Uchiha Yuzuru stepped out of his room and stretched with both hands raised over his head.
The plan for what came next was more or less set.
Now all they had to do was stay on guard and wait quietly for their prey to come knocking.
He felt things out for a moment, then headed to the right.
Before long, he spotted Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto locked in a hug.
"You two?"
Catching the surprise in Yuzuru's eyes, Mikoto hurriedly let go of Kushina. "Yuzuru, it's been so long since we last saw each other, so..."
"Don't get the wrong idea."
Kushina went, "Oh, come on," and took Mikoto's hand. "We're sisters. We hugged and chatted. What is there to explain?"
"But you..."
She tilted her head, studying him. "You dragged me here without asking—did your clan head chew you out for it?"
Kushina understood perfectly. As the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Konoha Village would never give her up easily.
Taking her with them could very well drag the Uchiha clan into trouble.
She had already decided that if the Uchiha took issue with her being here, she would leave of her own accord.
Yuzuru reached out and ruffled Kushina's hair, clearly displeased. "If I brought you out, do you think it was so I could abandon you?"
"The Uchiha clan answers to me now. From today on, treat this place like your own home."
At Mikoto's words, Kushina's face flushed.
What do you mean, 'even if it's because of Yuzuru'...
Did Mikoto notice something?
Yuzuru dropped onto the floor casually and said flatly, "I'm not a hero. I just do what I want to do—protect the people I want to protect."
Mikoto, for once, pushed back. "No. You are a hero. You're the hero who saved the Uchiha clan."
And my hero, too, Kushina added silently.
Seeing how serious Mikoto was, Yuzuru pulled her into his arms.
"Yuzuru, Kushina's still here..."
"It's fine."
Watching Yuzuru and Mikoto lean against each other, a flicker of envy—laced with a quiet loneliness—crossed Kushina's face.
All of a sudden, a large hand slipped over and caught hers.
"Ah!"
"Kushina, what's wrong?"
"N-Nothing. There was a bug."
She said it, then shot Yuzuru a look that was equal parts startled and furious, though her body stopped struggling.
That night, everyone gathered to eat.
When the Uchiha learned Kushina's true identity, every last one of them gaped in shock.
A moment later, bursts of delighted laughter rang out one after another.
"Hahahahaha...!
As expected of Lord Yuzuru—he even went and abducted the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Those Konoha bastards are going to be furious."
"Seriously. Sarutobi Hiruzen and the rest are probably splitting their heads over it right now. A Nine-Tails rampage isn't something you can stop on a whim."
"Now that Konoha's missing Kushina and our Uchiha Sharingan, if the Nine-Tails goes wild, Konoha will be nothing but ruins."
"Kushina, right? From now on, you just live with us in peace. We'll deal with Konoha's enemies."
Hearing the Uchiha speak so warmly, a wave of heat spread through Kushina's chest.
Then, as if she'd made up her mind, she pulled a sealing scroll from inside her clothes, walked up to Yuzuru, and said, "Yuzuru, this contains the sealing jutsu of the Uzumaki clan. I'm giving it to the Uchiha."
The moment the words left her mouth, the noisy room fell dead silent.
Everyone stared at Uzumaki Kushina in stunned disbelief.
The sealing jutsu of the Uzumaki clan...
It was something the entire shinobi world drooled over.
Otherwise, the Land of Whirlpools wouldn't have been wiped off the map in the first place.
With something that precious, even a great shinobi clan like the Uchiha couldn't possibly remain unmoved.
Even Yuzuru was surprised. "Kushina, this is the Uzumaki clan's legacy, isn't it? Are you sure you can just hand it over to us?"
Kushina nodded hard. "I can. Everyone accepted me, so I want to do my part for the Uchiha!"
"All right!"
Someone shouted it, and the next instant, thunderous applause broke out.
Kushina was happy—truly happy—that the Uchiha clan had accepted her, and the Uchiha were no less proud to have earned the acknowledgment of an Uzumaki survivor.
Early the next morning, Yuzuru was jolted awake by rapid knocking.
He opened the door and immediately saw Uchiha Obito wearing goggles.
"Obito, what is it? It's barely morning."
"Big Bro Yuzuru!"
Obito shouted, "Teach me to become a ninja. I don't want the people at the ninja academy to outpace me."
He'd been at the academy for less than ten days, but Obito already had a few people he was itching to surpass.
That smug, dead-fish-eyed Kakashi who never looked at anyone head-on; that face-blind Might Guy who ran around in a green skin-tight suit yelling about youth; that Kage's kid Sarutobi Asuma who was even more arrogant than an Uchiha...
Every one of them laughed at him for being dead last.
Even if he'd already left Konoha, the next time he saw them, he would grind them under his heel and show them what a real Uchiha looked like!
Yuzuru replied blandly, "Doesn't the clan have people specifically assigned to train you?"
"I don't like it." Obito shook his head. "Those clan members aren't strong enough, and they make us spend half the day on culture classes..."
"I want to become the strongest Uchiha. Big Bro Yuzuru, will you teach me?!"
Looking into Obito's eager eyes, Yuzuru stroked his chin. "Obito, getting stronger isn't simple. Can you stick with it?"
"Of course!" Obito pointed at himself, brimming with confidence. "I'm not the kind of person who gives up easily."
"Fine."
There wasn't much going on right now anyway, and it wouldn't hurt to shape Obito up a bit.
"That's awesome!"
When Yuzuru agreed, Obito jumped up in excitement.
Yuzuru was the most talented ninja the clan had produced in years, and on top of that, he possessed the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan...
If Obito trained under Yuzuru, he'd definitely become the next strongest!
"Big Bro Yuzuru... I want to study culture classes."
Obito sprawled face-down on the ground, utterly drained, his expression as lifeless as a corpse.
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
He felt like he was dying.
Did this man even see him as human with this kind of training?!
Watching Obito collapse there, Yuzuru couldn't help a note of admiration. "Even after pushing yourself this far, you still want to keep at culture classes?"
"H-Hajito, you idiot..."
Obito immediately hurried to explain, "Big Bro Yuzuru, I mean... I won't come to you for training anymore. I think training with the clan suits me better."
"And... I'm not Hajito. I'm Uchiha Obito!"
Yuzuru refused without hesitation. "Obito, you're not like the others. Don't waste your time on culture classes."
Seeing Obito about to argue further, Yuzuru's expression turned cold. "Get up and train. If you don't, I'll plant you in the ground like a ginseng root."
Day by day, word spread through the shinobi world that the Uchiha clan had left Konoha and taken up residence in the Land of Rice Fields.
With the hardline stance of Shimura Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado, Sarutobi Hiruzen—acting as Hokage—issued an order branding every member of the Uchiha clan a wanted rogue ninja.
That meant there would never again be any possibility of reconciliation between Konoha and the Uchiha.
When the news broke, the entire shinobi world found it unbelievable.
Aside from Konoha's own villagers, even the other citizens of the Land of Fire couldn't understand it.
The Uchiha clan—founders of Konoha—had been hunted as Konoha's traitors?
How was that even reasonable?
The Senju clan had already faded from Konoha without a trace, and now the Uchiha clan had left as well...
If that was the case, was it still Konoha?
Konoha Village's prestige in the shinobi world plummeted, and accordingly, commissions to hire its ninja dropped off in massive numbers.
Even the daimyo of the Land of Fire personally demanded answers.
In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen went to the daimyo's palace to apologize in person, swearing up and down that the security of the Land of Fire would not be affected in any way. Only then did the daimyo let the matter rest.
Even so, he made it clear that future financial support for Konoha would be reduced by 30%.
Those who felt it most directly were Konoha's ordinary villagers and the lowest-ranking ninja.
Many people couldn't even guarantee their basic meals.
Under those conditions, Konoha's crime rate skyrocketed at an absurd pace.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was so busy he was nearly losing his mind, but building an organization to replace the Military Police Force was no easy task.
In less than a month after the Uchiha left the village, people had already begun openly questioning him as Hokage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his office smoking for an entire day, unable to make sense of it.
It was just the loss of the Uchiha clan...
How did things fall apart this fast?
While Sarutobi Hiruzen struggled to put out fires inside the village, the other shinobi villages began to stir.
Land of Wind.
Sunagakure.
The Third Kazekage, Granny Chiyo, Ebizo, and the others sat around a massive desk.
After weighing his words, the Third Kazekage said, "The Uchiha clan is currently stationed in the Land of Rice Fields. We can try to make contact."
"If we can draw the Uchiha clan into Sunagakure, our village's strength and prestige will reach a new height."
"And once that happens, many of the things we want to do will become possible."
After hearing his analysis, Granny Chiyo snorted, ice in her voice. "Those Uchiha could even betray the village they helped build. What loyalty could they possibly have?"
"Instead of courting the Uchiha, we should seize the chance to attack Konoha."
"Konoha's internal affairs are bound to be a mess right now. They won't be able to withstand our assault."
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