Uchiha Yatsuhashi had just stepped through the heavy gates of the Uchiha Ancestral Land,
In the shadows of the distant woods, Uchiha Shisui finally let out a long breath of relief.
Since Uchiha Fugaku had sent the Uchiha clan members back to their ancestral land,
he hadn't dared get too close to it.
Only after a long time had passed, worried that Uchiha Yatsuhashi might once again affect the relationship between the village and the clan,
Uchiha Shisui finally slipped over without a sound.
Now, seeing that Yatsuhashi was safe and sound,
the nerves he had kept taut all night relaxed a little.
"Yatsuhashi."
Shisui dropped lightly from the treetop, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue that was hard to detect.
"The Hokage wishes to see you."
Shisui came closer. His usual smile looked somewhat forced,
and his face appeared unusually pale in the moonlight.
Though he hadn't been in a battle, the immense mental strain left him looking physically weak.
"Mm." Yatsuhashi nodded to show he understood.
The two walked side by side toward the center of the village.
The night breeze was cool, dispersing the heat of the day, but not the oppressive feeling hanging in the air.
They walked together for a while,
then Shisui suddenly broke the silence.
His voice was quiet, yet weighed heavily. "Thank you."
Yatsuhashi paused. "For what?"
"If you hadn't shown up in time today,"
Shisui's voice was low and sincere. "That situation just now might have escalated into an all-out conflict between the Uchiha and the village.
"Then... I would have had to make a painful choice between my clan and the village.
"You gave everyone a way out, and gave me... room to breathe. Thank you."
Uchiha Yatsuhashi didn't reply. He simply looked at Shisui.
This prodigy, hailed in Anbu as "Body Flicker Shisui,"
now looked like a tightly strung bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.
As he looked at Shisui's tired eyes, a sudden flash of inspiration came to him.
To prevent the approaching night of the Uchiha Clan's extermination,
he had to address the problem at its root.
And the village-clan divide wasn't the only thing that would drive Uchiha Itachi to extremes.
The Uchiha before him, Shisui, was another factor.
"Shisui-senpai," Yatsuhashi began,
his voice calm. "What do you think the 'Will of Fire' is?"
Shisui answered without hesitation. "Protecting the village and passing down the will..."
"The first four words aren't hard." Yatsuhashi looked toward the distant silhouette of Kage Rock.
"Any properly trained ninja should have the instinct to protect the village. But 'passing down the will' is the hardest part, isn't it?"
He stopped and turned to face Shisui.
"Have you ever thought about how that will should be passed down?"
Shisui's pupils contracted slightly.
This was exactly what he had always been searching for, yet the answer had remained elusive.
He protected the village and loved the Uchiha, but he was caught painfully between the two.
"Then... how should it be passed down?"
Shisui couldn't help asking, urgency creeping into his voice.
Forcing the clan members into submission
would only widen the rift between them and the village.
But if they were left unchecked,
that would become the spark of a Uchiha rebellion.
Uchiha Shisui longed for an answer, a way to break this deadlock.
Yatsuhashi shook his head, interrupting his thoughts.
"I don't know either."
Shisui froze.
But the next moment, Yatsuhashi's words struck like a hammer:
"But I do know that if the Uchiha care only about the glory of the 'Uchiha,' and have no sense of belonging to the 'village,'
then no amount of talk about 'passing down the will' will mean anything.
"Because they've got the object of protection all wrong."
Shisui trembled all over, as if struck by lightning!
He was right... If the clan members' hearts weren't with the village, then no matter how he mediated or what he sacrificed, it would only treat the symptoms, not the cause.
True inheritance meant getting the clan members to sincerely identify with Konoha,
rather than seeing it merely as Uchiha territory over which they had to claim sovereignty.
He had been fixated on maintaining balance, suppressing the conflict, even considering using force to "preserve" peace.
Yet it had never occurred to him that the key to solving the problem lay in "guidance" and "a sense of belonging."
If every Uchiha truly possessed the will to protect Konoha,
then the conflict between clan and village would naturally disappear.
"So," Yatsuhashi said, watching the light gradually return to Shisui's eyes,
"you need to find a way to plant the 'Will of Fire' in every Uchiha's heart.
"Make them understand that protecting the village means protecting themselves."
Shisui stood motionless for a long time.
"Protecting the village means protecting themselves..."
The confusion and struggle that had filled his eyes began to fade,
replaced by a clarity and conviction he had never felt before.
"I understand..."
Shisui murmured to himself, then abruptly lifted his head,
looked at Yatsuhashi, and bowed deeply to him with utmost sincerity.
"Thank you, Yatsuhashi. Truly."
Yatsuhashi simply patted his shoulder and said nothing more.
Some seeds needed only a little light to break through the earth.
As for what they would grow into, that wasn't something he needed to worry about now.
Inside the Hokage Office
Minato Namikaze sat behind the broad desk, listening quietly to Uchiha Yatsuhashi's report.
The account largely matched Mitaraishi Anko's.
Only when Yatsuhashi reached the end did his voice grow subdued:
"...At the Land of Water's border, I awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan while covering Anko's retreat."
The next moment, Minato's gaze settled on Yatsuhashi's face.
His eyes, once black, had turned blood-red, with three tomoe in each.
"Was it the loss of a comrade during the mission that triggered your awakening?"
Minato knew the Uchiha Clan well.
Awakenings triggered by extreme emotions were common within the clan.
For the village, a newly promoted Three-Tomoe ninja was certainly a welcome addition to its strength.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Yatsuhashi answered respectfully, his expression calm.
He had thought through this plan for a long time.
It would explain how a Special Genin like him had survived the Kirigakure ninja in the Land of Water.
And it would conceal the fact that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Three Tomoe..."
Minato repeated quietly. "Awakening them under those circumstances, to protect your comrade, is quite remarkable."
He paused. "Yatsuhashi, your strength now far surpasses that of a Genin.
"You could even say you've surpassed the average Jonin."
"I have a proposal."
Minato leaned forward slightly, clasping his hands on the desk. His tone was sincere.
"Join Anbu. With your current strength, Anbu is the best place for you."
Yatsuhashi's heart gave a sudden leap.
Anbu!
This was a godsend.
Joining Anbu meant he would officially shed the dangerous label of "Orochimaru's remnants"
and become a direct asset of the Hokage.
If Danzo's Root wanted to target him again, they would have to think twice about the consequences.
"I'm willing, Lord Hokage."
Yatsuhashi answered without hesitation, his voice firm.
Minato nodded with satisfaction. "Kakashi."
Kakashi Hatake slowly emerged from the shadows behind him.
"Sensei," Kakashi replied.
"Starting today, Uchiha Yatsuhashi will join your Anbu Team 6,"
Minato instructed. "He's just awakened the Three Tomoe and needs guidance from an experienced leader."
Kakashi looked at Yatsuhashi, his gaze lingering for a moment on the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Though they met eyes for only an instant,
Uchiha Yatsuhashi sensed, behind Kakashi's Forehead Protector over his left eye,
a peculiar chakra signature like the one he had sensed from Uchiha Fugaku.
Yatsuhashi suddenly drew in a sharp breath.
Kakashi felt something as well, but though he was puzzled, he paid it no mind.
"Yes, Sensei."
Kakashi accepted the order, his voice flat.
Uchiha Yatsuhashi suppressed his emotions and dipped his head slightly.
"Please look after me, Captain Kakashi."
As he left the Hokage Office, the heavy stone that had hung over Yatsuhashi for so long finally began to lift.
With his Anbu status and the Fourth Hokage's protection,
he could finally escape that dark "cleansing list," at least for now.
A faint glow slowly appeared in the distant east,
falling on two slender figures beneath the Hokage Building.
Uchiha Tesho and Uchiha Uruchi had been awake all night.
First, they had gone to the Uchiha Ancestral Grounds, then they had come to the Hokage Building.
They waited until they saw a familiar figure step out the door.
As he entered the faint light of dawn,
time seemed to stand still for an instant.
"Dad, Mom."
Yatsuhashi stood in the morning light and looked at them.
Uchiha Uruchi first drew in a sharp breath, then let out a choked sob she couldn't hold back.
She stumbled toward him and grabbed his arm tightly,
her knuckles turning white from the force, afraid that if she let go, her son would disappear again.
"You're home... You're home..."
Tears streaming down her face, she smiled as she said, "I'll make you okonomiyaki later, with double shrimp and double meat..."
Uchiha Tesho stood where he was, unmoving,
but the muscles in his jaw were taut.
"You're home."
Uchiha Tesho's voice was terribly hoarse.
His large hands, usually so steady as he flipped food in a pan, now gripped the envelope containing the compensation money.
When the clan members handed them the envelope, the cheerful couple had seemed to have their spines torn out in an instant.
In a single night, they had aged by more than a decade.
Looking at his parents' aged faces, Yatsuhashi felt a pang in his nose and fought back his tears.
He nodded firmly. "Mm, I'm home. From now on... I won't make you worry again."
Before you continue