The hospital wing of the Konoha Military Police Force was unusually quiet. Kakashi Hatake sat on the edge of his bed, his left eye covered by a thick bandage that smelled of medicinal herbs and iron. He was staring at the wall with his remaining eye, his expression unreadable.
The door didn't creak. There was no sound of footsteps. There was simply a sudden, violent displacement of air, a zip sound that shouldn't exist in nature, and Dan Uchiha was standing in the center of the room.
Kakashi's hand was on the kunai under his pillow in a heartbeat, his instincts honed by years of war. He relaxed only when he recognized the chakra signature, though even that felt... different. Denser.
"You're moving like a broken puppet, Dan," Kakashi said, his voice raspy. "I heard you were burning out. The Academy instructors say you can't even focus on a basic lecture."
Dan looked at his rival. To the naked eye, Dan looked disheveled. His hair was messy, and there were dark circles under his eyes from the 80% processing drain. "The Academy is a cage for the mind, Kakashi. I've been... elsewhere."
"Elsewhere?" Kakashi stood up, his balance slightly off. "I saw that movement. It wasn't a Body Flicker. There was no acceleration. You were just... there. It's the same thing Minato-sensei does."
"It's the beginning," Dan replied. He walked over to the window, looking out at the village. "How is the eye?"
Kakashi winced. "It's a curse. It drains my chakra even when I'm sleeping. I'm not an Uchiha, Dan. My body wasn't built to house this kind of power. Every time I use it, it feels like it's trying to eat me from the inside out."
Dan turned, his own 3-Tomoe Sharingan spinning slowly. To Dan, the world was a grid of energy and spatial coordinates. He saw the way Kakashi's chakra was being sucked into the foreign ocular nerve like a whirlpool.
[System Notification: Analyzing Subject 'Kakashi Hatake'.]
[Detection: Chronic Chakra Depletion due to Non-Compatible Ocular Integration.]
[Calculation: Suggesting 'Chakra Insulation' Sealing Technique.]
"I can help you," Dan said.
"Help? The medics say I just have to live with it. Cover it up and move on."
"The medics treat the symptom. I want to treat the Architecture," Dan stepped closer. "My clone—I mean, my research—has led me to a sealing method that can put the Sharingan into a 'stasis' mode when it's covered. It won't drain you unless you actively channel chakra into it."
Kakashi looked skeptical. "Where did you learn Fuinjutsu like that? You're nine."
"I don't play with toys, Kakashi. I play with reality."
The Serpent's Den
Later that night, Dan followed the "Tracking Pheromone" Orochimaru had left on him. He knew it was a trap, or at least a test, but the Shadow Architecture needed more than just wood and iron. It needed the forbidden.
The laboratory was located beneath a nondescript farmhouse outside the village walls. The air inside was freezing and smelled of formaldehyde and ozone.
Orochimaru was standing over a glass vat, his long fingers tracing the rim. He didn't turn when Dan entered.
"You move with the Hiraishin, yet you lack the 'mark' of the Second or the Fourth," Orochimaru mused. "How do you navigate the void without a beacon, Dan-kun?"
"I don't navigate it," Dan said, walking into the center of the room. "I calculate it. Every cubic inch of space has a numerical value. If you can compute the value of Point A and Point B simultaneously, the distance becomes zero."
Orochimaru turned, his amber eyes glowing with a predatory light. "Calculation... yes. But the human mind has limits. Even an Uchiha's brain cannot process spatial variables at that speed without collapsing."
"Which is why I'm here," Dan lied smoothly. "I want to see your research on 'Cerebral Expansion' and 'Cellular Memory.' You want to live forever; I want to think faster. We have a common enemy: time."
Orochimaru let out a low, dry chuckle. "Time is indeed the cruelest master. Very well. I will give you access to my records on 'The Hashirama Cell' and its effect on neural conductivity. In exchange... I want a sample of your blood every week. I want to see how an 'Anomaly' matures."
[System Warning: Transaction high-risk. 'Hashirama Cells' are highly volatile.]
Clone Task 5: Initialize 'Biological Shielding' simulation, Dan commanded. If I'm going to play with the God-Cell, I need the system to filter the corruption.
The First 'Architecture' Mission
A week later, the Shadow Architecture had its first official test.
The Uchiha Elders, led by Yashiro, had moved their secret meeting to a warehouse in the shipping district. They were finalizing the plans for the "Great Cleansing"—a coordinated strike to assassinate the village's civilian council.
"Tonight," Yashiro whispered to the gathered elite of the Police Force. "We show the Leaf that the Uchiha are not dogs to be—"
He stopped. The torches in the warehouse suddenly flickered and turned a deep, haunting violet.
"Who's there?" Yashiro barked, his Sharingan activating.
From the rafters, Shisui Uchiha descended, moving so fast he left four distinct afterimages. "The 'Cleansing' has been canceled, Elder."
"Shisui? You brat! Where is Fugaku?"
"Fugaku-sama is sleeping," a voice echoed from the shadows.
Dan stepped out. He wasn't wearing his Genin gear. He was wearing a black cloak with the new crest of the Shadow Architecture—a stylized eye within a compass.
"You're a traitor, Dan!" Yashiro roared, lunging forward with a kunai.
Dan didn't move. He didn't even draw his sword.
Zip.
He appeared behind Yashiro. Before the Elder could react, Dan placed a hand on his back.
[Executing Genjutsu: 'Mirror of Truth'—Sub-routine 1.]
Yashiro's eyes went wide. He didn't fall. He didn't scream. But within his mind, the System's programmed Genjutsu was playing out twenty years of a "Failed Coup" in a single second. He saw the clan dying. He saw his children being slaughtered by ROOT. He saw the village burning to ash.
When Dan released him, Yashiro fell to his knees, sobbing.
The other Police officers stared in horror. They hadn't seen a fight. They had seen a god-like erasure of a man's will.
"The Uchiha will not be the ash of the village," Dan said, his voice cold and echoing in the warehouse. "We will be the foundation. From this day forward, the Police Force reports to the Architecture. If you disagree... I have plenty of 'Truths' to show you."
One by one, the hardened Uchiha warriors bowed their heads. They weren't just afraid; they were captivated. Dan wasn't just a prodigy; he was something they hadn't seen since Madara. A leader with a vision that went beyond a simple fight.
[System Notification: Quest 'The Reformer' Progress: 22%.]
[Bonus: Access to 'Uchiha Forbidden Vault'—Stage 1 Unlocked.]
Dan looked at Shisui, who was watching him with a mixture of reverence and fear.
"Clean this up, Shisui," Dan ordered. "And get Anko. We need to start the second phase. If we're going to replace the village's infrastructure, we need to start with the money."
As Dan walked out into the night, his clone in the Mirror Space finally achieved a "Level 1" Hiraishin jump with a passenger.
He was getting faster. The world was getting smaller. And the 200-chapter destiny he was building was finally starting to take a shape that even the Hokage couldn't ignore.