rōran's, but they radiated a peaceful, comforting warmth.

Yue brought Hikari to an inn on the edge of the village with an excellent view.

When he opened the window, he had a clear view of the enormous Kage Rock in the distance.

The statue of Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze was still new. Beneath the moonlight, it looked heroic and full of life.

"Just over a month left..."

Yue leaned by the window, looking at the familiar stone face. Then he glanced at the street below, where a red-haired woman with a prominent belly occasionally walked by.

That was Kushina Uzumaki, out for a stroll under the heavy protection of Anbu.

"Everyone here is smiling. It's nice."

"Peace always makes people grow numb and gives them false hope."

Yue closed the window, shutting out the noise from outside.

"Get some sleep, Hikari. Rest up. Tomorrow, we may have to meet the Uchiha of this era."

"I don't want to see the Uchiha Clan."

"Relax. Compared to before, the Uchiha Clan of this era is pretty easy to deal with."

"Really?"

"Go to sleep."

Silence settled over the room. In the darkness, only two hearts beat steadily and strongly.

The morning mist had yet to lift over Konoha.

The Uchiha Clan Compound lay on the edge of the village. It was an area Second Hokage Tobirama Senju had deliberately set aside to "isolate" the clan.

A tall wall cut it off from the bustling village. The massive Gunbai crest on the wall looked both proud and forlorn in the morning light.

Two figures quietly vaulted over the wall and landed in a secluded courtyard deep inside the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"It's... too quiet here."

Uchiha Hikari tightened her red-and-white robes and furrowed her brow slightly.

Back in the Warring States Period, the air in Uchiha camps was always thick with the smell of blood and the restless fluctuations of chakra. Everyone was constantly on edge.

Here, though the defenses were still tight, the warriors' wildness seemed to have been worn away by something called "rules."

"They've been penned in."

Uchiha Yue commented coolly, his gaze sweeping over the Police Force members patrolling in the distance.

"A tiger with its claws pulled has been locked in a cage called the 'Police Force.' It thinks it's still in control, but in the eyes of the village's leaders, it's long since become easy prey."

The two made no effort to hide their presence. They headed straight for the Japanese-style house in the center of the courtyard.

Inside, a powerful, restrained chakra pulsed slowly.

It was the residence of the Uchiha Clan's current leader, Fugaku Uchiha.

"Who's there?!"

The moment Yue stepped onto the stone stairs, a stern shout came from inside.

"Swish!"

The sliding door was yanked open. Fugaku Uchiha strode out in the dark blue robes of the clan head.

He folded his arms across his chest, and his perpetually furrowed eyes immediately activated the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, fixing on the two intruders in the courtyard.

When Fugaku recognized Uchiha Yue's face, his pupils contracted sharply.

"You're... that S-rank rogue ninja, Uchiha Yue?!"

Though Yue had been gone for more than a year, his portrait had long been posted at the top of the Police Force's wanted list as a disgrace to the Uchiha Clan and a dangerous criminal.

What was more, according to recent intelligence from the Land of Wind, the mysterious man who controlled Rōran was suspected to be him as well.

"Rogue ninja?"

Yue chuckled without denying it, casually brushing off his sleeve.

"Clan Head Fugaku, it's been a long time. Why address me like that? I'm here to deliver some information."

"What right does a criminal who betrayed his village and clan have to talk to me about information?"

Fugaku snorted. His muscles tensed, and chakra began surging wildly through his network of pathways.

They were deep inside the clan compound. If a battle broke out, Anbu would inevitably be drawn in. Then all the hard work the Uchiha Clan had put into maintaining their position until the Fourth Hokage's term would go to waste.

He had to finish this quickly!

They were only two young people. How long could they possibly last against him?