The Land of Fire, Hidden Leaf Village.
Dusk was slowly falling over Konoha, painting the rooftops in shades of gold and crimson. The villagers were winding down their day, shopkeepers calling out their final sales, children racing each other home before their mothers scolded them for being late. At the entrance gate, two Chūnin guards leaned lazily against the wooden posts, chatting idly about dinner.
Their conversation ended abruptly when they noticed a figure approaching from the road.
It was a man in the dark-blue attire of the Uchiha Clan, a metal forehead protector tied not across his brow but around his upper arm. His steps were unhurried, almost playful, as if he were returning from a leisurely stroll rather than a battlefield. He twirled a kunai casually in his hand, the blade flashing in the fading light.
His face was striking—gentle as a spring breeze, with eyes that curved like a kind older brother's smile. His expression radiated ease, the sort of warmth that made strangers instinctively lower their guard. At first glance, he looked like the dependable young man next door, cheerful and approachable.
But that image crumbled immediately when one noticed the bloodied, unconscious shinobi he was dragging by the collar behind him, leaving a long streak on the dirt path.
A strange, almost surreal painting was born in that moment—warm sunset colors, a charming smile, and the trailing corpse of some poor unfortunate soul. The villagers would later call such moments his "Dusk Beauty."
The guards stiffened.
The man raised a hand in greeting, his grin widening.
"Two elder brothers at the gate, working hard as always. The day's almost over—you've had quite a tiring shift, haven't you?"
His words were polite, even affectionate, but the guards' faces soured instantly. Their easy moods vanished the second they recognized him.
It wasn't because of his looks—if anything, he was handsome even by Uchiha standards, which was saying a lot. It wasn't even the bloody ninja he dragged, though that didn't help.
It was because of his reputation.
This man was Uchiha Yato.
Among Konoha's civilians, he was one of the rare Uchiha who mixed easily, smiling at children, helping merchants carry boxes, chatting freely with people outside his clan. That alone set him apart. But within both the clan and the village, Yato carried another, far more infamous title: "The Stirring Rod of the Night Light."
Yato always insisted the name was unfair. "If I were truly a stirring rod," he once joked, "then the whole of Konoha, maybe even the whole world, would be a pot I stir."
And the truth was… that wasn't far off.
He could not be bested in battle, nor defeated in argument. He created headaches wherever he went.
In terms of strength, Yato was no lightweight. He was already a Jōnin with a fully matured Three-Tomoe Sharingan. His abilities were unique, his power considerable. His learning speed was absurd—basic jutsu took him one glance, while more advanced techniques bent to him after only a few days of practice.
By all logic, Uchiha Yato should have been the pride of his clan, a shining symbol of Konoha, standing alongside the legendary Sannin who were only a few years older.
But he was not.
Because Yato was outrageous.
---
A Tale from the Second Great Ninja War
During the Second Great Ninja War, Yato had been dispatched to support the Sannin. His mission was simple: intercept Sunagakure's reinforcements and disrupt their supply line.
By any measure, he succeeded spectacularly. He eliminated several Sand shinobi, captured their supplies, and sent his escort team—six or seven Chūnin and a Jōnin—to reinforce the front lines.
But what he did next became the stuff of legend.
Instead of finishing off the remaining two Jōnin and four Chūnin from Sunagakure, he kept them alive… and decided to "play" with them.
When Chiyo of the Sand received the distress report, her eyes nearly twitched out of her head.
"What the hell is this?" she snapped at her brother Ebizō. "Who ambushes reinforcements, seizes supplies, and then… plays house with them?!"
The letter went on to describe how Yato forced the Sand shinobi to role-play. Half of them had to pretend to be Konoha ninja, while Yato himself played the part of Sunagakure. Then they would fight mock battles. Of course, Yato always won, and afterward he would lecture them about the futility of war.
He even told them, "Hidden Sand will surely win!" while knocking them around.
Chiyo fumed. "If fighting is wrong, why didn't he say that before he beat them half to death?"
The surviving shinobi returned to Sunagakure in bizarre states. Two Jōnin would wake screaming "Demon Uchiha!" in the middle of the night. Two Chūnin twitched endlessly, compelled to perform a strange "unity dance." The other two swore they kept seeing a chicken in overalls dancing in their dreams—if they didn't join the dance, they'd be trapped in genjutsu forever.
When high-ranking officials asked about their suffering, the Chūnin looked as pitiful as violated brides.
Ebizō, reading the report, muttered in awe, "This boy is a genius. He gathers no intelligence, yet the psychological torment he inflicts is beyond measure."
Chiyo, meanwhile, subtly pulled young Sasori behind her. His parents had just died at Konoha's hands; the last thing she needed was for him to learn some cursed hypnotic dance from Yato.
From that day onward, the Sand gave Yato a new name: "Nightmare Yato."
---
Trouble with Allies
And Yato didn't just torment enemies. He tormented his allies too.
Later in the war, he was sent to the Land of Rain to aid the Sannin again. He arrived just in time for the famous battle where Hanzō the Salamander spared Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade, granting them the title of the "Three Sannin."
Originally, it was a dignified compromise—Hanzō wary of Konoha's strength, and the Sannin realizing they could not defeat him. Both sides would retreat with honor.
Then Yato showed up.
He called out cheerfully, "Don't be afraid, honored Sannin! We not only have Hokage-sama, but also Danzo Shimura-sama backing you from the rear!"
Then, staring at Hanzō, he added with mock seriousness:
"Old man, you know Danzo-sama is the pettiest man alive. If you bully Hokage-sama's disciples today, he'll retaliate tomorrow. Then your Rain Village will be doomed."
The atmosphere froze. The Sannin winced. "Where did this jinx come from? He just had to stir up trouble."
Back in Konoha, Danzo turned purple with rage. "This damned Uchiha wants the whole world to hate me! How am I supposed to become Hokage like this?!"
Because of Yato's big mouth, Hanzō signed a surrender document instead of letting both sides retreat peacefully.
Konoha's civilians celebrated. The higher-ups seethed.
---
A Thorn in Danzo's Side
When Yato returned, Danzo stormed to the Uchiha compound demanding punishment.
But Yato had anticipated it. He had already whispered advice to the clan head, Uchiha Kei.
So when Danzo arrived, order in hand, Kei simply said, "Yato is still a child. His affairs are ours to handle."
Danzo exploded, shouting at the Uchiha compound's gates. The Uchiha, never needing much excuse to fight, immediately clashed with his men.
In the end, both sides backed down. Yato received mild punishment within the clan. After all, his antics had forced the Rain to retreat, lightening Konoha's burdens.
But the damage was done. Danzo's hatred for the Uchiha deepened that day.
---
Back to the Present
And now, years later, Yato strolled back into Konoha with another corpse in tow, whistling like he had just gone fishing.
The gate guards wanted nothing more than to ignore him, but before they could, another Uchiha appeared—a younger shinobi named Ren.
"Lord Yato," Ren said with a respectful bow. "The clan head requests your presence at the shrine after your mission."
"Alright then," Yato replied breezily. He handed over the mission scroll. "Ren, please help me submit this one. I'll head to the shrine now."
Without another word, he jogged off toward the Uchiha compound.
The three men left behind breathed sighs of relief. Where Yato went, trouble followed. Best to avoid it.
Just then, a folded slip of paper fluttered to the ground.
Ren picked it up. Written neatly were the words:
"The mission mentioned a smuggler ninja. He's from the Sarutobi Clan. All incriminating evidence is in his pocket. Just take it."
Ren froze.
Of course. Anything connected to Uchiha Yato was bound to bring misfortune.
The two gate guards didn't even glance at the note. They knew better—just looking at Yato's trail of trouble was enough to get caught in it.
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