Set the Mountain on Fire, Spend Your Life Behind Bars

The moment Yan spotted those eyes, he grabbed Anko and ran.

Run for it!

The owner of those eyes saw its prey flee and gave chase with a roar.

"ROAR!"

Once they cleared the leaves, the two finally saw their hunter: a reddish-brown bear charging toward them.

Oh, hell. It's Big Bear.

The poor play with cars, the rich play with watches, and the filthy rich play Run, Big Bear, Run.

Yan, in his current condition, had no desire to play.

"Anko, this is your fault! You yelled so loud you attracted a bear!"

"We're only here because you were afraid the teacher would catch you skipping class, so you refused to train at the training ground!"

They bickered as they ran. Yan glanced back. Big Bear was almost upon them.

There was no choice. Anko's breathing was already growing ragged.

Ninja might be glass cannons, but Yan figured his body, strengthened by Counterattack, could take the hit.

Having made up his mind, Yan grabbed Anko's hand and flung her forward.

"Hey, wait! Yan, what are you doing?"

Anko stumbled ahead and watched Yan turn to face the bear, crossing his arms to defend himself. Her pupils contracted as the bear swung a paw at him.

"No!"

"THUD!"

The sound of a successful Counterattack rang through Yan's mind. Strength surged through his body, and the adult bear's blow only drove him back a few steps.

Before Big Bear could recover from the swing, Yan stepped forward with his left foot, ducked low, and punched it in the belly.

"BAM!"

The punch sent Big Bear crashing into a tree. Leaves shook loose and fell onto its head. Unable to make sense of its prey's sudden transformation, Big Bear shook the leaves off and bared its teeth, ready to pounce again.

Apparently, its parents had never told it to run the moment a hairless monkey started making signs with both hands.

Snake–Ram–Monkey–Boar–Horse–Tiger.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Yan's chest swelled, and he breathed out a massive fireball.

Counterattack was still boosting him, making the fireball far more powerful than the ones he had produced in practice.

Big Bear stopped thinking as the fireball hurtled toward it. Yan could only say this: We both started out as single-celled organisms. Figure out where you fell behind.

"BOOM!"

The fireball struck and exploded. The blast rattled a table in a nearby underground Laboratory, sending several beakers crashing to the floor.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at the shattered glass and murmured,

"I only just considered grabbing a few civilians for experiments. Did Teacher Sarutobi notice already?"

"That was fast. As expected of the Shinobi Hero. But I haven't done anything yet, so even if he catches me, he can't do much. I'll go see what's happening."

Yan watched Big Bear vanish into the flames. He was about to laugh in triumph when he looked around and broke into a cold sweat.

"Yan, you're amazing! That was way stronger than Obito's little flame."

Anko ran over and hugged Yan. "Don't throw me away like that again. I can fight beside you!"

"What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Uh, Anko." Yan turned toward her stiffly. "How many years do Konoha's regulations give you for arson?"

"Huh?"

The smell of burning flesh hung in the air. Anko turned and saw the trees ahead ablaze, the fire still spreading.

A dozen or so minutes earlier, at the training ground beside Konoha Back Mountain.

"Kakashi, are you saying someone at school beat you?"

Sakumo had finally gotten a day off, only for his son to pester him into teaching him a new Ninjutsu as soon as he got home.

"Yeah. He's strong, and I don't think he even went all out."

Kakashi finished practicing Lightning Release, sat down, and told his father about his day at school.

Sakumo smiled with relief. "Is that so? Sounds like you've found a friend to compete and grow with."

"Who said I'm friends with him? I thought he was like Obito, but he'd been hiding his strength. He just caught me off guard."

Flustered, Kakashi turned his head away and refused to say more about Yan.

Sakumo smiled at the sight. An Uchiha playing weak to catch people off guard? That clan certainly has its quirks.

He was about to take Kakashi home when his expression sharpened. Smoke was rising from Konoha Back Mountain. Faint flames flickered among the trees, growing brighter by the moment.

An enemy attack?

"Kakashi, go home first."

After warning his son, Sakumo fired a signal flare and ran toward the mountain.

The flare burst overhead, throwing Konoha into an uproar.

"Enemy attack!"

"Everyone, on alert! All ANBU squads except Squad One, guard the village! Squad One and the Jonin, head for Konoha Back Mountain! Chunin, evacuate the civilians!"

Sakumo reached the fire. Thick smoke billowed around him, and his hand went to the short blade on his back.

Someone made it all the way to Konoha Back Mountain. Did a Kage come in person?

"Who's there?"

Sakumo turned right and hurled a Kunai.

A pale hand caught it. Golden eyes met Sakumo's. "It's me."

"Orochimaru? What happened here?"

"I don't know. Let's put out the fire first."

Sakumo nodded. He formed Hand Seals, then joined Orochimaru in using Water Release to extinguish the flames.

Once the fire was out, they pressed deeper into the woods. Sakumo scanned their surroundings warily. An enemy had reached the mountain, but why start a fire and nothing more?

Could it be a diversion?

Seeing that Sakumo did not seem to be there to arrest him, Orochimaru breathed a little easier.

"CRACK."

Both men turned toward a bush. "Come out!"

Yan emerged with Anko, who was trembling uncontrollably. "Haha. Good evening, honored ninja. Lovely weather tonight, isn't it?"

The two men said nothing. Yan spoke again, cautiously.

"If I said this had nothing to do with me, would you believe me?"

That evening, in the Hokage's Office.

"So this commotion started because you entered Konoha Back Mountain without permission, then used Fire Release there. Is that right?"

After hearing Sakumo's and Orochimaru's reports, the Third Hokage pressed a hand to his aching forehead.

"Lord Hokage, we're terribly sorry."

Fugaku and Yan bowed ninety degrees to the Third Hokage.

"The Uchiha Clan will cover all the damage."

Fugaku had been taking it easy at the Military Police Station when an emergency summons arrived. The entire village went on alert. Once all the Jonin had assembled, the Third Hokage dismissed everyone except him.

Fugaku had feared someone in the clan had followed Uchiha Setsuna's example and started a rebellion. Instead, he arrived at the Hokage's Office to find White Fang and Orochimaru, with Homura Uchiha caught between them.

Mitarashi Masamune looked at the Uchiha boy who had led his daughter into skipping school, set Konoha Back Mountain on fire, and made the village think an enemy had reached its doorstep. At that moment, he understood how a Hokage thought.

Evil Uchiha brat, born and bred!

"Well, it was only a false alarm. We'll call it a disaster drill." The Third Hokage paused. "Fugaku, Yan... has potential. Make sure you teach him properly when you get home."

"Yes, Lord Third. I'll discipline him strictly."

After a few polite exchanges, the matter was settled.

Orochimaru watched Yan and Fugaku leave, then licked his lips.

The surroundings had played a major part, but a student who had enrolled barely over a month ago should not have been capable of Fire Release powerful enough to start a fire like that.

And when Orochimaru had found him, he had deliberately unleashed his killing intent. The boy had still walked out and spoken to him without batting an eye.

How interesting, Homura Uchiha.

At the Mitarashi Household.

"Dad, what happened to Yan? They didn't lock him up, did they?"

Mitarashi Masamune had barely returned home when his daughter's question sent a chill through him. My little girl's already worrying about that brat instead of me.