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"From now on, we're family."
Murmuring, overwhelmed by exhaustion, Kagaya fell asleep on Shisui's back.
The recent events had been too much for him to bear.
When Kagaya woke again, he was lying in his own bed at home. He got up and walked out to the living room, where two bodies lay covered in white cloth. Standing nearby were Shisui and Itachi.
Seeing Kagaya emerge, Shisui and Itachi turned their gazes toward him. They had been waiting quietly for him to wake, wanting to comfort him in his moment of greatest pain. But when it came time for Kagaya to face his parents, neither knew how to console him.
Kagaya stared blankly at the two bodies covered in white cloth. Even without lifting the cloth, he knew what lay beneath.
"How did my parents die?"
"They were taken by Danzō along with you. Later, it's said they took their own lives in the cell."
"Oh… I see."
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Kagaya's cheeks. He had thought he'd cried enough on the way here, that he could face his parents with a clean face, smiling, telling them he was fine and not to worry. But now, seeing them, he realized he was wrong. Seven years of their care and love—even a dog would form a deep bond, let alone him.
He didn't want to cry. He wanted to smile and tell his parents he was okay. But the tears wouldn't stop.
'Danzō! Danzō!! DANZŌ!!!'
In his heart, Kagaya roared hysterically. Suicide? Suicide?! Why would his parents, perfectly fine, take their own lives? Even if they did, could that be separated from Danzō, who had captured them?
His nails dug into his palms, drawing blood. His lips, bitten hard, bled too, the blood mixing with the tears streaming down his face.
The next moment, Kagaya forced a smile.
"Father, Mother, your son… your son is doing fine."
Kagaya seemed to know what his parents would have been worried about before they passed. He didn't need to guess—he knew. That couple, until their final moments, must have been thinking of their precious son.
His black eyes rapidly turned blood-red. A single tomoe appeared in his pupils, spinning quickly. Then, a second tomoe emerged. But it didn't stop there—the spinning tomoe gave way to a third!
A three-tomoe Sharingan.
Feeling the growing power in his eyes, Kagaya gave a bitter smile.
"One day… one day, I'll make that man feel this pain too."
That man, of course, was Danzō.
Shisui looked at the three-tomoe Sharingan in Kagaya's eyes, his heart aching. He had promised Kagaya wouldn't awaken those devilish eyes, but now, they were already at three tomoe.
"Kagaya, I—"
Kagaya didn't acknowledge Shisui, as his three-tomoe Sharingan suddenly caught sight of two faint chakra signatures.
"What's this?"
Kagaya carefully lifted the white cloth. Beneath it, Uchiha Takayuki lay peacefully.
The chakra Kagaya saw was emanating from his father's eyes.
Kagaya's teeth trembled. He realized something. Carefully, he lifted Uchiha Takayuki's eyelids, revealing a pair of eyes with a shuriken-like pattern encircled by a ring.
There was only one explanation for such eyes—Mangekyō Sharingan.
Looking at those eyes, Kagaya felt no joy or sorrow, only endless rage.
"Danzō! Danzō! Did he force Father to kill Mother? DANZŌ!!!"
Kagaya's voice wasn't loud—his body was still weak—but the hatred in it was immense.
Then, Kagaya asked Shisui to remove his father's Mangekyō. He feared that one day Danzō would claim those eyes for himself, and the thought made Kagaya sick.
It was over. The world wouldn't change because of this couple's deaths. Only one child would convulse in pain because of them.
---
In the days that followed, Itachi and a few Uchiha clansmen helped Kagaya bury his parents.
Kagaya stood blankly before their tombstones as snow continued to fall.
Every so often, he bent down to brush the snow from his parents' tombstones.
"Father, Mother, are you cold?"
Kagaya asked earnestly, as if they were still alive, but no one answered.
The snow fell heavier, piling up faster. Kagaya bent down again to clear the snow from their tombstones.
"Not cold, that's good… not cold, that's good…"
---
January 1, Year 56 of Konoha.
Many in Konoha celebrated the New Year's arrival. Even Naruto was grinning. Though no one played with him, seeing everyone so happy made him unable to resist joining in.
Suddenly, Naruto spotted someone different. They showed no trace of joy, their face calm, with a faint hint of sorrow.
"That's Kagaya!"
Naruto recognized him—the super genius from their class who had graduated early to become a Genin after the last semester.
"Kagaya! Kagaya!"
Naruto waved and shouted toward him.
Kagaya, walking along, paused. He had just come from his parents' graves. Who was calling him?
Looking toward the voice, he saw a blond boy.
"Naruto, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's me! You didn't forget me, did you? Sure, you became a Genin early, which is kinda impressive, but don't forget—someday, I'll make you fight me willingly! Then I'll beat you and make you admit defeat! Hahaha!"
Kagaya gave a faint smile.
"Is that so? I'll be waiting."
Naruto frowned. Something about Kagaya's smile felt off—almost… sad? But how could a smile carry such sadness? Was something wrong? Naruto asked quietly, instinctively wanting to ease that sorrow. It was his nature to want to help Kagaya.
"Kagaya, what's wrong?"
Kagaya looked at Naruto, suddenly struck by a realization. This boy had lost his parents at an even younger age than Kagaya. In comparison, Kagaya had been fortunate to have seven years of his parents' love.
"It's nothing, Naruto. If… I mean, if one day I were to turn against the village, would you stop me?"
Naruto asked, puzzled.
"What are you talking about, Kagaya? You're a ninja of the village too, a big genius! We'll protect the village together in the future, right?"
Kagaya saw the innocence in Naruto's eyes and decided not to continue. He smiled.
"You're right. Forget what I said. I've got things to do, so I'll go now."
With that, Kagaya turned and left.
'Naruto, I'm not like you. You were born in darkness but strive with all your might to reach the light. Me? I was born in the light, only to be dragged into the darkness. I'm tired. Since I'm in the dark now, I'll stay here for a while. I'll clear out the darkness's dwellers before I look at the light again.'
Naruto scratched his head, watching Kagaya's back.
"Are all geniuses this hard to understand? Darn it."