Kakashi had never imagined that one day, he would be grabbed by the throat by a junior.
Feeling that sinister power so close at hand, shock flooded his eyes.
Even his normally calm right eye widened uncontrollably.
A terrible thought surfaced in his mind.
Straining with both hands, he tried to pry himself free while dulling the burning sensation of that crimson chakra.
"Kai… where did this red chakra of yours come from?!"
But the moment he lifted his head—
He met a pair of scarlet eyes.
Within those blood-colored pupils was reflected his own misery.
Not the present him—
But the child who lost his father and shed not a single tear.
The boy who numbed himself with missions after losing Obito.
The man who personally killed Rin and sank into endless darkness.
The youth who once walked toward the light under the care of the Fourth Hokage and his wife—
only to lose that light again.
"…Maybe," Kakashi murmured,
"…I really am a terrible person."
His raised hands slowly fell.
Inside his body, chaotic Lightning Release chakra rampaged wildly, tearing through his flesh.
Only after three full minutes—after his body felt as though it had been shredded by lightning—did he finally struggle to raise his head again.
Staring at the small boy before him, he spoke hoarsely,
"Is that the Naraka Vision Technique? You bastard… you're even this proficient in genjutsu."
It sounded like teasing, but his tone was anything but light.
It was heavy.
Aged.
Like rotten wood creaking under strain.
The ripples in his heart had already turned into a raging storm.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Utter astonishment.
He had never imagined that Kai wasn't just terrifying in taijutsu—but also so terrifying in genjutsu.
With a single glance, he had forced a jōnin like Kakashi into a passive state.
"Thankfully… thankfully, you only excel in taijutsu and genjutsu…"
"If you were also a master of ninjutsu… that would truly be a nightmare."
Kakashi tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing out a bitter smile.
At this age, if Kai also mastered ninjutsu, Kakashi didn't even know how the Uchiha clan's enemies would survive.
Nor could he imagine how the higher-ups—who schemed day and night against the Uchiha—would sleep at night.
Not proficient in ninjutsu?
Hearing that, Kai's expression didn't change. He didn't bother to refute it.
He merely felt a faint sense of regret.
The once–genius jōnin who had made his name young seemed to have stagnated for years.
Or perhaps… he had shackled himself.
If not for later forced buffs, Kakashi might really have ended up as nothing more than support.
Which was why many of Kakashi's potential traits weren't even visible to Kai yet.
Shaking his head and discarding those thoughts, Kai casually flung Kakashi to the ground.
A shuriken silently appeared in his hand.
Under the moonlight, it gleamed with a cold, eerie sheen—
sharp enough to make one's scalp tingle.
"N-no… please… please don't hurt Kakashi-senpai…"
At that moment, Yamato woke up again.
Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees and begged.
"Yamato!"
Kakashi's eyes flickered.
Some emotion surged within him, rapidly flooding his entire mind.
He turned to Kai and gave a bitter smile.
"Kai, don't worry. I won't interfere in matters between the village and the Uchiha anymore."
He knew Kai hadn't intended to kill them.
Otherwise, neither of them would still be alive to beg.
At the same time, he vaguely thought he understood Kai's motive.
The conflict between the Uchiha and the village was growing sharper by the day.
Kai's actions were… understandable.
Unfortunately—
He was wrong.
Kai shook his head.
"No. Whether you interfere or not doesn't matter at all."
Among Konoha's combat power, the only truly terrifying one was Eight Gates Guy.
The current Guy might not yet be the man who kicked Madara into legend, but he could already stomp out pseudo-Super-Kage–level strength.
Of course, that was assuming Kai didn't activate his golden body.
As for the rest?
The Konoha F4 were old.
Kakashi had been decadent for years—his strength barely improved.
The Sannin were scattered across the world.
And the great clans?
As long as the scapegoats were chosen well, most of Konoha's families wouldn't move.
If they did—
Then wipe them out.
"Ha…"
"Without realizing it, Konoha doesn't seem threatening anymore."
"What's truly troublesome is… Wood Release and the Mangekyō…"
Kai shook his head slightly and looked down at the two men beneath him.
Moonlight fell on his messy Uchiha hair, illuminating his still-youthful face.
He was, after all, not yet ten years old.
Even with a straight face and cold expression, he still looked soft—
almost irresistibly pinchable.
Kakashi lowered his gaze and asked softly,
"Then… what do you want?"
Kai's lips curved upward slightly.
"I need you to promise me one thing."
"…One thing? Chatting?"
Kakashi paused, suddenly remembering Kai's habit.
His body tensed.
After nearly three years of on-and-off observation, Kakashi had finally confirmed something:
Kai truly lacked the Uchiha clan's arrogance and fanaticism—
But he had a peculiar obsession.
Chatting.
He never chatted with anyone for more than fifteen minutes.
Sometimes, after chatting, he would burst out laughing.
Other times, his face would darken—and he'd start beating people up.
After the beating, his mood would inexplicably turn sunny again.
Like Yamato, right here.
Chat first.
Face darkens.
Then a violent beating.
It made no sense.
But when it involved an Uchiha, somehow… it did.
So when Kai said "one thing," Kakashi agreed immediately:
"Fine. From now on, I'll bring Yamato to visit the Uchiha once every day."
"No need," Kai shook his head.
"Once a week is enough."
Fixed NPC +2.
Chat for ten minutes.
Then beat them up.
But…
Thinking of Yamato's full set of Wood Release techniques—plus his Water and Earth Release—
Kai rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Kakashi, can you strip this guy of all his ninjutsu except Wood Release?"
If Yamato kept only Wood Release—
Wouldn't that be the perfect NPC?
One Wood Release trait per week.
In a few months, wouldn't the Wood Release Cells evolve?
"…Huh?!"
Kakashi froze.
He was about to shake his head instinctively—but remembered they were still under Kai's foot.
So he frowned deeply and began thinking in earnest.
Caw—caw—
Crows flew past beyond the forest, stirring a faint, cool breeze.
The night deepened.
"Itachi's been meeting with the Third Hokage more and more frequently…"
Kai looked up for a moment, then tied his long hair behind his head and clapped his small hands.
"I hope you keep today's events secret. I have no interest in the village."
"But—those old dogs who have ideas about the Uchiha…"
"They will die."
As he spoke, the crimson chakra in his body surged without restraint and slammed into a massive boulder behind him.
BOOM!
CRACK!
In an instant, the boulder exploded, shattered into dust!
The sheer brutality of it overturned Kakashi and Yamato's understanding once again.
"A casual strike that shatters mountains…"
"Even Lord Third's summoned Enma would need to use his staff for that, right?"
Kakashi swallowed hard, staring at Kai's small back with growing gravity.
"And that power he just used…"
"It should be… the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox, shouldn't it?"
"Nine-tails? What Nine-tails?!"
At that moment—
From the edge of the crater, a figure wrapped in bandages slowly leaned down, peering inside.
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