Snow fell out there, soft & slow. The wind made noise as it passed through the old stones of the place where I hid — a lost site, deep in the hills like a wound the world would not fix.
It was cold inside. Quiet, too. I liked that.
A tall, cracked glass stood in front of me. Its face was old with time, but I could still see me — not just the face I had, but more. Something I could not name.
And then I saw them.
My eyes.
The Rinnegan.
I did not move. I just looked at them — those rings of violet, odd & thick. And in the heart of each one… a small black star, turning slowly. Like a lock. Like a hex. Like… fate.
I took a deep breath. My hand shook by my side.
"These eyes…They don't seem like mine."
The glass did not talk back. It just showed me what I had feared.
"Or maybe I am not their own."
I moved back. My steps rang on the stone base. I paused after a few steps and shut my eyes.
I reached in.
I felt the chakra wild, old, bubbling below. Not just mine. Madara's, Hashirama's. Something from long ago. Something with no names.
And then I thought back…
Blood. Yells. The night I left Konoha. The looks of Kakashi & Obito. The quiet that came next.
I clenched my teeth & thought hard.
At once, a force rose behind my eyes — not hurt, just… shifting. My sight went dim, then clear.
I opened my eyes.
Gone was the ring shape.
In its spot… the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The black, six-armed star beat in the heart.
I went back to the mirror & looked.
It was… me again.
The me I used to be.
But not quite.
"I can… switch them back?" I breathed.
I shut my eyes again. Thought hard.
And when I opened them — Rinnegan.
Again.
Mangekyo.
Again.
Rinnegan.
A slow, sly grin spread at my lip's edge.
————-
I sealed my chakra carefully. No one should know who I am.
I changed my clothes, putting on the simple robes of a trader.
The village I came to was small—named Higurashi. A peaceful place, no ninja in sight. Perfect to hide.
I walked into a small cafe near the market. The sun was low, painting the sky orange.
I sat by the window, watching people pass. The cafe owner, a middle-aged man with kind eyes, came over.
"Who are you, stranger?"
"Just a traveler, selling goods from far away," I said, trying to sound easy.
He nodded, brought me a cup of hot tea without another word.
As I sipped, I overheard voices from a nearby table. A group of farmers and merchants was talking quietly but loudly enough for me to hear.
"Did you hear? Izuna Uchiha is still number one on the Bingo Book."
"Six hundred million ryo! Can you believe that?" another replied, shaking his head. "Who could pay such a huge price?"
"Maybe the Five Great Nations," said a third. "Or someone very rich and powerful. If I had that kind of money, I'd live like a daimyo forever."
I smiled faintly, taking a sip of my tea.
"People call him the Ghost of Konoha," the first man continued. "No one knows if he's alive or dead."
"Some say he walks the shadows, unseen, but deadly."
"Is it true? The God of Death still out there?" a woman asked nervously.
I tried not to react. It was strange to hear my name spoken like a myth.
So much fear, so much rumor.
I cleared my throat and turned to the group, smiling lightly. "Tell me more about this Ghost of Konoha,"
They looked at me strangely but warmed up, telling stories they had heard—half truth, half gossip.
"Some say he's a demon," one laughed nervously. "Others say he protects the village in secret."
He turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "New around here, aren't you?"
"Just a traveling merchant."
"Then you haven't seen the new Bingo Book."
He reached under the table and tossed a worn-out booklet toward me. I opened it slowly.
There it was. My face — or what the hunter-nin had drawn from rumor.
Underneath:
NAME: Izuna Uchiha
STATUS: S-Rank Nukenin
KNOWN AFFILIATION: Formerly Konoha
THREAT LEVEL: Extreme
BOUNTY: 600,000,000 ryō (only Dead)
NOTES: Do not engage alone. Suspected user of forbidden time-space jutsu. Approach with extreme caution.
"They make him sound like a monster," I said, closing the book and sliding it back.
"Wouldn't be surprised, He's Uchiha, after all." one added
I smiled.
The barkeep came over. "Another tea?"
"Yes, thank you." I handed over a few coins.
I listened carefully, hiding the weight of their words deep inside me.
Six hundred million ryo. A ghost. The God of Death.
And yet, here I was, just a humble trader in a quiet cafe.
As I waited, I glanced out the window. Children played in the mud. A woman sold fruit by the alley.
It was a peaceful place. I could almost forget who I was.
Almost.
The door creaked open behind me. A shinobi. Low-level. From the way he stood, probably retired. He scanned the room.
His eyes paused on me for a second too long.
I looked back at my tea.
"Excuse me.Haven't seen you around."
"I'm just passing through," I answered politely.
"You have a Konoha accent."
I smiled. "Used to live near there. A long time ago."
He nodded, but didn't move.
"You remind me of someone," he muttered.
I met his eyes. Calm. Measured. "I get that a lot."
After a moment, he nodded again, as if convincing himself he was wrong.
The danger passed.
But the tension stayed.
⸻
That night, I left the village before dawn. No good staying long in one place.
As I walked the dirt road under the pale light of the moon, I opened the Bingo Book again. My page. My name. My bounty.
600 million.
And yet… no one knows me.
They see power. Not pain.
They see a monster. Not a man who made a choice they'll never understand.
I closed the book and slid it into the pouch behind my back. I adjusted the scarf over my face and kept walking.