Over the next few days, Rokuro's prediction came true.
More and more people in the streets began to gossip, claiming that the Uchiha clan had been the true masterminds behind the Nine-Tails' rampage. Some even said the Uchiha had deliberately unleashed the beast to weaken Konoha and seize power for themselves.
As the rumors spread, they inevitably reached the ears of the Uchiha themselves.
Proud as they were, the Uchiha could not tolerate such slander. They began capturing and punishing the rumor-mongers—yet this only intensified the conflict. The more they retaliated, the more the public resented them. What began as whispers soon spiraled into a vicious cycle of hatred.
Uchiha Kei watched all this unfold exactly as Rokuro had foreseen, anxiety clouding her expression.
"Rokuro, what you said has come true… If this keeps up, isn't something terrible going to happen?"
Rokuro chuckled lightly.
"Of course. That's exactly what they want—to stir up trouble. They won't stop until something breaks."
"What should we do then? At this rate, the Uchiha and Konoha will become mortal enemies!"
Kei belonged to the dove faction of the Uchiha—those who valued peace above all. Although she had lost her parents, she had been raised with the belief that harmony was the greatest virtue.
The doves weren't wrong in principle. In peaceful times, their philosophy was essential for the clan's growth.
But this was no era of peace—so their pacifism only made them dead weight.
"Kei," Rokuro said, his voice firm, "you need to understand something. This isn't the Uchiha picking a fight with the Hokage's faction. It's them coming after us—bleeding us dry, one cut at a time. They've already raised the knife. Do you really think we can still solve this with 'peace'?"
"I…" she hesitated, speechless.
The two were walking home after class. Rokuro's graduation exam had been scheduled for tomorrow, so today he still attended lessons as usual.
Just as Kei was left at a loss for words, two figures stepped out from a nearby alley.
Before Rokuro even saw their faces, a voice called out sternly:
"Rokuro, why do you harbor such resentment toward Lord Hokage? The Third has always acted with integrity. Everything he does is for the good of the entire village."
Rokuro resisted the urge to spit—twice.
From the shadows emerged Uchiha Shisui and the clan's golden boy—Itachi.
Itachi had also applied for early graduation, with his exam scheduled for the same day as Rokuro's. Recently, Shisui had taken Itachi under his wing, teaching him the clan's shuriken techniques.
Of course, that meant the infamously flashy but nearly useless move from the original timeline: "Mid-air Kunai Collision and Redirection Technique."
The moment Rokuro saw them, his mood soured.
To him, these two weren't people—they were walking piles of self-righteous nonsense.
"Oh great, it's you again, the clan's spiritual dwarf," he sneered. "Do we even know each other that well? You always pop up out of nowhere to lecture me—I'm about to lose my appetite for dinner."
He grabbed Kei by the hand and started walking away.
Shisui hadn't expected such blunt mockery, leaving him momentarily speechless.
Itachi, however, wasn't the cold, stoic figure he'd one day become. Back then, Shisui was his mentor and closest friend—and seeing him insulted like that lit a fire in him.
In a flash, he appeared in front of Rokuro and threw a punch.
Rokuro didn't hesitate.
He twisted his wrist, parried the blow with an elbow lock, then followed up with a brutal low kick aimed at Itachi's groin.
Itachi roared, twisting away at the last second, then drew a kunai and slashed toward Rokuro.
Rokuro matched his speed—his own kunai flashing into his hand as they clashed.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Sparks flew as metal struck metal, the impact sharp and fierce.
Itachi's expression hardened with shock.
The boy he thought was all talk—sharp-tongued but talentless—was matching him blow for blow. Worse, Rokuro's strikes were heavier, faster… stronger.
After only a few exchanges, Itachi's hand went numb, his tiger's mouth splitting slightly from the force.
Seeing that they were about to go all out, Shisui rushed forward and separated them.
"We're all brothers of the same clan—stop this! Itachi, put your weapon away!"
Itachi obeyed, sheathing his kunai and tucking his trembling hand behind his back to hide the pain.
Rokuro smirked inwardly. He might not have noticed the injury, but he knew he'd forced Itachi back—proof enough of his growth.
The Lightning Release Chakra Mode really works wonders, he thought. It boosts my strength, explosiveness, and even neural response speed. Once I awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan and pair it with the Flying Thunder God Technique… becoming the second Yellow Flash won't just be a dream.
That power gave him confidence—the reason he no longer bothered to show Shisui any respect.
Without using his Mangekyō, Shisui's greatest strength lay in his Body Flicker Technique—pure speed.
"Shunshin no Shisui," the legend went, but it was merely a combination of incredible movement and genjutsu deception.
The speed was the real core.
And now, Rokuro was confident his speed rivaled even that.
"Rokuro," Shisui said seriously, "we are both Uchiha and both shinobi of Konoha. I hope you can put the clan and the village first."
"'The greater good'? And what does that even mean?" Rokuro sneered. "The Third Hokage and his circle of cronies? Shisui, do you even remember your own surname? Do you know whose rice you eat? You sit at the clan's table and curse the clan the moment you're full. You think you're fit to lecture me? I spit on that!"
And he did—right at Shisui's feet.
Even Shisui's patience cracked.
"What? You want to fight me now?" Rokuro taunted. "Go ahead! I hear you've awakened the clan's greatest eyes—the Mangekyō Sharingan, right? Then come—use the Uchiha's ultimate power to kill one of your own! Show me your secret jutsu! Or better yet, summon your Susanoo and try to cut me down!"
"You! How do you know about that…?"
Rokuro looked at him with pure disdain.
"Try reading a book sometime. Knowledge is what elevates man above beasts. And while you're at it, study some history—it has a funny way of repeating itself. Stop living at the bottom of the well, blind to the sky. You'll get sold one day and still help your buyer count the money."
"Oh, right," he added with a smirk, "I'll even give you a friendly warning—soon, the Hokage's faction will 'question' the Uchiha clan's loyalty. And when that happens, blood will flow. You two spiritual midgets can think long and hard about how to justify it to them later. Until then, don't show me your faces again—they make me sick."
With that, Rokuro turned away, pulling Kei along.
Itachi's face was red with anger, his fists trembling.
Shisui, however, fell silent—his thoughts heavy as he turned toward the villagers still spewing venom about the Uchiha in the distance…