Kurenai slowly put on her clothes and sat up on the bed. Her limbs were still a little weak, and she used her hands to support herself.
From the way she moved, it was clear that even dressing was a struggle. Her body hadn't fully recovered yet.
Uchiha Hikaru pulled open a drawer and took out a chakra-replenishing pill.
"Here. These are military ration pills from the Nara Clan. They'll help restore your strength."
Kurenai took the pill, examined the smooth, round surface, and placed it in her mouth, chewing it into pieces.
"This one tastes pretty good. Much better than the standard issue pills."
With that, she turned and disappeared through the window.
Uchiha Hikaru followed her and watched her silhouette fade into the night. He noticed her legs still trembling slightly and that her posture as she moved away was a little awkward.
"Take it slow. Some moves are still too much for her right now. Physical combat has always been Kurenai's weak point…"
He looked up at the full moon, clear and bright in the sky, and couldn't help but feel that peaceful nights like this were becoming rarer.
Just then, from the direction Kurenai had left, Uchiha Hikaru sensed a chakra signature rapidly approaching.
Kurenai again? No… she's not in any condition to move that fast. Who would come to see me in the middle of the night?
Moments later, a figure with white hair appeared in front of him.
"Uchiha Hikaru, sorry for disturbing you at this hour."
The spiky, white-haired man wore an ANBU uniform and a mask. Uchiha Hikaru instantly recognized him.
"What does the famous ANBU 'Copy Ninja' Hatake Kakashi want with me so late at night? Don't tell me the Third Hokage has sent you on another mission to spy on the Uchiha clan's deputy leader?"
Kakashi removed his mask and shook his head.
"Sandaime-sama didn't give me any such orders. This is my own decision. It has nothing to do with the Hokage."
Hikaru's curiosity was piqued.
"Then why are you here?"
"Itachi asked me about my Sharingan when we were on a mission together about two weeks ago."
"I told him… this eye carries the will of my best friend. I'm fulfilling it on behalf of Obito."
Uchiha Hikaru thought back to the original timeline. Was that true? Maybe it was buried somewhere in the canon. He didn't remember it clearly—who really has time to scrutinize Naruto's backstory frame by frame?
"So, what are you trying to ask me?"
Hikaru studied Kakashi, wondering if the man had pieced something together. He'd need to find a way to draw Kakashi to his side, or else...
"As Itachi's ANBU captain, I'm aware of some things related to him—like what happened to Shisui recently."
"Shisui was always Itachi's best friend. But his suicide… and Itachi's questions… I believe Shisui's eye is now in Itachi's possession."
"If that's true, then his death couldn't have been just a suicide. Tell me—who attacked Shisui? A traitor targeting comrades in the village—ANBU will never tolerate that!"
Hikaru looked at Kakashi in silence. He hadn't expected him to figure this much out already. It might be best to leverage the moment—reveal the truth and possibly gain an ally.
"Are you sure you can handle the truth?"
He asked in a solemn tone.
Kakashi nodded without hesitation. Ever since Obito and Rin had died, he'd lived with self-blame—always feeling like he had failed to protect his comrades. Now, Itachi was under his command. He refused to let the same tragedy happen again.
What Kakashi didn't know was that by seeking the truth, he was about to be pulled into a massive vortex—one that stretched back to the darkest corners of his past.
"That night during the Uchiha Clan assembly… Danzo stole Shisui's Sharingan. To protect the other eye, Shisui entrusted it to Itachi. That's the truth."
Kakashi froze, staring at Hikaru, shocked by the revelation.
Danzo? The Hokage's advisor? The leader of Root? He was the one who attacked Shisui?
His mind went blank. If this ever came to light, it would shake Konoha to its core. Did the Third know? No—Danzo must have acted in secret.
Memories surged to the surface—memories of the Wood Release ninja "A." Danzo had brainwashed that boy, wiped his memories, then ordered him to kill Kakashi and steal his Sharingan.
Kakashi's fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.
He hadn't expected Danzo's obsession with the Sharingan to go this far. He'd thought what happened with him was the end of it—but Danzo had escalated, targeting Uchiha Shisui and taking his eye by force.
Then, Hikaru dropped another bombshell.
"Do you know the real cause of death of the 'White Fang of Konoha'—your father, Hatake Sakumo?"
!!!
Kakashi's mind felt like it had been struck by lightning. Everything went blank.
My father's death? Wasn't it… suicide?
Could there be more to it?
Hikaru's words echoed endlessly in his ears—"the cause of death of Hatake Sakumo."
Memories flooded his mind. He had returned home that day to find his father kneeling on the floor, a short blade in hand, his abdomen slashed open. Blood everywhere.
No matter how much Kakashi called out, his father never responded...
The young Kakashi fainted on the spot, overwhelmed by grief.
He had always admired his father—kind, warm, considerate. But after Sakumo's death, he had come to despise him, influenced by the scorn of the villagers. He'd told himself: "Ninjas who abandon their missions are trash."
It wasn't until the Third Shinobi World War, when Obito yelled at him—"Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash!"—that Kakashi began to understand.
But then Rin died… and Obito too…
Since then, Kakashi lived in numbness. His Sharingan never stopped bleeding. The blood would never wash off.
Now, tears slipped from Kakashi's right eye, trailing down his face and soaking his mask.
"Uchiha Hikaru, tell me… the truth. Who killed my father?! My father was not trash! He gave everything for his comrades, and he was betrayed for it!"
Kakashi roared, releasing years of pent-up anguish and hatred.
He didn't even realize what was happening inside his own body.
Under his forehead protector, the Sharingan in his left eye had changed.
The three tomoe had vanished.
In their place bloomed the Mangekyō Sharingan.