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The moon hung in the sky, stars faint in its glow, casting a pale light over the empty streets of Konoha.
Uchiha Sasuke, having just finished a long day of training, was walking wearily toward the Uchiha compound, his face etched with exhaustion.
He had been undergoing this grueling regimen for quite some time now, for he bore the identity of a man on a path of vengeance.
"Hm?"
As he walked, a sudden voice calling his name reached his ears. It made him instinctively turn his head to look.
And there they were. That one person who had always stirred a strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity within him, yet also an equally deep annoyance—Naruto. And beside him...
"Kitagawa Gen?"
Sasuke recognized Kitagawa Gen. The guy had graduated several years ahead of him and was known to be rather formidable.
He had even heard rumors that Gen had hospitalized every member of his own team and became the sole person in his year to graduate.
"He's still training this late?"
While Sasuke was lost in thought, Kitagawa Gen and Naruto had already walked past him. After giving Sasuke a quick once-over, Gen turned to Naruto and said calmly,
"See that? Now that is what it means to have the heart of a true shinobi. If I recall correctly, he's even the top student of your class, isn't he? That's the difference between you and him."
"Tch."
Naruto frowned and dug a finger into his ear with an annoyed air. For some reason, just hearing Sasuke's name always managed to get under his skin.
"I'm definitely going to surpass him. I'll become a ninja, and then the Hokage!"
"Idiot."
Sasuke didn't bother sugarcoating his words and let out a faint snort.
"Say that again once you've actually passed the exam."
"Damn you, Sasuke..."
Naruto immediately flared up, yelling as he rolled up his sleeves, clearly ready to argue. Sasuke met his glare with a cold, disdainful look.
Gen made no move to stop them. In fact, he found this bickering between these two so-called "brothers" in the sense of chakra rather amusing.
Besides, he was secretly hoping to see if these two would trigger some kind of mission.
Even a single Sage Mode was worth five percent. If their chakra triggered another quest, he could only imagine the potential rewards.
"Hm?"
Just as he was watching their squabble with interest, an inexplicable shiver ran down his spine. A sense of impending dread swept over him like a sudden chill.
It felt as though something—or someone—was watching him. That sensation was sharp, undeniable, and deeply unsettling.
"What is this feeling?"
Gen tensed, careful not to make any sudden movements. He clearly remembered that the ANBU had been assigned to watch over Naruto, but they had withdrawn once when he met up with Kakashi, Jiraiya, and the others.
So then... who was it?
[New Side Quest Unlocked]
At that very moment, his system interface abruptly flickered to life.
[The Dead Last Shouldn't Get Cocky]
[Take Initiative. Face Uchiha Obito.]
"..."
Well, that answered the question. Now he knew exactly who had come.
But what puzzled him even more was—why was Uchiha Obito here?
And if he had to deal with that man...
A normal shinobi wouldn't intimidate him in the slightest, but Uchiha Obito, with a single Mangekyō Sharingan, becomes one of the most difficult enemies in the entire ninja world to handle.
"But this is Konoha… and there's that special mission involving Kakashi…"
Gen murmured silently to himself. By now, Sasuke seemed to have lost interest in arguing with Naruto. He walked over and spoke in a low voice.
"I haven't congratulated you yet. You passed the evaluation."
"Hm? Oh... thanks."
Gen blinked, momentarily brought back to reality. He nodded in acknowledgment, though his expression grew a touch strange.
Sasuke offering congratulations of his own accord?
They weren't exactly close, were they?
"Right…"
As expected, Sasuke's tone immediately shifted.
"I heard as long as you beat up all your teammates and send them to the hospital, you pass. Is that true?"
"..."
Gen rolled his eyes. That story really was becoming more ridiculous the more it spread.
"That depends on your jonin instructor's judgment and your own abilities. I just happened to be... lucky."
"Tch. Lucky, huh? You even got to leave the village."
Naruto muttered under his breath, sounding rather envious. Sasuke, however, caught on to the key detail right away.
"Leave the village..."
This was something he had long yearned for. His greatest obsession was to become a ninja as soon as possible, so he could leave the village and Uchiha Itachi with his own hands.
"Yes. We went outside the village."
A firm decision was already forming in Gen's heart. As he spoke, his hand reached into his ninja pouch and began searching for something.
"And while we were out there on this mission, we met someone. Someone you're quite familiar with."
"Someone I'm familiar with?"
Sasuke's brow furrowed slightly. He seemed to sense something. Gen gave a faint smile and continued.
"Yes. That person… was Uchiha Itachi."
The moment that name left Gen's lips, Sasuke's expression twisted with fury and pain.
His hatred was so visceral and consuming that even Naruto, who stood nearby, instinctively recoiled in fright.
"And that man has joined a certain organization."
Kitagawa Gen continued calmly, though his hand slipped suddenly into his tool pouch.
"Its members are all extremely dangerous. For instance…"
In the next instant, several kunai affixed with explosive tags whistled through the air and flew straight toward a tree off to the side.
BOOOOOM—!
A deafening boom resounded as blinding flames erupted in the quiet night, the sudden burst of light and sound shattering the serenity like a thunderclap in stillness.
"You..."
Sasuke and Naruto both tensed in shock, but what followed left them even more stunned. A shadowy figure appeared, half-hidden in the lingering smoke beside the smoldering remains of the tree.
And at that very moment, Kitagawa Gen's voice rose again.
"That guy..."
***
"Jiraiya has returned?"
In the depths of the Root headquarters, Shimura Danzo was studying a set of documents in his hand.
Although he had been stripped of his position due to the Uchiha clan's massacre, he never truly accepted his fall from power. In his heart, he remained convinced that one day he would rise again.
After all, he had even attempted to assassinate his old comrade Sarutobi Hiruzen and emerged unscathed. Besides, he had singlehandedly removed a major threat to the village. So why should he not return to the helm?
He still had access to confidential information within Konoha, which allowed him to make his own judgments and strategic plans.
"What is he doing back? Could it be..."
His expression grew hesitant. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, his eyes narrowed sharply.
Damn it. Could that man be planning to claim the title of Hokage?
"It has been a long time, Danzo."
Just then, a familiar voice rang out, and the very sound of it caused his body to tense.
"You have not visited this place in quite a while, Hiruzen."
Fortunately, Danzo's years of discipline kept his composure intact. He quickly collected himself and shifted seamlessly into the tone of official business.
"What a rare occasion. The ever-busy Hiruzen Sarutobi has finally found time to visit an old friend?"
"You brought this fate upon yourself."
Hiruzen sat down across from Danzo, his long pipe resting gently between his lips as he let out a deep sigh.
"You should never have laid a hand on Shisui. And even more so, you never should have manipulated Itachi into carrying out that massacre. The Uchiha have always been part of Konoha. They are..."
"Enough, Hiruzen."
Without waiting for Hiruzen to finish his words, Danzo cut him off with a scornful shake of his head.
"Do you truly not understand the danger posed by Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan? Could you really sleep soundly, knowing that power was left unchecked?"
"Sending Itachi to do what had to be done prevented civil war within the village. You did not even have to soil your own hands. Should you not be grateful?"
"Everything I have done has been for the sake of Konoha. I merely inherited the will of our teacher."
"You are beyond saving. Have you forgotten Kagami? How do you think he would feel if he saw what you have become?"
"Kagami was an exception. The vast majority of the Uchiha were like Uchiha Setsuna. I did what had to be done."
Hiruzen's gaze turned cold as he stared down at Danzo, who sat stiff-necked with an expression that practically shouted, "I was right and I regret nothing."
His lips parted slightly, about to speak, but Danzo sensed something and cut him off again.
"Enough. You did not come here just to argue with me, did you?"
Hiruzen had not yet said the words, "I am the Hokage," but Danzo had already preempted him.
"..."
Hiruzen massaged his brow with a weary hand. Only after a moment's pause did he speak again.
"The situation in Kirigakure... how many Root agents are still embedded there, and how can they be activated?"
"Kirigakure?"
Danzo's eyes lit up with sudden interest. Now he understood the true reason behind Hiruzen's visit.
The situation within the Hidden Mist was notoriously complicated. Infiltrating their systems was no simple task, and it just so happened that Danzo's Root division had long specialized in precisely this kind of operation.
More than that, he realized this could be the opportunity he had been waiting for.
"I still have people stationed there. But if you want them activated, I am the only one who can do it."
"Danzo, do not push your luck."
Though he had anticipated this response, Hiruzen still frowned and fixed Danzo with a stern gaze.
"I can restore part of your authority, but your actions have caused deep damage. Everything must remain mission-focused. No one in the village is blind to what you have done."
"Hmph. I already said, everything I have ever done was for Konoha. I do not care how others choose to see me."
Danzo gave a small snort of derision. He understood this would need to be a gradual process, so he made no protest.
"As for the mission, you need not worry. If I were not capable of handling such matters, you would not have allowed me to remain useful to Konoha in the first place."
Hiruzen nodded. He could not deny that Danzo's skill in covert operations was formidable.
Just as he was about to issue a few final cautions, a member of the ANBU burst into the room in a flurry of motion.
"Lord Hokage, we have a situation..."
**
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[Chapter End's]
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