Bonus Chapters at 100 power stones. Mass release to get the fanfic going!
A soft knock echoed through the Hokage's office.
"Enter," Hiruzen said again, setting aside a document as his gaze lifted toward the door.
The door creaked open, and the young man from the village gates stepped inside. His dark hair still damp from the morning mist, his expression calm yet wary. Hiruzen's eyes softened the moment he saw him. Though time had changed the boy's face, those eyes were unmistakable.
"…Yami. It's been a long time," the Hokage said quietly, a hint of warmth returning to his voice. "You've worked hard. I didn't expect that mission to bring such a heavy cost."
Yami bowed respectfully. "The Uchiha are part of Konoha. Fulfilling the mission is my duty."
He reached into his cloak and produced a sealed scroll. "The information may be outdated, but the assignment you gave me five years ago… I've completed it to the best of my ability."
Hiruzen accepted the scroll, curiosity flickering in his eyes. 'Kirigakure…'
For years, the Hidden Mist had cut off all contact with the outside world. Even the best intelligence networks could uncover little about their internal affairs. The fact that Yami had returned with any data at all was already remarkable.
The old Hokage unrolled the parchment and began to read. At first casually, but his expression grew darker with every line. The more he read, the deeper the lines on his forehead became.
"…Are you certain this information is accurate?" Hiruzen asked at last, disbelief in his tone. "Kirigakure's Mizukage personally ordered the purge of all bloodline clans?"
Yami nodded solemnly. "It's true. The Hidden Mist turned on its own. Families with kekkei genkai were hunted down and exterminated. The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, led it himself. For years, the village drowned in blood and fear. The people were taught to see bloodlines as curses… monsters to be destroyed."
Hiruzen's pipe sat forgotten on his desk. The words struck too close to home.
"A conflict between family and village…" the old man murmured bitterly. "How familiar that sounds."
Yami's eyes lowered. He, too, had thought the same thing. The parallels between the Mist's hatred of bloodlines and the growing distrust between Konoha and the Uchiha had haunted him for years.
After a long silence, Hiruzen exhaled deeply and folded the scroll. "Your report is invaluable, Yami. You've done the village a great service. Tell me, what would you like as a reward?"
Yami hesitated, his voice quiet but sincere. "I… haven't thought about that. I only wish to rest for a while. To return home and see my clan again. It's been far too long."
Hiruzen smiled faintly, though the gesture didn't reach his eyes. "Of course. The village still needs young men like you. You've grown well."
He reached toward the shelf beside him, retrieving a long, sealed scroll. "Before you go, take this. Shisui once mentioned you possessed talent in both water and wind release. Consider it part of your reward."
He broke the seal and handed the scroll to Yami. Inside were detailed notes on several Water Release techniques: Water Dragon Bullet, Water Shockwave, Wave Rider, Water Break Wave.
Yami unrolled it carefully. Most of these jutsu, he had already mastered during his years in the Mist. But he said nothing. The Hokage's kindness felt… rehearsed. As though there was something the old man was delaying to say.
Before the silence could stretch too long…
Bang!
The office door burst open with a sharp crack.
An elderly man stepped in, cane tapping against the floor, the right side of his face wrapped in bandages. His single visible eye gleamed with irritation.
"Hiruzen! What's the meaning of this sudden summons?"
Shimura Danzo.
Yami's body tensed. He remembered that name. Shisui had once worked under him.
Two more figures followed. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, the Hokage's long-time advisors. Their expressions were grave, as though they already sensed that this meeting was about more than a mere debriefing.
"Next time, try knocking," Hiruzen said dryly, shooting Danzo a glare before lifting the scroll Yami had handed him. "I called you here because of something… unexpected."
He leaned back, fingers steepled. "Do you recall the S-Rank mission to Kirigakure, five years ago? The one lost in the great sea storm?"
Danzo frowned. "Of course. We found the wreckage. There were no survivors."
"That's what we all believed," Hiruzen said. "But today, one returned."
He gestured toward Yami.
Danzo's gaze followed the motion, landing on the young man standing silently by the desk. There was a flicker of recognition… Then irritation, deep and instinctive.
"This boy," Hiruzen continued, "was only ten when he joined that mission. A prodigy, handpicked by his elder brother, Uchiha Shisui."
The two advisors exchanged startled looks. The tension in the room thickened.
"I've already granted him his mission reward," Hiruzen added softly.
The silence that followed was suffocating. Yami felt the weight of every stare on him, but what unsettled him more was the heaviness in the Hokage's eyes. Guilt, and something else. Fear.
"…If there's nothing else, I'd like to return to my clan," Yami said, bowing politely.
"Wait," Hiruzen said.
The word was echoed by all four elders at once.
Yami froze mid-step. The air seemed to grow colder.
Danzo was the first to speak. "If I'm not mistaken… you're Shisui's younger brother, aren't you?"
Yami nodded slowly.
Hiruzen spoke up, though his tone carried an edge. "Much has changed in your absence. Especially regarding your clan."
Yami's pulse quickened. "My clan? What do you mean?"
Hiruzen's hand clenched around his pipe. "Yami… not long after you departed on your mission, your brother, Shisui, disappeared."
Yami's composure cracked. "What? Disappeared? Where?"
"In the village," Hiruzen said gravely. "We searched for days. No trace of him was ever found. It was as if he'd vanished from the world."
The words echoed like thunder in Yami's chest. He struggled to breathe.
"Shisui… gone…?"
"There were witnesses," Hiruzen continued heavily. "They claimed the last person seen with Shisui was another of your clan. Uchiha Itachi."
Yami blinked. 'Itachi…' He remembered the quiet boy from the clan. Brilliant, solemn, always standing slightly apart from the others. Shisui had often spoken fondly of him.
"So you're saying," Yami said slowly, "if I want answers about my brother, I should speak with Itachi?"
Mito Koharu's voice broke the silence, brittle and cold. "That may be… difficult. Uchiha Itachi is now an S-Rank missing-nin. Branded a traitor."
Yami's heart dropped. "What did he do?"
Hiruzen hesitated, his gaze shifting to the floor. "After Shisui's disappearance, tensions between the Uchiha and the village escalated. The Police Force clashed with Itachi during the investigation… but he denied involvement."
The old Hokage's tone faltered. "Then, one night…"
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to continue.
"…Itachi turned against his own clan. He slaughtered every Uchiha in the compound."
The words tore through the air like blades.
For a heartbeat, Yami stood frozen. Then his vision swam red.
"You're… joking…" he whispered.
But the silence that answered him said everything.
The world tilted. Rage. Cold, suffocating rage surged from deep within him. His chakra flared violently, shaking the air. Papers scattered from Hiruzen's desk as a dark aura spread through the room.
"Uchiha… Itachi!" He hissed.
The Sharingan snapped to life, the three tomoe spinning wildly, warping with each heartbeat. The very air vibrating from the power pressing outward.
"Yami, calm yourself!" Hiruzen commanded sharply.
But Yami barely heard him. The pain, the fury, the betrayal. It all collided in his chest like a storm.
'Shisui gone. My clan… annihilated. And the murderer is…'
The three tomoe twisted faster, threatening to merge into something new, something darker.
~ End of Chapter 2 ~
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