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"Lord Jiraiya, I'm just a nobody. I don't know much."
Uchiha Rō kept his voice low and careful. "If I had to guess… either Uchiha Hachidai or Uchiha Fugaku. To awaken eyes like that, you need someone truly exceptional. Talent on another level. Even the greatest geniuses have only a slim chance. It's not guaranteed—just the bare minimum requirement."
He swallowed hard. "Lord Jiraiya… can you let me go? I haven't done anything to Konoha. I only rebelled because we had no choice. We couldn't survive in the Leaf anymore. They could kill any of us on the flimsiest excuse."
"Uchiha Dōji died that way. Uchiha Gen died that way."
Jiraiya stared at him in silence for a long moment.
"Your hands are soaked in the blood of innocent Leaf villagers. You're a traitor. I can't let you live."
Uchiha Rō's face twisted from shock into pure rage.
"Jiraiya! You bastard! I told you everything you wanted! I cooperated! And now you're still going to kill me? You're shameless! A disgrace! You call yourself one of the Legendary Three? You deserve to be betrayed by Hiruzen Sarutobi! You deserve to end up a crippled wreck!"
Before the last word left his mouth, a blade flashed across his throat.
Shunk.
A thin red line appeared. Blood welled up, then sprayed in a hot arc. Uchiha Rō's eyes went wide.
"I curse you… may you die a miserable death…"
His body went limp and collapsed with a heavy thud.
Jiraiya wiped the blade clean and looked away.
"Uchiha Hachidai or Uchiha Fugaku… He might not be telling the full truth, but some of it makes sense. No random Uchiha could control the Nine-Tails. That's ridiculous. If they could, they would've rebelled years ago."
"Still… Uchiha Hachidai seems unlikely. He's a loudmouth radical with decent strength, nothing special. Fugaku, though—he stayed in the shadows but was already called a genius as a kid. Minato spoke highly of him. Not many people earned that kind of praise from Minato."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.
"But if Fugaku really had that kind of power, why didn't he leave with Hachidai and the others? Was it because of Uchiha Sanyue's death? He had other options. Minato being alive would've been better for him. Hiruzen as Hokage has never been good for the Uchiha. So what's Fugaku's real reason?"
Jiraiya rubbed his temples. The headache was getting worse.
"Could there be another Uchiha out there? The clan's been around forever. Some bloodline or eyes might have slipped away over the years. It's possible."
"But that only makes this harder to investigate."
He made his decision.
"First, I'll confirm Hachidai and Fugaku."
Uchiha Hachidai would be easier to test.
Out on the open sea, the Uchiha Navigation Group was thriving. Fishing, mining the ocean floor, trading with the Land of Water—they were finally living free. No more dirty looks. No more impossible missions. No more dying for a village that hated them.
"Life's actually good now."
"This is what living feels like. Back in Konoha we busted our asses and got nothing but suspicion in return. They were the ones using us."
"Exactly. Now we get paid for what we do. Lower risk, solid rewards. The ocean's huge and the resources down there are insane. If we didn't still have this grudge burning inside us, I'd say let's just stay out here forever."
Most of the Uchiha were happy. But not their leader.
Uchiha Hachidai stood at the rail, staring out at the endless waves. Revenge was still his obsession. And he knew peace never lasted. Strength was the only thing that mattered in this world. Right now the Uchiha were too weak. One wrong move and everything they'd built would collapse.
"The Uchiha have two paths. Build our own power and never hand over control again. Or join someone who'll actually treat us fairly. Either way, we need real strength."
His gaze landed on a quiet figure training in the distance.
"Itachi… don't let me down."
He walked over and placed a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Itachi. The future of the entire Uchiha clan rests on your back. You're the only one who can lead us back to the top. Every single one of us will support you with everything we have. Train hard. Don't waste this chance."
Uchiha Itachi nodded once, silent as always. No one could tell what was really going on behind those dark eyes.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, the Taketori clan had made a very different choice.
They had their own prodigy—Kimimaro. But instead of careful nurturing, they were forging him into a living weapon. Brutal training. No mercy. Pure killing machine.
Taketori Dan didn't agree with Uchiha Hachidai's methods. Hachidai didn't agree with his.
"Fine," Taketori Dan muttered, watching Kimimaro train until his body nearly broke. "Let's see whose choice turns out right."