Uchiha Clan Compound.
"Shisui!"
"Shisui, you're back!"
"Shisui, come over to my house for lunch!"
Amidst the greetings from the clan members, Shisui, who had much on his mind, smiled gently as usual and greeted them back.
Along the way, he reached his home, but then took two steps forward to stand before his neighbor's door.
This was the home of a family of three: Kazuto, Shizuka, and Hiromi.
Now...
Shisui's expression was filled with guilt and distress.
He knew it was impossible for Kazuto and Shizuka to betray the village. Not only did they want the village and the Uchiha clan to coexist peacefully just as he did, but they also had their newborn child—how could they possibly abandon Hiromi like that?
The only possibility was that they had already met with misfortune.
This was a mission he should have gone on.
Even if someone was to go missing, it should have been him. Therefore, it was he who had taken away Hiromi's parents. It was he who had caused Hiromi to lose his parents.
At the thought of this, he felt as if his heart were being gripped by sharp claws.
However, he hid it well, greeting the wet nurse with a smile. After she left, he stood beside Hiromi's baby basket, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Hiromi opened his eyes and looked at him strangely, wondering in his heart, 'What is this silly kid doing?'
He wasn't worried that Shisui would harbor ill intentions toward him.
Although Shisui was a double agent, he valued the clan more than the village. Otherwise, he could have used Kotoamatsukami to control Fugaku before his death to make the Uchiha clan surrender. There would have been no need to entrust Itachi with protecting the village and the Uchiha clan before committing suicide.
Besides, he was Shisui's cousin. The two shared the same great-grandfather. Now, only the two of them remained of Kagami's bloodline.
The newborn Hiromi couldn't speak yet.
Seeing that Shisui had been standing there for three minutes without saying a word, Hiromi started doing push-ups on his own.
Calling them push-ups was a stretch. His whole body trembled just from propping himself up on all fours. Although his body was weak, his recovery rate was excellent. Therefore, Hiromi usually worked out for a bit and then rested for a bit.
In just five minutes, he had done ten sets. At this rate, he'd be crawling in a few days, walking in a few weeks, doing missions in a few months, and killing Danzo in a few years. A bright and beautiful future was waiting for him.
Suddenly, two hands picked him up by his armpits and placed him back in the baby basket, facing a guilt-ridden Shisui.
Hiromi bit his pacifier and looked at him quietly, neither crying nor making a fuss.
Shisui felt even more heartbroken. "Hiromi, your parents... they... they might be dead..."
Saying these words didn't bring Shisui much relief.
What reaction could a three-month-old infant have? So why was he telling Hiromi?
Shisui paused for a moment. "Am I begging for redemption?"
Realizing this, Shisui felt even more self-reproach.
Hiromi's reaction, however, was very calm.
'Oh. I was wondering why they hadn't come back yet. Looks like they were set up by Danzo.'
Even though there was no evidence, Danzo was Danzo, so Hiromi unconditionally threw all blame onto him.
He even had the time to make a joke in his head. 'As expected, transmigrators are destined to be orphans, the web novels didn't lie to me.'
At that moment, the missions refreshed.
[Mission Name: So You Killed My Parents?]
[Mission Content: Kill Shimura Danzo!]
[Mission Rewards: Sage Body + Death Controlling Possessed Blood + Mosquito Summoning Beast + One's Own Life Reincarnation]
Hiromi immediately reacted, 'Hmm? The rewards increased? Does generating hatred increase the rewards?'
This gave him a pleasant surprise. Happy, he scrambled up and patted Shisui's hand.
"Googoogaga." (It's okay, I'll just resurrect them when I grow up, you don't need to worry too much.)
Shisui couldn't understand this encrypted baby talk and felt even more guilty. But he was also stimulated by Hiromi's babbling with the desire to speak.
"Although Hokage-sama didn't say he would investigate, and Danzo-sama doesn't trust the Uchiha clan, Hokage-sama will definitely send people to investigate. Maybe they're still alive. Hokage-sama is very good. With him around, the Uchiha can..."
Suddenly—
Snap.
It was the sound of a small palm making contact with his face.
Though it didn't hurt, Shisui still stared blankly at Hiromi, who was struggling while holding onto the baby basket's railing, completely bewildered. He could feel that the baby in front of him was angry.
"Why?" He was stunned.
Hiromi babbled loudly, extremely furious.
"Wa!" (How could you trust that bastard Hiruzen so much!)
"Wa!" (Even though he's stepped down, he's still freaking controlling the Anbu!)
"Wa!" (Even if you can't see through him, don't you know what kind of people Danzo, Homura, and Koharu in his circle are!)
"Wa!" (What good people can there be in that circle!)
Shisui really didn't understand, his mind went blank, and he sat there in incomprehensible confusion.
While Hiromi knew the truth, knowing it and seeing it with his own eyes were two different things. Especially since it concerned him, he was naturally very angry at Shisui's stupidity. However, amidst this anger, there was also a hint of excitement.
Because he had just completed his first mission.
[Mission Name: You Still Believe in Hiruzen?]
[Mission Content: Give Uchiha Shisui a big slap!]
[Mission Reward: Mangekyo]
Mangekyo? Sweet!
'There's still over five years left.' Hiromi thought to himself.
He wanted to kill Danzo before the night of the Uchiha massacre. If possible, Hiruzen, Homura, Koharu, Obito, Black Zetsu... he didn't want to let a single one of them go.
—
Time flew by.
Minato's death allowed Kumogakure, which was developing its military power, to see an opportunity. After the outbreak of the Nine-Tails, Kumogakure immediately launched a war against Konoha.
The war was intense, even Yakushi Nono and Yakushi Kabuto from the orphanage went to help to earn money to supplement the household.
Two years later, Orochimaru, who had remained in Konoha, was exposed for human experimentation. Hiruzen led people to hunt him down, but failed. Orochimaru escaped and became a rogue ninja.
Seeing this, Iwagakure, which had always coveted Konoha, entered the fray, and war broke out between them and Konoha.