The former site of Uzushiogakure.
In recent days, the Uchiha had cleared away the ruins and erected simple wooden houses.
Across the open ground, enormous ninja cats hauled timber back and forth.
The blue cat Garo wore a bandage across his forehead, a paintbrush tucked behind one ear. He glanced down at the blueprints from time to time and barked orders.
"Orange! The right side! You've got it reversed!"
"If you can't tell east from west, fine—but you can't even tell left from right?!"
The large orange tom carrying a massive log paused, released it, and raised both paws in front of himself.
"Eating dried sardines is the right paw… drinking juice is the left… meow—!!"
Thud!
The log toppled over and pinned him flat.
Garo sighed helplessly.
Working with this bunch of idiots was exhausting.
…
"Thank you for your hard work, Garo."
Fugaku approached with his family. Mikoto's sorrow had not faded in the slightest. Uchiha Itachi carried little Sasuke in his arms; the child blinked curiously at the bustling scene.
"Earning money. Nothing to complain about," Garo replied, sketching a few lines on the blueprint before glancing up.
"Chief Fugaku, do you know where Sora went?"
After the Uchiha settled here, Fugaku had held a serious discussion with Uchiha Sora.
Fugaku believed Sora was better suited to lead the clan. Though young, the Uchiha valued strength above seniority. Authority did not require age—only power.
Sora, however, had no intention of seizing control.
At least not yet.
As clan head, Fugaku might lack long-term vision, but he handled internal affairs capably and held considerable prestige among the clan.
Sora's plan was simple:
When he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, he would formally succeed as clan head.
As for whether he would awaken it—
Sora had never doubted his own talent.
…
For now, it was reasonable: Fugaku would manage internal affairs, while Sora expanded outward.
Garo had just finished speaking when Itachi quietly asked,
"Father… is Shisui with Sora?"
Shisui often guided Itachi in training. He had not seen him for quite some time.
With only family present, Fugaku did not conceal anything.
"They're opening trade routes. Gathering smaller clans."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"As Sora put it—we did not come here to suffer. We are building a village that belongs to the Uchiha."
Without the endless political maneuvering of Konoha's upper echelons, Fugaku had seemed lighter these days. The crushing mental pressure had eased.
Only Mikoto…
Her bond with Kushina Uzumaki had been deep. She had yet to emerge from grief, constantly worrying about Kushina's child.
"A hidden village…"
Garo's eyes sparkled.
"Have you decided on a name? How about Cat Hidden Village?"
Fugaku laughed softly.
"Not bad—but we've already decided."
"When we've accumulated enough strength, we will declare ourselves to the shinobi world as En'in Village—Hidden Flame."
More blazing than fire itself. No name suited them better.
…
Itachi frowned slightly.
Only six years old, yet precociously mature—Fugaku had irresponsibly taken him to the battlefield at four.
"Father… is founding our own hidden village truly right?"
"This is no longer the Warring States Period. Our strength is in an awkward position."
"Stronger than many small nations… but not enough to make the Great Nations wary."
Fugaku shook his head calmly.
"You are mistaken, Itachi."
"We do possess power that makes the Great Nations wary."
He crossed his arms, confidence heavy in his voice.
"I wield the Mangekyō Sharingan. Sora has a summon comparable to a Tailed Beast."
"Even now, in direct confrontation, we need not fear a Great Nation."
"When you and Sasuke's generation mature, we may even become the sixth Great Nation of the shinobi world."
Once that thought took root, the horizon seemed boundless.
Freed from obsession with the Hokage's seat, a greater ambition had blossomed within him.
Perhaps—
He could achieve what even Uchiha Madara had not.
Establish a Great Nation for the Uchiha.
Itachi fell silent.
He had never seen such fervor in his father's expression.
Lowering his gaze, he smiled faintly.
Perhaps…
This was Shisui's dream as well.
Father… Shisui…
Looking at Sasuke in his arms, he made a quiet vow.
No matter what, I will ensure you grow up safely, Sasuke.
—
—
Night.
By a forest riverbank.
Uchiha Sora and Shisui had built a small campfire, roasting freshly caught fish.
Two ordinary ten-year-old boys would never dare to cook openly in the wild. Bandits could arrive at any moment.
But they were Uchiha—Sharingan awakened.
If anyone with eyes showed up, they'd simply be delivering themselves to death.
Bandits did not come.
Instead—
A tall, white-haired middle-aged man did.
The sound of wooden sandals approached, followed by hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! That smells fantastic. Mind if I have a bite?"
Clang!
Shisui rose instantly, blade drawn. Scarlet flashed in his eyes as his Sharingan activated.
The voice had come from this close—and he had sensed nothing.
A strong opponent.
Extremely strong.
Sora's Sharingan activated as well. Three tomoe rotated within his eyes, spiraling smoothly.
Dōjutsu was chakra, and Sora already possessed excellent chakra control. With his amplified control, adapting to the three-tomoe state had come swiftly.
His first awakening had been at age two—the day his mother died.
Perhaps his innate spiritual energy had always been powerful.
With time, his Sharingan had matured naturally into two tomoe, and after the great battle, advanced again.
In Sora's view, awakening too early was not necessarily a blessing.
The reincarnations of Indra—Sasuke Uchiha and Madara Uchiha—had awakened their higher stages relatively late.
It might be a protective mechanism.
Only when the body matured could the eyes follow.
Prodigies like Itachi and Shisui, who awakened too early, paid a price. Itachi would later suffer from illness tied to his bloodline. Shisui died young before such consequences surfaced—but there was another similar case.
Kimimaro.
Overwhelming bloodline power, fatal strain on the body.
Simply put—
The Sharingan was like ultra-advanced software demanding immense memory. If the host system was too weak, it would overload.
But—
Facing the man before him, Sora could not afford to conserve himself.
When Shisui recognized the figure, tension immediately seized him.
Sora remained calm—but prepared himself to overdraw his borrowing if necessary.
"Long time… no. This should be our first meeting."
"Jiraiya-sama."
One of the Legendary Sannin.
Teacher of the Fourth Hokage.
Jiraiya.
The tall man settled beside the fire. Invisible pressure spread through the clearing.
He smiled casually.
"Relax. I don't plan to fight you. That would cause too much commotion."
His gaze settled on Sora.
"Uchiha Sora. I only want some information."
"Tell me…"
"Who was the masked man responsible for the Fourth Hokage's death?"