Trouble redirected, Tobirama enraged

Konoha Year Seven, autumn.

The mess left by Yuanguang Uchiha and the Tsuchigumo clan leader "killing each other" had been papered over as quickly as possible within Konoha and the Uchiha. Yuanguang had been branded a traitor who deserved to die. The Tsuchigumo had lost a clan leader and several elite fighters, suffered in silence, and could not stir up trouble for the time being. On the surface, all was calm.

But beneath the water, the currents had never stopped.

The Tsuchigumo Clan lived deep in the mountains along the southeastern border of the Land of Fire. Their home was remote, their people fierce, and they survived between stronger powers by relying on an ancestral Forbidden Technique, "Raging Hair Heaven," which exacted an enormous price. Their clan leader had died inexplicably in the Uchiha Clan Compound, saddled with the disgrace of "colluding with a traitor and turning on his accomplice." Even his head had been handed over as "evidence." They could not swallow that.

More importantly, they had doubts.

The clan leader had gone to the Uchiha Clan Compound after receiving a secret contact about a big deal targeting the Uchiha's Disciplinary Elder. The payment was a mineral vein and intelligence on the Uchiha's Forbidden Techniques. He had taken several of his most capable men, and all of them had died there. Not one had returned. The other side claimed they had "killed each other," but the devastation at the scene... Their clan leader had used "Raging Hair Heaven," yes, but had his opponent, Yuanguang, really been capable of taking his head off and destroying his body until only scraps remained?

They did not believe it.

But what could they do about it? Demand an explanation from the Uchiha? The Uchiha would love to dump all the blame for "colluding with outsiders" on them. Ask Konoha for justice? Tobirama Senju had coldly blocked that route with a single statement: "Yuanguang deserved to die. The Tsuchigumo attacked a Konoha Ninja clan and are also culpable."

Frustration, anger, and an ever-deepening... chill.

At that very moment, certain "rumors" began quietly circulating within the Tsuchigumo Clan's compound, among drunken, down-and-out clansmen, discontented youths, and the families of those who had lost relatives-the men who had accompanied the clan leader.

The rumors said that the "secret contact" the clan leader had received might not have originated with Yuanguang Uchiha at all, or at least not entirely. Where would a disgraced elder under house arrest have found the influence to lure their clan leader so precisely to that abandoned training ground? Could an outsider even have found the place without guidance from someone inside?

The rumors said that before leaving, the clan leader had vaguely mentioned "betting on both sides." It was risky, but if it succeeded, the Tsuchigumo would gain a truly powerful backer and no longer have to bow to Konoha and the Uchiha. Who was that "truly powerful backer"?

The rumors also said that something was strange about the traces of "Raging Hair Heaven" at the scene. Its power had been immense, but the point of eruption was too convenient, as though... someone had guided it. And the clan leader's party had been wiped out too thoroughly. Apart from the clan leader, not even an intact corpse had remained, as though someone feared people might discover something. Wasn't Konoha's "Professor of Ninjutsu," Tobirama Senju, best known for researching, improving, and even deciphering all kinds of Forbidden Techniques?

These rumors were scattered and fragmentary, with neither beginning nor end, but pieced together, they pointed in a chilling direction.

"Could the clan leader... have been used?" In a corner of the small tavern in the clan compound, a young Tsuchigumo clansman who had lost his brother spoke to his companion in a low voice, his eyes red. "Yuanguang was a mad dog who wanted to claw his way back up and bite Elder Xuan. But who handed him the knife? Who paved the way? And who... cleaned up both that mad dog and our clan leader at the end?"

"You mean..."

"Do I have to spell it out?" The young man gritted his teeth. "Who was happiest to see the Uchiha fighting each other to the death? Who wanted most to muddy the Uchiha's waters and take the opportunity to get rid of small clans like ours, who knew a little of the inside story but had no real backing?"

His companion sucked in a sharp breath. "N-no way. That's..."

"Why not?" The young man swallowed a mouthful of cheap liquor, his gaze vicious. "Don't forget what the clan leader said! 'A truly powerful backer'! What kind of powerful backer was Yuanguang Uchiha? He'd already fallen himself! Who else could someone he considered a 'powerful backer' be? And after everything came out, look at what that 'Lord Tobirama' in Konoha said! With one 'deserved to die,' he buried our clan leader and brothers alongside that mad dog Yuanguang! He couldn't even be bothered to investigate properly! Why? Because he knew exactly what had happened!"

He grew more agitated as he spoke, forgetting to keep his voice down. "If you ask me, that evil Tobirama Senju used our clan leader! He used us Tsuchigumo! If it worked, he profited. If it failed, or once we'd served our purpose, he tossed us aside like scapegoats, like rags to wipe his feet! Look at what happened to Yuanguang. His whole clan curses him, even his portrait is going to be destroyed, and in death he's worth less than a dog! If we keep quiet and don't fight back, we Tsuchigumo will be the next ones to 'kill each other' and get wiped away without a trace! We'll become the next Yuanguang Uchiha!"

Bang! The cup slammed onto the wooden table, the sound especially jarring in the little tavern. Several nearby Tsuchigumo clansmen turned to look, their gazes complicated with doubt, anger, and profound fear.

Like a plague, the rumors spread wildly through the fertile ground of suspicion and fear.

Beneath Hokage Rock, in the Senju Clan Compound, Kagami knelt alone in the outer room of Tobirama Senju's study. He had already been waiting for nearly an hour.

He had lost a great deal of weight. His cheeks were hollow, and unhealthy blue-black circles ringed his eyes. His back, once always straight, was slightly hunched. His Uchiha clan clothes had faded from washing and hung loosely on his body. Only his eyes, when he occasionally raised them toward the tightly shut inner door, still flickered with a complicated mixture of pain, dependence, and a certain obsessive gleam.

At last, the inner door opened. Tobirama Senju emerged with a freshly reviewed scroll in hand, his face expressionless. Only when he saw Kagami did he pause almost imperceptibly.

"Come in."

Kagami rose silently and followed him into the study, kneeling again in the lower seat. The furnishings were simple, cold, and austere, just like their owner.

"Did you need something?" Tobirama Senju set the scroll aside and looked at Kagami. His feelings toward this Uchiha youth were somewhat complicated. A useful pawn, unfortunately saddled with a father too stupid to avoid ruining a good thing. Still, the pawn himself seemed usable.

Kagami kept his head lowered, his hands clenched tightly on his knees. Only after a long while did he speak hoarsely, his voice as dry as scraping sandpaper. "Lord Tobirama... I... I went to the clan shrine today."

"Mm."

"Father's... Father's memorial tablet is still there. But... the place beside it, where his portrait should have been hanging... was empty." Kagami's voice began to tremble. "I asked the old man guarding the shrine... He said that a few days ago, Elder Yan sent people over. They said... they said a traitor's portrait didn't deserve to hang in the shrine to the honored dead, and took it away. He didn't know where they took it. They might... they might have burned it already."

He jerked his head up, his eyes red, yet forced back his tears. The pain and something crumbling in his gaze were plain to see. "How... how could they do that! Even if Father made mistakes, even if... he's dead, he was still an Uchiha, still a former elder! How could they... refuse to leave even a portrait of him! Decades from now, who in the clan will remember him? Who will even know there was once an Uchiha named Yuanguang? They're trying to erase him from the clan completely!"

Tobirama Senju listened quietly, his gaze unfathomable behind his lenses. Only after Kagami finished did he slowly say, "Didn't Elder Wen and the others oppose the proposal to destroy his portrait at the Elders' Council?"

"They did!" Kagami grew agitated, his voice rising. "But they... they did it secretly! Elder Yan, and... and Uchiha Yinglang! They tacitly approved it! Their subordinates took the hint without waiting for a formal order! They hate Father, they hate me... They want to wipe out our entire faction!"

Tobirama Senju watched the youth before him, nearly consumed by pain and hatred, and fell silent for a moment. He knew that part of what Kagami said was true. In the Uchiha's internal power struggles, once someone fell, everyone piled on with utter ruthlessness. Losing Yuanguang as a pawn had disrupted his plans, but the outcome might... not be so bad after all. An Uchiha prodigy with no one left to rely on, who could only cling tightly to him, might be even easier to use.

At just the right moment, a faint, almost compassionate expression appeared on his face. His voice softened too, carrying a rare gentleness that was almost "human":

"Kagami, your father... Elder Yuanguang truly was... a man with a strong Will of Fire. He saw far ahead. It was just that... sometimes he acted too hastily and was used by others. His original intentions may not have been entirely wrong."

He paused, seemingly weighing his words, then finally sighed softly. "If the circumstances hadn't been exceptional, if the situation hadn't been so complicated... I would never have... stood by and watched him reach that point. There were things that even I... had no control over. I'm sorry, Kagami."

That "I'm sorry" was spoken flatly, yet it struck Kagami's already battered heart like a sledgehammer. It was not an apology, but an acknowledgment of a certain "helplessness" and "regret," an acknowledgment that his father had not been entirely worthless, that there was a "reason" for his suffering.

It was more effective than any direct comfort.

Kagami's tears finally spilled over, but he bit his lip hard, refusing to sob. He only shook his head forcefully as tears kept rolling down. "No... it wasn't your fault, Lord Tobirama... How could I blame you... It was all... all because the people in the clan are too narrow-minded! Too selfish! All they see is the Uchiha name and the pride of the Sharingan. They can't tolerate a single new idea, much less see the bigger picture for Konoha! They drove Father to it. They killed him! And now they're humiliating him like this, humiliating me!"

He raised his tear-blurred face toward Tobirama Senju. Beyond the pain in his eyes lay a warped resolve and dependence. "Only you... only Lord Tobirama is still willing to give me a place to stay for the sake of the little 'Will of Fire' Father once possessed, still willing to say these things to me... I... I, Kagami Uchiha, swear to follow Lord Tobirama for the rest of my life and make the Will of Fire my lifelong conviction! Those narrow-minded people who persecute their own clansmen don't deserve to be called the pride of the Uchiha! True Uchiha should do as Father hoped: become part of Konoha and fight for its future!"

Watching the warped, fanatical flame rekindle in Kagami's eyes, Tobirama Senju nodded almost imperceptibly. Good. The seeds of hatred have taken deep root, and they're pointed in exactly the right direction. Having lost his clan's support and been hurt by them, Kagami has no choice but to cling to the lifeline of the "Will of Fire" and the "future" I offer him.

"It's good that you can think that way." Tobirama Senju's tone returned to its usual calm. "The dead are gone. The living must strive to move forward. You have great talent. Don't let your present difficulties defeat you. Train hard. Konoha's future needs capable, sensible young people like you."

"Yes, Lord Tobirama!" Kagami bowed his forehead firmly to the floor, his voice filled with a sacrificial resolve.

After giving him a few more instructions about his training, Tobirama Senju dismissed Kagami. Silence returned to the study.

Tobirama Senju walked to the window and gazed at the courtyard outside, gradually taking on autumn colors, his eyes deep. Kagami is a good move, but the hidden threat of the Uchiha hasn't been completely eliminated. That Uchiha Yinglang... his methods are becoming increasingly seasoned. Was Yuanguang's death really as simple as accomplices turning on each other? And the Tsuchigumo seem to have been showing signs of unrest lately...

As he pondered, a soft knock came at the study door. An Anbu appeared silently in the doorway and dropped to one knee, speaking in a low, urgent voice:

"Lord Tobirama, urgent news from the border! The Tsuchigumo Clan is making unusual moves!"

Tobirama Senju spun around. "Speak!"

"Our covert sentries near the Tsuchigumo Clan Compound discovered that rumors have been spreading throughout the clan recently. Much of the content concerns... the circumstances behind their clan leader's death, with veiled accusations directed at... Konoha High Command. Some of their radical clansmen have been gathering frequently and are highly agitated. There are also signs that they may be secretly contacting other small clans dissatisfied with Konoha's policies, apparently seeking to coordinate with them. In addition, border patrols report that Tsuchigumo hunting parties have been crossing the boundary frequently in recent days. There have been several minor clashes with our patrols, and their attitude has been uncompromising."

The Anbu finished his rapid report, then lowered his head to await instructions.

Tobirama Senju's face darkened instantly, his eyes cold enough to shave off splinters of ice.

Rumors? Pointing at Konoha High Command? Coordination? Clashes?

Yuanguang's death really did leave loose ends. No, not just loose ends. Someone is using those loose ends to fan the flames among the Tsuchigumo!

A foreign power? Or someone else lurking in the shadows?

"Investigate!" Tobirama Senju forced the word through his teeth. "Find the source of those rumors! Find out who within the Tsuchigumo is leading this trouble! And don't overlook a single suspicious person who has been in contact with them recently!"

"Yes!"

The Anbu accepted the order and vanished instantly.

In the study, Tobirama Senju slowly settled back into his chair. His fingers unconsciously tapped the hard armrest, producing a steady, slightly hurried rhythm.

The Tsuchigumo... a pack of fools with a death wish. It seems the last lesson was still too lenient.

And whoever's stirring up trouble behind the scenes...

A cold light flickered in his eyes.

Whoever they are, if they want to use the Tsuchigumo like a mad dog to bite me, they'll pay the price.