The next day, the blazing sun bathed all of Konoha in light.
Haori got up early. After a quick wash, he left his house.
Looking at the vibrant, energetic village, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
"That old man… is really irritating."
Walking through Konoha's streets, Haori couldn't help but shake his head.
Thinking back on everything from yesterday left a deep impression on him—and gave him a much clearer understanding of Uchiha Setsuna.
On the surface, the old man seemed gentle, but beneath that gentleness lay coldness and sharp perceptiveness.
Dealing with someone like that truly disgusted Haori. Not because he couldn't handle it—but because it was exhausting.
He had to carefully interpret every word the other party said, deciphering its hidden meaning.
At the same time, he had to weigh every sentence of his own, doing his utmost to avoid saying the wrong thing.
That was why he preferred being with his friends in Konoha—his so-called "surface brothers." With them, he could spout motivational nonsense, joke around freely, and talk absolute nonsense.
There was no need to think too much, no need to worry about misspeaking.
That was what felt truly comfortable.
"And that old man's desire for control is strong. Just like I knew—his head is full of nothing but the clan."
Although Haori had interacted with Uchiha Setsuna several times, yesterday was the first truly in-depth exchange.
And that exchange let Haori clearly see what kind of person Uchiha Setsuna really was—while also making him aware of some serious problems.
Could he really persuade someone whose entire world revolved around the clan to support overthrowing Uchiha Fugaku?
And even if he did succeed…
Would he end up becoming the second "Uchiha Fugaku" himself?
"Actually… whether I could even become 'Uchiha Fugaku' might itself be a problem."
Yesterday, Uchiha Setsuna had constantly tried to imprint the idea of "the clan above all else" onto him.
That alone showed just how firm—nearly fanatical—Setsuna's will and beliefs were.
Someone this stubborn would likely continue walking only the path he believed in.
There was no denying that he loved the clan—but in his eyes, only his own thoughts and methods were correct.
Realizing this made Haori feel even more pressed for time.
This was someone he could hardly rely on.
As for the dovish faction—there was no need to even consider them.
Which meant he had to rely on himself.
And power was undoubtedly what he needed most.
That inevitably made him focus his attention on the so-called "ultimate weapon of the Uchiha."
"Didn't expect you to be this energetic, Haori."
Kakashi walked alongside Haori as they headed toward Minato Namikaze's house.
They had only returned to Konoha yesterday. Kakashi had planned to rest properly, but he hadn't expected Haori to drag him out so early in the morning.
Still, he had no complaints.
If his good friend needed help, he would naturally give it without hesitation.
"Can't help it—I'm interested in sealing techniques."
Haori shrugged at Kakashi, joking casually.
"Jōnin Minato asked Rin to tell me that if I needed anything, I could visit Jōnin Kushina.
Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with her. I hope I didn't disturb your rest."
"Please, I'm a qualified ninja."
Kakashi's visible eye instantly turned into a dead-fish stare, but soon his curiosity surfaced.
"Speaking of which, why didn't you look for Rin? She'd probably be more than happy to help you."
Because you live closer to my house.
Haori complained internally—and once again silently mourned Obito.
In the original story, Rin was kind to Obito, but the one she truly liked was Kakashi.
Unfortunately, Kakashi was emotionally scarred and rejected her without hesitation.
But now, although Rin and Obito were still on good terms, whether Rin liked Kakashi was no longer certain.
Especially since Kakashi himself had clearly changed after Haori force-fed him a whole lot of motivational talk.
Still, none of that was a bad thing.
After all, Obito wouldn't see any of it anyway.
Right now, he was probably dreaming—endlessly repeating Kakashi's and Rin's names in his sleep.
"By the way,"
Haori suddenly lowered his voice,
"if there's any noise recently regarding your Sharingan, you should be careful."
"If someone causes trouble, avoid conflict if you can. Wait until Jōnin Minato returns."
"The Sharingan, huh…"
Kakashi touched his eye, instantly understanding.
His Sharingan was an extremely sensitive issue.
After all, as an outsider who had obtained another clan's bloodline limit, the Uchiha would never just let it go.
Suddenly, Kakashi turned to look at Haori.
He realized something.
On the battlefield, Haori had never mentioned this eye issue—nor had he taken any action at all.
Yet the very next day after returning to Konoha, Haori sought him out and cautiously brought it up.
Had Haori… come under pressure from his clan?
"Yes… that must be it. After all, he didn't do anything back then."
In that instant, Kakashi felt as though he understood everything.
Doing nothing—within a bloodline clan—was itself the biggest problem.
Haori must have been punished for it, right?
And yet, even after being punished, he was still reminding Kakashi to be careful…
At that moment, Kakashi finally understood why Haori hadn't asked Rin to accompany him to see Kushina—but had come to him instead.
His heart was deeply moved.
This, perhaps, was what a true friend was.
"I understand, Haori."
Kakashi took a deep breath and spoke with absolute seriousness.
"I won't clash with anyone and cause trouble for you.
And if you want to learn sealing techniques from Kushina-sensei, I'll definitely help you. I swear it!"
"?"
Haori looked at Kakashi in confusion, utterly baffled.
He had gone to Kakashi partly because Kakashi lived nearby, and partly to use him as a bridge to get closer to Kushina.
His ultimate goal was the Uzumaki clan's ancestral residence—he wanted to thoroughly explore it for things worth taking!
Still, Kakashi's attitude wasn't bad at all.
Even if Haori had no idea how things ended up like this.
With Kakashi helping so wholeheartedly, it seemed reasonable for him to make a few "reasonable requests," didn't it?
"Then I'll be counting on you."
The two chatted casually along the way, and before long, they arrived at Minato's house.
What they didn't expect was to run straight into Uzumaki Kushina, who was heading out with two ANBU.
"Minato's request? Sealing techniques?"
Kushina was surprised to see Kakashi—but even more surprised that Haori wanted to learn sealing techniques.
She had no particular impression of Haori, though she could clearly tell he was an Uchiha.
An Uchiha learning sealing techniques felt… oddly out of place.
That said, she trusted Kakashi completely.
And since Kakashi said this was Minato's request, she didn't need to think much further.
She trusted Minato one hundred percent.
"If it's Minato's request, then there's no problem,"
Kushina said after some thought, spreading her hands helplessly.
"But I do have other matters to deal with right now."
Then she suddenly broke into a mischievous grin.
"How about this—Kakashi, you take your friend to my place and wait for me. There's more reference material over there anyway.
It's been a long time since I last went there.
You two can help me clean the place up while you're at it—just like Minato used to take you kids to do."
At those words, Haori almost lost his composure.
He had been racking his brain over how to get into Kushina's ancestral home, coming up with all kinds of plans.
And now—just like that—it was solved.
At that moment, Haori realized something:
He might have seriously overthought this whole thing.
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