Uchiha Clan Spy

The Land of Fire, Konoha.  👌🎈Google Search   

Bright sunlight spilled across the streets and alleys. Cherry blossoms swirled through the air, drawing countless passersby to stop and watch.

April was the perfect season for flower viewing.

Inside the conference room of the Hokage Building, however, the atmosphere was solemn.

A black-haired boy knelt on one knee, his tousled bangs falling over his forehead. He had handsome features and a sunny smile, and his crisp ninja uniform made him look sharp and dashing.

"Lord Hokage, Lord Danzo, I'm here."

"Thanks for your hard work."

The figure seated at the head of the table wore a conical hat and a ceremonial robe, and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke.

The Third Hokage of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

One of the strongest people in the Shinobi World, and his superior.

As for him...

Uchiha Akashi, an unlucky transmigrator.

His arrival here had been a complete accident. He still remembered the day he crossed over: a storm was raging, thunder rolled, and he was at home eating hot pot and watching Naruto. He happened to be watching the episode where Sasuke avenged Itachi, and Lightning Style: Kirin made its debut.

Seeing lightning flash outside the window, he imitated Sasuke's Hand Seals and reached toward the sky.

"Lightning Style: Kirin!"

Would you believe it? A bolt of lightning really struck him.

With a thunderclap, he transmigrated.

After arriving in the Naruto world, he became a descendant of the Uchiha Clan.

At first, he'd considered defecting outright, so he wouldn't get casually killed by Itachi Uchiha later. Unfortunately, he didn't know the place or its people, and he wasn't strong enough. It seemed that running away would make it even harder to survive.

Fortunately, he still had a few years.

So Akashi trained diligently, constantly improving his strength. To leave himself a way out in the future, he'd also made a point of studying the Will of Fire while at the Ninja Academy, writing plenty of flattering essays.

Who could have guessed...

On the day he became a Chunin, the Third Hokage came straight to his door.

His exact words had been, "I've read your essays. You're a true inheritor of the Will of Fire. I hope you can become a bridge between the village and your clan."

Damn it!

Wasn't that just asking him to be a spy?

What did they take the mighty Uchiha for?

Seeing the crowd of Anbu Ninja perched on the utility poles, Akashi agreed on the spot.

Before long, Fugaku noticed something was off and came to see him too. The pitch had been almost identical: "I hope you can become a bridge between the clan and the village."

How could Akashi refuse? He could only agree smoothly.

And so began his thrilling double-agent career.

Today was another routine report.

"Has anything unusual happened within the Uchiha lately?"

"As far as I know, Clan Head Fugaku has no objections to relocating the clan grounds and is making arrangements. The rest of the clan haven't been told the details yet, and they're carrying on as usual."

"Do you think there'll be any opposition?"

"Well... definitely. But I think we can resolve it if we offer enough money," Akashi replied.

"Mm. We should do our best to be considerate of the Uchiha's feelings."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "The village can raise the compensation a little. Add another five thousand ryo per square meter."

At that, Danzo, seated nearby, couldn't help snorting. "This is compensation for the damage caused by the Night of the Nine-Tails. Everyone knows the incident was connected to the Sharingan. What do they have to complain about?"

"Danzo, don't go too far. The Uchiha are part of the village, after all."

"Hmph. They'll take your indecisiveness as a sign of weakness."

As expected, the two began to argue.

Uchiha Akashi was used to it. Every time he gave a report, something like this happened.

Sometimes the two didn't really disagree about anything. They just liked to bicker.

They were practically an old married couple.

It usually ended with two famous lines—

[Danzo, I'm the Hokage.]

[Hiruzen, you'll regret this.]

Half a year ago, the Nine-Tails Incident had erupted in the village, dealing Konoha a devastating blow. The Fourth Hokage had died in the line of duty. At the same time, the Uchiha Clan had come under public scrutiny and a sweeping investigation.

Though the investigation had concluded that no one from the village was responsible, the Uchiha's reputation had plummeted.

Danzo took the opportunity to stir up trouble, coming up with a policy to relocate the clan grounds.

The higher-ups simply couldn't agree on how to carry it out.

The Third Hokage wanted to focus on appeasement.

Danzo intended to enforce it by force.

Only after they'd argued for a full five minutes did Uchiha Akashi finally get a chance to speak.

"Um... if there's nothing else for me, I'll take my leave."

"Ahem. Akashi, you've always done well. Don't lose your way. Everything is for the sake of the Uchiha and Konoha. Understand?" The Third Hokage smiled kindly, making the room feel warm and welcoming.

"Understood, understood."

Akashi kept up his fake smile and took his leave.

Danzo narrowed his eyes, watching the boy until the door closed. Only then did he say slowly, "Hiruzen, he's still a member of the Uchiha Clan. Is he really trustworthy?"

"Heh. Take a look at this."

Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled a thick stack of papers from the file cabinet behind him and laid them on the table.

Two résumés. The rest were all essays.

<On the Core Spirit of the Will of Fire in the New Era: My Thoughts>

<On the Proper Handling of Internal Conflicts in Konoha>

<How to Unite Closely Around the Excellent Example of Lord Hokage—Reflections on Reading the Third Hokage's Manuscript>

Ten Principles for Practicing the Will of Fire

"What's this?" Danzo stared at the papers, dumbfounded.

"Essays he's been writing since he was seven. Some of the ideas even surprised me. I read them and was so impressed I slapped the table." Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "He's a genius— a genius who understands the Will of Fire."

"Wait. Why is the opening of your last speech exactly the same as the introduction to this essay?"

"Don't worry about the details."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face reddened slightly. He really had borrowed a few phrases. He couldn't help it—Akashi's writing was just too good.

Especially the way he praised him. He'd called him the God of Shinobi, the strongest Hokage in history, and a leader without equal before or since... It had made him feel a little embarrassed. He'd almost wanted to humbly say:

I've only done a little bit of work.

Danzo furrowed his brows. "You trust him so much just because of this?"

"He's been pretending since childhood? That's impossible. Besides, he's just a child. He can't access any core secrets. What's wrong with having him act as a mediator between the village and the Uchiha?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a ring of smoke and sighed leisurely.

?

"Putting on an act for those old bastards is exhausting."

After leaving the Hokage Building, Uchiha Akashi walked with his hands in his pockets and spat to the side.

Being a spy was hard enough, but the Konoha High Command didn't even pay him. It was blatant exploitation.

He hadn't gone far when a familiar voice called from behind.

"Akashi-nii."

"Oh, Itachi." Akashi turned around, instantly putting on a smile.

Itachi Uchiha was seven years old and already a Genin.

He was handsome and sweet-faced, kind and exceptionally talented. Almost everyone described him with the same word: genius.

Akashi had never liked him much, though. After greeting him, he was about to leave.

Itachi hurried after him. "I went to your house first, but your uncle said you'd left early. I guessed you'd come here."

"Oh, you're clever."

Akashi blinked. "Did you need something?"

Itachi glanced at the Hokage Building and hesitated. "Um... I think you'd be better off not getting too close to the Konoha High Command, Akashi-nii."

"As expected of Itachi. You've grown up, and now you even talk like an old man," Akashi said with a chuckle. "Is that what Clan Head Fugaku thinks, or is it your own opinion?"

"It's the result of my own thinking," Itachi hurriedly clarified.

Thinking?

You're a brat who graduated after only one year at the Ninja Academy. How many books have you read?

How much have you seen?

You think you understand the world because you saw the horrors of the Shinobi World War with Fugaku when you were four and killed someone with your own hands?

You dare make decisions about your clan's fate based on such shallow understanding?

And according to the timeline, you're the one who'll get closest to the Konoha High Command, aren't you?

Damn idiot.

Akashi lifted his chin disdainfully. "Are you trying to tell me what to do?"

"No, I'm just warning you..."

"If you came all this way just to chat, save it for next time. I'm busy. I don't have much free time to play with children. You're a Genin now too. Go catch cats or pull weeds. Don't waste your precious time."

"Ah, wait..."

Itachi quickly reached out. "I came to tell you to attend the clan meeting, Akashi-nii. One o'clock this afternoon, at the Council Hall."

Akashi's brows twitched at that.

Ever since the Nine-Tails Incident, clan meetings had become far too frequent.

This one was probably about relocating the clan grounds.

"I'll be there on time," Akashi replied.

"Then I'll head back." Itachi could tell he wasn't very welcome. He smiled, then politely waved goodbye.

Akashi waved back with a fake smile.

Once that figure had disappeared into the distance, his expression gradually tightened.

Itachi Uchiha.

He was a cold-blooded monster who would slaughter his entire clan—a hypocrite and executioner who appeared to bear the burden of great benevolence and righteousness, but was actually acting for his own selfish interests.

Even now, Akashi couldn't understand how anyone's mind could come up with "wipe out the entire clan" as a solution.

Had anything worse than killing an entire family ever happened throughout history?

Among the Uchiha he killed, many were ordinary people who couldn't even harm a fly. There were even plenty of elderly people and children. How could he bring himself to do it? Didn't they have siblings? Didn't they have parents who loved them?

Oh, he'd even killed his own parents.

What a terrifying guy.

Akashi mused to himself, a chill creeping up his spine.

If he wanted to stop the massacre, the easiest thing to do would be to find a chance to kill Itachi.

But that would lead to a moral dilemma.

After all, Itachi hadn't done anything evil yet.

What if he turned over a new leaf? Besides, if Itachi died, Obito could find someone else, and Danzo would come up with another plan.

Most importantly, what would he gain by acting?

Nothing.

No matter how he looked at it, killing a member of the Uchiha in the village would only bring endless trouble. It would do him no good whatsoever.

Besides, he didn't know how strong Itachi Uchiha had become.

He'd be better off using that time to improve his own strength.

There were only six years left until the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre. To survive then, he'd need to become much stronger.

Stronger than he was now. Stronger than Itachi Uchiha!

Stronger even than Obito Uchiha!

At the moment, he was only a Chunin.

At thirteen, he had a Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

He seemed outstanding among his peers, but in the wider Shinobi World, he was no more than cannon fodder.

Without the Mangekyo, he had no right to speak up.

But awakening the Mangekyo required extremely harsh conditions. Above all, it required a powerful emotional shock. As a transmigrator, he wasn't all that emotionally attached to his family and clan.

What if all his clansmen died?

What if his parents were sacrificed?

He doubted even that would do much...

"I'd better grab something to eat and get ready for the meeting." Akashi shook his head, watched the cherry blossoms dance in the distance, and walked with his hands in his pockets.