Ever since he received the tourist brochure, Sōseki had been nothing but confused.
What the hell is all this?
Wandering aimlessly along Konoha's main road, Sōseki suddenly realized that he'd unknowingly arrived at the narrow path leading to the Uchiha district!
According to the guidelines, the Uchiha district was off-limits to the public. So what was he supposed to do in this kind of situation again?
As a proper spy, Sōseki decided to take matters into his own hands and investigate.
Step by step, he approached the path. At the entrance stood a massive sign that read "Welcome to the Uchiha Clan." Below that was a dense block of text listing out a set of new rules—
[Dear visitors, welcome to the Uchiha Clan. Please follow the rules below during your visit to ensure your personal safety.]
The official Uchiha attire is a dark blue high-collared robe embroidered with the clan's fan emblem. Before entering, please obtain and wear one from the reception office at the entrance.
Under no circumstances may the Uchiha robe be removed while inside the Uchiha district.
Individuals wearing dark blue vests and masks are staff members. If you have questions or encounter difficulties, seek their assistance.
There are no Konoha shinobi within the Uchiha district. If you do see one, pretend not to notice. Do not engage or interact in any way.
Ignore all humans not wearing either staff attire or an Uchiha robe.
Before leaving the district, please locate a staff member and obtain permission to exit.
Sōseki frownedi. Staring down the narrow path into the heart of the Uchiha district, he felt an inexplicable unease rising in his chest. A sudden chill ran down his spine, and he instinctively took a step back, retreating away from the path.
"Anyway, the Uchiha were wiped out ages ago—there's no intel to be gathered here," he muttered, trying to reassure himself.
According to the tourist brochure, upon seeing a path to the Uchiha district, he was supposed to notify a Konoha shinobi and then report to the Hokage Tower. But as a spy, could he really waltz right into the Hokage's stronghold like that?
The Hokage Tower was a prominent landmark. Sōseki, visibly uneasy, made his way toward it. Sure enough, there was another sign out front, complete with rules and a photo of the Hokage Rock along with the Third Hokage—
[Dear visitors, welcome to the Hokage Tower. This is where Konoha's top-level personnel work. Please observe the following rules during your visit.]
There are only four faces on Hokage Rock. Before entering, please verify that the number and appearance of the faces are correct. If you detect any abnormalities, stop observing immediately, close your eyes, and stay where you are. Recheck every five minutes, keeping each observation under ten seconds, until the Rock appears normal again. Only then may you enter.
If you see someone in an Uchiha robe loitering around with crow-themed merchandise or being followed by crows, ignore them regardless of what happens. Don't worry—Konoha shinobi don't harm normal people.
Konoha is currently governed by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. If you enter his office and see the Third Hokage, please remain for at least one hour and listen to his teachings on the Will of Fire.
If the Hokage you see does not match any known previous Hokage, ignore everything "it" says or does. Exit the Hokage Tower immediately and re-enter until the correct Third Hokage appears.
The tourist brochure claimed the Hokage Tower was safe, but after reading these rules, Sōseki only felt an increasing sense of dread. His eyes drifted toward the Hokage Rock—and for a brief moment, it seemed like the First Hokage's face had morphed into a spiky-haired porcupine.
He quickly averted his gaze. "Must've been a trick of the light."
He turned to leave the Hokage Tower, when suddenly a gust of wind swept past, blowing a sheet of paper covered in writing right to his feet.
Sōseki picked it up. The heading read: Konoha Shinobi Code of Conduct—
[Our duty is to protect Konoha and prevent further contamination. Remember the code. Do your job. A bright future awaits us all.]
Always wear your standard-issue shinobi uniform properly. The forehead protector must be worn on your forehead—nowhere else.
If crows are spotted, evacuate all nearby civilians and tourists. Lure the crows to the Hokage Tower for sealing. Do not attempt to seal or drive them away alone.
If any shop is found selling crow-themed merchandise, shut it down immediately. Send all such products to the Hokage Tower for destruction.
If you see tourists buying crow-themed merchandise, stop them by any means necessary.
If you see tourists carrying crow merchandise or wearing Uchiha robes, disperse all nearby normal tourists and escort them to the Uchiha district.
The Uchiha district is not open to the public. If a tourist claims to have seen a path to the Uchiha district, violates the visitor rules, or shows signs of vision loss or emotional instability, escort them to the Hokage Tower for the Third Hokage to handle.
Before entering the Hokage Tower, if a tourist observes abnormalities in the Hokage Rock for more than thirty minutes, or if their pupils turn red with black tomoe, send them to the Uchiha district.
If during duty you encounter individuals in dark blue vests and masks, pretend not to see them.
If you notice your own vision worsening, emotions becoming unstable, or pupils turning red with tomoe, or if you are unable to observe a normal Hokage Rock for over thirty minutes—cease all duties immediately. Remove your Konoha shinobi uniform, proceed to the Uchiha district, and you will don a dark blue vest and mask.
Another set of rules—more and more absurd with every line. The more Sōseki read, the more it felt like a joke. Every word reeked of the bizarre.
His head throbbed. There was just too much information to process. Still, as a spy, he had trained himself to stay sharp in chaotic situations.
If these eerie "rule narratives" were actually real, then judging from the three different sets of rules he'd encountered, it looked like there were two opposing factions at play—
One was "Hokage Tower" and the "Konoha shinobi."
The other was "Uchiha" and the "crows."
The former seemed to be at a disadvantage—just getting into the correct Hokage Tower required fulfilling a ridiculous list of preconditions, which already said a lot about the situation.
What on earth had happened to Konoha?
The most powerful shinobi village in the world... reduced to this?
The more Sōseki thought about it, the more unsettled he felt. His usual calm was slipping away, and he didn't even notice how his emotions had started to shift.
Nor did he realize that his pupils were beginning to faintly glow red...
Just like those of an Uchiha on the verge of awakening the Sharingan!
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (160 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)