Uchiha Nian

Year 20 of Hidden Leaf Village, Hidden Leaf Village.

Uchiha Nian was an orphan. At least, ever since he could remember, he had known that he was a child with no father or mother.

For all these years, he had lived off the clan's relief allowance.

A cold bedboard, spoiled bread, expired milk, a room all to himself... Nian did not know what loneliness was. He only knew that this kind of life was his normal state.

A kind uncle from the clan told him that his parents had both died in the Great War, their lives devoured by the merciless flames of war.

But having lacked familial affection since childhood, he did not truly feel much about it. He was only curious about what terrible things his parents had done to make everyone in the clan avoid him, a child, as though he were a venomous snake or scorpion.

He knew he was unwelcome. Some people in the clan looked as annoyed to see him as if they had spotted a fly. Especially a strange aunt named "Yuko"—whenever he saw her, she wore an expression of resentment, hatred, and madness.

At first, he thought it was because of his withdrawn personality. But when he made his first friend, he no longer thought so.

"My sister told me that everyone dislikes you because of your parents." Uchiha Tong Ren said this while biting into a Three-Colored Dango.

Tong Ren's words convinced Nian completely. After all, this was his only friend, and the only friend who did not care about his background and treated him normally.

He found the uncle named Setsuna and asked about his parents. The uncle could only say helplessly that Nian's father had been someone who betrayed the village. His crimes were too numerous to list; not only the clan, but even the entire village wished they could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.

Fortunately, that information had only been kept within the clan. Hardly anyone in the village knew he was that man's child. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

After saying that, the uncle's expression became complicated, and he spoke no further.

"So he was a deserter..."

He had died in the war, yet betrayed the village. Didn't that make him a deserter?

Nian understood. Only the weak would lose to fear. When faced with a great enemy, his father had chosen to desert. Nian secretly swore that he would grow stronger and never repeat that mistake.

So, in order to become a powerful ninja, he began pinching pennies. Finally, today, he bought his very first Shuriken.

The clan's Training Ground did not welcome him, so he went to practice at the village Training Ground instead. But he was told that only ninjas and children from the Ninja Academy were qualified to use it.

That left him helpless. He was only five this year, not yet old enough to enroll. Tong Ren was already in his second year, and Nian could feel the gap in their strength rapidly widening.

Training under someone's guidance and figuring things out alone were completely different matters.

The Shuriken Technique he had painstakingly practiced for so long was as easy as eating and drinking to others. It was already difficult enough for the Shuriken he threw with all his strength not to miss the target, yet Tong Ren only needed a casual flick of his hand to hit the bullseye.

Tong Ren told Nian that this was nothing at all. His sister could control the landing points of dozens of Shuriken at once.

Tong Ren's sister was named Uchiha Chiri. She had just officially graduated from the Ninja Academy this year. She was a very gentle older sister, and very powerful as well.

But Nian did not think much of it, because he had always believed that a ninja's strength was proportional to their age. Once they reached that age, they would become just as formidable as Sister Chiri.

Tong Ren quickly refuted him, saying there was a youth named Orochimaru in his class. That person was even stronger than Tong Ren, but his personality was even more withdrawn than Nian's. He was also a pitiful child whose parents had both died in the war.

"Maybe the three of us would have plenty to talk about," Tong Ren said, because his Father had also died in the war.

At the mention of that subject, Nian could not help feeling a little dejected. He did not want to use that as the basis for making friends. His father had been a deserter. Not only was that not glorious, it was shameful.

On the street, Tong Ren grabbed Nian's arm. "Come on, I'll take you to find him."

"Find who?"

"Orochimaru."

"Th... that wouldn't be appropriate, would it..." Nian was somewhat reserved.

Tong Ren tilted his head, revealing a mouthful of white teeth. "My sister said that one more friend means one more path. When you start school next year, the two of us can look out for you."

Smiling, he grabbed Nian and started walking, only to crash headlong into a wall in his haste and land on his backside.

"Ow." Tong Ren rubbed his head. Nian hurriedly helped him up, while a tall figure blocked out the sunlight and cast a long, oppressive shadow.

Only then did Tong Ren realize that he had not run into a wall, but a person.

"Sorry, sorry!" He hurriedly got up and apologized.

The man wore a mask and had medium-short hair hanging loose around him. Just looking at his eyes made him seem fierce and menacing.

"Watch where you're going, brat," the man said in a rough, low, muffled voice.

The two young Uchiha immediately nodded like pecking chicks and watched the man enter an Izakaya by the roadside.

The man casually ordered several dishes and sat down by the window.

"What a hassle. I never expected Hidden Leaf Village to be this big," he muttered, his tone faintly complaining.

At that moment, a curious voice drifted over from beside him.

"So, is this your first time in Hidden Leaf Village?"

The man looked toward the voice. It belonged to a Young Man dressed in black. When the man turned his head, the stranger walked over with the familiarity of an old acquaintance and plopped down across from him.

The Young Man was tall and straight, with long, thick black hair like the deepest corner of the Night sky, naturally falling across his forehead. A strip of Black Satin was gently wrapped around his Eyes, concealing them—and the clear sky.

"I came here once a long time ago, but I never had the chance to look around," the man replied in a low voice. For some reason, seeing the Young Man before him gave him an odd sense of familiarity.

"I see." The Young Man smiled faintly and took a sip from his cup.

The man's gaze was sharp as lightning, as if he wished to see directly into the other man's eyes through the Black Satin. "Can you see?"

"No. It is merely a minor sensory Ninjutsu, nothing remarkable." The Young Man paused. "Compared to Lord Kakuzu, the most famous man at the Exchange Station, it is hardly worth mentioning."

The man narrowed his eyes. "You know me?"

"The man who once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage—I have admired your reputation for a long time."

Kakuzu leaned forward and carefully studied the Young Man's appearance. His Facial Features were sharply defined, his face cleanly contoured. Even without seeing his Eyes, it was clear that he was handsome.

"What a coincidence. You look familiar to me too."

"It is not necessarily a good thing to look familiar to you. Perhaps I am one of your Bounty Notice targets." The Young Man still appeared gentle and respectful.

Kakuzu said, "Take off the Black Satin. Let me see your eyes."

"My apologies, but that is the one thing I cannot do." The Young Man's laughter carried a trace of apology. "The time has not yet come."

Kakuzu pulled out a stack of illustrated sheets. They were Bounty Notices taken from the Exchange Station. He flipped through them one by one until he drew out the final page and held it up for comparison from afar.

"You are..." Kakuzu looked at the Bounty Notice in his hand, his Pupils shrinking. "Uchiha Shin'yu?"