The Uchiha's Evil Ghost!

In the deepest part of the prison cell.

A white-haired figure seemed to be awakened by the sound, slowly lifting his head to reveal a pair of crimson, demon-like eyes.

The corners of his mouth split open at that moment, bunching the withered skin on his face up to his ears, making his expression appear even more hideous.

He didn't look like a human at all, but rather a demon so emaciated he was nothing but skin and bone!

"Is that you, Danzo?!"

The hoarse voice of Setsuna Uchiha squeezed out from his throat.

Because he hadn't spoken for so long, the pronunciation was somewhat strange, yet Danzo heard it with perfect clarity.

"Have you grown this old, too?!"

"This attire..."

"Does this mean that old geezer Tobirama Senju has stepped down, or perhaps even... died?!"

Bang—!

Danzo's cane slammed violently onto the floor in front of Setsuna Uchiha, shattering the stone instantly, with debris slicing across Setsuna Uchiha's face.

Bright red blood trickled down Setsuna Uchiha's withered skin, yet within those demon-like eyes, there was not a shred of fear, only a mockery akin to a cat playing with a mouse:

"It seems he is indeed dead."

"If the person in power now isn't you, then it must be Hiruzen Sarutobi, right?!"

Danzo's expression shifted abruptly, his eyes brimming with murderous intent, yet he did not strike again, merely staring coldly at the old man sitting cross-legged in the cell, who looked like a corpse waiting for the grave.

He was wavering.

Was this monster, who had once stirred up trouble under the Second Hokage and even led the Uchiha to stand on equal footing with the Konoha high command, truly someone he could suppress?!

"Ah~ it seems I've guessed correctly again."

The mockery in Setsuna Uchiha's eyes deepened:

"What, has the Konoha high command finally decided they can't help but execute me?!"

"You are provoking me."

Danzo lowered his gaze, all emotion vanishing from his eyes as if the flash of rage from a moment ago had been nothing but an illusion.

He returned to his usual posture of having everything under control:

"Are you seeking death? I will not grant you your wish!"

"On the contrary, I am here to let you leave."

The atmosphere in the cell froze.

Setsuna Uchiha looked up at Danzo.

Back when he held power in the Uchiha, the Danzo before him was still just a bodyguard to the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, his light overshadowed by the Second Hokage's other disciple, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Now, decades later, he had truly become a vicious beast.

At the very least, this level of cunning was something the mediocre lot in his own clan could never hope to contend with.

Countless conjectures flashed through Setsuna Uchiha's mind, and in an instant, he found the only correct solution!

"You want to use me?!"

"It seems your relationship with that brat Hiruzen Sarutobi isn't exactly good. What kind of incredible changes have occurred within the Uchiha clan that you would need to borrow my hand to..."

"The Uchiha and the Konoha high command are going to join forces?!"

The expression on Setsuna Uchiha's face stiffened, followed by an extreme, exaggerated, and unbridled mockery!

"Hahahahaha—!"

"Those idiots are actually going to fall for it a second time?!"

"Hopeless!"

The surrounding lights had gone out at some unknown point.

The other death row inmates only knew that in the deepest cell of the prison, the mad laughter of that demon-like man continued for a long, long time before it finally ceased.

The rain in Konoha drizzled on, falling for several days straight.

Shingen Uchiha's life remained routine: clocking in for work, slacking off, and discussing creative writing with Jiraiya.

At night, he trained in the Forest of Death with Jiraiya.

With two Shadow Clones assisting, his training progress was much faster.

But in return, he faced triple the fatigue, pushing his body to the very brink of what it could endure.

"No training today, I'm treating you to barbecue!"

After Shingen Uchiha clocked out, Jiraiya suddenly draped an arm over his shoulder, winking suggestively.

"Training also requires a balance of work and rest. If you keep pushing yourself this hard, your body will give out before you see any real results."

Without waiting for Uchiha Shingen's opinion, Jiraiya dragged him toward a barbecue restaurant on the street.

Seeing the confused look on Uchiha Shingen's face, Jiraiya added:

"Your senior brother is waiting over there too!"

"Senior brother?!"

Uchiha Shingen paused, casting a sidelong glance at Jiraiya:

"I never admitted to being your disciple!"

"Old geezer!"

Jiraiya didn't mind at all, nodding:

"That doesn't matter. At this point, you're probably the only person in Konoha who doesn't acknowledge it."

"Not important, not important."

Uchiha Shingen's expression stiffened, and he was momentarily speechless.

At the time, he had only wanted to squeeze some useful information out of Jiraiya, and since Jiraiya was the only powerhouse he was somewhat familiar with, he had thought about letting him provide some guidance.

Who knew that both the Uchiha clan and Konoha would eventually take it as a given that he was Jiraiya's disciple?

How did things end up spiraling in such an absurd direction?!

He couldn't just let this old guy take advantage of him like this!

"Sigh."

"I suddenly thought of a new idea, but it's not like a disciple should be teaching their teacher. Forget it, I'll just..."

"Wait a second!"

When it came to writing, Jiraiya immediately lost his composure. Seeing the slight upturn at the corner of Uchiha Shingen's mouth, he knew he had been baited.

But hey, for the sake of creation, there was no shame in it.

Jiraiya thought for a moment, then clapped his hands:

"How about this: we'll each stick to our own logic. You call me teacher, and I'll call you disciple."

"Your ulterior motives are practically hitting me in the face, old geezer!"

"Hey~~~"

When the master and disciple arrived at the barbecue restaurant, a group had already gathered around the table.

The golden-haired young man at the head of the table smiled with a radiance that left a deep impression at first glance.

He nimbly placed slices of meat onto the grill, letting them sizzle until they were fragrant, before placing them onto the plate of the red-haired woman beside him.

This drew a chorus of jeers from the three teenagers nearby.

"Oooooh~~~"

"Minato-sensei is being way too biased, he only has eyes for Kushina-nee!"

Obito pouted, immediately starting to complain.

Seeing Rin stand up to grill meat, Obito looked on with hopeful eyes, only to watch her place the meat into Kakashi's plate, causing him to petrify on the spot.

Seeing this scene, Uchiha Shingen's mind immediately conjured up an image of a pair of lovebirds, plus a cliché love triangle.

His mouth twitched slightly as he turned to Jiraiya:

"Is there even any point in eating? I'm already full from all this dog food!"

Before Jiraiya could speak, Minato waved excitedly from across the way.

"Jiraiya-sensei!"

"Over here! Over here!"

Jiraiya waved back, then led Uchiha Shingen over to pull up a chair and sit down.

To Uchiha Shingen's surprise, the first person at the table to greet him wasn't his "senior brother" Minato, but Obito, who had been so devastated he had nearly turned to stone.

"Long time no see!"

"Shingen?!"

Obito stood up boisterously, as if he had run into a long-lost friend:

"Come to think of it, we haven't seen each other in ages since we graduated from the Ninja Academy."

"Yeah~"

Uchiha Shingen nodded lazily, acknowledging the greeting.

He and Obito truly hadn't seen each other in a long time.

They were in the same class and from the same clan, and since they were both somewhat marginalized figures during their time at the Academy, they naturally got along well.