Uchiha Souji sat alone in the small yard of his home, staring at the fireworks blooming above Konoha. They were bright, loud, and beautiful—yet they made him feel strangely uneasy. Even though this was another world, the fireworks looked almost the same as the ones from his past life. That familiarity should have soothed him, but tonight it only made the restlessness in his chest grow stronger.
He shifted in his seat again. He couldn't relax.
Something… felt wrong.
Uchiha Souji had always trusted the sixth sense that came with being a ninja. It wasn't perfect, but it was sharp enough to warn him when danger approached. And right now, every part of that instinct was screaming a warning.
"Could something be about to happen to me… again?" he muttered with a nervous scratch to the back of his head.
Without wasting another second, he grabbed the Third Generation Ghost Blade lying beside him.
"Nope. I'm not waiting for trouble. I'm running!" Souji announced to nobody in particular.
His plan was simple—go stay at Uchiha Fugaku's house for a few days. Recently, too many unpredictable things had happened, and Souji felt he was becoming a magnet for chaos. And with Cloud Shinobi Village's ninjas wandering around Konoha, tonight felt especially unsafe.
So he made his decision: Go to Fugaku's house, hide for two days, and only come out when the Cloud ninjas leave. Simple. Safe. Smart.
But the moment he opened his front door—
He froze.
A masked, yellow-haired Cloud ninja stood right outside, his leg mid-air as if he had been about to kick the door straight off its hinges. Several Konoha guards lay unconscious around him, sleeping so deeply they looked like corpses.
Souji gulped.
The ninja, Shi, clearly hadn't come here to start a war with the entire Uchiha clan. He had come to do something quietly. But still… this was bad. Very bad.
The two stared at each other.
Souji's lips twitched. He could see right away that Shi wasn't trying very hard to disguise his presence. He looked like a man forced to do a job he didn't want to do.
Shi frowned back at Souji.
The silence between them grew painfully awkward.
Finally, Souji forced a smile.
"What a beautiful night. The moon looks great today, huh?"
Shi blinked.
Souji slowly began closing the door, planning to sprint toward Fugaku's house the moment it shut.
But in the next instant—Shi moved. And suddenly, he was standing right in front of Souji again. Blocking escape.
Souji raised both hands in surrender.
"I didn't see anything. I didn't hear anything. I didn't go anywhere today. Can we pretend this never happened?"
His heart pounded. If he survived this, he swore he would visit the Temple of Fire first thing tomorrow. Maybe they could exorcise whatever bad luck was clinging to him.
Shi stared at him for a moment, then asked, "Walk with me?"
Instead of panic, Shi looked… interested. This child, who was only seven years old, had assessed the situation so quickly, so clearly, and even tried to negotiate. Most adult ninjas couldn't think that calmly under pressure.
Souji wanted to reach for the Ghost Blade in his hand—but the memory of what happened the last two times he used it stopped him.
The first time, he accidentally ran into Orochimaru, attacked him, and got beaten senseless. Somehow, that earned him praise from Konoha civilians and caught the interest of Shimura Danzo.
The second time, he attacked again and the Uchiha clan declared him a prodigy destined to become their first Uchiha Hokage—offending Danzo even more.
Souji clenched his teeth.
No more swinging swords. No more "accidents." No more chaos.
If something went wrong again, his life might really end.
Besides, the Uchiha clan was guaranteed to come rescue him if he was captured. Cloud ninjas could steal Hyuga eyes and escape Konoha, but Uchiha eyes were another story. Konoha would never let them leave alive.
Also… Souji still felt a bit bitter toward Fugaku. The man had tricked him too many times. If Souji got kidnapped today, Fugaku at least owed him a rescue.
Shi tensed, ready to strike, but Souji suddenly extended his arm forward.
He shut his eyes dramatically, making a "come kill me" expression.
That threw Shi off completely.
After a brief hesitation, Shi stepped closer. Souji then tossed the Ghost Blade toward him like someone handing over a grocery bag.
The sword immediately started whining.
"Hey! Kid! What kind of swordsman are you?! I am your blade! A sword is a swordsman's life! You can't just hand me over like that!!"
Souji shrugged. "If things go bad, I'll just go to the Land of Lightning. Cloud Village has nicer weather anyway. And the girls are pretty."
Shi examined the blade. The moment his hand touched the hilt, a chilling cold rushed up his arm. It didn't harm him, but it definitely wasn't normal.
"A monster sword, huh…?" Shi murmured. This weapon was clearly dangerous. Someone like Darui would love a blade like this.
He slung it onto his back.
Shi didn't tie Souji up or knock him out. Instead, he pulled a small white ball from his pocket and tossed it to him.
Souji caught it and swallowed it immediately.
The moment it hit his stomach, he made a horrible face.
"Ugh! This tastes worse than expired ration pills! Next time use a better poison!"
Shi rolled his eyes.
"That's not poison. It's… an insurance measure. You'll get the antidote after my mission is complete. Just follow me."
Shi began walking away. Souji sighed, activated the Body Flicker Technique, and caught up.
Once the fear wore off, Souji's talkative nature exploded.
"So, Shi… aren't you afraid the Uchiha clan will come after you? My people aren't exactly known for emotional stability."
Shi ignored him and sped up.
Souji continued anyway.
"You know, if I had just stayed outside practicing a little longer, this wouldn't even involve you. But now look at us—two strangers going on a late-night walk. How romantic."
Shi rubbed his forehead.
He finally replied, "If you deny involvement, Fugaku won't acknowledge you. Hokage isn't just strength. It's politics. A child like you won't become Hokage if you don't understand that."
Souji stared at him.
Hokage? HIM?
He had zero desire to be Hokage! It was the Uchiha Clan and Cloud Village who kept throwing these ridiculous expectations on him.
Still… a tiny spark of competitiveness lit in his heart.
He lifted his chin and declared proudly:
"The more cunning a person becomes, the more likely they fall into unexpected traps—hic!"
And then he hiccuped.
Loudly.
Souji turned red with embarrassment. "I drank too much Coke today…"
Shi gave him a strange look but said nothing.
Souji, trying to recover his dignity, added softly:
"Greed is born from the games of the gods. The more you desire something, the farther it moves away."
Shi continued walking silently, but something in his expression shifted. He was beginning to realize that this strange, talkative child… was more troublesome and unpredictable than he first thought.
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