If they threaten my life… then I'll kill them.
Once the decision was made, Uchiha Yoru's thoughts became calm and precise.
From the conversation he had just overheard, one key detail stood out—
The four Root shinobi targeting him were acting on their own. Their communication and operation had not been reported upward.
That meant one thing.
If he erased them completely before any information reached Root—
Then it would be as if nothing had ever happened.
The situation itself was absurd.
Unprovoked hostility. A death sentence for no reason.
It left a bitter taste in his chest.
But if he struck first—
Then Root would be the ones left confused.
If four operatives vanished while monitoring the Uchiha, no matter how Danzo Shimura speculated, he would only trace it back to the Uchiha clan itself.
He would never think of someone like Uchiha Yoru.
Blaming the Uchiha—
That was Danzo's habit.
He would simply assume the clan had provoked him again, adding fuel to his long-standing resentment.
Since he already wanted the Uchiha dead so badly, why couldn't they just die obediently and hand over their Sharingan?
No matter what happened, Danzo would twist it into the Uchiha's fault.
Even if nothing happened—
He would still call them inherently evil.
So Yoru didn't consider that hatred a problem.
The clan elders wouldn't consider it a problem either.
No one would.
Everyone was already used to it.
Even the Hiruzen Sarutobi would probably think the same thing—
Danzo was just stirring trouble again.
The result wouldn't change.
At most, things would escalate briefly—
Then be suppressed.
Reduced.
Forgotten.
After mapping out both his actions and their consequences, Yoru let out a quiet breath.
In his previous life, he had lived in peace.
Even as a police officer, his work had been limited to community duties—handling minor disputes, catching small-time thieves at most.
He had never killed anyone.
And he didn't like killing.
But in this world—
He was a shinobi.
Killing wasn't optional.
It was survival.
There had been a time when he killed without hesitation, forcing himself forward until the act itself became numb.
Even then—
He never truly accepted it.
That was why, when his former captain retired, he gave up the chance to become a chunin squad leader.
Instead, he chose the Military Police Force.
A quieter life.
Six years.
Six full years without killing.
And now—
It was back.
…Wait.
Something felt off.
Was this luck?
Or misfortune?
Misfortune—because Root had suddenly targeted him, pushing him into a life-or-death situation.
Fortune—because on a whim, he had gone out to eat and overheard everything.
Giving him the chance to act first.
A premonition…?
Yoru's eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Killing itself wasn't the problem.
The aftermath was.
If he wanted to remain uninvolved, three things were necessary—
An alibi.
A battlefield.
And a method to dispose of the bodies.
The alibi was simple.
Aside from Fire Style, what he was best at was genjutsu.
Deceiving the diners around him was effortless.
No one would notice him leaving.
But—
He glanced at the half-finished bowl of ramen in front of him.
Genjutsu couldn't eat for him.
"…Troublesome."
He made a decision.
"Summoning Jutsu."
A puff of smoke appeared—completely concealed beneath his genjutsu.
In the next moment, Miwa Masayo appeared in his arms.
No one noticed.
No one heard anything.
The illusion covered everything.
"Meow… is this urgent…?" she muttered sleepily, barely opening her eyes. "I was sleeping…"
"I'm going to kill someone. I need your help."
Her eyes snapped open.
"Alright."
No hesitation.
Yoru briefly explained everything—the overheard conversation, the situation, and his decision.
He didn't hide anything.
Miwa Masayo lifted a paw and wiped her face, fully waking up.
"Root shinobi… meow?"
"Killing them isn't hard, but hiding the traces is. They'll find out, meow."
"I'll handle the bodies," Yoru said calmly. "No one will trace it back to us."
"…Alright. I'll help you, meow."
She paused, then her ears twitched.
"That Danzo Shimura is a mad dog. And the people he raises are the same. Yoru, we should find a chance to kill him."
"I will," Yoru replied. "Just not now."
"Why, meow?"
"Because he has many enemies—but only one real political rival."
"The Uchiha."
"If he dies, the conflict between the clan and the Hokage will explode."
"And when that happens, it won't stay at the top."
"It will spread."
"And I'll be caught in it."
Miwa Masayo tilted her head.
"So when can you kill him?"
"When I can defeat the Hokage with one hand."
"…Meow?"
She blinked.
"If you want to kill Danzo, why do you need to defeat the Hokage first?"
"Because they stand together."
"Two sides of the same power."
"…Meow meow?"
Yoru chuckled.
"Human relationships are complicated. Don't worry about it, Rika-chan."
"I said don't call me that, meow!"
She huffed, then narrowed her eyes.
"And you—you said you succeeded already. Your eyes even became three-tomoe."
"You still can't beat the Hokage?"
Yoru shook his head.
"I didn't 'transcend' anything."
"I just completed the hundred days of tempering."
"I've only taken the first step."
"Real strength takes time."
"And as for the three-tomoe Sharingan…"
"It's strong among jonin."
"But not enough."
"The Hokage is on a different level."
"Even if the title 'strongest Hokage' is exaggerated…"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is still the strongest shinobi in Konoha."
Miwa Masayo fell silent.
Some titles among shinobi were exaggerated.
"The strongest Kazekage."
"The strongest Hokage in history."
"The ultimate battlefield killer."
"Seven people can kill a Hokage."
Most of those were unreliable.
But there was one thing that couldn't be faked—
Reputation passed down through war.
Every title acknowledged by shinobi—
Was built on blood.
On corpses.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi's name—
Carried that weight.
For now—
He was far beyond Uchiha Yoru's reach.
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