Companion

Danzo's expression had gone completely dark. He took a step forward, closing in on Kakashi, his cold aura almost swallowing him whole. "Kakashi, are you certain? We all inspected the scene last night. Aside from Sasuke, there were absolutely no other survivors in the Uchiha compound!" His tone carried unquestionable pressure, as if the moment Kakashi dared to say yes, he would immediately silence him for good.

Kakashi did not retreat in the slightest. He met Danzo's icy gaze and said firmly, "I found her badly wounded in a corner of the eastern drainage tunnel."

Kakashi did not say that Duanmu had saved her. Combined with what Itachi and that masked man had said at the time, he could roughly guess what had happened. Itachi... in the end, he had still held back.

"The eastern drainage tunnel?" A cold glint flashed through Danzo's lone eye. That was exactly the place Itachi had said he would clear of guards! Had Itachi deliberately let her escape?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze moved between Danzo and Kakashi, the ravines in his aged face making him look even graver. Naturally, he understood Danzo's doubts, and he also knew what the eastern drainage tunnel implied.

Itachi's actions had exceeded their original plan. This "accidental" survivor was like a sharp thorn driven into the carefully woven lie.

In the end, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly spoke, his voice carrying a trace of exhaustion, but also unquestionable resolve. "Since she's still alive, we can't ignore her."

He looked at the Anbu members beside him. "Send someone at once to bring Uchiha Izumi back to Konoha Hospital. Use the best medical resources available. She must be saved." He paused, then added, "Publicly announce that she was a survivor found in the ruins, that her injuries were too severe, and that she has remained unconscious the entire time."

A trace of unwillingness flashed through Danzo's lone eye, but he knew the Third Hokage had made his decision. In front of so many Konoha ninja, he could not openly defy him.

He gave a cold snort and said nothing more, but his tightly clenched fist and the chilling aura radiating from him both revealed the dissatisfaction and calculations in his heart. This Uchiha Izumi had to be placed under strict surveillance. She absolutely could not be allowed to become an unstable factor.

After the Uchiha massacre had more or less been handled, Kakashi came to the hospital.

The person who had been protecting Duanmu at the hospital earlier was none other than him. By the time he discovered that Duanmu had slipped away using the Clone Technique, the night of the Uchiha massacre had just begun. He had no time to track down Duanmu's whereabouts and could only rush to the compound to provide support.

"Senior Kakashi, you're back," Duanmu said.

After this incident, Duanmu could be considered to have developed a deeper connection with Kakashi.

Kakashi did not waste words and got straight to the point. "Why did you run to the Uchiha compound?"

Of course, Duanmu would not tell Kakashi that he had gone there for the Sharingan, as well as the Uchiha forbidden techniques and secret arts. He knew Kakashi was someone who valued comrades deeply, so his answer had to revolve around the core idea of "protection."

He lowered his eyes, hiding the complicated emotions beneath them, his voice carrying just the right amount of hoarseness and lingering fear. "I... I heard the alarm, and the sounds of fighting. I was worried something might happen to Sasuke. After all, we're both students at the Ninja Academy."

This reason was half true and half false. He raised his head and met Kakashi's scrutinizing gaze, his eyes clear and firm, carrying a trace of the stubbornness unique to a young boy.

Kakashi looked at him in silence. Beneath the shadow of his forehead protector, that Sharingan glimmered faintly. He thought of what Obito had said to him during the Third Shinobi World War.

"Those who don't value their comrades are worse than trash."

"...You didn't do anything wrong." Kakashi's low, hoarse voice broke the silence in the ward. "Protecting comrades is one of a ninja's most important duties."

He turned around and looked at Duanmu again. Some of the scrutiny in his eyes had faded, replaced by a trace of hard-to-detect complexity. "But you're still too weak. Acting on impulse will only drag both yourself and the people you want to protect into even greater danger."

There was a hint of admonishment in his words, but it did not sound like pure reprimand. It was more like a warning from someone who had been through it before.

Duanmu lowered his head and said sincerely, "I understand, Senior Kakashi. I was too reckless this time..." He did not claim credit, nor did he argue. He merely stated a fact, his tone carrying the relief of someone who had survived disaster.

Looking at him like this, the doubts in Kakashi's heart seemed to fade a little. Perhaps he really had been overthinking it. This boy might just be someone who cared deeply about loyalty and bonds, yet overestimated himself a little. Just like Kakashi himself back then, and Obito too.

"How is Izumi?" Duanmu raised his head and changed the subject, his tone carrying genuine concern. He knew that since Kakashi had not continued questioning him, it meant he temporarily believed his explanation—or rather, did not intend to pursue the matter for now.

At the mention of Izumi, Kakashi's gaze softened slightly. "Her injuries are serious, but her life isn't in danger. She lost too much blood and will need a long time to recover." He paused, then added, "She still hasn't woken up. The doctor said it may be because she suffered excessive fright and mental shock."

"For now, stay in the hospital and don't run around." Kakashi's voice sounded again, carrying an unquestionable tone of command. "The Uchiha massacre has caused a huge disturbance. Konoha is very unstable right now, and it's dangerous outside."

"I understand." Duanmu nodded. That was exactly what he had planned as well. After the heart-pounding events of the massacre night, he needed time to digest everything, and also time to plan his next move.

Uchiha Izumi's survival was undoubtedly a huge variable. He did not know what kind of impact it would have on the future.

Kakashi gave him a deep look, as if he still wanted to say something, but in the end he merely waved a hand. "Get some rest. I'll have people stationed near the hospital. Report immediately if anything happens." With that, he turned and left the ward, leaving Duanmu with a lonely yet upright back.

Half a month after the night of the massacre ended, its effects had gradually begun to diminish, and the atmosphere within Konoha Village slowly settled down from its initial panic and shock.

After experiencing his initial collapse and madness, Sasuke became unusually silent.

As for Duanmu, he also began studying the various forbidden techniques and secret arts he had previously taken from the Uchiha Gold Treasury Pavilion. For him, with his five chakra natures, this was not a difficult task.

The Sharingan he had brought back from the Uchiha compound was currently hidden inside a specially made chakra-suppressing container.

He had made the container using special materials he had casually taken from the Gold Treasury Pavilion, combined with some basic sealing techniques.

Right now, he could not casually transplant that Sharingan, or his body would produce a rejection reaction. So what he had to do next was get his hands on Hashirama Cells.

As for Uchiha Izumi, she had long since awakened, but she still refused to accept the fact that Itachi had slaughtered their clan.

Whenever someone mentioned Itachi's name, her entire body would tremble, and her hollow eyes would stare out the window, as if her soul had already vanished together with the blood-soaked night.

The doctor said she had developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder and required long-term psychological counseling. That kept her in the hospital, which made treatment easier—and also made it easier for the higher-ups to keep her under soft confinement.