That very day, Jiraiya left the village for the Land of Rain.
Uchiha Rokuro, who controlled Konoha's entire sensory barrier, learned of it immediately.
"Heh… if he doesn't die on this trip, he'll come back severely injured," Rokuro sneered inwardly. "Looks like Naruto's luck isn't bad—at least he didn't waste years wandering with Jiraiya like in the original story."
Rokuro paid no further attention to Jiraiya or Tsunade. He continued at his own pace, spending the entire day researching the Six Paths incantations. Only when mental fatigue set in did he finally stop.
As dinner time approached, Rokuro told his mother he was heading out and wouldn't be eating at home.
After leaving the house, he strolled through the Uchiha clan compound. Clan members he encountered along the way greeted him warmly; Rokuro responded with equal friendliness, without the slightest hint of arrogance.
Walking and chatting as he went, Rokuro eventually arrived at a small, secluded courtyard on the edge of the clan grounds—an out-of-the-way place with little foot traffic.
At the gate, a wave of foul stench drifted over.
Rokuro covered his nose and glanced down, only to find several piles of fresh feces right at the entrance.
Still wet—clearly dumped there not long ago.
Having human waste dumped at one's door… that kind of "treatment" was probably unique to the Uchiha.
Carefully stepping around the mess, Rokuro knocked on the door.
"Who is it?!"
A cautious voice came from inside.
Rokuro replied calmly. He felt a surge of chakra from within, and a moment later the courtyard gate opened, revealing Uchiha Mikoto, her face tense and guarded.
"Aunt Mikoto," Rokuro said with a faint smile. "It's been a long time. How have you been lately?"
Mikoto shot him a cold glare, then glanced toward the feces at the gate.
Rokuro chuckled softly.
"Looks like the clan still hasn't forgiven you," he said. "You should understand—what Clan Head Fugaku did was simply too hateful. People can't forget it even if they want to."
Mikoto clenched her fists, her eyes burning with anger.
"Oh, right—Sasuke should be back from school by now, shouldn't he? I'm here to talk to him about something."
Chakra erupted from Mikoto's body. Rokuro sized it up—chūnin-level, at best.
He shook his head lightly.
"Aunt Mikoto, I heard that before you married, you were a jōnin. After more than ten years, not only has your strength failed to improve, it's actually declined this much. What a waste of talent."
"What do you want with Sasuke?" Mikoto demanded. "To wipe us out completely? Uchiha Rokuro, you can't do this! Fugaku already paid for his actions with his life—are you going to kill his son too?!"
Her eyes reddened, transforming into two-tomoe Sharingan.
Rokuro glanced at them. The ocular power was mediocre—even among two-tomoe users, it ranked below average.
People often say martial cultivation is like rowing upstream. Ninja training is even more so.
A true internal-cultivation master can slow aging and extend life—but even the Sage of Six Paths could not escape birth, aging, sickness, and death.
Mikoto had once been a jōnin, and having awakened the Sharingan, she must once have possessed three tomoe. Yet after more than a decade as a housewife, her chakra had fallen to chūnin level, and even her Sharingan had regressed to two tomoe.
It was genuinely regrettable.
"Mom—let's fight him!"
Sasuke, his single-tomoe Sharingan blazing, rushed forward with a kunai, ready to charge Rokuro.
Mikoto desperately grabbed her son. She knew all too well that with their combined strength, they would be killed instantly. Fighting was absolutely not an option.
"Uchiha Rokuro," she said tremblingly, "are you really here to exterminate us today? Is this your personal decision—or the will of the entire clan?"
Rokuro didn't answer. He simply looked at her calmly.
That silence terrified Mikoto even more. As she pulled Sasuke back, her hand brushed the kunai, drawing blood.
"You can't do this!" she cried. "If you really kill us, not only will you become a laughingstock among the other clans, you'll provoke Itachi's all-out revenge! The only reason he hasn't avenged his father yet is because we're still alive in Konoha. If we die, he'll have nothing holding him back!"
"I know my son. Once he has no attachments left, no one in the Uchiha—except you and Uchiha Izumi—will survive his assassinations! Is it worth paying such a price just for the two of us?!"
Rokuro stepped forward.
Just as mother and son thought death was inevitable, they realized Rokuro walked past them—straight into their home.
"I came at the request of Itachi" Rokuro said flatly, "to discuss something with you, Aunt Mikoto. Of course, if you refuse, I won't force it. I already got what I wanted anyway."
Though still frightened, Mikoto finally relaxed a little. She knew that if Rokuro truly wanted them dead, he wouldn't need to go through all this trouble.
She led Sasuke inside, tended to her bleeding hand, then went to pour tea. Sasuke, still glaring with his single-tomoe Sharingan, gripped his kunai and stared daggers at Rokuro.
"Relax, Er-Zhuzi," Rokuro said lazily. "I'm here with good news for you."
"Er-Zhuzi? Who are you calling Er-Zhuzi?!" Sasuke snapped.
Rokuro pointed at him.
"You. You're the second son, and your name has 'zhu' in it. So—Er-Zhuzi. Catchy and easy to remember. From now on, that's what I'll call you."
"You! You bastard! My name is Sasuke, not Er-Zhuzi!"
Sasuke looked ready to breathe fire. Thankfully, Mikoto returned with the teapot and pulled him back again.
"Rokuro," she asked, "what exactly are you here for?"
"Aunt Mikoto," Rokuro replied, "I'm here on Itachi's behalf—to take Sasuke as my disciple."
He explained the deal he had made with Itachi, without embellishment.
"The organization called Akatsuki is extremely dangerous. Konoha desperately needs intelligence on it, so Itachi's work is crucial. Since he used this as bargaining chip, I agreed. Of course, if you refuse, I won't force you."
Mikoto's emotions churned violently.
She worried for her eldest son—though Rokuro spoke only briefly, she could already sense how terrifying Akatsuki was. Acting as an undercover agent in such an organization meant death could come at any moment.
Yet she was also helpless. Given her family's current situation, this might be their last chance. If she refused, Itachi might never be able to return to the village at all.
"I won't become your disciple!" Sasuke shouted angrily. "You forced my father to his death! One day, I'll avenge him!"
He spoke like a foolish, hot-blooded child.
Mikoto's face turned deathly pale. She raised her hand and slapped Sasuke hard across the face.
Smack!
Sasuke froze, clutching his cheek and staring at his mother, tears welling in his eyes.
"Sasuke," Mikoto said firmly, "I will not allow you to say that again. Your father died by suicide out of guilt. His death is his own responsibility—it is no one else's fault!"
"But, Mom—if it weren't for him—"
"Enough!" she snapped. "This is adults' business. You have no place speaking here. Go back to your room!"
She pointed toward the inner room.
Tears streamed down Sasuke's face. He shot Rokuro a hateful glare, then ran inside, sobbing.
Mikoto took a deep breath and turned back to Rokuro.
"Rokuro… I'm sorry. Sasuke is still young and doesn't understand. Please don't hold it against him."
"You're too polite, Aunt Mikoto," Rokuro replied calmly. "Clan Head Fugaku may not have died by my hand, but I bear at least seventy percent of the responsibility. It's only natural for Sasuke to want revenge."
"Itachi promised me that he would personally settle Fugaku's grudge and would not let Sasuke get involved. I believe him."
Mikoto looked conflicted.
In her heart, no matter how talented her elder son was, he still couldn't compare to the man standing before her. Declaring revenge so openly… it was practically courting death.
"Enough about revenge," Rokuro said. "What do you think about Sasuke becoming my disciple? Yes—or no?"
"…I…"
"Rest assured," Rokuro continued. "I value promises above all else. Since I've agreed to Itachi's request, I will devote myself fully to training Sasuke. And from what I've seen, his talent is exceptional—he will awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan someday."
He took a sip of tea.
"Of course, even the greatest genius will amount to nothing without proper guidance. You were once a ninja—a jōnin, even—but you've fallen too far behind. Relying on you alone will only waste Sasuke's time and potential. I hope you'll think carefully."
With that, Rokuro stood and headed for the door.
"I'll give you three days. After that, I'll wait for him at the edge of the Forest of Death. If he doesn't come, we'll pretend today never happened. Please—no need to see me out."
Rokuro left.
Mikoto walked him to the gate, then returned inside, troubled. Soon after, she picked up a broom and cleaned the filth from her doorstep.
As she swept, passersby spat when they saw her, or hurled vicious insults.
She didn't dare retaliate.
If she talked back or escalated things, the consequences would be far worse than having waste dumped at her door.
Though Mikoto's house had been defiled, it was also a focal point of tension within the Uchiha clan—always watched closely.
And Uchiha Rokuro was now the clan's most prominent figure.
By the next day, his visit had become the talk of the entire Uchiha.
Uchiha Ashikaga also heard about it. She immediately summoned her son and demanded an explanation.
"Listen carefully," she warned. "You must not do anything that betrays Izumi. Besides, Uchiha Mikoto is about my age—how could you possibly be interested in her?!"
Rokuro, gnawing on a roasted lamb leg, nearly choked.
"Cough—cough! Mom, what kind of wild nonsense is that?! When did I ever look at that aunt like that?!"
"Then what were you doing there so late last night?"
"I didn't do anything! No—wait—I mean I didn't do that! I went to take Uchiha Sasuke, that stone-faced brat, as my disciple. It's part of my deal with Uchiha Itachi! What are you even thinking?!"
Ashikaga's expression darkened further.
"Taking Fugaku's son as your disciple? Are you insane?! Do you have any idea you share a blood-feud with him? Absolutely not! Don't think that just because you're strong you can play with fire. Raising a tiger is extremely dangerous—if it goes wrong, the entire family will die!"
Seeing how serious she was, Rokuro knew he couldn't dodge this.
"Mom, aside from the deal, I already planned to get close to Sasuke—ideally, take him as my disciple. Because he carries the secret to awakening the Rinnegan."
"What?! The Rinnegan?!"
"You know about the stone tablet in Naka Shrine, right?"
Ashikaga nodded.
"I've heard of it. An ancient Uchiha relic—its contents can be deciphered as one's Sharingan evolves. To fully read it, you need the Eternal Mangekyō, correct?"
"Exactly. I've already deciphered everything. In simple terms, it records the method to awaken the Rinnegan—by fusing Senju and Uchiha chakra, one can attain the power of the Six Paths and awaken it."
"You know that Izumi and I already possess both bloodlines at the genetic level. Yet we still haven't awakened the Rinnegan. That means the issue lies with chakra, not flesh."
Rokuro explained the cycle of Indra and Asura as simply as possible.
Ashikaga's expression grew grave.
"You're saying the strongest powers of the Uchiha and Senju have been reincarnating continuously? That the previous generation were Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, and this generation is Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto? But Naruto isn't a Senju."
"The Senju and Uzumaki clans are close relatives," Rokuro replied. "And Naruto's existence actually explains why Izumi and I still haven't awakened the Rinnegan. Awakening it requires not just compatible bodies, but compatible chakra. Those two are the key—we must keep them under our control."
Ashikaga frowned deeply.
"Let's assume you're right. But have you considered this—if you devote yourself fully to training Sasuke, as Indra's reincarnation, he might surpass you and awaken the Rinnegan first. What will you use to stop him then?"
Rokuro smiled faintly.
"Relax, Mom. When have I ever fought a battle unprepared? The Rinnegan may reign supreme, but it isn't the only power that can rival it. If Sasuke really can surpass me, then before that happens, I'll obtain another power."
"Don't dodge the question," she pressed. "What other power? Is there really anything that can rival the Sage of Six Paths?"
Rokuro opened a box and took out a compass-like ninja tool.
It had nine grooves—four already embedded with different-colored beads, five still empty.
When he infused chakra into it, the four beads converted it into four distinct chakra types. One of them felt unmistakably familiar to Ashikaga.
"This is… the Nine-Tails' chakra?!"
END OF CHAPTER
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