Homecoming

"There's no feast that doesn't end," Fugaku told the members of Team 009. "If fate allows, we'll meet again. We all live in the same village, after all. Put caution first on every mission from now on. Dismissed."

He had known some of them for just over three months and others for nearly half a year. But they had survived so many life-and-death battles together that he was reluctant to part with them.

The others dispersed. Fugaku did not seek out any of his clansmen for a chat. Some things were better said once they returned to Konoha.

He rested in the barracks for several days and did not leave his tent until the force assembled for the journey back to Konoha.

Konoha was still relatively stable. Before the Nine-Tails attacked the village, its internal tensions had yet to erupt completely. The Uchiha were safe for now, but he still needed to be careful.

As the clan's foremost prodigy, he had attracted too much attention. After this mission, word of what he had done in the Land of Rain would spread throughout the Konoha leadership.

Some might not want an exceptionally talented Uchiha to grow beyond their control. They could move against him in secret.

Uchiha Jin and several other Uchiha had arrived in the Land of Rain with Fugaku. Only half of them were returning. The rest had died in battle, and their bodies had been sent back to Konoha ahead of them.

In Fugaku's eyes, every member of the Uchiha clan had a fierce sense of honor, regardless of strength or temperament. They would sooner die than disgrace their clan by clinging to life.

At this point in time, the First Hokage's cells were still a mystery. Konoha had not begun researching Wood Release, and few ninja had set their sights on the Sharingan.

The Sharingan strongly rejected anyone without Uchiha blood. As a result, the bodies of fallen Uchiha had been recovered largely intact; no one had secretly taken their eyes.

Jin's face darkened as he looked at the few Uchiha gathered there.

"Try to make peace with it," Fugaku said. "War has always been cruel. They upheld the honor of the Uchiha, and perhaps honor mattered more to them than life. Having their names carved on the Memorial Stone is the best tribute we can offer them.

"They gave their young lives for Konoha and for the clan."

Jin nodded. As a ninja, he understood. None of them could say when an unexpected turn on a mission might claim his life.

The moment someone chose to become a ninja, he had to accept that one day he might face the death of a comrade—or his own.

Still, it hurt to see companions he had laughed and carried out missions with only months ago reduced to corpses.

The force departed that morning and reached Konoha two days later.

Konoha looked nothing like it would decades from now. It still retained much of the layout from the First Hokage's founding. Only after the Third Shinobi World War and the Nine-Tails' attack would the village be replanned and new districts built.

As they entered the village, they saw large numbers of ninja bearing the Uchiha crest patrolling its streets.

Ever since two elders had been killed, the Security Force had maintained this level of vigilance without letting up for a moment. They had caught quite a few spies bent on sabotage.

The Security Force's lockdown had sent public safety soaring, leaving many clans prejudiced against the Uchiha with nothing to say.

At Fugaku's home, Uchiha Clan Leader Uchiha Tenjo knelt quietly on the floor, waiting for him. As clan leader, he had his own intelligence network. Learning how his son was doing was not difficult.

Fugaku slid the door open and was surprised to find his father waiting, as though he had been there for some time.

"Father," Fugaku said. "I'm back. The mission went fairly smoothly."

Uchiha Tenjo nodded. He knew exactly how Fugaku had performed in the Land of Rain, and he was pleased with his only son.

"I learned from the Hokage yesterday," Uchiha Tenjo said, "that the ninja returning from the Land of Rain will have two months off before receiving new assignments.

"For now, I don't intend to assign you to the Security Force."

Fugaku nodded without interrupting his father.

"You've made an excellent start, and you performed well in the Land of Rain. The leadership has begun to take notice of you. The Security Force is too comfortable. It would gradually wear away your drive, and you might end up ordinary.

"I want you to stay with the regular ninja units. Make friends among the other clans, see more combat, and build your reputation. Once the Shinobi World recognizes your strength, the Uchiha clan's standing will rise with it."

Fugaku understood his concern. The Security Force's main duty was to keep Konoha safe. Some years, not a single fight broke out in the village that would require Fugaku to intervene.

Even a gifted ninja could stagnate—or regress—if he spent too long in comfort without seeing combat.

"I'll follow your arrangements, Father," Fugaku said. "Does the clan have any Scrolls on Sealing Jutsu? I'd like to focus on studying it over the next two months."

Qiuze Danye's Sealing Jutsu had proved valuable during the mission in the Land of Rain. Now that Fugaku had time, he wanted to learn it himself.

"The clan has collected some Scrolls on Sealing Jutsu. You can begin studying them tomorrow," Uchiha Tenjo said. "As for anything the clan doesn't have, you'll have to find a way to obtain it yourself."

Fugaku nodded. An outstanding ninja might be rewarded with the chance to learn certain Ninjutsu.

They talked at length, from morning until afternoon.

The next morning, Uchiha Tenjo led Fugaku into his study and opened a Secret Chamber inside it. At a glance, Fugaku could see that it held many secrets of the Uchiha clan.

There were also many Ninjutsu unique to the clan, including Fire Release techniques.

"This is one of the clan's smaller Secret Chambers," Uchiha Tenjo said. "It holds some of the clan's secrets and a selection of treasured Ninjutsu. You'll gain access to more of it over time.

"Much of what's in here is kept secret from outsiders. You must never let it get out, or it could easily cause panic."

Fugaku nodded. The chamber likely held the secrets behind the Sharingan's evolution, along with detailed accounts of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

To the Uchiha and Konoha of this era, the Mangekyo Sharingan had taken on an almost mythical status. Madara Uchiha had been so powerful that people could not help attributing most of his strength to the Sharingan.

That had led to a blind pursuit of the Mangekyo Sharingan. People seemed to believe that awakening it alone would grant them the power Madara Uchiha had once used to dominate the Shinobi World. That belief was shared not just within the Uchiha clan, but throughout the Shinobi World.

Yet there were no legends of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Madara Uchiha had been the first Uchiha to achieve that evolution by transplanting the eyes of his own brother.