You Were Obviously in the Wrong

"Demon Fox, you troublemaker! I'm not buying anything from you. Get out!" the Mask Shop Owner snarled, pointing angrily at Naruto.

"What are you doing here, you jinx?" With that, the Mask Shop Owner reached out and shoved Naruto roughly out of the shop.

Naruto looked at the Mask Shop Owner, confused. "Hey, what are you doing? I just wanted to look at the masks!"

The Konoha troublemakers around them also looked at him strangely.

"So you want to look at masks?" The Mask Shop Owner picked up a mask Naruto had been eyeing and was about to throw it out when a cold voice interrupted him.

"What's going on?"

Uchiha Yan slowly approached the scene with Izumi.

As he arrived, the many Konoha troublemakers felt their necks tighten.

They watched Uchiha Yan without daring to breathe.

When the Mask Shop Owner saw Uchiha Yan, his expression immediately brightened. Rubbing his hands together, he addressed Uchiha Yan respectfully. "Lord Yan, this Demon Fox—"

Before he could finish, Uchiha Yan cut him off.

"Did he break the rules?"

"My lord, let me explain..." The Mask Shop Owner looked distressed and tried to explain.

"I'm asking you, did he break the rules?" Uchiha Yan slowly walked up to the Mask Shop Owner and stared at him expressionlessly.

A bead of cold sweat appeared on the Mask Shop Owner's forehead. Gritting his teeth, he answered in a trembling voice, "No, my lord."

"You know the rules."

"I do, I do. I'll go pay the fine right away," the Mask Shop Owner said obsequiously.

Uchiha Yan didn't reply. He glanced around and said coolly, "What are you all standing around for? Move along."

At the Mask Shop Owner's words, the Konoha troublemakers lowered their heads and hurried away without daring to breathe.

Once the matter was settled, Uchiha Yan turned to leave.

But Naruto called out to him. "Um, sir, may I ask what I did wrong?"

Uchiha Yan looked at Naruto, and a mischievous urge rose within him. He said coolly, "You were obviously in the wrong. The only thing you did wrong was try to love a village that hated you."

With that, he gave a mocking smile tinged with pity and turned to leave.

As Uchiha Yan passed through a sparsely populated alley, a voice rang out.

"Please wait."

Uchiha Yan stopped. An ANBU wearing an animal mask appeared before him.

The ANBU stared directly at him. "You've crossed the line. You should know Naruto's identity."

Uchiha Yan looked at him expressionlessly and said coldly, "Should I take that as an order?"

The ANBU's tone didn't change. "It's Lord Hokage's order."

Uchiha Yan stared at him and said menacingly, "Do you think Lord Hokage can protect you?"

As he spoke, a flash of crimson crossed his eyes, and he activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

The ANBU's face beneath the mask showed his fear. He instinctively lowered his head, but it was too late.

The instant he met Uchiha Yan's eyes, he fell under the Sharingan's genjutsu.

Uchiha Yan drew a Kunai and leisurely walked toward the ANBU.

Just as Izumi was about to stop him, Uchiha Yan spoke toward a nearby corner. "Come out, or you'll be left with nothing but your comrade's corpse."

At his words, another ANBU had no choice but to step out. He looked at Uchiha Yan with the Sharingan in one of his eyes, visible beneath his mask. "Yan, you're still as hot-tempered as ever."

Uchiha Yan looked at him. "Kakashi, you're not an Uchiha. You should stop showing off that eye."

Kakashi's expression changed as he realized he, too, had fallen under a genjutsu.

Uchiha Yan appeared before him in the genjutsu space.

"Kakashi, I'll say it again: if you want to know the truth about Lord Sakumo's death back then, come find me. The offer still stands."

With that, Uchiha Yan dispelled the genjutsu.

After leaving the genjutsu space, Kakashi watched Uchiha Yan and Izumi walk away, his heart filled with wariness and suspicion.

Uchiha Yan had told him about this more than once.

A year ago, Uchiha Yan had already approached him to discuss it.

And now...

Kakashi took a deep breath to clear his head, walked over to his ANBU comrade, placed a hand on his shoulder, and barked, "Release!"

The ANBU opened his eyes in terror, dropped to one knee, and gasped for breath. The clothes on his back were soaked with cold sweat.

He looked at Kakashi, relieved to have survived. "Thank you, Kakashi-senpai. Without you, I might have—"

Kakashi patted him on the shoulder. "Be more careful next time. We still have to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

Hearing Kakashi's words, the ANBU asked indignantly, "Kakashi-senpai, are we just going to let this go? That Uchiha Yan guy—"

Kakashi looked at him. "Did he do anything to you?"

The ANBU was at a loss for words. Kakashi patted him on the shoulder and said, "Once your shift is over, go home and get some rest."

The ANBU could only nod.

As she patrolled with Uchiha Yan, Izumi looked at him with concern. "Yan, you were so hostile toward the ANBU just now. Could that cause trouble?"

Uchiha Yan heard her worry and smiled faintly. "Don't worry. Kakashi's a clever man. Besides, the Third Hokage won't care about such a small matter."

Hearing that, Izumi immediately covered his mouth and whispered in his ear, "Yan, be careful what you say when we're outside next time."

Then she gazed at him with her big, watery eyes, looking ready to cry unless he agreed.

Uchiha Yan was powerless against that look from Izumi. He could only nod and make an OK sign.

The two of them patrolled until they reached the area near Ichiraku Ramen. By then, it was already noon.

Izumi pointed toward Ichiraku Ramen. "Yan, should we get lunch?"

Uchiha Yan nodded to show that he didn't mind.

The two walked into Ichiraku Ramen. Seeing them, Teuchi greeted them warmly. "Oh, it's Yan and Izumi! The usual?"

Izumi hugged Uchiha Yan's arm and nodded. "That's right, Uncle Teuchi. The usual."

"Coming right up. Just a moment." Teuchi answered and bent to get to work.

Meanwhile, at Root headquarters deep underground,

Danzo looked gloomily at his trusted subordinate, Yamanaka Fu. "More than twenty Root elite have gone missing near the Uchiha compound this month, and you still haven't found out why? You can't even find their bodies?"

Yamanaka Fu lowered his head guiltily. "I'm sorry, Lord Danzo. We really haven't found any clues or the bodies."

Danzo's face had turned ashen.