Chapter 3: The Belated Golden Finger
"Elder Danzō, do you not object to your nephew running a casino and forcibly seizing the Nara clan's property? Oh, right—Shisui was only killed today. I recall that this hasn't yet been reported to the Hokage."
"I wonder how Elder Danzō knew that Shisui was killed—and how you knew it was Uchiha Itachi who killed him."
"It seems Elder Danzō's intelligence network is quite well-informed," Uchiha Ming mocked openly.
"You?!"
"Enough, Danzō. Why did you not report Shisui's death to me? And you as well, Ming—why did you only mention such a serious matter just now instead of informing me earlier? Shisui was someone who truly embodied the Will of Fire…"
Yes, embodied it so much that you drowned him in it, Ming thought silently.
"Elder Shimura is one of Konoha's elders. He has contributed greatly to the village and is of much higher seniority than you. Ming, your behavior is disrespectful. Apologize to Elder Shimura, and that will be enough. And Danzō, don't fuss with a youngster."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had always been adept at political maneuvering. That was how he kept Danzō obedient. The deeper Danzō delved into the darkness, the more reassured Hiruzen felt—for what fool of a jōnin would ever vote for a man like Danzō?
Their long-standing camaraderie allowed Root to grow rapidly over the past few years.
Ming clenched his fists, blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan glaring as he gave a "sincere" apology:
"Elder Danzō, forgive my rudeness. What I said earlier was just childish anger. Please don't take it to heart. I apologize. That should be enough, right?"
Danzō looked at Ming's Sharingan and clenched fists, knowing full well the boy wished nothing more than to crush him here and now. Especially since this fifteen-year-old had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan—yet another prodigy like Shisui and Itachi.
Jealousy burned inside him like a wildfire.
"Go home, Uchiha Ming." Hiruzen dismissed him, carefully avoiding further mention of the clan issue.
As Ming turned to leave, he could still hear the heated argument in the Hokage's office.
"Why did you not tell me about Shisui's death? (Why did you move against him?)"
"I thought you understood. (You didn't dare, so I did. Don't act ignorant.)"
"Shisui carried the Will of Fire. He should not have died so senselessly."
"The Uchiha are an evil clan! (Besides, I already have one of his eyes. Surprised, aren't you, Hiruzen?) Did you not see that brat just now? He dared to defy me!"
Watching Danzō fume, Hiruzen knew he had to placate this scapegoat who so often bore his burdens.
"He's just a child. Didn't he apologize to you already?" Hiruzen sighed, tamping down the tobacco in his pipe. Time's passage had left him old and frail.
At that moment, he wondered—why did Danzō, though the same age as him, still look so much younger?
"Didn't you see his three-tomoe Sharingan?! That was no apology, it was provocation!"
"Danzō, handle your own affairs. Relations between the Uchiha and the village are already at breaking point. Don't make it worse."
"The Uchiha are a malignant clan, Hiruzen! If we purge them, Konoha will prosper further!" Danzō's conviction to eradicate them was unwavering.
"Danzō, I am the Hokage! How to act is not yours to decide!"
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
Outside, the setting sun cast its glow on the Hokage Rock, where the carved visages of the Second and Third Hokage grew increasingly loathsome in Ming's eyes. His heart threatened to explode.
Knowing his death was inevitable, counting down day by day, yet powerless to resist—it was unbearable.
"Damn Shimura Danzō! One day I'll shove that old face of yours straight into a donkey's ass!"
No curse, no matter how venomous, could harm that old dog. Nor could it solve Ming's impending death sentence. With a few leaps, he scaled the Hokage Rock.
The view from atop was breathtaking—yet it only reminded him of how little time he had left. So what if he had the three-tomoe at fifteen? He would still die. So what if he was handsome? Still doomed.
He never thought he'd live to see the day when all he could do was quietly wait for death. In his past life, he'd been ordinary—dreaming of living boldly and fiercely. In this life, he was reborn into the Naruto world as an Uchiha. Bold and fierce it was—but now he had only days to live. Tomorrow, perhaps, would be his end.
"I've decided. At the very least, I'll kill some of Danzō's subordinates. If not, perhaps Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. Killing one is breaking even. Killing two is a profit. No way I'll let them live comfortably."
Suddenly, a green, glowing interface appeared before his eyes.
"My golden finger has arrived?" Ming gasped in delight—he actually had a cheat system! Maybe the heavens truly never cut off all roads. The interface, however, looked like something out of the last century. "What an antique system. And why so green?"
There was no introduction, no friendly voice broadcast—just a single line of text in glaring green:
Mission: Escape from Konoha. Survive tomorrow.
(Failure means consequences too tragic to imagine. Guess what, Ming? Maybe Danzō will hang your Sharingan on his wall!)
"That's it? Just one line? You're kidding me. Isn't this still just waiting for death?"
"Trash system!" Ming's emotions swung violently, more extreme than a roller coaster. Just when despair gave way to hope, he found the system to be utterly useless.
"If I weren't reincarnated, maybe this would at least count as a warning. But I already know Konoha's true face. Are you playing games with me?"
His rage mounted. Looking again, he finally noticed a tiny line at the very bottom of the panel: Newbie Reward.
"Damn, this system is trolling me! Such tiny text—if I hadn't looked carefully, I would have missed it. Trash system, you'll collapse sooner or later!"
Clinging to hope, Ming rushed back to the Uchiha compound, returning to his home. If he opened the newbie reward on the Hokage Rock and triggered some heavenly phenomenon, that would be a disaster. The compound was at least safer.
He shut all the doors and windows, thinking it over again. Unfortunately, his body's original owner knew nothing of seals or barrier techniques—only Fire Style and a bit of Lightning Style. That was very Uchiha indeed.
Focusing his mind, he summoned the system panel and mentally clicked on Newbie Reward.
"Ah!"