Nearsighted in the World of the Hokage

Uchiha En vanished into the firelight at the Sarutobi Clan compound.

The next second, he appeared in a patch of shadow outside the Uchiha Clan Compound.

He was still some distance from the compound, in a sprawling residential district where most of Konoha's civilians lived.

It was late and quiet. The streets were empty, with only the occasional dog barking in the distance.

Uchiha En crouched on a branch of a large tree and looked toward the Uchiha Clan Compound through a gap in the leaves.

He could sense Chakra flowing there. It didn't belong to the Uchiha clan. Root shinobi.

"Tch. So they did set up a barrier."

Uchiha En narrowed his eyes. Through his Mangekyō Sharingan, he could make out several hazy Chakra signatures positioned around the Uchiha Clan Compound. Their placement was too orderly to be anything but planned.

"To keep the sounds of the Uchiha Clan Massacre from getting out, they even set up a barrier in advance... How thorough."

A smile curved Uchiha En's lips.

"Too bad you ran into me."

His right eye turned.

He vanished.

On the roof of a three-story building at the southeastern corner of the Uchiha Clan Compound, a Root shinobi knelt on one knee, both hands pressed against the tiles. Lines of Chakra spread slowly from his palms.

He belonged to the Barrier Team. Together with his comrades at the other positions, he was building a Soundproof Barrier around the entire Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Almost there... Just a little longer."

He muttered under his breath, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The next second, a kunai swept across his throat.

Squelch.

Blood sprayed.

The Root shinobi's eyes flew wide. Before he could turn, the strength left his body and he slumped to one side.

Uchiha En appeared behind him, caught his body, and lowered it gently onto the roof so the sound wouldn't alert anyone else.

"First."

He rose and swept his gaze across the night sky.

Through his Mangekyō Sharingan, he could see the remaining Chakra signatures at their separate positions.

"Four left."

On top of a water tower west of the Uchiha Clan Compound, the second Root shinobi was focused on making hand seals. Pale blue Chakra gathered between his palms and seeped into the night air, linking with the barrier energy at the other positions.

"Hm?"

He suddenly sensed something wrong. The Chakra signature to the southeast had vanished.

"What happened?"

He started to turn and look.

A hand reached out and pressed against the back of his head.

"Don't bother looking. His shift's over."

Crack.

Bone snapped sharply.

The Root shinobi's head twisted to an unnatural angle, and his body fell stiffly.

"Second."

Due north of the Uchiha Clan Compound, the third Root shinobi hid among the branches of a hundred-year-old tree, his body blending into its shadows.

His senses were keen enough to pick up the barrier's Chakra signatures at the other positions.

When the signatures to the southeast and west vanished one after another, his heart clenched.

Something's wrong!

He immediately stopped making hand seals and reached for the signal flare at his waist.

Just then, a voice sounded right behind him.

"Looking for this?"

Uchiha En held the flare between his fingers and waved it before the shinobi's eyes.

The Root shinobi's pupils contracted.

Without thinking, he thrust his kunai backward.

It struck nothing but air.

The next second, a cold blade drove up beneath his chin and through his skull.

"Third."

In the loft of an abandoned warehouse east of the Uchiha Clan Compound, the fourth Root shinobi had realized something was wrong.

He stopped making hand seals, drew the ninja blade from his back, and watched his surroundings.

Southeast, west, north... He had lost contact with all three comrades.

Someone was hunting them.

"Who's there?!" he demanded in a low voice. "Come out!"

Silence answered him.

Only the wind moaned through gaps in the warehouse walls.

The Root squad leader gripped his blade. A drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead.

He led a Root special operations squad and had survived countless deadly missions, but this time, unease unlike anything he had felt before welled up inside him.

His opponent had silently taken out three elite members of the Barrier Team...

That meant at least Elite Jōnin level.

"Who the hell..."

Before he could finish, space rippled.

Uchiha En appeared directly in front of him.

The Root squad leader reacted instantly, slashing across with his blade.

But Uchiha En's figure dissolved like a phantom as the blade passed through it.

"An afterimage?!"

Alarm shot through him.

A kunai pressed against his back, right over his heart.

"Wrong guess."

Squelch.

The kunai pierced his heart.

The Root squad leader went rigid. His ninja blade clattered to the floor. He looked down at the bloodied tip protruding from his chest and opened his mouth, but no words came. Then he pitched forward.

"Fourth."

In an alley at the southwestern corner of the Uchiha Clan Compound, the last Root shinobi fled as fast as he could.

He had the keenest senses of the five. The moment the third man's signature disappeared, he knew something had gone terribly wrong.

He chose not to fight. He ran.

He had to get word to Lord Danzo. Someone was destroying the barrier.

He raced down the alley at full speed.

Two more streets, and he would reach a Root contact point.

Just as he was about to burst out of the alley, the space in front of him twisted.

A figure appeared from nowhere, blocking his path.

He couldn't stop in time and slammed straight into him.

Thud!

They collided head-on.

"Ow... What was that for..."

Uchiha En staggered back a step and rubbed his chest.

"Why are you running so fast? In a hurry to meet your maker?"

The Root shinobi landed on his backside. He looked up at the Tiger-Skin Mask, and his face went pale.

"You..."

"You what?"

Uchiha En crouched and patted his shoulder, speaking as though they were old friends.

"Little Kuroko, you're showing your chicken feet, aren't you? Running that fast—do you want to join our Kunmen too?"

The Root shinobi didn't understand a word of Uchiha En's nonsense. He reached for the kunai at his waist.

Before his hand touched the weapon, a foot came down on his wrist.

Crack.

The sound of breaking bone rang out in the quiet alley.

"Aah!"

Uchiha En clapped a hand over his mouth as the scream escaped.

"Shh..."

Uchiha En raised one finger in front of his mask.

"It's late. Don't wake the neighbors."

With the kunai in his other hand, he made a light cut.

The Root shinobi's body twitched twice, then went still.

"Fifth."

Uchiha En stood and dusted off his hands.

He looked toward the Uchiha Clan Compound. The faint Chakra barrier above it was slowly dissipating. Without anyone sustaining it, sounds from the compound could finally carry beyond its walls.

"That's more like it."

Uchiha En grinned.

"An Uchiha Clan Massacre this spectacular? How could they play it on mute?"

"Everyone deserves to hear it."

With that, he vanished into the night.

At Uchiha En's home.

It was an old house on the edge of the Uchiha Clan Compound. Unlike the grand Uchiha residences, it was small and worn, with plaster peeling from the walls.

The lights were off.

But Uchiha En could see perfectly in the dark with his Mangekyō Sharingan.

He took off his Akatsuki cloak, folded it, and tucked it into the bottom of his wardrobe. He also removed the Tiger-Skin Mask, wrapped it in cloth, and pushed it deep inside.

"Thanks for the effort tonight. I'll hold on to you for now. You might come in handy later..."

He patted the wardrobe door, turned, and sat down at the table.

A little tired, he rubbed his eyes.

Then he noticed something was wrong.

He looked at a cup on the table. It was an ordinary ceramic cup he used for drinking water, with a ring of dark glaze around the rim. He knew its outline by heart.

But now, the edge of the cup... was a little blurry.