Yoruha walked up to Sasuke.
He looked down at the boy silently,
watching the dazed and thoroughly defeated Uchiha lying on the ground.
For a brief moment, he actually felt a flicker of guilt.
Was it really okay to bully the "Second Pillar" like this?
But then—
When he remembered everything Sasuke would go through in the future…
Yoruha's guilt instantly vanished.
Compared to what that guy named Masashi Kishimoto was going to do to him—
what Yoruha had done just now was a joke at best.
The match was over.
Yoruha had won the bet.
Which meant—
after school ended at eight o'clock,
he could round up his group of little heroes
and happily go sign in at Sasuke's house.
As for the whole "Night of the Uchiha Massacre" situation?
Just look at his current squad—
They were either geniuses from major clans
or Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
Who would dare touch them?
Even if Uchiha Itachi brought out a Gundam and started firing in the courtyard,
the Third Hokage and Danzo would probably have to personally drag him to the afterlife.
So yeah—
this sign-in mission?
No big deal.
8:00 p.m.
Ninja Academy dismissed right on time.
Yoruha gathered his friends and followed Sasuke—
marching boldly toward the Uchiha clan's residential district.
Meanwhile, a nearby Genin who had been assigned to secretly monitor Sasuke
noticed this strange development.
A whole group of kids, following Sasuke home like some after-party?
It didn't feel right.
He hesitated for a moment,
but ultimately decided not to interfere.
Instead, he reported it up the chain—
better to let the higher-ups decide than get blamed later.
In the Hokage's Office—
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat across from Danzo Shimura.
Between them was a chessboard.
But neither man was playing.
The pieces sat unmoved.
The real game was happening elsewhere.
Hiruzen slowly brought his pipe to his lips,
took a long drag,
and blew a ring of smoke in Danzo's direction.
"Danzo…
After tonight, the entire village will be changed forever.
Are we… really doing the right thing?"
Danzo frowned, waved away the smoke, and sneered.
"Hmph. Hiruzen—have you forgotten what our sensei used to say about the Uchiha?"
"The Uchiha were always destined for darkness."
"If they plan to betray the village, it's our duty as its leaders to eliminate the threat. Quickly. Completely."
Hiruzen exhaled quietly,
his gaze cloudy and tired.
He took another puff and murmured:
"Still…
The Uchiha have stood beside us for so long.
They were once our comrades…
I still remember when—"
Danzo's face remained cold.
He stood silently as the Third Hokage drifted into another nostalgic monologue.
Inside, though, Danzo was sneering.
What a sentimental fool.
If we hadn't known each other for so long, I might've actually fallen for this little performance.
But I know the truth behind that soft-spoken act.
Originally, Danzo had his own plan—
He intended to have Uchiha Itachi cooperate with Root.
They would carry out the purge together,
and afterward, pin the blame entirely on Itachi and exile him from the village.
Clean. Efficient. Controlled.
But Hiruzen had pulled a fast one.
He'd personally convinced Itachi to do the job alone,
without giving Danzo any leverage.
Uchiha killing Uchiha?
Tch.
Danzo couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
That old monkey still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
Knock knock knock!
"Come in."
A Genin stepped into the room and bowed quickly.
Danzo's frown deepened.
"Didn't I tell you to keep eyes on Sasuke?
What are you doing here?"
"Danzo-sama," the Genin reported,
"After school, Sasuke went home…
but this time, he brought several classmates with him."
"It looked like they were gathering for some kind of class get-together."
"I considered stopping them,
but I thought that might raise suspicion—
so I came back to report the situation directly to Hokage-sama and yourself."
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