Read ahead of public release on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley
Check out Chapter illustrations on Pixiv at unhinged_uchiha
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A few days later—
"You must be the students Kanzou-sama mentioned," the woman said. "I'm Natsuhi. It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed politely, her tone gentle as she greeted the three young Uchihas.
"O-oh…" Shin, Hazuki, and Souta froze, clearly caught off guard by the woman who greeted them with a polite bow. After a brief pause, they returned the bow awkwardly. "N-nice to meet you too… Natsuhi-san…"
They had only just returned to the hideout after completing the mission Kanzou had assigned them, and being welcomed by Natsuhi, of all people, was the last thing they had expected.
'Isn't she supposed to be an enemy? How come she is being so cordial? Did Kanzou-sama/Sensei manage to control her?'
Confusion flickered across their faces as they exchanged uncertain glances.
"Natsuhi, they must be starving," Kanzou said from behind them. "Serve the food you prepared."
"Hai, Kanzou-sama~" Natsuhi replied with a nod, moving at once to carry out the order.
As she served their meals, Shin leaned forward and whispered, "Kanzou-sama… how did you manage to… um…" He hesitated, glancing briefly at Natsuhi. Choosing his words carefully, he added vaguely, "You know…"
From her calm demeanour, her polite manner, and the ease with which she moved, Natsuhi didn't look like someone who had been captured not long ago. If anything, she seemed like someone close, an acquaintance, perhaps even a trusted companion.
The whole situation felt strange.
And completely unexpected.
If Shin hadn't known better, he might have assumed Natsuhi was one of their own, rather than a kunoichi from another village who had been captured and, by all logic, should have been their enemy.
Hazuki and Souta seemed to share the same doubt.
Kanzou simply shrugged and said, with quiet meaning, "What are you three talking about? Natsuhi was always one of ours. She was just under a jutsu that prevented her from recognising reality. Now that I've removed it, she's finally awakened and returned to being loyal to the person she's meant to be loyal to."
Shin and Souta exchanged confused looks, clearly not understanding what he meant.
Hazuki, however, caught on immediately. 'Always one of ours… a jutsu clouding her perception… Kanzou-sama helped her…' The pieces fell into place. She nodded. "I see… that makes sense."
"It does?" Shin and Souta asked at the same time, staring at her in disbelief.
"I'll explain later," Hazuki said quickly, noticing Natsuhi returning.
Both boys nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Natsuhi stepped forward with plates in hand and set the food she had prepared in front of the three students. "Here you go. This is all I could manage in a place like this… but I hope you like it."
"It's fine. They won't mind," Kanzou replied casually.
All three of them were orphans, unused to this kind of care. Having someone prepare food for them already made them happy, and they would have felt far too embarrassed to complain even if there had been something wrong with it.
Just as Kanzou expected, they ate quietly and carefully. It helped that the food itself was actually decent.
As the three ate, Kanzou casually moved his hand to Natsuhi's ass and began to caress it.
Natsuhi's eyes shot open at the touch, as she cried out silently, 'Ka-Kanzou-sama…' her face flushed at the intimate, but blatantly explicit, gesture, especially with others present. 'They'll notice…' she tried to plead with him with her eyes.
Kanzou only smiled back, clearly amused, and continued teasing her.
She bit her lip, forcing herself to stay quiet, trying not to give anything away.
Of course, she didn't pull back or try to create distance. Instead, she remained where she was, letting him do as he pleased despite the heat of embarrassment burning through her.
From the side, Hazuki narrowed her eyes.
Shin and Souta hadn't noticed much due to where they were seated, but Hazuki had. She saw Kanzou's hand moving against Natsuhi's butt and immediately understood everything. Her lips puffed into a pout as she thought bitterly, 'Onii-chan… you… You really are a pervert. Hmph!'
Pouting and complaining in her mind was all Hazuki could do. She was well aware of Kanzou's antics and had half-expected this to happen the moment he took responsibility for keeping Natsuhi under control.
After a while, as Natsuhi's legs began to tremble, Kanzou finally withdrew his hand and turned his attention to the others.
By then, the three had finished eating. Natsuhi collected the plates, her legs still shaking as she moved, careful not to let herself buckle.
Meanwhile, Kanzou asked casually, "So, the mission, how did it go?"
The three exchanged glances before Hazuki began reporting. "It went exactly as you expected, Kanzou-sama. There were shinobi hiding among the bandits. They seemed to be deserters, and not just one. There were three of them."
She went on to describe the jutsu they used, their fighting styles, and other details. As she spoke, Kanzou quickly pieced everything together.
"These deserters were probably from Iwagakure," he murmured.
During wartime, it wasn't unusual for shinobi to grow tired of endless missions, killing, and conflict. Some chose to abandon their villages altogether. Branded as traitors and hunted down, they often resorted to hiding among bandits or criminal groups, something that wasn't rare at all.
Kanzou continued, "Based on how you described the fight, and assuming none of you are exaggerating, I'd say the opponents Hazuki and Shin faced were Tokubetsu Jōnin, while the one Souta fought was a chūnin."
Tokubetsu jōnin weren't well-rounded like jōnin, but they excelled in a specific skill or field, and their strength, it also placed them well above chūnin.
"It's not an exaggeration," Hazuki said at once, clearly dissatisfied that Kanzou would doubt them.
"In that case," Kanzou said, nodding, "the fact that the three of you managed to handle opponents like that at your age is impressive. Very good."
The praise drew immediate reactions. Hazuki smiled, a faint blush touching her cheeks. Shin grinned and rubbed the side of his nose, while Souta smiled quietly.
All three were genuinely happy.
After all, the one praising them was the most talented Uchiha in the clan, how could they not be?
"Anyway… Shin, show me your Sharingan," Kanzou said, turning his attention to him.
One good thing had come from the mission: Shin had awakened his Sharingan. That alone meant his future potential was anything but small.
"Hmm… okay," Shin nodded. He activated his dōjutsu, and his black eyes turned scarlet, a single tomoe spinning in each, and said with a bit of disappointment, "It's still only one tomoe…"
"That doesn't matter," Kanzou said calmly. "You're still young. Before long, it'll evolve into three tomoe."
For any Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan, reaching three tomoe was only a matter of time. With Shin's talent, it would happen sooner rather than later. As for whether he could go beyond that… even Kanzou couldn't say. That path required more than talent; it demanded despair.
"Haha! Of course, Sensei," Shin said eagerly. "Now that I've awakened the Sharingan, I'll soon surpass Hazuki-chan, and even you!"
He laughed, brimming with excitement.
"Surpass Kanzou-sama? That'll only happen in your dreams," Hazuki snorted.
It didn't matter if Shin was talented; was she not talented too? She had awakened her Sharingan before him, and it had already evolved into the three-tomoe state. Shin had only just awakened his. There was no way she'd allow him to surpass her.
'After all… I'm Onii-chan's second-in-command, and his future wife,' she thought. 'How could I ever let a mere lacky to be better than me?'
The thought alone made her heart race, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Hey… Hazuki-chan," Shin said with a grin. "Your face is red. Are you thinking something perverted?"
"It's not," Hazuki snapped. "It must be your eyes. Could they be defective? Or are you just seeing things?"
As Hazuki and Shin continued their usual banter, Souta watched them with quiet envy.
'Hazuki-chan awakened her Sharingan when she learned about her mother's death… and now even Shin has awakened his,' he thought, a faint sense of longing settling in his chest. 'I'm the only one left…'
Of course, he wanted to awaken the Sharingan too. He didn't want to be left behind by his friends, by his own squad.
Noticing the look in Souta's eyes, Kanzou reached out and patted his shoulder. "You'll awaken it too," he said calmly. "Don't worry."
He was confident in that. Souta's talent was no worse than Shin's. All he lacked was the right opportunity.
"I see, Sensei," Souta replied with a nod, forcing himself to calm down.
Envy wouldn't help him. If he had the time to dwell on it, he decided, it would be better spent training, so he wouldn't become a burden to his squad.
"Putting all that aside… let's talk about what we're going to do next," Kanzou said, shifting the topic.
The three children, and Natsuhi as well, turned their attention to him.
Facing four pairs of curious eyes, Kanzou continued, "So, here's the plan—"
…
Sometime later—
After crossing Devil's Ravine, Natsuhi, Akahoshi, and Hotarubi made their way toward Hoshigakure.
As they neared the village, the guards at the gate quickly spotted them and went on alert, especially since the group was running at full speed. However, the moment they recognised Natsuhi, they relaxed.
"Oh… It's Natsuhi-sama. They're back."
"But didn't they take a bit too long?" the other guard frowned, thinking it shouldn't have taken this much time.
"Maybe they ran into trouble during the mission," the first guard said, watching them draw closer. Then his expression tightened. "Huh? What's wrong with Hotarubi-san?"
Hotarubi lay unconscious, badly bruised, and slung over Akahoshi's back. Akahoshi and Natsuhi weren't in much better shape themselves, aside from their tense, grim expressions, several fresh bruises marked their bodies.
As soon as they reached the gate, one of the guards stepped forward. "Natsuhi-sama… what happened to your squad? What happened to Hotarubi-sama?"
Up close, the guards couldn't even be sure whether he was still alive.
"No time to explain," Natsuhi replied sharply. "He needs immediate medical attention."
Without saying anything more, she and Akahoshi hurried past the gate and headed straight for the Hospital.
The guards exchanged uneasy looks.
"I'll inform the Hoshikage-sama," one of them said.
Hotarubi was one of their top-tier shinobi, and the squad of Natsuhi, Hotarubi, and Akahoshi was among the strongest in the village, if not the strongest. For them to return in this condition was serious enough to warrant immediate attention.
The other guard nodded in agreement as his partner left the post to notify the Hoshikage.
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Hoshigakure Hospital—
After receiving word of their return and Hotarubi's critical condition, the Hoshikage rushed to the hospital.
He arrived to find Natsuhi leaning against the wall, visibly shaken. Nearby, Akahoshi paced back and forth, his expression tight with anxiety. Both of them stood before a closed door, behind which the medical-nin were treating Hotarubi.
Seeing their condition, the Hoshikage's unease deepened. He stepped forward. "Natsuhi… Akahoshi… what happened?"
Before either of them could answer, the door opened. A medical ninja stepped out, his eyes dull as he slowly shook his head.
"Hotarubi-sama… he's already dead," he said quietly.
Silence settled over the corridor.
Natsuhi's legs gave out. She slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor, tears streaming down her face. "Hotarubi-kun…"
Akahoshi, however, clenched his fist and surged forward. He grabbed the medical ninja by the collar and snarled, "What do you mean he's dead? He was alive!"
"He wasn't," the medical ninja stammered, clearly terrified. "He was already gone when he arrived. I-I'm sorry… There was nothing I could do."
The answer only deepened Akahoshi's scowl. His grip tightened, and in his fury, he shoved the medical ninja to the wall and shouted, "Didn't I say—"
"Akahoshi-kun… calm down," the Hoshikage said firmly, placing a hand on Akahoshi's arm to stop him.
Akahoshi stiffened, then slowly released the medical ninja and stepped back, turning his attention away. The medical ninja hurried off, visibly shaken.
The Hoshikage let out a quiet breath of relief before looking at Akahoshi again. "What exactly happened?" he asked gravely. "It was only a Rank-B mission… what could have happened for Hotarubi-kun to—"
"It wasn't a Rank-B mission," Akahoshi said, his voice grim and bitter. "It was a trap. There were shinobi from Iwagakure hiding among the bandits. They were waiting for us. They captured Hotarubi… and they tortured him for information."
"What?" The Hoshikage's expression hardened. "What information?" A sense of dread crept into his voice.
"How would I know?" Akahoshi snapped. "I wasn't the one torturing him." Then he met the Hoshikage's gaze and continued more quietly, "But if I had to guess… there's only one thing it could have been about."
The Hoshikage understood immediately. His expression tightened. "And that information… did Hotarubi-kun give it to them?"
"We don't know," Akahoshi said, shaking his head. "By the time Natsuhi-san and I reached him, he was already in that state. Maybe he broke. Maybe he didn't. There's no way to tell." He paused, then added grimly, "We killed three of them… and although we didn't encounter other, but there may be more. They might have even managed to send the information back to Iwagakure."
The Hoshikage's face grew even more tense. If that information had reached Iwagakure, the Tsuchikage would undoubtedly take an interest in the star. More shinobi would be sent.
And if that happened… it could even lead to war.
As if on cue, Akahoshi spoke up. "Maybe the shinobi from Iwagakure are already on their way."
The Hoshikage's eyes widened. "Then we need to deploy our forces immediately to verify if Iwagakure is moving."
"It won't matter if Ōnoki comes himself," Akahoshi cut in sharply. "And even if he doesn't, what if he sends a Jinchūriki instead? What are we supposed to do against that?"
His words silenced the Hoshikage.
Against the Tsuchikage or a Jinchūriki, sheer numbers would mean nothing.
For a moment, the Hoshikage wanted to argue that someone of the Tsuchikage's standing wouldn't act personally, or risk sending a Jinchūriki and provoking a war.
But when he considered the value of the star… he couldn't bring himself to say it.
After all, he understood the situation better than anyone. If starting a small war allowed the Tsuchikage to obtain something as valuable as the Star, it would be more than worth it; the number of high-level shinobi in his village would increase dramatically.
Feeling cornered, he finally asked, "Do you have a suggestion?"
Akahoshi's gaze hardened. "Let me use the star. If I fuse it with my body… then even the Tsuchikage or a Jinchūriki won't be a problem."
The Hoshikage shook his head immediately. "The Star is the treasure of the entire village. It's essential to the village's survival and our future. It cannot be fused into you." His voice hardened. "Moreover, we don't even know whether you could handle it. Nobody else who has tried before you has succeeded. Even if you could, my decision hasn't changed, and it won't."
Akahoshi's proposal wasn't new. He had argued for it many times before, and every time, the Hoshikage had rejected him.
Akahoshi clicked his tongue in frustration. "Then what do you suggest?"
The Hoshikage fell silent for a moment as he thought of possible solutions before answering, "We can send a message to Konoha."
"And risk exposing the Star?" Akahoshi shot back.
"If Iwagakure is already involved, then they already know," the Hoshikage said. "Bringing Konoha into this could balance the situation. Konohagakure wouldn't allow Iwagakure to take the Star, and Iwagakure wouldn't allow Konoha to claim it either."
If the Star were something that could be divided, Konoha and Iwa might have struck a quiet deal and taken it for themselves. But the Star is singular; there's only one. That means neither side can possess it without provoking the other.
Because of that, conflict between them becomes inevitable, and ironically, that works in Hoshigakure's favour. Neither village would want to escalate the situation into open war, not now. It hasn't even been two years since the Second Great Shinobi War ended, and there's no chance either side would want to ignite another conflict so soon.
In his view, Konoha, the victor of the Second Great Shinobi War, should be enough to intimidate Iwagakure into backing off. "Of course, I'll only do it if we don't really have any other option, if Iwagakure has really learned about the star—"
His words were cut off as Akahoshi slammed his fist into the wall. "Go ahead and rely on a foreign village without even questioning whether we can trust them," he snapped. "This is exactly why no shinobi village takes us seriously, and why we'll never become a great one."
Without waiting for a response, Akahoshi turned and left.
Watching him go, the Hoshikage felt a dull ache form in his head. Still, his decision remained firm. He shook his head and turned to Natsuhi. "Natsuhi… I'm sorry for your loss. If only I had been more careful with the mission…"
Natsuhi shook her head slowly. "It's alright, Hoshikage-sama. It's not your fault, this is the life of a shinobi…"
The Hoshikage sighed and gently patted her head. "Get some rest. We'll hold a proper funeral for Hotarubi. He died as a hero."
Natsuhi nodded faintly, "Thank you…"
With that, the Hoshikage left the hospital. He still needed to issue orders to monitor Iwagakure's movements and confirm whether Iwagakure ninjas are really after the star or not.
After Hoshikage was gone, Natsuhi staggered into the room where Hotarubi's body lay. She stopped beside the bed and spoke quietly to the medical ninja, "Leave me alone with him for a while."
"As you wish, Natsuhi-sama," the medical ninja replied with a bow before quickly stepping out.
Natsuhi locked the door behind him and leaned back against it, letting out a breath of relief. "Fortunately… the Hoshikage didn't suspect anything…"
"Hmm… you did well," a voice said from the side.
Natsuhi nearly jumped out of her skin. She spun around, about to scream, when a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth.
"Shh," the voice whispered close to her ear. "You'll alert everyone. Do you want the medical ninja outside, or the patients in the nearby rooms, to hear you?"
Natsuhi looked up at 'Akahoshi,' clamping her mouth, then let out a shaky sigh of relief. She wrapped her arms around him. "I… I was too nervous, Kanzou-sama."
At the sound of his name, the voice changed, softening into Kanzou's as he praised her. "But you still did well." He patted her head, acknowledging her effort.
Indeed, Akahoshi, of course, wasn't Akahoshi at all. It had been Kanzou from the start, using a Transformation Jutsu to take Akahoshi's appearance. The reason was simple: to slip into Hoshigakure unnoticed, alongside Natsuhi, and stage that entire scene earlier.
"Umm…" praised by Kanzou, Natsuhi blushed and felt happy.
"Do I get a reward?" she asked, looking up at him with a faint blush.
Even though it felt strange, asking for a reward while he still wore Akahoshi's face, she couldn't help but hope he would grant it.
Kanzou hesitated for a moment before guiding her toward the window. He shut the window he had used to slip inside earlier, then drew the curtains closed to make sure no one could see what was happening. Only then did he nod at Natsuhi and press a hand gently against her head. "Alright. Get on your knees."
Her blush deepened instantly. She complied without hesitation, lowering herself and fumbling with his pants to free him.
Not long after, soft, muffled, gluck-gluck sounds echoed through the room.
Meanwhile, Kanzou stroked her head in approval. With his other hand, he shifted the curtain just enough to glance toward the Hoshikage Building.
'He isn't hesitating… several shinobi have already been summoned to move alongside the borders of the Land of Earth,' he noted to himself, understanding that these shinobi are being sent to monitor the movement of Iwagakure, and whether they are really moving.
Naturally, he was satisfied with this result, 'Good. With fewer ninja left in the village, it'll be much easier to move forward with the plan and assassinate the Hoshikage.'
'Now all we need to do is wait for a while…' he thought…
…
In the evening, at the graveyard—
Several shinobi from Hoshigakure gathered at the gravesite to oversee Hotarubi's burial.
Although Hotarubi's face and body were nearly unrecognisable, the medical-nin were still able to confirm his identity. They did so by sensing the lingering effects left behind by prolonged exposure to the Star. That residual chakra was unmistakable, allowing them to verify that the corpse did indeed belong to Hotarubi. a shinobi of Hoshigakure.
After the postmortem, during which Kanzou subtly used genjutsu to alter certain details, such as the recorded time of death, the village proceeded with the funeral.
"Hotarubi-kun was a hero," the Hoshikage said solemnly. "He died a hero's death."
Natsuhi stood beside him, head bowed, her eyes red with grief.
One notable absence, however, drew quiet attention.
Akahoshi was not there.
Many frowned at this. After all, Hotarubi had been one of Akahoshi's closest friends and squadmates. Even if he was in a foul mood, he should have attended the funeral. Even the Hoshikage found the absence strange.
Still, he forced himself to remain calm. For the moment, he chose not to pursue the matter and waited silently as the funeral came to an end.
Soon, the funeral came to an end. As the mourners began to disperse, the Hoshikage finally voiced the question that had been bothering him.
"Where is Akahoshi…?"
The person he addressed could only shake his head.
Natsuhi wiped the tears flowing out of her eyes, and said quietly, "I haven't seen him since this afternoon." After a brief pause, she added, "Maybe… he's grieving in his own way."
The Hoshikage was about to nod in agreement when a wounded shinobi suddenly staggered toward them, shouting in panic, "Hoshikage-sama, it's no good!"
The cry drew everyone's attention. Several people rushed forward as they noticed the man's injuries. "What happened to you?" someone asked.
The Hoshikage's face paled. He recognised the shinobi immediately, one of those assigned to guard the Star. Seeing him here, badly wounded, could only mean one thing.
Supported by the others, the injured shinobi looked up at the Hoshikage and spoke weakly. "Hoshikage-sama… the Star… it's… it's been stolen…"
A stunned silence followed.
"W-who stole it?" The Hoshikage stepped forward at once, his voice sharp with urgency. For a split second, he wondered if it had been the shinobi of Iwagakure after all.
The wounded ninja's next words froze everyone in place.
"…Akahoshi-sama."
"What did you say?" someone asked, thinking that they misheard it.
"…by Akahoshi-sama."
"—!!"
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Lemon ongoing, powerstones please!!!!
Let the power stones count surpass 60 within the next 24 hours!!!!
Read ahead of public release on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley
Check out Chapter illustrations on Pixiv: unhinged_uchiha
If you like this story, then you might also like my other story: One Piece: The Incubus' Adventure. Give it a try.