Then Naruto's smile sharpened to a cruel, amused edge. "And even you hide it, Fugaku."
Naruto's smile stayed razor-thin as he delivered the jab, and the room shifted with it. Fugaku didn't move, but Mikoto's eyes slid toward him—sharp, searching, the look of a wife who knew yet never spoke of it.
"You know about them?" Mikoto asked quietly. "The Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Naruto didn't hesitate. "I know Fugaku has one. And before you panic—no, I don't care. It means nothing to me. He barely uses it. Good genjutsu potential, sure. Could control a bijuu…" He tapped his stomach lightly. "Like the one sitting in my ass. But worth? None."
He smirked, leaning back with casual arrogance.
"Fun fact. Right now, in this entire village… there are only three people who can use the Mangekyō Sharingan."
The room tightened instantly.
Shisui's thoughts spiked—fast, sharp, tangled. He shouldn't know that. Only I and Itachi know about Kotoamatsukami, and Naruto forced me to use it in combat just so he could "free himself" from his step sister's grasp. And Itachi told me about Fugaku… but that number should be two, not three.
He studied Naruto's posture, the casual young-adult frame carrying a millennium of weight, and the calculation formed instantly. If he knows this much… then he already knows who the third one is.
Shisui inhaled and baited him deliberately. "you're planning to take the third Mangekyō user for yourself, Naruto? Since it's clear you know everything."
Naruto didn't hesitate. "My mistake. Two and a half," he said, tone lazy and mocking. "Since the other half is somewhere."
Shisui blinked, caught off guard for a second.
Naruto's mind moved far faster than his voice. I know Obito—that bastard who killed my parents—is still out there. And Kakashi has Obito's Sharingan, given back when Obito was still playing the hero. One eye each. Half and half. And each Mangekyō counts.
Black cards lifted around his frame, swirling into a growing vortex.
"It's been fun, everyone," Naruto said calmly. "We've had mutual benefits… and I hope we continue this partnership if our paths cross again."
Shisui didn't wait. His tanto flashed, slipping into a perfect thrust aimed at the vortex before it closed—but the blade stopped cold against the shifting barrier of cards, like trying to pierce water made of steel.
Naruto turned his head slightly, amused. "Didn't you learn anything from our last battle?"
Fugaku stepped forward before Shisui could try again. He chose every word with surgical precision, avoiding the names he wasn't allowed to speak—yet knowing he had to say something.
"Naruto… I may not know your father," he began quietly, "but he was a good man. And your mother as well. Everyone has their struggles. Ours too. But we never gave up—we kept searching for a better resolution."
Mikoto watched Naruto carefully, hoping, expecting something—anger, sadness, at least a crack in the mask. Even Itachi waited for the boy-turned-adult to show any of the emotional volatility they'd seen before.
But Naruto didn't shift at all.
He stood perfectly stable, posture relaxed, gaze sharp—completely unmoved.
"What?" Naruto said lightly. "You think I'm going to outburst like I used to?"
He tapped a card between his fingers. The air hummed around him.
"The more fragments I gather, the greater my overall becomes. And you all did very well to make that possible." His eye glinted. "Using the Sharingan on the moon made an excellent beacon. Better than I expected."
He adjusted his cane and glanced toward the opening vortex.
"And now I realize some fragments are… harder to reach." A smirk tugged at his lips. "Well. I guess there will be many deals to be made."
"However… there's a twist." His voice lowered, amused and razor-edged. "The First Fragment's memories didn't line up with what I know."
He tapped his temple, eyes narrowing with new calculation.
Yahiko… Nagato… Konan are still alive. Which means I finally understand why Danzō bothered going to the amegakure . Rinnegan hunting. In canon, the timeline already moved forward—Nagato used Gedō Mazō, massacred Hanzō's faction… all that crap. But here? The timeline hasn't caught up.
A slow grin spread across his face. Shisui's tension made it sweeter.
Naruto turned, meeting Shisui's eyes directly. "Shisui. You wanted a game, right?"
Shisui froze a fraction.
Naruto lifted his cane like a conductor preparing a symphony. "Then let's set the stage. Travel to the Amegakure. From there—" his smile sharpened, eyes gleaming with challenge, "the challenger earns the right to challenge me."
The vortex expanded, swallowing half the shrine in swirling black cards. Naruto stepped toward with the calm confidence of someone who already knew the outcome.
"Rain first," he added. "If you can keep up." And then he vanished into the cards.
Izumi frowned at the fading cards. "I don't get it. Why would that kid—now an adult—want to go to Amegakure? There's nothing there except… well, war."
Mikoto blinked, genuinely confused. "War? What kind of war? I've been a housewife for years… I barely keep up with outside politics."
Itachi stepped forward, tone calm and factual. "Amegakure—Rain Village—used to have strong leadership under Hanzō the Salamander. A legend, once. But right now?" He shook his head slightly. "Hanzō lost his conviction. Stopped pursuing peace. Stopped honing his skills. Paranoia took over."
Izumi listened closely.
Itachi continued, voice steady. "He only cares about preserving his power. He distrusts everyone. He lashes out at anyone who might change the village's direction. "
Fugaku folded his arms. "So Naruto's heading straight into a place run by a paranoid warlord."
Itachi's eyes narrowed. "And if Naruto's fragment memories pointed him there… then something in Amegakure is tied to him."
Fugaku placed a hand on his chin, silent for a moment—like he was weighing something he wasn't sure he should say. Mikoto noticed immediately.
"My husband," she said gently, "if you want to add something… it should be now."
Fugaku exhaled. "I just want to mention a very important fact. The reason the village elders and the Sandaime agreed to our demands so easily… is because Danzō wasn't there. They became flexible because the one person who always blocks us was conveniently out of the village for 'diplomacy.' "
Shisui's mind clicked hard, pieces aligning in a sharp instant. "Naruto isn't trying to gather fragments," he muttered. "He's trying to snatch Danzō's Mangekyō Sharingan. That's what he meant by 'half is out there.'"
Itachi turned to speak, but Fugaku cut in with a calm, heavy tone.
"Shisui… you're a good shinobi . You and Itachi both worked under the ANBU. But Danzō is the reason our Uchiha clan is suffering. His paranoia. and accusations . And if you tell him a child wants to steal his Sharingan… he'll think you've gone insane."
Shisui frowned. "So you don't believe he has one?"
Fugaku shook his head. "I don't know. That man keeps his right eye hidden behind bandages, always shut. Whether or not it's a Sharingan… even I cannot tell. However—" he looked between Shisui and Itachi, voice firm "—I will deny both of you if you plan to run after him. If Danzō comes back and discovers the Uchiha clan is suddenly favored, he'll convince Hiruzen to revoke everything. And we'll be right back where we started before Naruto intervened."
He folded his arms, expression hardening. "So I'll be very honest. Let Naruto do whatever he wants with Danzō. If he dices him… that's good for us."
Shisui's brows tightened. "But still, Fugaku-san… the village will lose one of its pillars. One of its protectors."
Mikoto stepped forward before Fugaku could answer. Her voice wasn't sharp—just tired and honest. "He is not a protector, Shisui. Danzō despises us. He's the one who put surveillance around our clan twenty-four hours a day. And not for any crime we committed."
Shisui looked down, conflicted, while Itachi stood beside him in silent agreement.
Fugaku stepped past them with Mikoto, heading toward the exit. His voice carried quiet steel.
"If Naruto wants Danzō… let him have him. It's not our place to interfere. And have you forgotten what you told me, Shisui? Naruto wields something outside our understanding. That absurdly long katana. That magic faster than any ninjutsu."
" I'm going to use Naruto's mindset for now—keep our heads down. We benefit mutually first."
Mikoto paused beside Itachi and Shisui, soft but firm. "Shisui. Itachi . Don't get any ideas. Go home.. Even if it's temporary… enjoy it, just like Naruto said."
Fugaku and Mikoto stepped out into the corridor, sandals brushing against the wooden floor, leaving four people inside the shrine.
Itachi watched their silhouettes fade into the hallway. Shisui exhaled slowly. Sasuke lingered at the back, eyes darting between them. Izumi held her breath, unsure whether to speak.
Itachi spoke first, voice low. "You're thinking the same thing I am, right, Shisui?"
Shisui's jaw tightened. "Yeah. We go after—"
Because Sasuke suddenly blurted, "Wait! You two—wait!"
Itachi turned, face already sharpening. "Sasuke. If you're trying to convince us to bring you, stop. I'm not dragging you to a battlefield."
Sasuke shook his head hard. "I'm not asking to come. I don't want to be a burden." He stepped closer, voice steady but urgent. "But you need to listen to me first."
Shisui blinked. "About what?"
Sasuke swallowed once. "If you're targeting that person named Danzō… then you're chasing the wrong person."
Shisui added, skeptical, "Naruto practically announced he wants Danzō's Sharingan. How is that wrong?"
Sasuke glared at both of them, annoyance flashing across his face. "That's exactly why you're both wrong. You keep looking at only what Naruto says." He jabbed a thumb upward, toward the moon outside. "None of you believed me three days ago, when I said Naruto made every Uchiha stare at the moon for a reason. You thought it was trivial.."
He pointed at the empty air where Naruto had vanished earlier. "But it wasn't trivial. Today proved it. Naruto has more of himself scattered across places we don't know. And he's pulling them back."
Itachi and Shisui stiffened, sharing the same realization.
Sasuke continued, eyes narrowed with the same analytical sharpness he inherited from Mikoto. "So if you think he cares about only Danzō's eye? You're wrong. He's not chasing one thing."
Izumi stepped forward, voice soft but carrying a sting of accuracy. "You know what's really weird about this Naruto?" She looked at Shisui and Itachi. "He let you know first. All of this. On purpose. To be honest… you were baited. Like some villain in those comic books—where the villain ninja is always three steps ahead." She tilted her head. "My suggestion? Stop assuming you're the ones analyzing him."
Sasuke froze. Izumi's words hit him like a hammer. His eyes widened—panic flickering.
"Niisan—Shisui—don't go," Sasuke said urgently, stepping between them. "Not because of Danzō. But because of Naruto. You think he's gathering fragments of himself—fine. But there's always something else happening in the background. Something we don't know. And then— bam—we lose. Just like today."
Izumi lifted a hand hesitantly. "Sasuke-kun… but we—ugh—traded, right? Naruto gets more of himself back, and we Uchiha get more respect. We aren't on the losing end."
Sasuke shook his head, voice sharp. "No. You don't get it. There's always something that makes Naruto automatically win."
He turned to Itachi, voice low and almost pleading. "Niisan… if you value your mentality—your sanity—don't go."