The veil of night descended, a full moon rising, its light reflecting stars on the river's surface, where startled egrets scattered.
Yūhi Kurenai crouched in riverside bushes.
Asuma and the others perched on branches.
Five shinobi and a ninja dog, vigilant, scanned the narrow river's upstream.
A chilly breeze stirred Kurenai's wavy, dark hair, her graceful silhouette shimmering on the water beneath her pale feet, swaying with the ripples, captivating.
Minutes earlier, Asuma's team had rigged the river with exploding tag traps. Even a jōnin, if unaware, would be obliterated stepping into the kill zone.
Kurenai's apricot eyes betrayed worry—hoping Tsukikage would come, yet fearing he would.
Her breath quickened, heart pounding.
If Tsukikage arrived, she'd save him first, ignoring the other Uchiha.
Her pupils trembled as she resolved, never one to dawdle. Once decided, she acted without hesitation.
Her bold spirit stemmed from the Night of the Nine-Tails' Calamity.
Her father, Yūhi Shinku, a Konoha chūnin and genin instructor, had protected and evacuated Kurenai's graduating class during the chaos.
Treated as a child, Kurenai defied her father's authority, insisting that as Konoha ninja, even if unfit for combat, they should aid rescue efforts.
That night, she bared her heart to peers like Might Guy and Kakashi.
Earning Shinku's approval, she was entrusted with the Will of Fire.
But few knew it was Uchiha Tsukikage, standing beside her, offering relentless encouragement, who pushed her to speak.
During her hesitation, Tsukikage gave her the nudge.
That same night, Kurenai watched her father and other jōnin fall to the Nine-Tails' claws.
Without Tsukikage's urging, her class might've been evacuated, and she'd never have stayed by her dying father's side, hearing him call her name, granting him peace.
"Red, what's on your mind?" Asuma asked, noticing her distant gaze, leaping down from the tree.
Kurenai snapped back, stepping away to keep distance, shaking her head. "Nothing."
Asuma frowned, smiling bitterly, then returned to his perch.
---
Kikyō-yama's mountainside, dense with trees.
The Uchiha rogue squad took the mountain path, Kikyō no Sato's myriad lights and the river like a silver sash lying to their east.
"Achoo!" Tsukikage sneezed, wiping his nose, his aloof face resuming its calm as he led the team, leaping through trees.
His gaze, sharp as a torch, pierced the night, guiding them by faint moonlight.
On the move, Tsukikage pondered, refining his defection plan, assessing the ninja world.
Around the clan's massacre, the world seemed calm—no undercurrents, no major events.
"If none exist, I'll make them," he mused.
Chaos was his ally, letting him fish in troubled waters. Otherwise, the five great villages would fixate on his Uchiha squad.
Even with Yachihoko and Kotoamatsukami, survival would be perilous.
He'd long planned to stir trouble, their escape a key step.
From his battle with Danzō, Tsukikage gauged Yachihoko's Mangekyō limits. At full power, its Yin Release chakra could control about 120 elite chūnin-to-jōnin Root operatives in a first-strike.
His weaker ocular power, tied to love-turned-hate, grew with stronger hatred, mental fortitude, and chakra control. For now, he could only hone these gradually.
"Nearly three days since the massacre, my Yachihoko's Yin Release chakra's at thirty percent. Kotoamatsukami's cooldown is done—good enough," he thought, reassured.
As a former Three-Tomoe Uchiha Police Force captain, the original host mastered Uchiha swordsmanship, Fire Release, and close combat.
Yet, without Kotoamatsukami's supreme genjutsu, defection would be far riskier with only Yachihoko's Mangekyō.
Susanoo remained a work in progress.
Killing Danzō, despite the risk, was to seize Kotoamatsukami's Mangekyō.
As the team crossed a ridge—
Swish—swish—swish!
Five dark figures rose from waist-high shrubs, blocking the Uchiha squad.
Under moonlight, their headbands and weapons gleamed.
Tsukikage halted first, crouching on a branch, activating his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, assessing the threat, and signaling behind.
Instantly, except for Minamikaze carrying Tamao and Izumi guarding Mikoto, the other Uchiha vanished into the forest's shadows.
Swift, coordinated, seamless.
Mikoto's dark, striking eyes flickered with shock. The Uchiha's ninja prowess shone in their adaptability.
As a Three-Tomoe jōnin herself, Mikoto knew no team, however skilled, could synchronize so perfectly without a true leader.
"What did he do to earn such fear and trust?" she wondered, glancing at Izumi.
Izumi shot her an annoyed glare, gripping her ninja blade, ready to strike, ignoring her.
Izumi was still mulling if this older woman suited Captain Tsukikage.
So what if she was Itachi's mother? Did that mean she could pluck young leaves?
Cheeks puffed, Izumi clutched her blade. If not for guarding Mikoto, she'd be fighting beside Tsukikage.
Mikoto, puzzled by Izumi's hostility, assumed it was rejection, unaware of the massacre night—when Itachi slaughtered civilians, Tsukikage led these Uchiha to assassinate Konoha's elite, killing Danzō, avenging their clan.
Izumi sighed. "Maybe Captain Tsukikage's choice was wrong. The mountain path led to this ambush. The river might've been safer."
Mikoto ignored Izumi's muttering, her gentle gaze fixed on Tsukikage's upright silhouette.
Ahead, Tsukikage's eyes narrowed, analyzing. In a flash, he drew his ninja blade, charging the five shadows.
In an instant, Mikoto's eyes widened. The scene blurred, then clarified.
Not just Tsukikage—the other Uchiha reappeared, encircling the five shadows, blades crossed at their throats.
The five were caught off-guard.
Silence fell.
Tsukikage's blade pressed a man's throat, cutting skin, blood trickling.
By moonlight, he studied the face—a gaunt youth, wearing a Kirigakure rogue headband, sweating, eyes fierce, gripping a bow.
The youth eyed Tsukikage, then gasped, joy bursting forth:
"Captain Tsukikage! It's me—Yakari! You saved us before!"
(End of Chapter)