"Beat it! Get lost! This is a respectable establishment, no minors allowed!"
With a series of crude shouts, Uchiha Ren was unceremoniously tossed out onto the street by two burly thugs.
Ren scrambled to his feet, dusting himself off with an indignant scowl. "Respectable establishment? If minors aren't allowed, it's anything but respectable! Ptu!"
Hearing the commotion, several villagers passing by shot him strange, judgmental looks.
"You really thought we wouldn't see through that Transformation Jutsu, kid?" one of the bouncers sneered. "Scram, before I call one of your clan elders to drag you home by the ear!"
That threat made Ren instinctively pull his head into his shoulders. He glared at the two "watchdogs." If social suicide were covered by his insurance policy...
"Still peeking? You want me to shout for help?" The bouncer wrinkled his nose, preparing to yell.
Ren quickly abandoned his lingering fantasies and fled the alleyway, covering his face in shame.
By the time he returned to the main street, the crowds had thinned. The full moon watched over the world in silence. A gust of early spring wind, still carrying the bite of winter, slapped his face, snapping his mind back into focus.
Suddenly, a man staggered out of a nearby alley, swaying unsteadily with a bottle of sake in his hand. It was Uchiha Seishiro, a member of Ren's new squad.
Seeing Ren, Seishiro scanned him from head to toe. Noticing the dust and grime on Ren's clothes, he let out a mischievous, drunken chuckle.
"Well, if it isn't the 'Glory of the Uchiha' himself. What's the matter? Get kicked out?"
Ren's face stiffened. "No. I just... got stepped on by an elephant on my way here."
"Heh, we've all been young and foolish once," Seishiro laughed, the scent of alcohol wafting off him in waves. "I get it. I really do. Especially since we're heading into that mission tomorrow..."
His tone darkened, and his gaze shifted as if he were remembering something unbearable. He suddenly frowned, his voice turning sharp and impatient.
"Your name is Ren, right? Listen closely—"
He narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Don't expect me to save you on this mission."
[Uchiha Seishiro feels resentment toward you.]
Ren glanced at the floating subtitle and replied calmly, "Don't worry, Seishiro-senpai. I won't hold you back."
"Heh, you still don't understand what you've done!" Seishiro's face fell. "I don't know why the Great Elder chose you. But according to our faction's original plan, this mission was supposed to be handled by three Jonin-level clansmen."
"Instead, because of your little 'ninja games,' the Elder changed his mind. Now a Chunin like me is being dragged into this madness!"
Seishiro's eyes grew cold. "You have no idea what kind of freaks we're facing. Without the Sharingan, you're nothing but a toy to those monsters!"
Ren raised an eyebrow. He knew exactly what was in the Land of Hot Water: The Chinoike Clan.
Their Ketsuryugan (Dragon Blood Eyes) reflected a hatred for the Uchiha that had simmered since the Warring States period. Seishiro wasn't wrong. In a battle of ocular bloodlines, the Ketsuryugan was a nightmare. It granted hypnosis, genjutsu amplification, and the terrifying ability to turn humans into living bombs—easily rivaling a two-tomoe Sharingan.
For an unawakened Uchiha, it was a death sentence.
Perfect, Ren thought. I mean... what a formidable foe. I shall do my best to overcome them!
"Forget it. Why am I even talking to a brat like you..." Seishiro took a long swig from his bottle. "I only just awakened my second tomoe... why me?"
He slumped to the ground, clutching his head in terror.
Ren watched him, a pang of guilt hitting his chest. His presence had indeed warped the timeline, dragging this poor guy into a mess he wasn't ready for.
Ren placed a hand on Seishiro's shoulder and spoke with absolute sincerity.
"Seishiro-senpai, rest easy. If someone has to die... it will be me."
"You just focus on protecting yourself. I've been prepared for death for a long time!"
Seishiro looked up, stunned. He sighed, thinking Ren was just being naive. He'll know true fear once the kunai start flying, he thought. But seeing the "child" before him, he couldn't bring himself to be any harsher.
"Whatever... I guess this is just my fate."
Seishiro stood up and stumbled past Ren, walking toward his home like a stray dog that had lost its way. Suddenly, he paused and looked back.
"Kid... tell me one thing. Why? Why go this far?"
Ren hesitated, scratching his head. He couldn't exactly say "For the insurance payout."
Standing under the清cold moonlight, with the long shadow of the Hokage Rock stretching behind him, Ren clenched his fist over his heart.
"The reason?" His voice was as sharp as a blade. "I often wonder what a mediocre ninja like me can achieve. What is the point of the village? Of the Uchiha?"
"In the end, I realized one thing: without power, you can achieve nothing. So, I am willing to throw myself into the flames of war. I will find my path—and the reason for these eyes—between life and death!"
"And then, I will use those eyes to light up the world and restore the glory of the Uchiha!"
Seishiro stared at the boy standing straight as a statue in the biting wind.
"I see..." Seishiro nodded slowly. He remembered the words Shisui—the pride of the Dove faction—had said to him earlier that day about this "special" Genin. "I understand now."
He turned and vanished into the darkness, leaving Ren standing there, scratching his head in confusion.
"Wait... what the hell did you 'understand'?"