As the night deepened, the charcoal fire had long since burned out, leaving only a few embers.
Muyu helped the drunken Senba back to his room to rest, while Chi and Yan proactively guarded the courtyard entrance, standing like two stone statues in the shadows.
Shine stood in the center of the courtyard, looking up at the moon obscured by clouds. A faint halo of Chakra quietly emerged in his palm—he still had an important matter to attend to, one he had to confirm personally.
Chakra coalesced beside him, and a Shadow Clone identical to him slowly materialized, wearing the same Profound Black Clan Attire, even the stubble on his chin was exactly the same.
"Guard the house well," Shine instructed in a low voice. The Shadow Clone nodded slightly, turned, and walked into the house, perfectly replicating his usual composed demeanor.
The real Shine retracted his Chakra to the extreme, his figure floating onto the courtyard wall like a falling leaf. Using the eaves of the neighboring courtyard for cover, he disappeared into the Konoha night after just a few leaps, leaving behind only the two'stone statues' at the entrance and the even breathing of the Shadow Clone inside, masking his silent departure.
The night was like ink, soaking the courtyard of Uchiha Setsuna in silence.
The paper lantern under the corridor cast a faint light, illuminating the old man's stooped yet still upright figure—he had just emerged from the Clan Compound's secret room, having dealt with the disputes between the Radical Faction and the Moderate Faction all day. The scent of ink from the scrolls still clung to his fingertips, and the fatigue in his brow seemed glazed with frost.
As he pushed the door, the wooden hinge let out a soft 'creak.' Night dew condensed on the wooden railing under the corridor, reflecting a cold, eerie light.
"Who's there?" Setsuna's steps halted abruptly. Instinct honed over years of battlefield experience made every hair on his body stand on end.
Without waiting for a response from the figure inside, he violently flung his left hand, sending a Kunai whistling through the air toward the deepest shadow within the room—this was a blind spot for normal vision but an excellent place for a Ninja to hide.
"Clang!" A crisp metallic collision pierced the silence of the night. The Kunai was precisely caught between a pair of distinctly jointed fingers, the pads of which ground against the blade with effortless contempt.
The dark figure slowly straightened up, released his fingers, and the Kunai clattered onto the Tatami, reflecting a cold gleam under the light.
"My courtyard is not a place anyone can trespass," Setsuna's eyes narrowed suddenly. The crimson Three-Tomoe spun rapidly in his pupils. The insight of the Sharingan captured the opponent's outline completely—Profound Black Clan Attire, an upright posture, and a faint, chilling Chakra lingering around him.
He said in a deep voice, "Did Danzo send you to kill me, or does Sarutobi think this old body of mine is an eyesore?"
"Hehe," the dark figure let out a light chuckle, his voice young but carrying a steadiness incongruous with his age. "Elder Setsuna's etiquette for receiving guests is stricter than the Clan's Family precepts."
That voice was like a pebble thrown into the lake of Setsuna's heart.
His brow furrowed tightly as he searched through his memories for every Uchiha Ninja of the younger generation—Shisui's voice was clear and cool, the voices of the Clan's children were either immature or arrogant. Only this voice was both familiar and strange.
Before he could ponder further, the dark figure looked up. The moonlight happened to leak in through a hole in the paper window, illuminating his face.
What made Setsuna's pupils contract even more was that the opponent's eyes suddenly lit up. The Three-Tomoe shattered and reformed into a bizarre pattern of four intersecting wind blades, a storm capable of devouring everything churning in the crimson irises.
"It's been a while! Elder Uchiha Setsuna!" As the moonlight shone into the room, Uchiha Setsuna also clearly saw the visitor's face.
"Man... Mangekyo Sharingan?!" Setsuna's breath hitched, and the tomoe in his Sharingan stopped spinning in shock.
He had lived for nearly sixty years, personally experiencing the slaughter of the Sengoku period, and had only seen a handful of Mangekyo users. Yet, the pair before him belonged to a fifteen-year-old boy—
"Uchiha Shine!" Setsuna's voice was hoarse with disbelief. He abruptly took half a step back, his hand resting on the ninja sword at his waist. "You break into my residence late at night, do you intend to offer my old head to Hiruzen Sarutobi for merit and reward?"
"No! I want you to support me!" Hearing Setsuna's questioning, Shine stood up calmly and looked at him.
"Support me?! On what grounds? Because of those Mangekyo eyes?! Because of those Mangekyo eyes?! I admit their power, but I will never become a running dog for Konoha just for a pair of eyes!" Upon hearing Shine's words, Uchiha Setsuna spoke with icy eyes.
Hearing this, Shine spoke calmly, "Konoha has domesticated the Uchiha Clan's fighting spirit with scraps and leftover bones, but the Uchiha Clan has never yielded so easily. Three factions within one Clan, isn't that division? Isn't that betrayal to the Clan, Elder Setsuna?! I want to change all of this; I want to restore the glory of the Uchiha Clan!"
"Why should I believe you?! You dog of Konoha?!" Uchiha Setsuna did not relent upon hearing Shine's words. He was all too familiar with Shine's 'past'—
This boy was once a key target for recruitment by Hiruzen Sarutobi. The Clan's Radical Faction privately called him 'Hiruzen Sarutobi's lapdog.' Now, suddenly appearing with Mangekyo, who knew if this was another conspiracy.
Just as Shine had mocked, he was already starting to wag his tail and beg for favor for a mere bone.
"You don't need to believe me, because I don't need your trust! You only need to be responsible for executing the missions I arrange! Konoha, the Land of Fire, or even this filthy Ninja World! I have tolerated them for too long!
The Daimyo and the nobles, the Hokage and his subordinates, force you to kneel with hereditary authority and empty titles! And I will make you stand up! Let you be reborn in glory!
Of course!
If you are unwilling, then... just one Elder! We'll replace him with someone else and he'll serve just the same!"
As the cold words fell, the killing intent in Uchiha Shine's eyes was no longer suppressed, and the chilling Chakra uncontrollably enveloped Uchiha Setsuna.
Yet, Uchiha Setsuna, surrounded by bone-chilling killing intent, did not panic. Instead, a smile bloomed on his lips.
"Hehehe! Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!" As an excited and pathological laugh rang out, Uchiha Setsuna looked at Uchiha Shine with fervent eyes.
"You are simply... a madman!" However, despite his words, the fanaticism in Uchiha Setsuna's eyes did not diminish; instead, it grew stronger: "But! I'm actually starting to get excited about you, you madman!"
"Then! Uchiha Shine! You used to be a dog for the Konoha High Command! Now! Tell me... what do you truly want now?!" Staring intently at Uchiha Shine's face, whose Mangekyo was spinning continuously, Uchiha Setsuna's crimson eyes were fixed on him...
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808