Uchiha Clan Compound
Uchiha Fugaku sat quietly with his eyes closed, waiting for Itachi to return from the Hokage's office.
A heavy anger simmered inside him. He was furious at both Konoha's higher-ups and at Uchiha Shisui.
The Mangekyō Sharingan—a matter so important—had been kept secret from him.
Did they not see him as clan leader at all?
If they'd told him sooner, things wouldn't have come to this.
The door slid open.
"Father,"
Itachi stepped in, took off his shoes, and sat before his father.
"What did the Third say to you?"
Fugaku opened his eyes and asked.
"Not much."
Itachi replied in a low voice, "He claimed he knew nothing about this, promised to bring Shisui back, and said Orochimaru and Danzō would be severely punished."
It was the same old line, but Itachi believed him.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi had really been behind it, he could have taken Shisui's eyes easily, given Shisui's trust in him.
So this was all Danzō and Orochimaru's doing.
In the original story, Shisui's fate was almost the same—
The only difference was Orochimaru's involvement.
Even after Danzō ambushed Shisui, stole one eye, and drove him to suicide,
Itachi still didn't seek revenge,
because he inherited Shisui's will:
the Will of Fire, Konoha above all, family comes second.
"Father, I joined the Anbu."
Itachi paused, then continued.
"Anbu?"
Fugaku frowned instinctively.
But after a moment's thought, he realized that after Shisui's disappearance, the clan did need another spy to keep tabs on Konoha's leadership.
And as his own son, Itachi was hardly likely to betray the clan.
Letting him serve as a spy was reliable.
"But remember, no matter what, you are always a member of the Uchiha clan."
Fugaku warned.
Itachi nodded, but inside, he was a little disappointed.
Father, you always only care about the clan—can't you see Konoha at all?
"What were Shisui's eyes capable of?"
Fugaku got to the point.
The Mangekyō's greatest power was its unique dōjutsu.
Itachi fell silent.
"Itachi, with Shisui missing, and a mysterious figure possibly having his eyes, our clan could be in danger."
Fugaku frowned. "Tell me, so I can prepare."
"Kotoamatsukami,"
Itachi hesitated, then said, "It can control people and change their minds without them ever noticing."
Fugaku's eyes widened, then he slammed the table, furious. "That idiot!"
Such a terrifying jutsu, and he only mentions it after losing it?
If they'd used it to control Sarutobi, the Uchiha would never be in this mess.
Shisui, what were you thinking?
But it was too late now.
A deep wariness flashed in Fugaku's eyes.
Until they found this mysterious figure and Shisui, everything had to be put on hold.
The Uchiha would have no peace.
Itachi watched him blankly. He'd expected this, so he wasn't surprised.
"Go check on Sasuke. He's always liked you best, but he's shaken up and emotionally unstable right now."
After a while, Fugaku's tone softened.
"Yes."
Itachi got up, shut the door, and left.
…
Hyuga Residence
Natsume once again carried Hinata back inside.
Fortunately, no one had come looking for her this time.
"See you next time."
He patted her hair, then vanished.
With a reverse summoning, he returned to his room.
When he opened the door, Tsunade was watching TV.
She looked up, sensing his arrival, and asked quietly, "Saw Hinata again?"
After speaking, she realized her tone was too obvious.
It was just that she'd seen that smile on Natsume's face—
and knowing it wasn't for her, she felt a little sad.
Tsunade quickly tried to cover up: "Natsume, go help Shizune bring out the dishes."
But the next second, Shizune had already brought them out.
She hadn't noticed the awkward atmosphere and simply called out, "Come eat!"
Tsunade was instantly embarrassed.
She glanced at Natsume, feeling a little flustered for some reason.
But she was Tsunade, after all, and quickly regained her composure.
"Natsume, don't just stand there. Eat."
"Okay."
Natsume raised his eyebrows—Tsunade's girlish attitude just now was pretty amusing.
Natsume hurried over and sat next to Tsunade.
The three of them picked up their chopsticks, and dinner officially began.
"When will the Chūnin Exams resume?"
Natsume was still thinking about Tsunade's promised reward.
He wondered what kind it would be.
Hopefully the kind he was thinking of.
"The day after tomorrow."
Tsunade assumed he just cared about becoming a Chūnin and didn't think too much about it.
Natsume had wanted to ask about Shisui,
but since the exams were resuming so soon, Hiruzen had probably handled it already.
He didn't really care about the details.
He'd already gotten his "Fate Points."
Now, the person Hiruzen and the others most wanted to find was probably him—
but they'd never connect it to him, not even Tsunade.
Anyone who'd seen the mysterious figure's Wood Release wouldn't suspect him,
since he didn't have that ability.
…
Day Three.
Kabuto and Hana arrived early.
"Shiro's as energetic as ever."
Natsume reached out and ruffled Hana's husky, Shiro—its fur was fluffy and soft.
"Let's go."
Tsunade glanced at Natsume; she wanted to pet him, too—
not the dog, but his head.
They headed for the Forest of Death.
After the first elimination round, only half the teams were left—ten squads.
Natsume didn't see Itachi.
Did he get in through Sarutobi's connections?
After all, he'd joined Anbu.
The new proctor wasn't Jiraiya, but Kurenai Yuhi—
a genjutsu master and Hinata's future team leader in canon,
still quite young, about nineteen.
Her boyfriend was Asuma, Sarutobi's son—
the money unit of the Naruto world,
famous alongside Kakashi's chakra unit.
At this point, Asuma should be one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
"…The rules are as follows: Each squad gets a random scroll. If you have a Heaven Scroll, you must get an Earth Scroll, and vice versa. Only teams with both scrolls can reach the tower and advance to the third round. If you can't continue, fire a signal flare for rescue."
Kurenai announced, "The second round starts now!"
…
Land of Water, Hidden Mist Village.
A pale-skinned youth emerged from the ground.
"Madara, something happened in Konoha you might find interesting."
"Oh? What is it?"
Uchiha Obito, masked, asked casually.
"Uchiha Shisui is missing, Itachi's got three-tomoe Sharingan and joined Anbu."
"Interesting. He's only eight, right? He might make a good piece. Keep an eye on him."
Obito's tone suddenly chilled.
"As for me, unless I slaughter Hidden Mist, how could I face Rin's death?"
When the Fourth Mizukage broke free from Obito's control isn't clear in canon, but based on the timeline, it should be within these years.
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