Uchiha's Past

Yashui was stunned. He'd only felt like he'd lost all sense of time; he hadn't expected to accomplish something so incredible.

"Uchiha, tell me, what is your wish?" Like a quest in a game, Yashui had completed the task and could now claim his reward from the Three-Legged Golden Crow.

"Well... Three-Legged Golden Crow," Yashui asked, "could I sign a Summoning Contract with you?"

"Our Hundred Bird Nest has had a contract with the Uchiha Clan for a long time. But in recent years, the only Uchiha who has summoned us is a young man named Itachi." The Three-Legged Golden Crow sighed. "It seems the Uchiha Clan has abandoned us again..."

"All right, we'll sign a contract with you. From now on, every bird in the Hundred Bird Nest can become your summon." The Three-Legged Golden Crow asked, "What's your name?"

"Uchiha Yashui," Yashui replied.

"I see. Now drip your blood onto the ground."

Yashui did as the Three-Legged Golden Crow instructed. As soon as his blood touched the ground, the clouds beneath him turned red. A moment later, they returned to white.

"The contract is complete." The Three-Legged Golden Crow nodded.

It seemed that the method for signing a contract varied from one summoning animal to another. This Summoning Contract was much easier to sign than Naruto's in the original story.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

Yashui thought for a moment. "There's a lot I'd like to say. May I tell you about it little by little?"

"Hahahaha..." The Three-Legged Golden Crow threw back his head and laughed. "Of course. You can come here every day and keep this old man company."

"Thank you." Yashui sat down on the ground. After meeting someone so important, he felt much more at ease. "Today, I'll start by telling you about the Uchiha Clan."

"Only a handful of Uchiha remain..." From their earlier conversation, Yashui had gathered that this place had little contact with the outside world. He decided to bring everyone up to speed on what had happened recently.

Yashui started with the rift between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha, telling the Three-Legged Golden Crow about the Uchiha Clan's ambitions and the measures Konoha had taken to prevent them from rebelling.

He spent several hours just on this part. Yashui told the story with vivid emotion, and his audience grew by the minute. By the time he finished, thousands of birds of all sizes had gathered around him. Some weren't afraid of people and had even perched on his shoulders to listen.

Next, Yashui told them what Konoha thought of the Uchiha and how its various factions dealt with them. He explained how the Uchiha Clan's forced relocation had fueled their desire to rebel, and then he brought up Uchiha Shisui.

As soon as he mentioned Uchiha Shisui, the onlookers—no, the birds—began chattering among themselves.

"Uchiha Shisui was the one who brought about the Uchiha Clan's downfall. He was a traitor to the Uchiha," a magpie said.

"Why did Uchiha Shisui side with outsiders?" An eagle scratched its head. "Was he caught in a Konoha genjutsu?"

"At least he protected Konoha, didn't he?" a sparrow said.

"I was one of his summons. He didn't seem like he was under a genjutsu," a crow said.

In an instant, the quiet palace was filled with incessant chirping. The birds had plenty to say about Shisui, and they held very different opinions of him.

"Quiet!" Yashui roared, and the whole world fell silent.

"I, Uchiha Yashui, am Uchiha Shisui's younger brother." His words left everyone stunned. "I'm not trying to deny what he did. What he chose to do was his own decision. And, of course, I'm not planning to avenge him."

"But I don't intend to follow the same path as him, either. I'm not as smart as my brother. I can't tell right from wrong. All I know is that if someone treats me well, I should repay them; if someone wants to kill me, I should take them out before they can kill me." Yashui paused. "I'm not trying to stop you from discussing this, but I hope you won't talk about Shisui in front of his only younger brother. Please show me some respect."

Yashui stared straight ahead with unwavering resolve. A Sharingan stared back at him.

The birds fell utterly silent. This was the real meaning of "not a sound from even the crows and sparrows."

The Three-Legged Golden Crow looked at Yashui approvingly. "It's been a long time since I've seen a child like you. With the right guidance, he might accomplish great things." What impressed him wasn't Yashui's intelligence, but his fairness and his unassuming dignity.

"Go on," the Three-Legged Golden Crow said.

"Okay." Yashui nodded and continued.

Yashui went on to tell the Three-Legged Golden Crow and the other birds about the Uchiha Clan's final days: how Uchiha Itachi wiped out the entire clan.

The birds were so shocked they forgot to speak. They might have guessed from the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan that the clan had been destroyed, but they'd never imagined that the one who slaughtered them all was Uchiha Itachi!

"Yashui, are you sure everything you've said is true?" a crow asked. Though it was small, the other birds seemed to hold it in great respect.

"I was your brother's and Uchiha Itachi's personal summon. He never told me any of this." The crow seemed not to believe Yashui—or perhaps it simply didn't want to believe him.

"Did you ever ask?" Yashui countered.

The crow fell silent.

"Why not use your summoning technique to bring Uchiha Itachi here?" the Three-Legged Golden Crow suggested.

The crow seemed to break into a cold sweat. It lowered its head and said, "Lord Three-Legged Golden Crow, actually, Uchiha Itachi hasn't summoned me in years. He's also strong enough to resist the Reverse Summoning Technique."

"Perhaps that's for the best." The Three-Legged Golden Crow shook his head. "We're recluses who pay no heed to the world beyond this place. We shouldn't concern ourselves with worldly matters. When you think about it, we summoning animals are no more than tools for shinobi. When they no longer need us, they forget us and leave us behind."

"Just as the Uchiha Clan once threw us away like garbage." The Three-Legged Golden Crow glanced at Yashui. "What do you plan to do now, young man?"

"I..." Yashui didn't know how to answer. He himself didn't want revenge, but the body's previous owner had wanted it...

"Just say what's on your mind." The Three-Legged Golden Crow could see Yashui's hesitation.

"As far as I can remember, I don't know much about the Uchiha. I can only feel sorry for my clansmen, who died so tragically, even though I never knew them. I have no obligation to avenge them. But for the sake of the name Uchiha, I suppose I should try. Still, I'm not the kind of person who can give up everything this wonderful world has to offer and devote all my energy to revenge. I don't have that kind of perseverance."