Konohagakure.
Kagami walked down the street with members of the police force from his clan.
Unlike usual, there were far fewer glares from the villagers. In fact, some even smiled at them.
That was a rare sight.
Ever since the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, had founded the Konoha Military Police Force and entrusted its responsibilities to the Uchiha Clan, genuine and friendly smiles like these had nearly vanished.
Kagami understood that Tobirama-sensei was expressing trust in the Uchiha—but he also knew that trust was laced with surveillance.
On the surface, it was trust. Deep down, it was suspicion.
He didn't blame his sensei. Kagami knew his clan better than anyone.
The Uchiha yearned for peace and loved deeply and sincerely.
But among them, there were also plenty of prideful hotheads who believed themselves superior.
As Kagami walked, villagers greeted him along the way.
"Kagami! I heard you saved Princess Tsunade the other night!" someone called out loudly.
A middle-aged man next to him chimed in, patting Kagami proudly on the shoulder.
"Damn right! One massive fireball drove off those idiot kidnappers from Kumogakure!" he boasted, as if he'd done it himself.
No sooner had he finished than a woman sweeping nearby scoffed in protest.
"What do you mean 'a big fireball'? That was Fire Release: Burn Your Whole Family Technique! Right, Kagami?"
Kagami scratched his head awkwardly, offering a sheepish smile, unsure how to respond.
Just then, a widow selling fish leaned out of her shop and shouted, "No way! I heard they were all burned to a crisp!"
"Bullshit, you salty old widow!" the old woman snapped, hands on her hips. "It was the Senju mansion that got torched, not the Kumo fools!"
As the conversation veered further into the bizarre, Kagami waved his hands, laughing nervously, and hurriedly said his goodbyes to the enthusiastic crowd. He made his escape from the street like his life depended on it.
With a few clan members in tow, he finally slipped free from the mob of gossiping elders.
"You're awesome, Kagami!" said a teenager—his neighbor's son—giving him a big thumbs-up.
The boy was sixteen, came from a happy home, had never seen war, and hadn't awakened his Sharingan. Yet Kagami, in a way, envied him.
At least he didn't know what it meant to lose—didn't know that soul-wrenching pain.
Kagami gave him a soft pat on the shoulder and said nothing.
He was starting to understand Reiji's way of thinking.
Maybe the Uchiha weren't meant to climb the political ladder, weren't meant to seize power, or close ranks in pursuit of influence.
Hashirama Senju had already shown them another path.
To blend in. To truly become part of the village, like the Senju had.
And his job was to set that example.
The clan admired strength—so he would become strong. He would lead by example, change their behavior through his own.
At that thought, Reiji's tanned face floated back into his mind.
"This time… I really owe you," he muttered.
...
With the morning patrol over, Kagami returned home, shed his gear, and started cooking.
His wife had just given birth and was going through a temperamental phase. His parents were long gone. So every day, he came home to cook.
That was one reason he stayed out of missions and politics.
Of course! It had absolutely nothing to do with being a slacker who liked to mess around.
Just as he tied on his apron and got to work, a clan member with a long scar across his face knocked at the door.
"Coming, coming," Kagami called, setting the fish down and wiping his hands on his apron before opening the door.
"Kagami, the clan elders want to see you," the scarred man said coldly.
Kagami's brows furrowed.
"Busy. Tell them I'll come after I've eaten."
With that, he slammed the door in the man's face, ignoring the cold glare left behind.
What a joke—his wife had to eat first! Only after she ate could she cook for their kid!
...
Once the fish soup was done and his wife fed, Kagami changed back into his gear and left the house.
Deep within the clan compound, he stepped into a dim courtyard to meet the so-called elders—stubborn old relics, really.
He remembered Ryōta Uchiha was supposedly the great-grandson of one of them.
"What do you want?" Kagami asked, uncharacteristically blunt.
Among the three elders seated, the one who looked oldest cleared his throat and began.
"Kagami, you are our clan's most gifted genius and the student of Tobirama Senju. We hold high hopes for you."
Another elder, who'd been sitting with his eyes closed, nodded and added,
"But ever since Tobirama's death, you've been avoiding the Hokage Building more and more.
Instead, you spend your time with that brat who disrespects our clan. Worse yet, you even stop us from teaching him a lesson."
The third elder picked up where they left off.
"We'll let that go. What we hope is that you'll start thinking of the clan. Remember—you are, and will always be, an Uchiha.
That means you deserve more. You should have more power.
Look at your classmates—Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado. Useless, talentless fools.
And yet, just because they were your classmates, they ended up as village advisors.
What about you?"
Kagami listened in silence, not saying a word.
Seeing this, the oldest elder coughed twice, waved his hand, and said,
"Go on. Think about it carefully."
Kagami gave a perfunctory nod and turned to leave without a hint of hesitation.
...
As he walked home, his dark eyes were filled with frustration and resignation.
These so-called clan elders were still clinging to their delusions of rising to power, of sitting among Konoha's leadership.
Even if they did become Hokage—then what? Would they place the Uchiha above all, driving out every other clan?
Would Konoha be reduced to a single, arrogant Uchiha clan?
If that was the goal, why didn't they just follow Madara Uchiha back then?
Besides, the more they fixated on power, the less the village's leadership would ever allow them near it!
The thought only strengthened Kagami's conviction: the true path forward for the Uchiha was to live alongside the villagers, united in peace and community.
...
Before he realized it, Kagami had wandered to the front of the Senju estate.
A memory flashed through his mind—of that chubby-cheeked little girl from the other night, spitting fire everywhere.
"They're all blinded by power. That little girl from outside the clan has more sense than they do..." he muttered, then knocked on the door.
Before long, a servant led him to Reiji's younger sister, Rie Sakuhō.
Kagami explained his purpose: he wanted to take this promising fire-style prodigy as his disciple.
After all, everyone in the ninja world knew the Uchiha were masters of Fire Release.
Upon hearing this, Rie, who had been kneeling somewhat sloppily, suddenly looked distraught. Her face crumpled and she wailed,
"Uncle Kagami, it's not that I don't want to, but my brother won't let me learn Fire Release anymore!"
She burst into tears.
"He said Fire Release never beats named NPCs and told me to learn Water Release instead!
He's just being petty! Still mad that I burned his explosion hair!"
Hearing that, Kagami couldn't help remembering the scene and found himself half-laughing, half-exasperated. He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Nearby, Tsunade stood with a completely blank expression.
She was used to it. She was used to this chaotic pair of siblings.
With his plan to take on a disciple thwarted, Kagami politely said his goodbyes to Mito Uzumaki and Tsunade, then left the Senju estate.
...
Root Division.
Danzō listened to his subordinate's report with a stern face, brows furrowed tightly.
Public opinion hadn't completely shifted in favor of the Uchiha, but many villagers from the Senju Clan—especially the elderly—had begun viewing Kagami in a more positive light.
After all, he had saved Konoha's princess. That was a debt they couldn't ignore.
Thinking about this, Danzō let out a cold snort and muttered to himself,
"If this keeps up, the Uchiha will slowly win over the villagers—and eventually control Konoha!
No. That must not happen. We cannot allow that dangerous clan to get anywhere near power.
And the key... is Kagami."