Troublesome Tribesmen

"Uchiha Shisui? I recall that child is only seven, having graduated just two years ago. To think he has already grown to this extent—is there no choice but to send him?"

Tobacco smoke curled upward, barely suppressing the vigilance rising from the depths of his heart. It was wartime, and this was no time to be wary of the Uchiha Clan.

"Issue an order immediately: Uchiha Shisui is to head to the Land of Bears for support. What is Uchiha Hanazuki doing right now?"

An elite Anbu operative appeared, bowing in a salute. Beneath the mask, his expression was slightly awkward as he spoke in a low voice.

"Reporting to you, Lord Hokage, Uchiha Hanazuki is... he is..."

"What exactly is the matter?"

"Aside from the necessary training within the grounds, he basically never steps out of his room. Other than the occasional outing with Lord Orochimaru, he has essentially no other activity."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded gently, his expression unchanged, the trace of suspicion in his heart quietly dissipating.

With Orochimaru supervising, that child should be fine. The Rock Village ninjas were already being held in check by Minato, yet what was this inexplicable heart palpitation?

After a moment of hesitation, the Third Hokage wrote furiously, then handed a personal letter to the Anbu squad leader before him.

"Deliver this letter to Nara Shikaku. Once he reads it, he will naturally understand. Above all, be careful; it must not be discovered by anyone. Do you understand?"

The Anbu captain acknowledged the order and withdrew. Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes slightly and let out a faint sigh.

Only after Sarutobi Hiruzen left the study did a small snake, lurking atop the pavilion, emerge from the shadows, its scales—which had blended perfectly with the environment—returning to their original color.

The story branches here.

At Konoha's Training Ground 3, two figures stood in confrontation. In the blink of an eye, blades clashed, and several afterimages scattered.

The long-haired girl panted, her face showing shock, while the black-robed youth remained motionless, as if the phantoms from a moment ago had nothing to do with him.

"Konoha Style: Willow? I never imagined you were also proficient in Konoha-style swordsmanship. Is there no shortcoming in your ninjutsu?"

Uzuki Yugao was immensely surprised. The feel of blade against blade was unexpected; in her understanding, the youth before her should have been a master of the Body Flicker Technique.

"Konoha Style? I learned this move from Maruboshi Kosuke. Is it helpful to you?"

Uchiha Hanazuki smiled without another word, sheathing the Kusanagi Sword in his hand, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

The hilt and scabbard were pure white, and the blade was extraordinarily sturdy; even when colliding with a small Tailed Beast Bomb, it remained unaffected. He had tested all of this himself.

[Character Check-in: Uzuki Yugao]

[Ability Acquired: Konoha Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon]

[Random draw in progress... Check-in successful, obtained Konoha Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon today!]

It's merely a series of slashes appearing from multiple angles using shadow clones. It's decent for an average ninja, but the lack of lethality is the weakness of this move. A ninja's defense is simply too fragile.

Thinking of this, Hanazuki looked up and smiled.

"By the way, Yugao, you're a close-combat ninja, right? Come to think of it, I recently developed a defensive ninjutsu called Blut Vene. Would you like to try it?"

"Eh? Is that really okay? Such a precious thing, given to someone like me."

Hanazuki waved his hand with a smile, taking a pale blue syringe from his ninja tool pouch. Inside the solution, which resembled chakra, a seductive luster flickered.

"It's no problem. I also want to hear others' opinions. Don't worry about safety; the premise of developing Blut Vene was to significantly increase defensive capabilities while remaining harmless to the human body."

The cold liquid was precisely injected into her veins. After waiting for a while, Yugao tried to prick her skin with a weapon, and pale blue patterns traced along fixed lines.

"This is truly too precious. I don't know how to thank you, Hanazuki. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Don't be so concerned. After you return from the battlefield, just remember to tell me your thoughts on using it."

"No, how can I accept such a valuable secret technique for nothing? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Seeing Uzuki Yugao's earnest expression, Hanazuki tilted his head in thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something.

"Come to think of it, there is one thing, though I feel like you might find it very embarrassing."

"It's fine! I'm very happy to be of help to Hanazuki!"

Even at a young age, a trace of charm flowed naturally from her. Yugao was all smiles, but soon, clouds of red appeared on her face.

"Ha... Hanazuki, is this the help I can provide?"

"What's wrong? Are your legs a bit numb?"

Under the shade of the trees at Training Ground 3, Hanazuki, lying on the ground, adjusted his angle slightly, his long purple hair brushing softly.

The sky was a deep blue, clouds rolling and unfurling. The soft lap pillow and the sensation against the back of his head made Hanazuki feel very comfortable, his thoughts drifting along with it.

What kind of actions will Orochimaru take? Will he choose to leave Konoha entirely, giving up the fight for Hokage against Minato, or will he become Hokage at any cost? How will he choose?

Speaking of which, Obito has likely fallen into Madara's hands, Kakashi has become the Sharingan hero, and Uchiha Shisui has been transferred to the Mist Village front.

As his thoughts wandered, the aura he unconsciously emitted made Yugao's imagination run wild.

"No, it's just that I feel like we've never had a chance to be alone together, so... so, how do you see me? Hanazuki?"

"How do I see you? Your legs are long, you're gentle with others, and I feel like you'll be a good woman."

As soon as these words were spoken, Yugao's eyes were filled with pleasant surprise, and she stammered as she pressed further.

"Re... really? Then, then we..."

"Ah, ah, ah, the troublesome ones are chasing after me. If they ask about me, just say I'm not here."

The figure vanished, and though Yugao was gathering her courage, the words she was about to blurt out were stifled back into her throat.

A moment later, several members of the Konoha Military Police Force hurried over. They scanned their surroundings before fixing their gaze on Yugao, their tones hostile.

"Where is Uchiha Hanazuki?"

"Do you have some business with him?"

Noticing that the men were members of the Uchiha Clan, Uzuki Yugao countered with a question, only for the man to let out a cold snort.

"That is none of your concern. This is an Uchiha Clan matter. When you see him, tell him that members of the Military Police Force have business with him—important business. Tell him to report to the force immediately."

Seeing that Uchiha Hanazuki was nowhere to be found, the men finally gave up. Only after they had walked far away did Hanazuki return to the training ground.

"Hanazuki, just now..."

"I know. People from the Uchiha Clan came looking for me? What troublesome fellows. No matter how I try to hide, I can't seem to escape them."

The Uchiha Clan, a problem he had long chosen to ignore, was now manifesting before his eyes as the war drew to a close.

The Konoha F4's marginalization of the Uchiha Clan had always existed, and getting dragged into such exhausting, nerve-wracking affairs held no benefit for Hanazuki whatsoever.

However, he was quite interested in saying "no" to the successor of the Will of Fire, who had inherited the legacy of that wicked Old Senju White-Hair.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the Graveyard Mountains.

Obito, waking from his stupor, looked around in a daze as the frail, elderly figure who had been resting with his eyes closed slowly opened them.

"Are you awake?"