He knew all too well, the Uchiha clan's Sharingan could only awaken through intense emotional stimulation.
Uchiha Haru's first awakening came after the death of her parents. The second time was when he, Yuki Seisui, triggered her Two-Tomoe in a duel.
Suddenly, Seisui felt a wave of unease.
That old man Uchiha Setsuna once tried to assassinate the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. A man like that wouldn't hesitate to make a move on him if necessary.
He needed to prepare some contingencies.
He only had eight fragments of Eternal Mangekyo Sasuke. It took fifty to form a trial-use card, not something to count on right now.
With one ten-pull summon each month and a guaranteed twelve fragments per year, it'd take years just to complete that set.
Still, since Haru was only at the Two-Tomoe stage, even that conniving old Uchiha bastard wouldn't act just yet.
Meanwhile, back in the Uchiha clan compound, Uchiha Setsuna sat calmly at a table. Across from him was Uchiha Hōka, the current clan head.
Behind Hōka sat Uchiha Fugaku, kneeling quietly.
Uchiha Hōka was a veteran from the Warring States Period, an old warrior who had fought countless times under Madara's command against the Senju. But unlike Madara, Hōka's nature was fundamentally different.
Perhaps it was the endless bloodshed of that era that made him yearn for peace.
He had been the first to oppose Madara's departure from Konoha, and because of his anti-war stance, he had been chosen by the clan to lead.
"Heh." Uchiha Setsuna looked at Hōka with a mocking smile.
"What's this? Have you come to interrogate me, Clan Leader?"
Hōka shook his head and set his teacup down gently, raising his slightly aged face to meet Setsuna's gaze.
"I won't stop Haru from graduating."
"But I know you've already planned to place her into the Police Force once she does."
"You suddenly changed your mind, it's because of that Yuki Seisui kid, isn't it?"
Setsuna was silent for a moment. He knew he couldn't hide this from Hōka.
The secrets of the Sharingan weren't really secrets among their kind. Anyone familiar with the Uchiha could see his intentions clearly.
Especially the clan head, there was no way he didn't know.
Still, even knowing he'd been seen through, Setsuna refused to admit it openly.
"Haru and that boy have mutual feelings for each other. She wants to graduate early. As her grandfather, how could I say no?"
"Haru is my granddaughter, after all!"
Hōka gave him a long look. "Let's hope that's all it is."
They'd known each other for decades. How could he not see through Setsuna's intentions?
It was obvious. Setsuna wanted to wait until Haru awakened her Third Tomoe, then sacrifice that boy to push her into awakening the Mangekyo.
But since Setsuna wasn't openly admitting anything, Hōka couldn't press further. Still, he offered a pointed warning:
"The rift between our clan and the village will take time to mend. Targeting young shinobi like this will only deepen it."
"You should've listened to me back then!" Setsuna snapped. "We should've pulled that Sarutobi monkey down from his seat!"
"Back then, all it took was a slick tongue and a few lofty words to become Hokage?"
"If I'd known it was that easy, I'd have run myself!"
He had no issue with Hashirama becoming the First Hokage, that man had true power and charisma. Even Tobirama, though disagreeable, had his capabilities.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen?
That man? Absolutely not.
Compared to Hashirama, he was nothing. Even Tobirama, that conniving old ghost, was leagues above him.
And yet, during the end of the First War, Sarutobi had the nerve to stand up and declare he'd become Hokage.
If it hadn't been for Mito Uzumaki backing him, even threatening Setsuna directly, he would've stormed the Hokage's office himself.
Who was Sarutobi to take the Hokage title away from the Uchiha?
"In any case," Hōka said seriously, standing to leave with Fugaku, "I don't want anything happening to that boy."
Setsuna just snorted.
"Hmph. Trying to control me? Unless Madara himself comes back to life, dream on!"
==========
At that moment, Yuki Seisui was walking through the commercial district with Uchiha Haru.
Anything that caught her interest, snacks, toys, trinkets, he would buy and give her without hesitation.
Likewise, Haru would occasionally buy things she thought suited Seisui and gift them to him.
Though neither said it aloud, they both knew in their hearts they already saw each other as boyfriend and girlfriend.
Every time Seisui noticed passersby looking at them, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
How fickle the world was. Two kids dating, and not a single person stopped them.
No wonder, he thought, everyone in the ninja world was practically illiterate, except Orochimaru, maybe.
Especially the ninjas of Konoha. A few words were enough to completely brainwash them.
No overarching principles, no real structure, just a simple slogan, and boom, instant ideology.
Take Shisui and Itachi, the ultimate airheads.
Itachi especially. Someone called him "Hokage-minded," and he just took that nonsense to heart like gospel.
Then the fool went and wiped out his whole clan.
The clans joined the village for protection, to live in peace.
Not to sacrifice themselves for some twisted idea of "village above all."
That's not peace. That's suicide.
==========
"What are you thinking about?" Haru stopped and turned to him curiously.
"Nothing," he replied.
"Let's go."
He reached out and naturally took her hand.
Haru's cheeks flushed pink. Her body tensed slightly, but she didn't pull away. She let him hold her hand as they walked forward together.
They wandered the shopping district until dusk, and eventually, Seisui escorted her back to the Uchiha compound.
By the time he got home, night had fallen.
He pulled out his little diary and, with practiced ease, began recording the day's events.
Of course, it was all revised.
Like: Went out with Uchiha Haru today instead of training. I've decided to train even harder to make up for the lost time.
Or: The people on the streets wore smiles of joy. I swear I'll protect those smiles with everything I've got.
Most entries were like that, full of optimism and heroism.
But in truth?
Those smiles didn't exist.
The Second Great Ninja War had just ended. Most people still wore grief-stricken expressions.
Nearly every household had lost someone.
Where were all those happy smiles supposed to come from?
After writing, Seisui unrolled the scroll Jiraiya had given him.
It was the Flying Raijin.
He had spent all last night studying it, and got nowhere.
To be honest, he didn't have high hopes.
Just the two prerequisites alone knocked out most ninja: natural talent for space-time ninjutsu and lightning-fast reflexes.
He had no idea about his affinity for space-time techniques, but he was very aware of his reaction speed.
Forget being on Minato's level, he wasn't even half as fast.
Even if he learned the jutsu, Seisui guessed he'd probably never be able to use it in real combat.
Unless, of course, he drew a ninja template in the arena with mastery of Flying Raijin.
Otherwise, this jutsu was just something he could look at, not use.
Still, even knowing that, he kept studying it.
Trying to find flaws.
Because when Minato finally mastered it, if Seisui couldn't even get close, that would be way too frustrating.
=============
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