"…Hah. I'm finally convinced that brat really is an Uchiha."
Hearing his clan head's voice, the elder chuckled.
He forced an "eye" open from the deep trenches of wrinkles on his face and said,
"Right? Besides those lunatics from the Uchiha, who else laughs like that at such a young age?"
There was nostalgia in his tone.
A memory of running with Uchiha boys beneath the sunset.
And of youth long gone.
He watched for a long time, then murmured quietly,
"For some reason… when I look at that child, I see the shadow of that person."
Kuh-thump.
Hiashi's heart skipped.
A Uchiha whom this elder would refer to as "that person"…
In Hiashi's mind, there was only one name that fit.
Uchiha Madara.
He swallowed, disbelief mixing with something that felt almost ridiculous.
"Elder… that's a bit much, isn't it?"
"That person founded Konoha alongside the God of Shinobi. This kid is talented, sure, but—"
The elder only smiled.
He turned and slowly headed back inside.
His cane tapped the wooden floor—light, heavy, light—producing crisp tap-tap-tap echoes.
Only when he neared the bedroom did he speak again, voice low and eerie:
"That child's dōjutsu… isn't limited to three tomoe."
And with that—
Slide.
He shut the wooden door.
Leaving Hiashi alone at the threshold.
His mind felt like it had been struck by a thunder-charged warhammer.
Blank.
It took a long time—until the youths in the courtyard dispersed—before Hiashi finally snapped back to reality.
His dazed gaze drifted to his eldest daughter.
"Hinata."
"Y-yes…"
"…Do you like Uchiha Kai?"
"A-ah… n-no… I… I…"
"It's alright," Hiashi said calmly.
"Father knows that after you were saved that day, you've been thinking about him ever since, haven't you?"
"I…"
"Honestly," he continued, "Father rather likes that child too."
Hinata: "?"
Wait.
Was she about to gain a rival…?
[Defeated Hyuga Neji. Attempting trait copy…]
[Copyable traits: Guardian (Black), Byakugan (Purple), Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms (Green), Gentle Fist (Green), Complete Atlas of the Human Meridians and Tenketsu (White)…]
[Copy successful. Congratulations, host obtained Legendary Trait: Byakugan (Purple).]
[Stackable. Stack Byakugan (Purple)?]
Kai didn't even hesitate.
"Stack."
[Stacking… Byakugan (Purple) upgraded.]
Somewhere deep inside, Kai felt his eyes change again.
He instinctively activated the Byakugan trait.
His field of vision expanded.
Slowly, the range of his Byakugan widened further and further.
If it had been a one-hundred-meter radius before…
Now it was at least one hundred fifty meters.
Within that range, every movement—every shift of wind and grass—was crystal clear.
Passersby. The flow of chakra through their bodies.
All of it.
He could even see blocked meridians and bone spurs.
"Good lord…" Kai clicked his tongue.
"With eyes like these, if I became a 'massage therapist,' I'd be Konoha's number-one technician."
"Kakashi's title wouldn't survive."
His steps felt lighter, faster.
"And if I remember right…" he muttered, touching his faintly warm eye sockets,
"One of the paths to awakening the Tenseigan is… repeatedly taking Byakugan."
A thought started to take shape in his mind.
When there was no hope, he'd scoffed at the Tenseigan.
But now that hope existed…
Well—
It sure smelled good.
Like that saying went:
"If I won ten million, I'd donate it all!"
But ask me to donate a hundred?
Sorry—that I can do.
He silently made up his mind—
The Hyuga "leeks" had to be protected properly.
Step.
Step.
Step.
His sandals tapped softly against the stone road.
In the center of the village, Kai lifted his head slightly, scanning the surroundings.
Tonight, the darkness seemed to arrive unusually early.
At this hour, Konoha's streets should've been lively—
Yet they were empty.
Only the occasional figure hurried away.
A storm was coming.
Wasn't it supposed to be three days later?
Why are they moving on the first night?!
That old bastard really had no shame.
Kai shook his head and headed toward the edge of the village.
Whoosh.
"Stop."
Not long after, an ANBU wearing an oil-painted animal mask appeared in front of him.
"Hm? It's you—Uncle Cat-Two."
Kai looked him over in surprise.
Most ANBU masks were similar, but the build and hairstyle were unmistakable.
This was the ANBU who'd been assigned to monitor him the 2nd, 12th, 19th, 27th, 31st, 48th, and 69th times.
In ancient times, Zhao Zilong charged in and out seven times.
Now?
Cat-Two ANBU had monitored and fled seven times.
Seven missions. Seven mental breakdowns. Seven retreats.
Then the Third Hokage sweet-talked him into coming back—seven times.
"Cough…"
Under Kai's gaze, Cat-Two looked awkward.
He even had the instinct to turn and run again.
But thinking of his mission—and what was about to happen—he forced himself to stay and spoke softly.
"Kai. Don't go any farther."
"Stay in Konoha tonight."
"So the Third Hokage still gave Itachi some face," Kai said, shaking his head.
"But I have to go back."
As he spoke, he casually shoved Cat-Two aside and continued toward the Uchiha compound.
Cat-Two stood frozen behind him.
Behind the mask, his pupils shrank sharply.
"How…? How does he know about the Hokage's negotiation with Itachi?"
"No—no. That doesn't make sense."
"He's just a chatterbox. He shouldn't know something like that…"
"Unless…"
Cat-Two's eyes narrowed as he stared in the direction Kai had come from.
"…the Hyuga clan?"
A dangerous suspicion flashed in his gaze.
After several seconds, he gritted his teeth and turned back toward the Hokage Tower.
He had to report this.
The Hyuga clan… might have defected.
Overhead, clouds thickened.
The night grew heavy—almost sticky.
Rustle rustle rustle.
Kai's steps didn't slow.
Tap.
An old man suddenly appeared before him.
Grey-white hair.
A black pot strapped to his back.
A genin forehead protector at his waist.
He lifted his hand and waved lightly, blocking the path.
"Kid," the old man said kindly,
"how about we… have a little chat?"
"Maruboshi Kosuke?"
That outfit instantly made Kai think of one person.
The man Naruto and Sasuke once joked about as the strongest genin in Konoha.
"You know me?" the old man said, genuinely surprised.
He usually guarded the village gate or handled simple missions.
Though he'd seen Kai a few times, they'd never properly spoken.
Tonight, he simply couldn't bear watching the boy walk into the coming vortex—so he broke his habit to warn him.
"Of course."
Kai smiled.
Then he lifted his eyes toward the Uchiha compound.
Quiet and spotless on the surface—
Yet above it, black crows circled in the air.
Itachi was already there.
Three days later?
That had always been a feint.
The real timing—
Kai paused, then continued:
"If we're chatting… let's do it next time."
He raised his hand.
A light, almost lazy palm—
But the moment it fell, it erupted with blinding white light.
Eight Trigrams: Air Cannon!
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