Age Sixteen (continued)
Fugaku Uchiha was not what I expected.
I had grown up hearing stories about the Uchiha—my father's clan, the clan that had disowned him, the clan that valued pride above all else. I expected arrogance. Coldness. The kind of people who would rather burn than bend.
But Fugaku was different.
He was quiet, thoughtful, with a weariness in his eyes that spoke of burdens too heavy for a man his age. He was eighteen, but he looked thirty. The weight of being the Uchiha heir had carved lines into his face that shouldn't have been there.
"Your father," he said, after a long silence. "Is he still alive?"
"Barely. The torture took a lot out of him."
"And his eyes?"
"Gone. The Mangekyo consumed them."
Fugaku nodded slowly. "The Mangekyo is a curse. My father used to say that the Uchiha who awaken it are doomed. They either go blind or go mad."
"Your father?"
"Dead. In the war. He awakened his Mangekyo on his deathbed. Too late to save himself."
I didn't know what to say. So I said nothing.
"You came to ask about the traitor," Fugaku said. "The one who sold Uchiha sealing techniques to Kiri."
"Yes."
"I've been investigating. Quietly. The Uchiha compound is small—everyone knows everyone. If someone is selling secrets, they're hiding it well."
"Any suspects?"
Fugaku hesitated. "One. But I need proof before I accuse him."
"Who?"
"Yashiro Uchiha. He's a council member. Close to the elders. He's been acting strangely lately—nervous, secretive. And he's been meeting with someone outside the compound. Someone I don't recognize."
"Can you find out who?"
"I'm trying. But if I'm caught spying on a council member, the consequences would be severe."
"Then let me help. I'm not Uchiha. I can move where you can't."
Fugaku looked at me. His dark eyes were unreadable.
"You're half Uchiha. That counts."
"To you, maybe. To the elders, I'm a missing-nin's bastard."
He almost smiled. "Fair point."
We sat in silence, drinking tea. The tea house was quiet, the other patrons keeping their distance. Two Uchiha, one half-blood, sitting together. It was probably the most scandalous thing that had happened in the compound all week.
"I'll help you," Fugaku said finally. "But you have to be careful. If the traitor finds out we're investigating, he'll disappear. Or worse."
"Worse?"
"He could kill us."
I nodded. "I understand."
"Good." He stood up. "Come back tomorrow night. I'll have more information."
He left. I sat alone in the tea house, staring at the empty cup in front of me.
The Uchiha compound was smaller than I expected. Tighter. The streets were narrow, the buildings close together, the walls high. It felt like a fortress—or a prison.
I wondered what it would have been like to grow up here. Surrounded by Uchiha, trained in the Uchiha ways, taught to value pride and honor above all else. Would I have been different? Would I have been colder?
Probably.
I was glad my father had left.
---
The next night, I returned to the compound.
Fugaku was waiting for me at the same tea house. He looked even more tired than before, dark circles under his eyes.
"Yashiro is meeting someone tonight," he said. "At the old warehouse on the edge of the compound. I want you to follow him. See who he's meeting."
"Why me?"
"Because I can't be seen. And because you have the Sharingan. You can see things that others can't."
I nodded. "Where's the warehouse?"
Fugaku gave me directions. I memorized them and left.
---
The old warehouse was abandoned—or it was supposed to be. But as I approached, I saw light flickering through the cracks in the walls. Voices, low and urgent.
I activated my Sharingan. My right eye—the good one—sharpened, the world becoming clearer. The left eye was still mostly useless, but I could see shadows, movement.
I crept closer, keeping to the shadows.
Two figures inside. One was Yashiro Uchiha—I recognized his build, his posture. The other was a stranger, cloaked in dark fabric, their face hidden.
"You have the payment?" the stranger asked.
"Half now. Half when the weapon is delivered."
"Acceptable."
Yashiro handed over a scroll. The stranger unrolled it, examined it, then nodded.
"The bomb will be ready by the next full moon. Make sure your people are clear of the target zone."
"They will be."
The stranger left through a back door. I followed.
---
The stranger was fast. Faster than I expected. They moved through the streets of the compound like a ghost, slipping through shadows, avoiding patrols.
I chased them for ten minutes, my Sharingan tracking their movements, my chains ready to strike. But they were always one step ahead.
Finally, they stopped. In an alley. Waiting for me.
"I know you're there, Uzumaki," they said. Their voice was distorted, altered.
I stepped out of the shadows. "Who are you?"
"Someone who knows more than you." They turned. The cloak fell away.
I stared.
It was Orochimaru.
---
"Surprised?" he asked, smiling his thin smile.
"You're the traitor?"
"I'm many things. Traitor. Genius. Visionary." He tilted his head. "I'm also the only one who can save your eyes."
"The Eternal Mangekyo."
"Yes. Your father's eyes. My surgery. A perfect partnership."
"You sold Uchiha sealing techniques to Kiri. You helped them build a weapon that could destroy Konoha."
"I helped them build a weapon that will force Konoha to change. To evolve. The village has grown complacent. Soft. A crisis will wake them up."
"You're insane."
"Perhaps." He stepped closer. "But I'm also right. You've seen the rot in Konoha. The corruption. The stagnation. The Uchiha are planning a coup. The elders are plotting against the Hokage. The village is tearing itself apart from the inside."
"And you think a bomb will fix that?"
"I think a bomb will force everyone to choose a side. And when the dust settles, the strong will survive. The weak will die. That's the natural order."
I wanted to argue. But I couldn't. Because part of me—the part that had seen the council's maneuvering, the elders' lies, the Uchiha's resentment—agreed with him.
"You're still a traitor," I said.
"Perhaps. But I'm also the only one who can help you." He turned away. "Think about it, Ren. Your father is dying. Your eyes are failing. The war is not over. You need power. And I'm the only one who can give it to you."
He disappeared into the shadows.
I stood in the alley, alone, and wondered if he was right.