"Kai! What kind of nonsense are you and Sasuke screaming about?!"
Clatter!
Accompanied by an exasperated roar, Uchiha Fugaku yanked the door open and strode out.
Boom—!
At the same time, the thunderclouds overhead thickened even further.
The signs of an incoming storm were unmistakable.
"…Looks like it's about to rain. You—put on a raincoat and get ready for school."
Fugaku glanced at the sky, then frowned in confusion.
"Where's Sasuke? He was just yelling like a lunatic. Where did he run off to?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Kai pointed upward.
His voice was deliberately vague, skipping a few key words.
"He said… he wants to be the king of the Uchiha clan."
If Sasuke had heard that, he would've immediately protested:
What about the words 'Lightning Dharma King' in front of it?!
Unfortunately for him—
Only Fugaku heard it.
And the moment he did, Fugaku's pupils dilated sharply.
Then—
A cruel smile slowly spread across his face.
He grabbed the nearby bamboo rod engraved with Seven Wolves, gripping it tightly as he enunciated each word through clenched teeth.
"Oh? King of the Uchiha?"
"I haven't even stepped down yet, and he already wants the throne?"
"What a good son of mine!"
BOOM—!!!
At that exact moment, lightning struck.
Without any deviation, it slammed straight into the treetop—
Where a small boy stood with one hand pointed at the sky.
"Hiss—! This lightning… kinda tingly… but I'm still gonna be the… Lightning… Dhar—King…"
That was all Sasuke managed to say.
The next second, black smoke puffed out of his mouth as he tumbled down.
His legs twitched intermittently.
Crackling arcs of electricity still danced across his body.
Fugaku's face darkened.
Muttering he's my own flesh and blood repeatedly in his heart, he reached out and caught him.
After confirming Sasuke was merely electrocuted unconscious, he finally let out a breath.
Then—
The word king echoed in his ears again.
His face turned even darker.
"Fine. When you wake up, I'll let you be king."
"I'll make sure of it."
Beside him, Kai quietly pressed himself against the courtyard wall.
Not daring to speak.
He glanced at the unconscious Sasuke and sighed inwardly.
Succession struggles have always been this brutal…
Time passed quickly.
Before long, it was morning.
With Sasuke waking up, the Uchiha compound became "lively" once more.
"Ahhh! Mother, why didn't you wake me up?!"
"I'm late! I'm late!"
"Stupid legs—move faster!"
After a scene of pure chaos, Sasuke bolted toward the academy.
There weren't many people on the road—almost none.
He reached the Ninja Academy without obstruction.
Just before entering, he abruptly stopped.
Straightened his sleeves.
Hands in pockets.
Slightly turned his head with a cool, arrogant expression.
Then walked in calmly.
"Sasuke-kun? Why are you so late today? Did you oversleep?"
"Hmph. If it weren't for Father's orders, I wouldn't even come."
Sasuke glanced at the speaker with disdain.
"The things in my clan are far better than whatever this academy teaches."
That single scene caused nearby girls to swoon all over again.
"Wow… as expected of the Uchiha clan!"
"So handsome! Rich and handsome…"
"But… didn't he wet the bed this morning? Would a boyfriend like that wet the bed every day? I'm conflicted…"
"For Sasuke-kun, even bedwetting is cute~"
Bed—
Bedwetting?!
Crack.
Sasuke's steps faltered.
It felt like lightning struck his brain again.
His eyes widened as he stared at the girl in disbelief.
His lips trembled.
"W-W-Who's spreading nonsense?!"
"Oh. Your brother, Itachi."
BOOM—!
This time, his head really started hurting.
A splitting headache.
"Damn it, Kai… I'll—kill you…"
Smack!
Before he could finish, a blond brat slapped his back.
"Yo, Sasuke! You're late today!"
Naruto, dressed in his bright orange outfit, bounced away after the slap and hopped back into the classroom.
Sasuke stood there, dazed.
"…Did that kid really get struck stupid by lightning?"
From a distance, Kai sighed quietly.
Yeah.
Lightning strikes really weren't healthy.
"But… I've talked enough today. Time to leave."
With that thought, he lightly stepped forward.
Leaving behind a clone, his real body headed straight out of the academy.
The success rate for conversational trait copying was still low.
And he could feel it clearly—
The immature Wood Release power inside him was tirelessly eroding his body.
Like a slow-acting poison.
Devouring living cells.
Or rather—
Forcing them to divide endlessly.
If this continued, there was only one outcome:
Premature cell division leading to reduced lifespan.
It was hard to say whether the First Hokage's early death was due to excessive passive Wood Release usage, injuries from fighting Madara, or simply Kishimoto patching inconsistencies later on.
But one thing was certain—
Wood Release was not a simple power.
Especially not the incomplete version he possessed.
"I wonder how many Wood Release cells Danzo managed to take when Orochimaru defected five years ago…"
"If there are still First Hokage cells…"
"…Can I just steal them directly?"
As the thought crossed his mind, Kai vaulted over the academy wall.
As for using the front gate?
What kind of good student skips class through the front door?
But the moment he landed—
Something felt wrong.
Somewhere—
A gaze was fixed on him.
Cold.
Invasive.
Like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to strike.
"At this timing… someone staring at me without even hiding it…"
Kai stretched lazily, his body crackling as joints popped.
"So you've finally noticed me, Danzo."
Unlike ANBU's symbolic surveillance reports—
Root shinobi were nothing less than Danzo's extensions of will.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say—
If Danzo harbored killing intent toward the Hokage, Root members would share it.
And act on it.
And Danzo's hostility toward the Uchiha was well-known.
Greedy for their dōjutsu.
Fearful of their power.
As an "invisible man" within the clan, Kai barely interacted with the village.
Which meant—
The only source of this aggressive gaze could be Root.
"Still took you this long… this Pot-Shadow Hokage's reactions are pretty slow."
Kai stepped forward, walking straight toward the tree he sensed.
The academy's outer wall was deserted.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Wooden sandals struck stone, crisp and clear.
Up in the tree, the masked Root operative frowned instinctively.
Hands moved into seals.
The next second—
He burst out.
"Wood Release: Silent Killing Binding Technique!"
The ground erupted.
Wooden growths surged up, wrapping around Kai's body like a cage, immobilizing him completely.
"Hmph. Still just a careless kid."
"As long as I catch you, Lord Danzo will finally let me leave Root…"
The man stepped forward.
On his sleeve, the character 'A' gleamed faintly.
Because of his last mission's failure—
And his interaction with Kakashi—
All he wanted now was to escape Root and return to normal life.
That was why he'd taken the risk of accepting a mission to capture an Uchiha inside the village.
But unlike his visible relief—
Kai's eyes lit up the moment he saw the Wood Release.
They practically shone.
Wood Release.
The thing he'd been yearning for—
Had just delivered itself.
Without hesitation, Kai opened his mouth.
"Hey, uncle."
"How about we chat for ten minutes?"
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