"Brother, do you think I'm awesome?"
"Don't look. And I stress this—you don't have that organ."
"Eh? Really? Then, Nissan, will you practice shuriken with me?"
"Forgive me, Sasuke. Next time."
Uchiha compound.
Near the Naka River.
With a habitual motion, Uchiha Itachi reached out and tapped Sasuke's forehead with two fingers.
The crisp pok sound echoed, numbing Itachi's fingertips.
His face remained unchanged, but guilt flickered in his dark pupils as he looked at his younger brother.
I'm sorry, Sasuke…
I don't have much time left.
Turning away, Itachi walked off. His shoulders were tense with invisible weight—struggles that Sasuke was still too young to understand. These days, he always seemed… burdened.
Three years.
His gaze drifted toward the distant skyline of Konoha. He sighed softly.
It had been three years since the shocking public trial led by the Uchiha Guard—an event that had rippled through the Five Great Nations.
Konoha had changed drastically.
Since Tsunade had become the Fifth Hokage, her policies, backed by overwhelming public support, had reshaped the village. There was a new vitality. Peaceful, yet alert.
The Guard remained active, though now uncontested. No one dared challenge their authority anymore—not after what had happened to the former Hokage.
Three years ago…
Due to Bai Ye's interference, the Reaper Death Seal was disrupted. Sarutobi Hiruzen, though targeted by the jutsu, had survived.
But his survival had not been mercy.
Imprisoned in the deepest cells of Konoha, stripped of his titles and honor, the old man had become a symbol of disgrace. Statues once bearing his likeness were shattered, and his legacy erased. "Third Hokage" became a forbidden term.
Yet even then, Bai Ye offered the Sarutobi clan redemption.
Three S-rank missions.
Complete them to prove their value to the village.
Some accepted the path of atonement. Others, driven by fear, defected. Each betrayal forced Sarutobi Hiruzen to watch as his own clan members were hunted down—sometimes by his own hands.
Their blood stained his fingers. And his mind.
A fate worse than death.
The Senju had endured similar trials in the past—missions with no hope of survival, yet no room to refuse. Now, the Sarutobi were walking the same path. Only a few remained—loyal to Konoha, willing to sacrifice all.
Hiruzen's spirit shattered. He suffered frequent delusions in prison, lost in memories and regret.
And the Fire Daimyō? That powerless puppet had capitulated swiftly. Bai Ye's display of force broke the nobleman's arrogance. He fled back to his estate in disgrace.
This was the world of shinobi.
The powerful stood above the weak. The people, the nobles—they lived under the protection of true monsters.
And in these three years, the village thrived. But Uchiha Itachi felt no joy.
Uchiha Clan.
Itachi's eyes dimmed.
Despite a new Hokage, the tensions between the clan and the village hadn't lessened. They'd only grown worse.
He hadn't expected it.
Tsunade's Senju heritage sparked distrust. The Uchiha held clan meetings frequently, murmuring grievances and conspiracies. Radicals spoke of "taking action."
Did they forget who Tsunade was?
Captain Bai Ye's woman.
If she had given him permission, there wouldn't be an Uchiha left to rebel. But she hadn't. She wanted to prove herself on her own terms.
And the clan… mistook her restraint for weakness.
Itachi had to attend every clan meeting now, even as a member of the Guard. That spoke volumes.
They'd forgotten Bai Ye's warning:
"Break the Guard's law—and you die."
And yet they thought that, because Bai Ye bore the Uchiha name, he'd turn a blind eye?
Fools.
They were playing with fire. And soon, they'd be burned.
As his mind spun, his feet carried him automatically toward the familiar banks of the Naka River.
Today was his rest day. He had hoped to spend it with Sasuke. But Shisui had asked to meet.
What Itachi didn't know was that just moments after he left, Sasuke frowned, then turned and fired a Chidori into a thick tree trunk nearby.
He had a secret.
Since awakening his Sharingan at four, his strength had surged under Bai Ye's training. Privately, he believed he'd surpassed Itachi.
Now, he only asked to train together to stay near his brother.
Otherwise…
He'd be stuck hanging out with that loud blond idiot again.
Just the thought made his temples throb.
Now he understood why Itachi always flicked his forehead and tried to run when Nawaki showed up.
Too clingy.
Sasuke shivered.
He didn't chase after his brother. Something felt off about Itachi lately. But he couldn't pinpoint what.
"The hotter the blood, the more volatile the flame. They'll make a move soon."
Shisui's voice was serious.
"Blame me."
Itachi sat beside him, looking worn out.
"Blame your father."
Shisui's words were blunt.
Was it really Fugaku's fault?
Itachi's smile was bitter.
His father had grown increasingly volatile. Two years ago, he'd had a shouting match with his wife over a trivial issue. Mikoto had moved out, staying at Kushina's house ever since.
Now, with clan pride swelling, Fugaku's hardline stance had only worsened.
Did he find out about Mom and Captain Bai Ye?
It shouldn't be…
Itachi wasn't a child anymore. He understood some things.
But he couldn't meddle in his parents' lives. Nor could he blame Bai Ye outright.
Besides… it seemed like his father had deeper problems.
He remembered that day when Guard members had dragged him to a red-light district. There, a hostess had mocked his father loudly.
Words like "useless," "impotent," "washed-up."
He hadn't fully understood. But after that day, his father stopped going out.
Now, the male clan members looked at Fugaku with… pity.
Itachi didn't understand everything.
But he understood enough.
"We need a plan."
Shisui's voice was firm.
"What kind of plan?" Itachi asked, cautious.
"I'll talk to Hokage-sama. Then… to Danzo. He's out of prison today."
Shisui's fingers unconsciously traced the scar near his eyes.
"There might still be a way."
Danzo?
Itachi's expression darkened.
You trust that fossil?
Danzo had just been released. And the moment he was, Shisui was already rushing to him?
Some loyal subordinate you are…
"Danzo once told me the Uchiha problem wasn't hard to solve," Shisui added. "He was just misled by the Third before. Now that he's paid for it, he can help."
Help?
To Itachi, Danzo wasn't help. He was the abyss.
"I don't trust him."
Shisui didn't listen. The conversation drifted.
They kept talking.
Elsewhere, downstream…
Sasuke spotted two figures by the river with fishing rods in hand.
He instantly recognized one of them.
Godfather is still a perv.
He didn't need to get closer to know it was Bai Ye.
The woman beside him? Probably Izumi today.
Hmph. She's not even as good as Naruto in a fight.
Sasuke coughed loudly, signaling his arrival.
He knew Bai Ye's temper. Any man looking too long at one of his women would get vaporized.
"Are you sick?"
Bai Ye stood up lazily.
Three years had passed. He hadn't aged. In fact, he looked even sharper, as though time had refined him.
A metamorphosis.
You train jutsu—I cultivate immortality. The phrase popped into Bai Ye's head. But he didn't bother saying it.
After three years of elite missions and internal growth, he'd evolved into something else entirely.
"No, godfather."
Sasuke pouted, avoiding Izumi's gaze.
"I just came to tell you—Nissan went to talk to Shisui again."
Hmm… Danzo's release is today, huh?
Bai Ye's smile returned.
He'd kept Danzo alive for this very reason.
A final piece on the board.
Danzo had been Sarutobi's weapon. Now, he would serve a different purpose—bait and proof.
The tempter and the test are never the same man.
"GODFATHER! THE FISH IS HOOKED!"
Sasuke shouted, pulling on the rod with a grin.
A large fish flopped onto the shore.
"Yeah…"
The fish is hooked.
Bai Ye's eyes narrowed.
The time had come.
And everything was proceeding exactly as he had foreseen.
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