Chapter 9

The three sprinted all the way. Once they had run out of Genma Shiranui's line of sight, Ichiro Kawaguchi and Shino Kobayashi, who had been following Uchiha Yi, suddenly made their move. "Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere."

Ichiro Kawaguchi moved incredibly fast, slamming a Wind Release jutsu directly into Uchiha Yi. "Aah!"

Uchiha Yi cried out as he was blasted away.

Shino Kobayashi moved next. "Water Release: Water Prison Technique."

A sphere of water instantly wrapped around Uchiha Yi, trapping him tightly inside. "Heh, got him."

"That was much easier than I expected."

The two exchanged smiles.

Uchiha Yi forced a terrified expression onto his face and stared at them. "Ichiro Kawaguchi, Shino Kobayashi, what are you trying to do?"

"What are we trying to do? Naturally, we're here to take your life."

A cold voice came from nearby, and five more figures appeared.

One special jonin led four chunin. The other two special jonin and the jonin were currently with Genma Shiranui. "Did you kill Teacher Genma? Who exactly are you people? Ichiro Kawaguchi, Shino Kobayashi, have you two betrayed us?"

Uchiha Yi pretended to be terrified and fired off three questions in a row. "Betrayed you?"

Ichiro Kawaguchi curled his lip in a mocking smile. "Uchiha Yi, don't overthink it. Let me be honest with you: this time, you're our only target. Genma Shiranui won't die. After all, our Root is also—"

"Shut up!"

Before Ichiro Kawaguchi could finish, the special jonin cut him off with a harsh shout. "Don't let a single word you shouldn't say slip out."

"Yes!" Ichiro Kawaguchi hurriedly replied, frightened. "Tch, what's there that can't be said? Aren't you just a pack of dogs raised by Danzo? Do you really think I know nothing?"

A cold laugh suddenly drifted over from behind them.

Ichiro Kawaguchi and the others felt a chill run down their backs. They all turned around at once, only to see an all-too-familiar figure standing there. "Uchiha Yi?"

The person they saw was unmistakably Uchiha Yi. Then, with a bang, the Uchiha Yi inside the Water Prison exploded into a cloud of white smoke.

A Clone Technique?

They had been tricked?

At that moment, Ichiro Kawaguchi and the others understood everything.

However, the special jonin quickly calmed down. He stared at Uchiha Yi and spoke coldly. "Uchiha Yi, it seems we underestimated you. But even so, you won't escape today."

"Won't escape?"

Uchiha Yi shook his head and sighed. "Sure enough, ignorance is bliss. You have no idea what kind of existence you're facing."

The moment his words fell, Uchiha Yi activated his eyes. The Sharingan appeared instantly, already at three tomoe.

Then the three tomoe spun, transforming in the blink of an eye into a strange five-pointed star pattern.

The instant he saw Uchiha Yi reveal a three-tomoe Sharingan, the special jonin's heart lurched. "Attack!"

Without a moment's hesitation, he let out a furious roar.

Unfortunately, Uchiha Yi's strength was far beyond anything they could imagine. "Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique."

The next second, everyone present was caught in it at once, their consciousness plunging directly into hypnosis.

He had wiped out every opponent in the blink of an eye.

In his first clash with Root, Uchiha Yi won completely.

An instant kill.

Very quickly, Uchiha Yi dealt with everyone, including Ichiro Kawaguchi and Shino Kobayashi.

He could not be bothered to interrogate them, because he knew he would not get anything out of them anyway.

The Tongue Root Eradication Seal.

It was a sealing technique unique to Konoha's Root. Danzo had engraved a cursed seal on the tongue of every Root member.

Once someone bearing it tried to reveal anything related to him, their whole body would immediately become paralyzed. They would be unable to speak or move.

Danzo used this method to bind his subordinates and prevent them from revealing secrets.

As long as Danzo lived, these cursed seals would never lose their effect.

So Uchiha Yi understood that even if he questioned them, he would not get a damn thing.

After dealing with them, Uchiha Yi immediately headed toward Genma Shiranui to check on the situation.

What he found was that the Root members did not seem to intend to kill Genma Shiranui.

Uchiha Yi had dealt with everyone, leaving not even Ichiro Kawaguchi and Shino Kobayashi alive. He had never intended to interrogate them—there was no point.

The Tongue Root Eradication Seal was something Danzo had implanted in Root members. A cursed seal on their tongues locked them down; anyone who dared leak even the slightest secret would immediately stiffen all over and be unable to even open their mouth. Danzo used this thing to keep his subordinates under absolute control. As long as he lived, the cursed seal would not disappear. Uchiha Yi knew perfectly well that questioning them would only waste time.

After cleaning up the scene, he immediately slipped over to Genma Shiranui's side to investigate. He found that the Root members did not seem to intend to kill Genma.

When the jonin leading them fought Genma, he held back noticeably. It was clear he was going easy on him. From the look of it, they merely wanted to keep Genma occupied and would withdraw before long.

Uchiha Yi understood at once—they had come for him alone.

He turned back to the original location and rearranged the battlefield. He cut several wounds into his own body, then collapsed onto the ground and pretended to be severely injured and unconscious.

Before long, Genma Shiranui arrived just as expected.

Seeing the horrific scene before him, Genma froze. Uchiha Yi was the only one left alive, and judging by his injuries, he was barely clinging to life.

Genma had no time to think. After a cursory examination, he hoisted Uchiha Yi over his shoulder and raced back to the village.

After returning to the village, he handed him over to the medical unit of the special department, then immediately went to report to the Third Hokage. "...That was the situation. By the time I arrived, Uchiha Yi was the only one still barely alive. Everyone else was dead."

The Third Hokage remained silent for a long time before finally speaking. "Do you know who did it?"

Genma Shiranui hesitated before answering in a low voice, "Their exact identities are unknown. But based on Team 4's recent missions, all of them were directed against Konoha. I suspect... this matter is inseparable from someone inside the village."

He did not say it outright, but the Third Hokage understood. "All right. You may leave now."

He waved a hand and dismissed Genma.

Only after the room was empty did the Third Hokage murmur, "Danzo... the Uchiha clan only has its last two seedlings left, and you still want to wipe them out completely?"

The Third Hokage waved his hand. "You may leave."

Genma Shiranui bowed and turned to depart.

The office fell silent. Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, the wrinkles on his face seeming deeper than usual. "Danzo... Danzo..."

He muttered the name under his breath, his gaze complicated.

The Uchiha clan had only those two children left. Did Danzo still intend to exterminate them completely?

Of course, he knew who was behind this.

As for the fact that Uchiha Yi was still alive, the Third Hokage was not particularly surprised.

Others might not know, but he had known for a long time—the boy had trained in the Eight Gates with Might Guy, and if he pushed himself, he could open as far as the Fifth Gate.

Guy had reported this matter to him back then.

Only after Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded had Guy been allowed to teach him freely.

In his view, Yi had been influenced by his father and Guy since childhood. His temperament was not extreme, and he would not develop a deep hatred for Konoha.

That was the conclusion he had reached after observing him for so long.

But if things continued like this, sooner or later, that boy would be ** pushed to stand against the village. "You really have given me a difficult problem, Danzo."

He sighed, but his gaze gradually darkened.

A difficult problem was still a difficult problem.

But Konoha's Hokage was, in the end, still Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Three days later, Uchiha Yi, who had remained unconscious the entire time, finally opened his eyes.

The Third Hokage personally came to the hospital room.

Yi did not panic. He recited the story he had prepared long ago word for word—

He said that his teammates had suddenly turned on him, that a group of unidentified people had surrounded and attacked him, and that he had only barely fought his way out by risking his life and opening the Eight Gates.

He deliberately made his body look as though it had been severely overdrawn from using the Eight Gates.

Even if the Third Hokage examined him personally, he would not find any flaw.

To make the act more convincing, Yi added one final detail—at the brink of life and death, his Sharingan had advanced again and become three tomoe, allowing him to barely turn the situation around.

Of course, the price had been severe injuries.

When he heard that Yi had awakened a three-tomoe Sharingan, the Third Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly.

His heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged.

After asking a few more questions, the Third Hokage stood and left.

No one came to bother Yi after that.

But Yi did not know that the moment the Third Hokage left the hospital room, he summoned Kakashi to the Hokage's office. "What? Lord Third, you mean... you want to assign Uchiha Yi to Team 7?"

Kakashi's dead-fish eyes nearly widened into circles. "Sigh, there's no other choice."

The Third Hokage sighed and explained the entire situation piece by piece. "Yi's father contributed a great deal to the village, and Guy has always protected the boy's growth. I don't want him to be led astray by other things and take the wrong path."

"I originally intended to place him with Guy, but Guy teaches the previous class of students. ** Putting him there would be inappropriate."

"Naruto gets along well with Yi, and Sasuke is one of the last Uchiha clan members. Putting the three of them together should work."

You've already put it that way. What else can I say?

Kakashi rolled his eyes, his expression becoming even more listless.

The next day.

Uchiha Yi, already able to get out of bed and walk on his own, was led by Kakashi to Naruto and the others. "Listen up. Starting today, Uchiha Yi is officially joining Team 7. From now on, you are teammates."

"Oh! Yi! That's great!"

Naruto's voice practically exploded as his face broke into a huge grin. "We're finally in the same team! Come on, come on, let's go eat ramen! My treat!"

Sakura frowned. "Kakashi-sensei, what's going on? Aren't teams supposed to have three people?"

In reality, she was already celebrating inside.

Oh my god, Brother Yi is on the same team as me? Ino is going to be so jealous when she finds out!

The problem is, there's Sasuke on one side and Yi on the other. How am I supposed to choose? This is so frustrating...

Honestly, after years of practicing that enhanced version of the Eight Gates every day, Uchiha Yi had developed a particularly well-proportioned physique, and his features had matured.

Simply put, he had become several levels more handsome. "All right, this is a special situation. In any case, the four of you are teammates from now on. Remember that. Meeting adjourned!"

That guy Kakashi left as soon as he finished speaking. The words had barely left his mouth when he went "poof" and vanished into white smoke, irresponsibility at its finest. "Hmph."

Sasuke snorted and shot Uchiha Yi a glance. "You'd better not be like a certain dead last and drag down the entire team."

"Hey, you stuck-up Sasuke, who are you calling that?"