"Sorry, sorry, I'm late."
Sliding open the wooden door, Uchiha Shisui appeared with his usual easy smile. His hair was damp with sweat, his uniform slightly disheveled — clearly, he'd come running.
Sitting in the private room, everyone turned toward him. The smell of grilled meat and warm broth filled the air, a faint haze from the grill still curling up near the vent.
"I didn't expect Kakashi-senpai to be here too." Shisui continued, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Oh, and this is..."
"We encountered something unusual this afternoon, senpai." Hidezawa said before Yugao could respond. His tone carried a hint of mischief, his lips curling upward.
"Although it's better to keep this matter secret, let's just say it was… interesting."
The gleam in his eyes made Kakashi glance over with quiet amusement. But Hidezawa wasn't exaggerating — the event earlier that day had been enough to shake even the foundations of the village.
It wasn't every day one stormed Shimura Danzo's stronghold, clashed with Root operatives, and walked out alive. For Hidezawa, it had been both chaos and opportunity — a subtle form of revenge against the man who, in another time, would be the architect of the Uchiha's downfall.
Unfortunately, Shisui, who now stood smiling before him, didn't know that yet.
"Is that so?" Shisui asked with a faint chuckle, though his eyes betrayed curiosity.
He didn't press further. If Hidezawa said it was a mission matter, he would respect that. Still, beneath his calm exterior, Shisui's mind was elsewhere.
He hadn't been late because of casual training as he told Yugao earlier. In truth, he had been meeting one of the elders of the Uchiha Clan — a conversation that left a heavy taste in his mouth.
The Uchiha were fracturing again.
Once, before the Nine-Tails Incident, their clan had been divided into three clear factions. The first, the radicals, clung to Uchiha Setsuna's ideals — a belief in reclaiming lost pride through power, by force if necessary.
The second, Shisui's own faction, sought peaceful integration — to align with the village, not against it. They wanted to prove that the Uchiha could be both loyal shinobi and proud heirs of their bloodline.
And the third group — the neutral "everyday people" — had cared little for ideology. They followed whichever side won.
But that was before.
After the Nine-Tails attacked, the village's suspicion had turned into chains. The entire clan was forced to relocate to a remote district on the outskirts. Whispers spread like poison — that the Uchiha had controlled the Nine-Tails, that their eyes harbored its power.
Those "everyday people" had long since taken sides, mostly joining the radicals out of bitterness. The moderates like Shisui became fewer and more isolated, their voices drowned by resentment.
He had joined the Anbu to gain the Hokage's trust, to show that the Uchiha still belonged in Konoha. But one man's loyalty couldn't heal a clan's paranoia — nor the village's fear.
Still, he tried. And seeing Hidezawa today reminded him that not all loyalty was blind.
"Alright, let's not talk about heavy things." Hidezawa said suddenly, breaking Shisui's thoughts. He raised his cup of juice and smiled. "It's break time. No mission talk tonight. If we could drink, I'd say we don't stop until we're drunk!"
"Please." Yugao sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We're shinobi. How can we drink recklessly?"
Her tone was half scolding, half amused.
"Besides," she continued, "don't forget the Three Prohibitions for ninja."
"But, I've heard some things about Jiraiya-sama." Hidezawa countered innocently, glancing toward Kakashi.
"Kakashi-senpai, doesn't Jiraiya-sama completely ignore those prohibitions — and still remain a powerful shinobi?"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Kakashi almost choked on his drink, his visible eye narrowing. "Hidezawa," he muttered helplessly, "you really know how to dig a trap for someone."
Should he deny it? Admit it? Either answer would just make Jiraiya look worse.
Tenzo — still awkward from his new identity and unused to casual dinners — spoke up seriously.
"I think… since we're still young shinobi, it's better not to touch alcohol. People get dizzy easily. And remember those missions we had where we waited for the target to get drunk before… well, you know."
He trailed off awkwardly.
Yugao blinked. Shisui glanced sideways. Even Kakashi's eyebrow twitched.
Hidezawa, though, stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Indeed, drunk people are the easiest to deal with. And it's simple to disguise their deaths as accidents — like falling from a rooftop."
"Hidezawa!"
Yugao couldn't hold back anymore. She smacked his shoulder sharply. "Enough. Both of you. This is supposed to be a break!"
"Alright, alright." Hidezawa laughed, rubbing his shoulder. Then, glancing at Shisui, he added, "Senpai, you also have the Sharingan. I think you and Kakashi-senpai could exchange ideas."
Shisui blinked, then nodded. "That's not a bad idea. I've been meaning to speak with him for some time."
Kakashi leaned back, eye half-closed. The Sharingan he bore — Obito's eye — had once caused enormous controversy within the Uchiha Clan. Yet, in time, even the clan's leader had chosen to let it go.
For Shisui, it wasn't about blame. He was genuinely curious — curious how someone not born of Uchiha blood had mastered their eye so naturally.
Soon, the two had leaned close, their voices low as they discussed genjutsu control, visual acuity, and how to mitigate the Sharingan's strain.
Meanwhile, Hidezawa's gaze drifted to the opposite seat — to Tenzo.
His expression was unreadable, but deep inside, curiosity burned.
Wood Style — Mokuton. The legendary power of Senju Hashirama, recreated through genetic experimentation.
Hidezawa's mind raced. His own physical constitution had already surpassed most elite-jōnin. Yet he knew that controlling Wood-style required not only a strong body, but something more — the essence of Yang-style.
'Yamato's Wood-style combines Earth and Water-style, but it's incomplete. The real core lies in the vitality — the life energy born from Yang chakra. The real Wood-style is not a Kekkei Genkai but rather a Kekkei Tōta.' he thought.
He could almost feel the potential humming under his skin. His stats were monstrous, his chakra control honed beyond normal human limits. All he needed was the key — the right combination.
But such power came with risk.
'Even Hashirama's cells would tear my body apart if I'm not careful. I'm no Uchiha, no experiment vessel. I'll need to evolve my own path… step by step.'
He folded his arms, a small grin forming. 'And for that, I'll need to inherit Danzo's legacy — not just his Root, but his resources, his experiments, his forbidden archives. That'll be the foundation.'
Across the table, Yugao noticed his faraway look.
"What's wrong? Are you angry." she asked quietly.
"Sorry." Hidezawa said with a smile, waving it off. "I was just thinking — I lost control earlier when I saw my former Root comrade. You were right to stop me. I should thank you for that."
"Is that so?" Yugao blinked, still not quite sure what he meant.
"Yes," Hidezawa replied, his smile softening. "I hope senpai will continue to look after me in the future, alright?"
"I told you, just call me Yugao." she said, narrowing her eyes. Then, catching his gaze, she added, "Don't worry. I'll always look after you—"
Her voice caught. The last word hung in the air, her expression flickering with sudden realization.
'Always?' she thought, startled by her own words.
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]
✓ The Academy's Saint Is Too Popular, But He's Not the Protagonist [R-18]