The night seemed to swallow us whole as we moved, our footsteps muffled against the leaf-strewn earth. The village walls were behind us now, but I didn't let my guard down.
Konoha's eyes and ears extended far beyond its gates.
Beside me, Izumi kept pace, her breaths short but steady. The weight of the scrolls and weapons we carried slowed us, but stopping wasn't an option. The village would realize soon enough that two more Uchiha had slipped through the net.
The trees thickened around us as we entered the Forest of Death—Training Ground Forty-Four.
Its twisted branches blotted out the moonlight, and the air grew damp and heavy with the scent of moss and decay. Every rustle in the undergrowth, every distant cry of some nocturnal beast set my nerves on edge.
I wasn't afraid of the forest's predators.
I was afraid of the hunters wearing Konoha's headbands.
> [Notice: Stealth Mode Activated]
Host presence reduced by 40%.
Warning: Elite Shinobi detected within 150 meters.
My eyes narrowed. The system's alert confirmed my suspicion—we weren't alone.
A faint sound reached my ears.
Footsteps.
Soft, precise, and deliberate. Not the heavy crash of a beast but the controlled rhythm of a shinobi trained to move without sound.
I raised my hand slightly, signaling Izumi to halt. We pressed ourselves against the shadowed trunk of a massive tree, waiting.
From between the branches ahead, a figure emerged. The glint of moonlight on metal caught my eye first—the polished curve of a blade's guard. Then, the mask.
A porcelain-white ANBU mask, the design etched in the likeness of a cat's face.
Uzuki Yugao.
Her violet hair flowed behind her as she stepped lightly into the clearing, her sword still sheathed but her posture tense. She scanned the darkness with the practiced gaze of a predator.
I knew her reputation—swift, deadly, loyal to the village above all else.
And here we were… two fugitives with the Uchiha name written all over us.
"I know you're there," she said, her voice calm but carrying an edge of authority. "Come out. Slowly."
Izumi stiffened beside me. Her fingers twitched toward the kunai at her hip, but I caught her wrist, shaking my head.
If we fought her here, the noise would draw more ANBU.
Stepping from the shadows, I met Yugao's gaze—or rather, the cold, painted eyes of her mask.
Izumi followed reluctantly, her eyes never leaving Yugao's hands.
Yugao tilted her head slightly. "Keita Uchiha… Izumi Uchiha." She said our names as if tasting them, weighing their worth. "You're supposed to be dead."
"Guess we missed the memo," I said evenly, keeping my tone controlled.
Her hand moved to her sword hilt, but she didn't draw it yet. "Danzo's orders were clear. No survivors."
The mention of that name made my jaw tighten.
So she was part of this.
Izumi stepped forward, her voice trembling but firm. "Why? We were loyal to the village. We were the village!"
"You were a threat," Yugao replied without hesitation. "And threats are eliminated."
For a moment, the forest was utterly silent except for the faint hum of insects. My mind raced. The system had been quiet until now, but as if sensing the gravity of the moment, a new prompt appeared before me.
> [Branching Quest: "The Cat's Shadow"]
Option A: Kill Uzuki Yugao. (Reward: ANBU Sword Mastery + Weapon Drop)
Option B: Escape without combat. (Reward: +15 Agility, +15 Stealth)
Option C: Convince her to let you go. (Reward: Random Ally Card)
I looked at Yugao's stance, her readiness to draw her blade in less than a heartbeat, and then at Izumi's trembling hands.
Fighting would be suicide.
But… convincing her? That might be even harder.
I chose my words carefully.
"Yugao," I began, "you know the truth, don't you? The massacre wasn't for the village's safety—it was for Danzo's ambition. Killing us changes nothing. It only makes you his weapon."
Her grip on her sword tightened ever so slightly. I pressed on.
"We're not asking for help. Just… look the other way. Pretend you never saw us. No one needs to know about this today so pls let us go ok."
The silence stretched, each second an eternity.
Then, she spoke.
"Go," she said at last, her voice low. "I was never here."
Izumi's eyes widened in disbelief, but I didn't waste time questioning it. I gave Yugao a curt nod, then grabbed Izumi's hand and pulled her deeper into the forest.
Only when we were far beyond her range did I finally allow myself to exhale.
> [Quest Complete: Option C — Convince]
Reward Acquired: Random Ally Card — Uzuki Yugao (Locked)
Note: Ally will be unlocked through future influence.]
Interesting.
Even the system recognized this wasn't the end of our story with her.
The night stretched before us, the darkness unbroken, but my resolve had only sharpened.
We had escaped death twice in one night.
And I wasn't planning on letting fate catch us anytime soon.
After running so much we ran into the cave as we both give a sigh ij relief for a moment as I said to Izumi"so let's re-create the uchiha clan now but it will be more powerful then before ok "
As Izumi look at me in silent but nodded slightly as i redeemed the Ally Card as a Wheel pop out and as I clicked spin mentally as it started to spinned
We stumbled into the dark mouth of the cave, our breaths ragged from the relentless sprint. The moment the shadows swallowed us, I leaned against the cold stone wall, forcing my lungs to slow. The damp air here smelled of wet earth and moss, a sharp contrast to the iron tang of blood that had haunted us since the massacre.
Izumi slid down beside me, wiping her forehead with the back of her sleeve. For the first time since we'd fled, her shoulders sagged. A sigh escaped her lips—a tiny moment of reprieve in a night that had been nothing but running and death.
I broke the silence.
"So…" I said, my voice still a little rough, "let's re-create the Uchiha clan. But this time, it'll be stronger—more powerful than ever before. No council. No elders. No leash from the Hokage's chair. Just us. Unstoppable."
Izumi's dark eyes lingered on me for a long moment. I could see the flicker of conflict there—grief battling with the ember of hope I was trying to kindle. She didn't speak, but she nodded, slow and deliberate.
That was enough.
I summoned the system interface with a thought. The Ally Card — Uzuki Yugao (Locked) floated in the center of my vision. The details shimmered beneath it:
> [Ally Unlock Method: Randomized Wheel Selection]
A large, glowing wheel materialized in my mind's eye, divided into dozens of sections, each bearing a name, title, or simply "???". Some glowed with gold lettering, others shimmered with ominous red, and a few were completely blacked out, hiding their identity entirely.
The hum of power from the wheel was intoxicating.
"Alright," I muttered under my breath, "let's see what fate wants to throw at us."
I mentally tapped Spin.
The wheel shuddered once… and then whirled into motion. Colors blurred together in a dizzying display of reds, blues, and blacks. The metallic ticking of the pointer striking each slot echoed in my ears—loud, deliberate, almost like a heartbeat.
Izumi noticed my focus on nothing in particular and tilted her head. "What are you doing?"
"Something that might change everything," I said, not taking my eyes off the spinning blaze.
The wheel slowed, the ticking stretching out.
Tak… tak… tak…
The pointer crept over "Chunin-Level Ally," skipped past "Hidden Cloud Mercenary," and hesitated over a golden section.
> Ding!
[Ally Unlocked: Uzuki Yugao — Shadow Veil Support Type]
The interface shifted again.
Yugao's silhouette appeared, her violet hair flowing like liquid shadow, her ANBU mask hanging at her side.
> [Status: Unaware Ally]
Effect: When in the same region, Yugao will unknowingly act in ways that benefit the Host's survival until awareness threshold is reached.]
I grinned. "Looks like the cat's shadow will be helping us after all."
Izumi raised an eyebrow. "Yugao? The ANBU who—" She stopped herself, the memory of that near-fatal encounter still fresh. "You… trust her?"
"I don't need to trust her," I replied. "The system's got its hooks in her now. All we need to do is play the long game."
Izumi stared at me for a moment longer, then looked away, pulling her knees up to her chest. Her silence spoke volumes—she was still processing everything.
The system chimed again.
> [Clan Founding Protocol Available]
Requirement: Minimum Two Clan Members, Secure Base, Initial Resource Pool of 100 Power Points.]
Our current total: 28 Power Points.
"We're short," I muttered.
Izumi glanced up. "Short on what?"
"Everything," I said bluntly. "Resources, manpower, strength. But that's fine. Tonight, we start from zero. The Uchiha name will rise again—not in the Hokage's shadow, but as something untouchable."
For the first time that night, I saw it—Izumi's lips curved into the faintest ghost of a smile. It was small, fragile… but it was there.
And somewhere deep in the Forest of Death, the wind shifted.
We weren't alone anymore.
> [Warning: Unknown Entity Approaching — 90 meters and closing.]
I drew a kunai in silence. Izumi's Sharingan flickered to life, casting the faintest crimson light in the cave's darkness.
The next test was already here.