Uchiha Police Headquarters
Uchiha Togashi's footsteps rang sharply against the blue stone road, each step brimming with confidence.
He was back.
Not only had he emerged unscathed from his audience with the Hokage, but more importantly—he had stood up for the Uchiha clan in front of every other clan in Konoha.
For years, those families had accused the Uchiha of lacking the Will of Fire.
Today, it was the Uchiha's turn to throw those words back at them.
A genius capable of copying ninjutsu had appeared in the village?Who else could it be but an Uchiha?
If the others were too cowardly to step forward, was the Uchiha clan supposed to remain silent as well?
Togashi had never felt this exhilarated. In his mind, he could already see it—a young prodigy of the Uchiha clan, guided by his own hand, rising to prominence and forcing all of Konoha to once again acknowledge the clan's true glory.
He passed through the gate emblazoned with the clan crest and ceremonial fan. The stationed clan members bowed in unison as he entered. Togashi basked in their attention.
Stopping in an open courtyard, he cleared his throat and announced loudly,
"Listen carefully! I've just returned from an audience with the Hokage. A once-in-a-generation genius has appeared in Konoha—someone with the ability to copy ninjutsu. The Sandaime himself has designated him. From today onward, I, Uchiha Togashi, will personally guide him!"
The courtyard instantly erupted into shocked whispers.
"A genius who can copy ninjutsu? Then he must have awakened the Sharingan!"
"Whose child is it? When did this happen?"
"To be mentored by Togashi-sama personally—what an honor!"
Togashi raised a hand, silencing them. A proud, reserved smile—the unmistakable arrogance of the Uchiha—spread across his face.
"So," he said, scanning the crowd, eyes alight with anticipation,"Which one of you is it? Step forward. Let me see the future of the Uchiha clan."
Silence.
The courtyard fell unnervingly quiet.
The clan members exchanged glances, their initial excitement slowly giving way to confusion.
An elder stepped forward, frowning."Togashi-sama… we haven't heard of any child displaying such extraordinary talent recently. If someone capable of alarming the Hokage existed, we would certainly know."
"That's right. No such news."
"Perhaps the information hasn't reached us yet?"
The smile on Togashi's face stiffened.
"Impossible," he said flatly. "The Hokage said it himself. The child's ability is to copy ninjutsu."
"…Then could it be an Uchiha who married outside the clan?" another elder suggested. "Check the genealogical records."
A young clan member hurried off and soon returned—his expression grim.
"…Reporting. None of the Uchihas who married out have produced a Sharingan prodigy in recent years. Those who awakened it earlier were reintegrated into the clan long ago."
A chill spread through the courtyard.
If it wasn't an Uchiha…
Then who?
Aside from the Uchiha clan, who in Konoha possessed a bloodline capable of copying ninjutsu?
Togashi's expression darkened completely.
If the prodigy wasn't an Uchiha, then by stepping forward, hadn't he just allowed an outsider to learn the clan's Fire Release techniques?
Still…
It wasn't a total loss.
Even if the child wasn't from the clan, forging ties with a genius would still benefit the Uchiha. Besides, the Uchiha never relied solely on secret techniques to dominate the ninja world.
As long as the Sharingan existed, the Uchiha would always stand at the top.
Yet one question gnawed at him.
Whose child was this?
A strange, almost absurd thought suddenly crossed his mind—
A man who never appeared in the clan records.A founder-era ninja who abandoned the clan shortly after the village was formed.
Uchiha Madara.
Could that child be his descendant?
Somewhere in the Land of Fire — A Secret Estate
Crash!
Senju Tokuma slammed his teacup into the floor. Porcelain shattered, scalding tea splashing everywhere—but he didn't notice.
"What did you just say?" His voice was sharp with rage and disbelief."Kakuzu is missing?!"
The intelligence officer knelt, trembling."Yes, Lord Tokuma. The Gold Exchange has confirmed that Kakuzu failed to report on time. He is presumed dead… or missing."
"Useless!" Tokuma roared."Four elite jonin—and Kakuzu! And they still failed? Is Orochimaru some kind of god?!"
At first, they had only learned that the initial four-man squad had been wiped out. Shocking—but acceptable.
Then came reports that Hiroki's poison had played a role.
That made sense. Orochimaru used poison. His students using poison was hardly surprising.
But Kakuzu?
That was Kakuzu—the monster who once fought the First Hokage and lived.
He had even claimed immunity to poison and genjutsu.
"How could he fall too…?"
"Where is Nawaki?" Tokuma demanded coldly.
"The target has returned safely to Konoha. The information was not suppressed."
"Damn it!" Tokuma snarled. "Orochimaru…!"
The intelligence officer hesitated before continuing.
"There's more. All attempts to gather information on Sawada Hiroki have failed."
"…Explain."
"Every agent we placed—civilians, genin, informants—anyone who tried to investigate him… disappeared. Completely. No traces."
Silence.
Tokuma and Ryosuke exchanged looks, dread flooding their eyes.
Information that was easy to obtain was either false or unimportant.
And this level of information blackout meant only one thing—
Hiroki's value was far greater than they had imagined.
"Could it be…" Tokuma muttered. "That it wasn't Orochimaru at all?"
The clues lined up too perfectly.
The wiped-out squad.Kakuzu's disappearance.The erased intelligence.
The boy they had dismissed as expendable…
"Could the rumors be true?" Ryosuke whispered."That he destroyed the Kumogakure squad… forced Kakuzu back… all by himself?"
Neither spoke again.
They had angered something they could never afford to provoke.
Hidden Rain Village — Central Tower
Rain hammered endlessly against steel.
Hanzo stood before the window, overlooking the metallic city below. His breathing mask concealed his face, but his eyes radiated absolute confidence.
A Rain ninja knelt behind him.
"Konoha has increased activity along the border. They've abandoned several outposts and tightened defenses."
"So Sarutobi finally noticed," Hanzo said calmly."Give the order. Continue advancing."
"But their defenses are concentrated—"
"Withdraw?" Hanzo scoffed."If Sarutobi Sasuke were still alive, perhaps I'd hesitate. But Hashirama is dead. Tobirama is gone. Who remains?"
He turned, pressure rolling off him like a storm.
"Even Sarutobi Hiruzen himself couldn't stop me."
"The great nations expand freely into Rain, yet Rain is forbidden from doing the same?"
"Let the rain fall on the Land of Fire."
Hokage's Office
"Sandaime-sama! Report from the Wind Country!"
"The two youngest puppet masters of Sunagakure have been eliminated by Hatake. He's returning."
"Good," Hiruzen said."Begin preparations immediately."
"When Hatake arrives—move out."
Target: the Land of Rain.