Konoha had existed for only a few decades. Not long ago, this land was still the chaotic Warring States era where every major clan fought for dominance.
Even now, the remnants of that diverse culture remained everywhere.
In the records of Jiraiya's Class Six, the team Minato once belonged to, there had reportedly been a dark-skinned boy with thick lips, appearing briefly in The Tale of Namikaze Minato ~ Whirlwind in the Vortex ~. That story focused on Minato creating the Rasengan… and Kushina struggling under the weight of the village's suspicion.
Uchiha Raizen recalled those passages lightly—he certainly didn't expect them to become relevant.
"Raizen, you will always be one of us—of the Hidden Cloud."
Samodo paused, his tone turning solemn before continuing:
"As long as you're willing, once you graduate and complete your first mission, we can take you away.
You'll enter the Hidden Cloud and receive the best training we can offer."
The world was tense; the scent of the Third Great Ninja War lingered in the air.
This was not yet the right time to extract Raizen. They needed chaos to provide the perfect chance.
"And you… will become the first clan head of the Uchiha within the Cloud!"
Samodo's excitement grew, but Raizen didn't echo it.
He had seen too many pretty promises in life.
"The Uchiha have treated me well. They even taught me their techniques…"
Raizen said lightly.
Samodo froze for a heartbeat—then understood.
Raizen was raising his price.
"The Raikage truly values you," Samodo replied earnestly.
He produced a scroll from his pouch.
"He allowed us to bring certain jutsu scrolls as a sign of sincerity."
Raizen unrolled it.
A D-rank scroll—Lightning Release: Spark Finger.
Jutsu ranks didn't represent destructive power, but the difficulty of mastering them.
E-rank was what academy kids could learn.
D-rank was the domain of genin.
C for chunin.
B for jonin.
Beyond that, learning an A-rank was almost impossible without exceptional talent.....many were classified as forbidden jutsu because they consumed life force or caused massive backlash.
Most jonin never touched A-rank techniques their entire lives.
And S-rank… that was the level of secret arts and clan ultimates.
Raizen skimmed the scroll. It described stimulating only the index and middle fingers, barely creating thin, invisible arcs of electricity. Far from impressive.
Samodo watched Raizen's subtle disappointment and smiled slightly, eyes narrowing:
"We have eyes in Konoha. You've received no actual Uchiha jutsu.
Why cling to them? They don't acknowledge you. We do.
If you want more advanced techniques, come home to the Cloud."
His voice softened, coaxing.
As if missing this moment meant Raizen would lose the greatest opportunity of his life.
"I'll consider it," Raizen said, taking the scroll and turning calmly.
Cloud wasn't stupid—they would never dump too many benefits upfront.
They preferred bait, not gifts.
---
When Raizen left, Samodo exited the secret chamber and stepped onto the third-floor balcony of the sushi shop, looking down at the passing pedestrians.
The day was ending; the shop operated mainly in daylight, closing early.
Most customers had left, and the remaining few were preparing to go.
Samui, standing behind him, spoke quietly:
"Samodo-sama, Raizen probably won't choose to return to the Cloud."
She was calm, analytical as always.
Samodo had claimed the Uchiha didn't acknowledge Raizen and taught him nothing...but that was only temporary.
Once the clan believed Raizen had enough worth, they would certainly pass on their techniques.
There was no reason for him to abandon that future.
"No… he will return."
Samodo smiled faintly.
Samui could doubt him, but he knew more than she did.....his own brother belonged to the Cloud's militant faction.
The entire ninja world was shifting beneath the surface.
The major powers were restless, seeking excuses for the next war.
The militant faction only needed a spark.
Far away, Raizen stood at the end of a street, hidden among the crowd.
His face was calm, half-shrouded by the night.
When nobody was watching....
His left eye opened slowly.
A single-tomoe Sharingan gleamed crimson.
That special chakra.....the power of sight—flowed quietly.
Where a normal human would see only dots and shadows, Raizen saw the sushi shop's interior with perfect clarity.
Even with only one tomoe, his vision sharpened beyond any ordinary standard.
It was as if everything were right before him.
He watched Samodo and Samui closing the shop, even the smallest changes in their expressions captured in crisp detail.
In Boruto, Sarada...just with three tomoe.....could see airborne viruses when focusing her ocular power.
Raizen's one-tomoe Sharingan now granted him a clear view even at distances exceeding a hundred meters.
He watched their lips move.
He read their words.
Then he lowered his head slightly, shaking it once.
The Uchiha don't acknowledge me…
But when has the Cloud ever acknowledged me either?"
His gaze drifted up again, past the crowd, past the lantern-lit shop…
And finally settled on the silhouette of Samui standing on the third-floor balcony.
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