Sasuke had been puzzled lately. He had noticed that there seemed to be a few more people in the Uchiha Compound, and they all acted suspiciously.
He wanted to investigate who they were, but whenever he tried to get close, they vanished in an instant. By the time he reached the spot, he could only find traces of activity, with no sign of the people themselves.
"They must be Anbu!"
Sasuke thought.
There was no one else who could operate on such a large scale within Konoha while remaining so well hidden.
"But why would the Anbu come to my home?"
Sasuke couldn't figure it out. In the end, he had no choice but to conclude that something especially valuable must still be hidden here!
It could be a scroll of jutsu, a powerful weapon, or the Uchiha's property. Whatever it was, it all belonged to the Uchiha—to him!
Sasuke had once been a young master who knew nothing about money, but after his parents died and he began living on his own, he quickly learned its meaning and value.
He had secretly searched the homes of other clan members, too, but found only a little cash. All the truly valuable things had vanished without a trace.
There was no need to guess. Konoha must have confiscated them.
"Bastards!"
The thought of Konoha stealing his money filled Sasuke with fury. "And now they want to steal the treasures hidden by my clan, too? I won't allow it!"
So that night, Sasuke changed into the dark clothes he had prepared in advance and quietly slipped out of his house, making his way toward the area where those people appeared most often.
Konoha's nights were lively, but the Uchiha Compound was an exception.
It was as quiet as a world without sound. Not even the chirping of insects or the calls of birds could be heard.
Deep within the compound, a group of Anbu had surrounded a small courtyard.
"It should be here..."
Nara Shinsuke stood up and spoke to his teammate beside him.
His surname said it all: he was from the Nara Clan and specialized in the Shadow Possession Jutsu, a branch of Yin Release techniques.
The clan head, Nara Shikaku, should have been the one to handle this. After all, no one in the village was better at the Shadow Possession Jutsu. But Shikaku had other duties—he had to accompany the Daimyo and his wife—so the task fell to Nara Shinsuke, one of the clan's promising young members.
"I didn't expect there to be a space inside the shadows. Can you open a passage?"
An Anbu Ninja wearing a fox mask asked in a low voice.
He had short white hair, wore the standard Anbu tactical vest, and carried a short sword on his back.
"I can, but I'll need the Yamanaka Clan's help."
"You can't do it alone?"
"I can, but it would take a long time. This space is strange. It has shadows like those created by the Shadow Possession Jutsu, but they aren't exactly the same. There are also many parts I don't understand. Perhaps they have something in common with the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques."
Nara Shinsuke answered honestly.
He was also very interested in how this space was structured. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to explore new ways to apply the Shadow Possession Jutsu.
"Fine, I can arrange that for you... Wait, someone's coming!"
The white-haired ninja nodded and was just about to say something when he suddenly turned to look in another direction.
The other Anbu who had come with him instinctively reached for their weapons, but he raised a hand to stop them.
"I'll handle it. Kinoe, go ask the Third for permission to request support from the Yamanaka Clan. Everyone else, stay here and protect the scene."
After speaking, the white-haired ninja vanished from the spot.
Sasuke thought he had approached the scene without making a sound. He had spotted the people, and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes.
"Finally, I've caught you red-handed..."
Just as he was about to investigate further, he suddenly heard a faint whoosh beside his ear.
The sound was so soft that he normally wouldn't have heard it at all.
But the area was too quiet. It was so silent that even the wind was clearly audible. Sasuke immediately grew alert and instinctively looked toward the source of the sound.
He saw nothing. But when he turned around, the white-haired Anbu was right behind him.
A light chop to the side of Sasuke's neck, delivered with hardly any force.
Sasuke's body stiffened. His eyes rolled back, and he pitched forward.
The white-haired ninja was about to reach out and catch Sasuke when something unexpected happened.
"Yomotsu Hirasaka!"
In the shadows not far away, Izumi had already prepared her technique. Her red eyes were fixed on the white-haired ninja.
Space shifted rapidly. The buildings and Sasuke disappeared, and the surroundings became a desolate wasteland.
"Who's there?"
The white-haired ninja's heart lurched. He hurriedly leaped to the side.
But the attack he expected never came. Instead, a girl appeared in front of him.
The white-haired ninja froze in place, his body trembling uncontrollably.
"...Rin."
"Kakashi... kill me..."
The girl spoke softly, a smile on her face that was both relieved and reluctant.
"!!"
The scene struck Kakashi's heart like a heavy punch.
For so many years, this was the memory he least wanted to revisit, and the truth he least wanted to accept: that he had once pierced Rin's heart with his own hands.
But he had always known it had been Rin's choice. She had deliberately thrown herself onto his hand.
"No! This is an illusion!"
Kakashi reacted quickly. After less than a second of grief and shock, he came to his senses and immediately activated his Sharingan, trying to break the illusion.
But someone was faster.
Uchiha Arashi had appeared right in front of him.
"You're..."
"Kotoamatsukami!"
Taking advantage of the effect Yomotsu Hirasaka had on Kakashi, Kotoamatsukami slipped into his heart without a hitch, planting the will to not resist.
The ocular technique slowed Kakashi's reaction by half a beat.
That half beat was all it took for Uchiha Arashi to rush up to him and swipe at his left eye.
The fox mask flipped up. A string of blood droplets flew through the air as Kakashi clutched his face and staggered back two steps, quickly drawing his sword and taking a guarded stance.
"Who are you?"
He asked through the pain.
"Someone seeking revenge."
Arashi looked at the Sharingan in his palm, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
"Give me back my eye!"
Kakashi darted toward Uchiha Arashi.
"Izumi."
Uchiha Arashi called without looking back.
Then space stretched out rapidly, forcing Kakashi farther and farther from Uchiha Arashi.
"This belongs to the Uchiha. It was never yours. I'm simply reclaiming Uchiha property."
With that, he—and Izumi, not far away—were swiftly covered by shadows. They sank into the ground together and disappeared.
Kakashi was left alone where he stood. Clutching his face, he slowly sank to his knees.
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