The moment he reached enlightenment, Baiyu forgot everything around him.
He stood motionless, holding the battered scabbard of the Kusanagi Sword.
Uchiha Itachi was worried about Baiyu's condition. He checked on him from time to time, but got no response.
Shisui thought Baiyu was still angry about what he had done earlier. He simply told Itachi to hurry up and clean up the battlefield so they could get back to the village.
Baiyu stood there all night.
The sunlight the next morning stung his eyes, rousing him from his enlightenment.
Did I... stand here all night? I can't believe that kid stayed by my side.
Baiyu saw Uchiha Itachi leaning quietly against a tree trunk, fast asleep.
He's got a good heart.
Baiyu praised him. Not wanting to disturb Itachi's sleep, he stretched a little, then leaped onto a branch of a distant tree. He took out a piece of hardtack and ate it with some water for breakfast.
"You're awake. What happened last night?"
Shisui suddenly appeared beside Baiyu. Baiyu wasn't surprised and calmly continued eating.
He glanced at Shisui, then picked up his canteen and took a drink.
"I made a little progress."
Baiyu's eyes narrowed as he replied.
The arrival of Sword Heart had gradually changed Baiyu's temperament.
Isn't he angry about what happened yesterday?
It was the first time Shisui had seen Baiyu smile. His keen eyes noticed something different in that smile.
His eyes!
Baiyu's Sharingan had changed.
"Three Tomoe?"
Shisui wondered to himself. The standard 120-degree angles of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan confirmed it.
It really was no small improvement.
The transformation from a two-tomoe to a three-tomoe Sharingan couldn't compare to the qualitative leap from a three-tomoe to a Mangekyo.
But one thing was widely accepted among the Uchiha: in theory, a three-tomoe Sharingan could give its wielder the strength of an elite Jonin.
Copying techniques, enhancing and reflecting genjutsu, dynamic vision...
These abilities reached their full potential with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Together, they could give even a mediocre ninja considerable strength.
That was the confidence behind the Uchiha's claim to be the Shinobi World's greatest clan.
The confidence—or perhaps the arrogance—to challenge Konoha.
Baiyu offered no explanation. Showing his eyes was both a warning and a cover.
The greatest reward from this enlightenment wasn't the change in his eyes.
It was that he had found the direction of his path in swordsmanship.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan was merely a bonus that came with the growth of his spiritual realm.
"Let's head back!"
Baiyu said calmly after finishing breakfast.
"I'll wake Itachi."
Shisui gave him a long look before replying.
Baiyu had become harder and harder to read. The labels Shisui had once placed on him had all been invalidated in an instant.
That serene, untroubled air about him didn't belong on a ninja.
The wariness Baiyu had always felt toward the people of the Naruto World vanished overnight.
He was no longer as guarded in his dealings with others.
After the Anbu's ambush, the three of them hurried back to the village.
A journey that would usually take half a day took them only two hours.
As before, Shisui told Baiyu and Itachi to go on ahead.
Uchiha Itachi obediently followed instructions and left.
Baiyu, however, remained where he was.
A familiar scene.
"I'll bring the reward money to your house as before."
Shisui said it outright, keeping his tone gentle.
Without pressure from the village or the clan, he would have been a kind and friendly person.
Baiyu shook his head. "I want to visit the village. We should get to see the Third after this mission, right?"
"How did you know?"
Uchiha Shisui looked surprised.
"I guessed. It's an S-rank mission, and it involves the Hokage's disciple. The Third will definitely receive us in person!"
Baiyu shrugged, plucked a blade of grass from beside him, and put it between his lips.
After comprehending Wanderer's Heart, his personality had been slightly affected. He was becoming less concerned with so many things and less cautious in his actions.
After reaching the Sword Master level, Baiyu had decided to test the Hokage Faction's attitude toward the Uchiha.
As he remembered it, the Third was indecisive and overly softhearted, but he had never turned on his own people.
From the Hokage's perspective, Sarutobi Hiruzen had done nothing wrong. As a person, he had hardly ever done anything right.
Shisui gave him a long look, recalling how Baiyu had once talked about moving out of the Uchiha compound.
Shisui had thought it was a joke, but now it seemed Baiyu had planned it all along.
"Remember, you'll always be an Uchiha."
Outside the Hokage Building in Konoha, Shisui reminded him one last time.
Baiyu didn't reply. He folded his arms, grass between his lips, and casually surveyed the surrounding streets.
As the Shinobi World's largest village, Konoha focused on military readiness, but its commerce was thriving.
People from other villages often came to ask for help and post missions.
Most were wealthy merchants and politicians—members of the upper-middle class who had at least one of the three: power, money, or influence.
Their arrival made the village's commerce even more prosperous.
Compared with the insular Uchiha, the atmosphere in Konoha was far more comfortable.
It was just that the village wasn't particularly welcoming to Uchiha clansmen right now.
Inside the Hokage Building, ninja and clients hurried back and forth through the busy administrative hall.
Shisui didn't stop there, but headed straight upstairs.
Baiyu followed quietly behind him, like an ordinary bodyguard, though his manner was distinctly lazy.
A Chunin in a flak jacket led them to the Hokage's office.
An elderly, white-haired man sat in a chair, taking long drags from his pipe.
Noticing Shisui and the others arrive, he set down his pipe and gave them a warm smile.
"Shisui, you're back. How did the mission go?"
"Lord Hokage, the mission failed. We couldn't capture Orochimaru, but my team fought him and cut off one of his arms. We killed two of his guards. During the mission, we were also ambushed by elite Mist Ninja Anbu. The three Anbu and three Root members you sent all died..."
Uchiha Shisui recounted the mission in detail, emphasizing Uchiha Itachi's contributions.
"Uchiha Itachi... He's Fugaku's eldest son, isn't he?"
The Third interrupted when he heard Itachi's name.
"That's right."
Shisui replied.
The two went back and forth, seemingly forgetting Baiyu in the corner.
Even after Uchiha Shisui had finished, the Third made no move to speak with Baiyu.
"Uchiha Baiyu pays his respects."
Baiyu spoke just as the Third was about to dismiss them.
"Uchiha Baiyu?"
The Third's smile faded slightly at Baiyu's words.
He looked to Uchiha Shisui for an explanation. Shisui gave a slight shake of his head.
Only then did a trace of a smile return to the Third's face.
"Shisui, thank you for your efforts. You can collect the mission reward downstairs in the main hall."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Shisui answered, then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Only the Third and Baiyu remained in the office.
"Go on. What do you want from me?"
"Lord Hokage, you seem to have high hopes that Uchiha Shisui can ease the tension between the village and the Uchiha."
Baiyu asked.
The Third smiled without answering, silently watching Baiyu as an unspoken pressure filled the room.
When he noticed the hilt at Baiyu's waist, his pupils contracted.
His aura grew even more imposing.
"I want to teach at the Ninja Academy. I came here specifically to ask Lord Hokage to approve my application."
Baiyu stated the idea he'd first discussed with Uchiha Shisui, unbothered by the Third's attempt to intimidate him.
"A Ninja Academy teacher? The list has to be approved at a Konoha High Command meeting. Besides, you're still young. You have a good chance of becoming a Jonin someday. Don't give up just because one mission was difficult. Go back and think it over. When you've made up your mind, come see me again."
The Third said kindly. Baiyu looked like a child who had been shaken by a difficult mission, feared battle, and wanted to retire to a desk job.
But there was more to this child than met the eye.
Why was Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword in his possession?
Before you continue