In a desolate part of the Land of Demons.
A group of people were searching the area. One young man carefully pored over an old book.
"Yomi, are you sure this is the right place? We've been searching for two days and haven't found a single clue. Is there really some treasure here?"
a rogue ninja asked. Ever since they'd accepted the job on the underground black market, they'd been wandering around this desolate place.
They hadn't even been told what they were looking for. They were just searching aimlessly.
"Keep looking. We'll find it eventually."
Yomi replied. At the time, he was still an ordinary young ninja.
"Pay us for the work we've done so far."
The rogue ninja spoke bluntly. They'd been on the job for so long without receiving a single coin, and he was already fed up.
As soon as he said this, several other rogue ninja gathered around.
"Money isn't a problem. Once you find what I'm looking for, I'll pay you whatever you want."
Yomi called out confidently.
Some of them glanced over, then continued searching. A few of those who had gathered drifted away, leaving the five main men behind.
They didn't want to keep working.
Yomi glanced at them and said quietly, "I can't pay only the five of you, can I?"
The rogue ninja who had started the argument looked at his companions and nodded slightly.
"This time, you have to pay us first—"
"Found it!"
Just as he was about to make a threat, the sky suddenly changed, and one of the rogue ninja found their target.
"Ha ha ha ha! We finally found it!"
Yomi laughed and ran over, leaving the rogue ninja behind.
A stone doorway lay buried beneath an earthen wall. Only a corner had emerged after three ninjas dug at it.
As more people joined in, they dug faster and faster.
At last, a huge stone door appeared before them.
"We finally found it!"
Yomi exclaimed.
The Land of Demons, the Shrine of the Priestess.
Baiyu had been here for over a day, but nothing had happened yet. The major incident in the Land of Demons still hadn't taken place.
But Miroku, the priestess, had no intention of letting Baiyu leave.
Uchiha Itachi often went out to search for traces of rogue ninja within the Land of Demons.
"You're back? Did you find any sign of the rogue ninja?"
Baiyu stopped what he was doing. He'd added more than ten thousand swings to his total, bringing it to just over 210,000.
He'd also practiced Hand Seals countless times. Though he still couldn't match Shisui or Itachi's speed, he'd reached the level of an ordinary jonin.
Itachi usually returned in the morning and headed out again in the afternoon. Since he was back so early today, he must have found something.
"I did."
Uchiha Itachi told him what he'd discovered.
"Looks like they haven't found their target yet?"
"You know what they're looking for?"
Uchiha Itachi asked in surprise. How had Baiyu gotten so much information?
He even knew what was happening in the Land of Demons.
"I recently heard the priestess tell part of the Land of Demons' history. It used to be a plain, originally a piece of land contested by the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. But then a great disaster turned it into a wasteland, unfit for human habitation. That's why it's like this now, with no one living within a hundred miles. If I'm not mistaken, their target is the legendary demon."
Baiyu had asked around at the shrine and pieced together what he remembered from his previous life, allowing him to work out some of the details.
A monster from the Land of Demons, Moryo, would be resurrected around this time.
Miroku, the priestess, would die young sealing the monster, leaving Shion an orphan.
In Naruto World, the fate of orphaned protagonists stood out in particular. Nine out of ten powerful figures had been born orphans.
"Is that group after the demon?"
Uchiha Itachi murmured.
"What should we do?"
"Let's go talk to the priestess."
Baiyu suggested, then led Uchiha Itachi to the shrine.
Miroku was chanting in the main hall, while the young priestess Shion played outside.
Shion was the little girl he'd seen when he first arrived.
"Big Brother Baiyu!"
Little Shion called out sweetly when she saw him.
She hadn't yet experienced the discrimination of the villagers, so she was cheerful and lively. Her adorable purple eyes were wide, and Miroku had tied up a section of her pale-yellow hair. She looked at Baiyu with delight.
"Shion, is your mother here?"
"She's inside, Big Brother Baiyu. When are you going to cook again?"
Shion asked eagerly. Ever since she'd tried Baiyu's cooking once, she'd fallen in love with his delicious food.
She'd never tasted anything so good. It had completely changed her understanding of food. She'd never imagined a meal could be such a pleasure.
"..."
Baiyu felt a little helpless. How could anyone refuse when such a cute little girl looked at you with longing, only wanting to share a meal?
At five hundred ryo a meal...
That made it even harder to refuse.
"Come to my place tonight!"
Baiyu replied.
"(σ≧∀≦)σ Yay! Y!"
Little Shion was overjoyed. Then she turned and chased after a butterfly, hopping away.
Baiyu turned around and saw Uchiha Itachi staring at him with wide eyes too.
"?"
A question flashed through Baiyu's mind. "You want to come too?"
"Mm-hm. Shisui told me your cooking was really good. I just never got the chance..."
Itachi answered bashfully, fidgeting.
He was only a little over ten years old, after all.
Baiyu was speechless. As their squad leader, he ought to take good care of his team. Itachi had been working hard gathering intelligence lately, and Baiyu had seen how much effort he put in.
Fine. He'd splurge for once.
"Then come over tonight too!"
Baiyu said. Apart from Shisui, who had invited himself over the first time, Itachi was the first person Baiyu had invited to dinner outside the Uchiha apartments.
They were practically friends.
It was only after spending some time with Itachi that Baiyu began to understand the Uchiha clan's greatest sinner.
A child who had become a jonin at eleven.
Without outsiders pushing him forward step by step, Itachi wouldn't have descended into the abyss.
Everyone had piled the pressure onto a child of just ten or so. Few people could bear that without breaking down.
The village leadership. His clan's father.
Each of them hoped Itachi would shoulder the responsibility.
Itachi was only a boy barely past ten. Back when Baiyu was at the Ninja Academy, he'd been so immature that he'd dreamed of beating Uchiha Shisui with his fists and kicking Uchiha Itachi.
To force the consequences of a massacre that hadn't even happened onto him now seemed foolish.
Baiyu understood why Shisui had brought Itachi into the squad, so he could train him properly.
He understood that too. The Uchiha clan would eventually have to be placed in Itachi's hands.
Baiyu loved the sword, and he wouldn't let the Uchiha clan bind his hands.
So even if he managed to save some of the clan from the village, they would still need a capable leader.
Itachi was just such a person: a genius with an exceptional mind and talent.
Itachi had a special position. If Baiyu instilled the right ideas in him, the Uchiha could undergo a huge transformation once Itachi took over.
Unfortunately, the village wouldn't allow it. They couldn't tolerate waiting until Uchiha Itachi became clan head.
Perhaps Danzo had sensed the threat and intensified the pressure.
As a result, Uchiha Itachi chose the path of slaughtering his clan to protect the village's peace and preserve the Uchiha's reputation.
A genius on one side, a madman on the other.
They were only a step apart.
Itachi... I hope you can change. I don't want to draw my sword against you on the night of the clan's destruction.
Baiyu thought this as he tried to change Itachi little by little through his words and actions, turning him into an ally.
After all, Uchiha Itachi's talent ranked among the best in the entire Naruto World.
The so-called genius Uchiha Sasuke was merely someone Itachi had raised himself.
With that thought, Baiyu pushed open the main hall's front doors and entered. He saw Miroku sitting in the middle, meditating in silence.
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