Born Evil, the Uchiha

In the second year of Konoha, June.

The chilly winter currents had long since departed, and the weather was beginning to grow somewhat stifling.

Yayoi and Kicho's child was already four months old.

As early as the end of March this year, Yayoi had officially given the child a name—Oda Doichi.

Without any unexpected events, this child would grow up happy and joyful amidst the expectations and blessings of him and Kicho.

Yet in Yayoi's view, the biggest problem was... the speed at which this child was growing was somewhat too astonishing.

Only visible as an infant lying in a crib, his true age was clearly a mere four months, but both his height and weight exceeded the limits an ordinary one-year-old infant could attain.

His actions in grasping small objects were also devoid of the sluggish weakness typical of ordinary infants.

His mouth could emit relatively coherent syllables, and he would break into a smile upon encountering familiar faces.

The most peculiar thing was that when he struck the surface of the bed with his palm, the crib would emit a burst of violent trembling and groaning sounds, as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.

The reality was that the current crib had been specially crafted by Yayoi using puppet-making artistry, with soft bedding laid over a steel skeleton to withstand this child's slaps.

The previous crib had been smashed into a pile of wooden parts by a single slap from this child a full two months ago.

By the time they snapped back to their senses, the child had already rolled away with a roly-poly motion and then burst into loud tears.

Little Doichi's strength is too great; this bed shouldn't break again, right?

Rinko looked at the gently rocking crib, speaking with lingering fear.

The scene from two months ago where he shattered the bedboards and rolled all the way to the corner with a roly-poly motion had frightened her complexion turning deathly pale, terrified that some mishap might befall him.

Fortunately, the child merely wailed loudly for a spell without even breaking his skin, his physique abnormally sturdy.

"How could that be? I mixed chakra metal into this one to reinforce it."

Yayoi uttered a light complaint.

Initially, the iron-made crib, though not shattered, had also developed bending marks.

This led Yayoi to have no choice but to continue mixing in chakra metal to reinforce the crib.

Now the crib looked wobbly and emitted a humming tremor, but the base and skeleton were both extremely solid.

He did not believe this child could shatter the bedboards once more.

"What a heartless little fellow. Do you know how much trouble he has caused us lately?"

Aoi assumed a playfully fierce posture, 'fiercely' pinching Doichi's little face.

The child's originally grinning countenance instantly furrowed his brow, his face twisting like a bitter melon as he burst into loud wails.

Snap.

The camera's flash lit up, and Kicho, acting as the mother, not only failed to step forward to stop it, but instead cleverly seized this exact moment, freezing it within a photograph.

(...)

Yayoi's mouth twitched. Was recording the child's dark history really that fun?

Well, this child truly was quite entertaining.

"Such an object is truly convenient; it can capture the frame all at once."

Kicho was utterly captivated by the camera, unable to put it down.

Sometimes, it would even be put to use at night.

The Land of Night was a nation currently transitioning toward industrialization, and coupled with a highly active commercial sector, all kinds of novel products frequently emerged.

The camera—an entirely unfamiliar item in Yayoi's view—naturally appeared on the market.

Civilizational markers such as electric lights and air conditioners had likewise sprung up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain in recent years.

This forced Yayoi to lament the wondrous technology of the ninja world, where he heard that ultra-large-scale computers had already appeared in certain places.

Yayoi intended to find some time to purchase one and use it to establish a complete data library.

Furthermore, under his command, there were no shortage of advanced technical personnel proficient in many technological fields, including himself as the general.

"Well, when Doichi gets married in the future, let's give these photos to him as a gift."

Kicho held a stack of photos in her hands, all concerning the dark history of her son Doichi. The scene from earlier where he rolled down off the bed with a roly-poly motion had likewise been captured by her exquisite photography skills.

Aoi and Rinko directly rolled their eyes at Kicho. With a mother like this, the child Doichi was truly blessed.

In the future, it was better not to let her personally educate him, or she would surely lead the child astray.

"The time is nearly right. You girls take care of the child here; I need to go receive a guest."

Yayoi also bent over slightly to play with the child for a short while before straightening his body.

"Walk slowly, Lord Husband."

Under the parting gazes of the three women, Yayoi headed back in the direction of Tenshu Tower.

Arriving at a reception room in Tenshu Tower, Irori was already there attending to guests.

The visiting guests numbered two: one possessed a lean physique and revealed a blank face devoid of obvious emotion, while beside him stood a youth of nearly one meter three in height with a large nose.

The two wore the ninja uniforms of Iwagakure Ninja Village and wore ninja forehead protectors engraved with the rock insignia.

They were none other than the Dust Release ninja Mu and his student Ōnoki.

"Meeting you, the general, truly isn't an easy task."

Mu offered a slight complaint upon seeing Yayoi walk in.

"Apologies, I had some private matters to handle just now. Still, what wind blew you here—the head of the Tsuchikage's guards? You surely didn't specifically come to chat with me, did you?"

Yayoi walked over and sat down opposite Mu and Ōnoki, smiling with the tone of an old acquaintance.

Ever since they shared the experience of fighting Madara Uchiha together, his relationship with Mu had gradually shifted from unfamiliar to familiar.

Over the past half-year or so, the two had occasionally written letters to communicate.

When his child was born previously, Mu had also sent a hefty gift, which Yayoi kept in mind.

"Though that would also be fine, unfortunately, I am here on official business this time."

Mu reclined on the sofa, crossing his legs and slightly shrugging his shoulders; his purpose in coming this time was evidently still primarily official business.

Irori timely served two cups of hot tea, placing them on the coffee table before Mu and Ōnoki.

"Ah, thank you."

Ōnoki hurriedly offered words of thanks.

Perhaps due to nervousness, his entire nervous system was wound tight, and he occasionally cast curious glances around the environment.

At first glance, he felt this place was far more luxurious and aesthetically pleasing than the reception room where their Iwagakure Tsuchikage resided, resembling a meticulously crafted work of art.

When he sat down just moments ago, he had even checked whether the clothes on his body had any stains.

"So, what is your purpose in coming?"

Faced with Yayoi's inquiry, Mu did not beat around the bush either. After taking a sip of tea, he spoke:

"Konoha... what exactly are they plotting? Ever since that incident occurred, they haven't made a single move, burying their heads solely in their own development. This has made Lord Tsuchikage quite uneasy."

Saying this, Mu could not help but stress his tone, his eyes fixed upon Yayoi's face.

At the same time, this indirectly conveyed that his coming here was instigated by Tsuchikage Ishikawa.

The quieter Konoha remained, the more uneasy the remaining nations and ninja villages grew.

During this period, aside from Konoha's Hokage, the other four Kage had secretly communicated with one another, and they had also obtained further intelligence regarding Madara Uchiha's strength from the Raikage.

Although not yet formally announced, the four Kage faintly tended toward forming an alliance.

As ninjas capable of suppressing a nation single-handedly, the four Kage deeply understood that numbers tactics were sometimes not as useful as imagined, yet they simply had no other choice at present.

The power of Konoha in the Land of Fire was simply too formidable. Even if Konoha did nothing at present, it would invisibly exert immense military pressure upon various nations.

"Lord Tsuchikage, is that all you wish to know?"

Yayoi slowly took a sip of tea, his gaze inadvertently sweeping past Mu's face.

"Yes. During this period, the Land of Night has been one of the few nations with close exchanges with Konoha, and also the one with the most weight."

Mu nodded.

Obtaining more recent information regarding Konoha from the Land of Night was the optimal choice.

"It seems your days have been quite difficult to endure during this time."

Yayoi set down his teacup and offered a teasing remark.

"It's you who are far too heartless."

Mu crossed his arms over his chest. Recalling the various abnormal behaviors of the Land of Night during this period, he had to admit that the person before him indeed possessed astonishing courage.

Despite experiencing such events, he was still able to remain completely calm and maintain normal communications and dealings with Konoha. In any case, Mu himself could never manage it.

Whenever he recalled the events of that day, a pair of scarlet eyes would unconsciously surface in his mind.

Over this past half-year, he had suffered several nightmares on account of this, causing him to wake up startled in the middle of the night.

"No matter what, life must go on. However, the intelligence on my side can only serve as a reference at best. Between nations, trust is a difficult problem. The chaos stirred up by Madara Uchiha has made the Daimyo of the Land of Fire extremely anxious as well; he previously wrote to me, hoping to use the Land of Night as a breakthrough point for ice-breaking diplomacy."

Yayoi's words deeply resonated within Mu's heart.

Indeed, mutual trust was difficult to establish between nations.

Madara Uchiha's actions had further deepened the defensive psychological guard of various nations against the Land of Fire and Konoha.

Soon, Yayoi had people organize various aspects of intelligence concerning Konoha along with its recent movements, placing them before Mu.

Mu gathered the intelligence without examining it immediately. The task of judging intelligence information belonged to the Tsuchikage and the Daimyo of the Land of Earth; he was only responsible for delivering it.

As for remuneration or the like, Yayoi and Mu tacitly avoided mentioning it, treating it simply as a reciprocal courtesy of human favor.

Following that, Yayoi and Mu ceased discussing international public sentiment, shifting instead to private conversation.

Although Mu was a blank-faced man of few emotions who appeared quite shy, the reality was entirely the opposite—his words were not scarce in the least.

For instance, he complained to Yayoi about how difficult the job of a Tsuchikage guard was, and lamented that the burden on his shoulders was too heavy, often leaving him unable to close his eyes in sleep for days on end due to busyness.

Yet no matter how Yayoi looked at the other man, he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself.

To be trusted by Tsuchikage Ishikawa with so many responsibilities was something countless ninjas in Iwagakure dreamed of.

Yayoi became increasingly certain that after First Tsuchikage Ishikawa, Mu would be the Second Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.

"That's right, how much do you know about the Sharingan?"

Following that, Mu and Yayoi began discussing the Sharingan.

Clearly, the shadow Madara cast over him had driven him to frantically investigate intelligence on the Sharingan during this period.

Yet, situated in Iwagakure, the channels for acquiring information on the Sharingan were quite limited.

"If it's just basic information, I actually know quite a bit. But if you want a systematic understanding of the Sharingan's functions, I think you're asking the wrong person—that fellow, Tobirama Senju, knows far more than I do."

Yayoi recalled the information on the Sharingan.

His understanding of the Sharingan mostly came from his so-called 'foresight.' While this kind of knowledge contained a large volume of information, it was extremely fragmented; the clear parts were overly clear, while the vague parts were far too vague.

In contrast, when he exchanged ninjutsu with Tobirama Senju last time, he discovered that Tobirama's understanding of the Sharingan was a systematic collection, backed by very complete theories and practical support.

He suspected that Tobirama had definitely performed autopsies on the corpses of Uchiha Clan ninjas more than once. Some things simply couldn't be understood solely through combat.

"That fellow..."

"When it comes to the Sharingan, he might understand the principles of how the Sharingan operates even better than most Uchiha ninjas. If you want to develop jutsu targeted at the Sharingan, you can't bypass that guy. How about it, shall I bridge the connection for you? I've recently been communicating with him via letters."

Yayoi couldn't help but smile.

Mu paused slightly, then lowered his head to ponder the feasibility of this matter.

"If there's an opportunity in the future, we can give it a try."

Yayoi was speechless; he only meant to tease Mu, yet hadn't expected him to consider it seriously.

Alas, the inherently evil Uchiha were truly a scourge to others.

(Speaking of which, the first Kage of the ninja villages in the Five Great Nations mostly pacified internal chaos, while many of the second Kage were inventors.

Mu created the Kekkei Tōta Dust Release, Tobirama was a master of forbidden jutsu, and Second Shamon presided over Magnet Release and Puppet Technique. The things they left behind either benefited people endlessly or inflicted endless harm.

The Second Mizukage and Second Raikage didn't seem particularly prominent in this regard.)