Contacting the Uchiha

Although Might Guy's kick lacked killing intent, the fierce wind it generated still made the clothes of nearby passersby snap and flutter.

Kakashi Hatake's eyes narrowed, his body reacting on pure instinct.

He merely leaned back slightly, dodging the kick by a hair's breadth, then formed a single hand seal and vanished from the spot, reappearing on a utility pole several meters away.

"Guy, knock it off."

"It's not over yet! It seems your skills haven't rusted at all! In that case, I'm going to get serious!"

Watching the two of them chasing each other through the street, causing a scene, Uchiha Hikari, who was hiding in the crowd, felt a flash of surprise in her eyes.

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

Hikari lowered her voice, speaking to Yue beside her. "Although he looks like a fool, there are few signs of chakra flow within his body. To rely purely on the speed and power erupted from his flesh and blood—he could actually keep pace with the elite jonin of the Senju Clan who specialized in taijutsu during the Warring States period."

"And what's more..."

Hikari's gaze shifted to Kakashi standing on the utility pole, her brows knitting slightly. "That white-haired one, his left eye... it gives me a very familiar feeling. Is that... a Sharingan? And it looks like a Mangekyo? But he is clearly not a member of the Uchiha Clan."

"The one in green is called Might Guy. Don't let his appearance fool you; if he truly fights for his life, he could kick his way to the series finale."

Yue explained softly, his eyes carrying a hint of sentiment.

The current Might Guy had yet to open the Gate of Death of the Eight Inner Gates, but that obsession with taijutsu was already beginning to show its edge.

"As for the white-haired one... Kakashi Hatake. That eye of his is a memento left behind by one of your 'juniors'."

At this, a profound look flashed in Yue's eyes.

Obito's eye.

The key to connecting to the Kamui Dimension.

If possible, he really wanted to get his hands on it during the upcoming Night of the Nine-Tails.

But such a powerful tool, one that would inevitably alter the "main plot," would certainly invite a backlash from the "force of correction" if he touched it.

"An outsider transplanting a Sharingan? And he can keep it in an active state?"

Hikari found it incredible. "Can his body handle the burden? No wonder he looks like he's about to die; that eye is devouring his chakra at every moment."

"Indeed, it's a gas-guzzling machine that can't be turned off."

Yue watched Kakashi's lonely retreating figure.

Minato Namikaze was still alive for now; though Kakashi was in pain, he at least had his teacher as a spiritual pillar.

But a month from now, when both Minato and Kushina Uzumaki perished, this boy, roughly the same age as them, would be left completely alone until he met those three students who would give him such a headache.

"Let's go, Hikari."

Yue withdrew his gaze, not wanting to cross paths with these two key plot figures at this moment.

"Hidden within that white-haired boy's eye is a secret leading to another world. Although I would love to study it, now is not the time to take it back."

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

Night fell.

The lights of Konoha gradually flickered to life; though not as dazzling as those in Rōran, they radiated a sense of peaceful, warm tranquility.

Yue brought Hikari to an inn located on the edge of the village, which offered an excellent view.

Pushing open the window, they could see the massive Hokage Rock in the distance.

The statue of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was still new, appearing heroic and spirited under the moonlight.

"A little over a month left..."

Yue leaned against the window, watching that familiar stone face, then glanced at the red-haired woman with a bulging belly occasionally walking on the street below.

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

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

"Peace always makes people numb, and it also makes them harbor wishful thinking."

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

"Sleep, Hikari. Get some rest; tomorrow, we might have to meet the Uchiha of this era."

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

"Set your mind at ease. Compared to before, the Uchiha Clan of this era is actually quite reasonable."

"Really?"

"Go to sleep."

The room fell into silence, with only two hearts beating steadily and powerfully in the darkness.

In the early morning of Konoha, the thin mist had yet to disperse.

The compound of the Uchiha Clan was located on the edge of the village, an area deliberately partitioned by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, to "isolate" the clan.

Towering walls separated this place from the prosperity of the village, and the massive fan crest on the wall appeared both proud and desolate in the morning light.

Two figures vaulted over the perimeter wall in silence, landing within a secluded courtyard deep inside the Uchiha Clan compound.

"It is... too quiet here."

Uchiha Hikari tightened her red-and-white casual robes, her brow furrowing slightly.

Back in the Warring States period, the air in the Uchiha encampment was always thick with the scent of blood and the restless fluctuations of chakra, with everyone's nerves stretched to the breaking point.

Yet here, although the security remained tight, that raw, wild instinct of the warrior seemed to have been smoothed away by something called "rules."

"They have been domesticated."

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

"Tigers that have lost their claws, locked in a cage called the 'Police Force,' deluding themselves into thinking they are still in control, when in reality, they have long since become fat meat in the eyes of the village elders."

The two made no attempt to hide their presence, walking straight toward the Japanese-style room in the center of the courtyard.

From within, a dense and oppressive chakra was slowly undulating.

That was the residence of the current clan head, Fugaku Uchiha.

"Who goes there?!"

The moment Yue stepped onto the stone stairs, a low, authoritative shout erupted from inside the room.

"Slide!"

The shoji door was flung open, and Fugaku Uchiha, clad in his deep blue clan head robes, strode out.

He stood with his arms crossed, his perpetually furrowed eyes instantly activating the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, locking firmly onto the two uninvited guests in his courtyard.

When Fugaku caught sight of Yue Uchiha's face, his pupils constricted sharply.

"You are... that S-rank missing-nin, Yue Uchiha?!"

Although Yue had vanished for over a year, as the shame and a dangerous element of the Uchiha Clan, his portrait had long been hung at the top of the Police Force's wanted list.

Furthermore, according to recent intelligence from the Land of Wind, the mysterious figure controlling Rōran was also suspected to be him.

"Missing-nin?"

Yue chuckled, not bothering to deny it, and simply brushed off his sleeves in a casual manner.

"Clan Head Fugaku, it has been so long, why use such a title? I have come to deliver intelligence."

"What right does a sinner who betrayed the village and the clan have to talk to me about intelligence?"

Fugaku let out a cold snort, his muscles tensing as his chakra began to circulate frantically through his meridians.

This was the heart of the clan compound; once a battle broke out, it would inevitably draw the Anbu, and the position the Uchiha Clan had worked so hard to cultivate in anticipation of the Fourth Hokage would be squandered.

He had to end this quickly!

How long could a mere two youngsters possibly last against him?