"…It's still shocking to see that you're an Uchiha, Suguru-kun."
Hiruzen sighed when he saw the three-tomoe Sharingan in the boy's possession. No one had discovered this fact. Not Danzo, not Itachi, and certainly not anyone else.
If even the deepest secret holders of Konohagakure had no access to such information, who would dare to say they knew?
What made Hiruzen's head hurt slightly, however, was Suguru's next words.
"An Uchiha?" He laughed, his voice teasing, "Grandpa Hiruzen, please, I'm no Uchiha."
"I'm a Hiryu, nothing more and nothing less."
Hiruzen could not discern the true implications of such words. In the end, his sigh was accompanied by a cloud of smoke.
"Go now, boy," he said, shaking his head with great fatigue, "I have much more work than you do."
* * *
Suguru strolled through Konoha's streets, his mind buzzing with plans for the upcoming exams.
The Forest of Death would be his domain this time, a playground to observe the genin's struggles. He contemplated various scenarios, from simple survival tests to more elaborate traps that would push the participants to their limits.
Lost in thought, he almost missed the familiar chakra signature approaching from his left.
Almost.
"Tatsuya," Suguru said without turning his head, a smile playing on his lips. "It's been quite some time."
The reaction was everything Suguru had hoped for.
Tatsuya froze mid-step, his eyes widening with disbelief as they locked onto Suguru's silver hair and casual stance. The Uchiha's mouth opened slightly, then closed, then opened again.
"You..." Tatsuya finally managed, his voice barely above a whisper. Eyeing the forehead protector on Suguru's head being used as a ponytail, he spoke. "You're back in the village?"
Suguru turned fully to face him, relishing the moment. "Mhm~! Officially reinstated as a jounin."
Tatsuya's Sharingan activated involuntarily, a response to his emotional state rather than any perceived threat. "After everything that happened with Danzo? After you disappeared?"
"A lot has happened since we last met," Suguru agreed, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "I hear you've had quite the adventure yourself. Meeting with Itachi must have been... illuminating."
Tatsuya's expression hardened. "How do you know about that?"
Suguru tilted his head, "I've been watching. Always watching."
Always observing, despite the risk to himself.
"And now you're back just in time for the Chuunin Exams," Tatsuya stated, suspicion evident in his tone.
"Indeed. I'll be proctoring the second stage." Suguru's smile widened. "I'm quite looking forward to seeing how your cousin performs. Sasuke has grown stronger, hasn't he? As has Naruto, I imagine. And with Gaara in the mix..."
Tatsuya's eyes narrowed, his Sharingan spinning slowly as he studied Suguru's face. The casual demeanor, the knowing smile — it all felt like a performance designed to unsettle him.
"I remember something else about you," Tatsuya said, taking a step closer. "I heard from Kakashi-senpai… Your eyes—"
Suguru's expression remained pleasant, though something flickered behind his silver gaze. "Oh?"
"The Sharingan," Tatsuya pressed, his voice dropping to ensure no passersby would hear. "You had the Sharingan. I heard it clearly when I was training with Lord Third."
A cool breeze swept between them, rustling Suguru's silver hair. He maintained his smile, though it took on a sharper edge.
"Ah, that," Suguru waved his hand dismissively. "Just a little trick of mine. Nothing worth discussing in the middle of the street."
"A trick?" Tatsuya's tone hardened. "The Sharingan isn't some parlor trick. It's the bloodline of my clan—"
"A secret," Suguru interrupted, his voice suddenly carrying weight.
A finger pressed upon his lips, "There are things in this world better kept secret."
Tatsuya's jaw tightened. "Lord Third asked you about it, too, didn't he? What did you tell him?"
"The same thing I'm telling you," Suguru replied, his silver eyes meeting Tatsuya's crimson gaze without flinching. "It's my secret to keep."
The tension between them stretched, neither willing to back down. Around them, villagers continued their daily routines, oblivious to the charged exchange happening in their midst.
"…spar,"
Tatsuya managed to eek out a challenge.
"Let's spar,"
Hearing this, Suguru blinked. Mentally reviewing what he had to do before the Chuunin Exams, he realized he had enough free time to spar with an old classmate.
A smile spread across his lips, leaking in definite malevolence. A killing intent despite the smile.
"Sure,"
* * *
On an empty training ground where the wind blew with a soft ferocity.
Suguru stretched, loosening up his joints after that long night of sleep. With a few agile toe-touches, he began regulating his breathing.
His fingers, previously grasping nothing but air, materialized a kunai with nary a puff of smoke.
Seeing this, Tatsuya instinctively realized that it was another jutsu he had never seen.
Ever since learning and comparing Suguru's Taijutsu with Sasuke, he had long realized how convolutedly coherent Suguru's fighting style was.
'The grappling techniques, in particular, are unlike any orthodox Taijutsu out there.' Tatsuya soon began to regulate his breathing as well.
After the two warmed up, a faint breeze coursed through the clearing. The morning sun beaded down upon them like a gentle, golden shawl.
"We'll begin when this stone hits the ground," Suguru said, his eyes shattering and reforming.
'Sharingan!'
Tatsuya saw this, and his body froze. A fully-evolved Sharingan. In the eyes of someone who had never been seen using it.
'Wait…'
Suddenly, Tatsuya recalled Suguru's titles beyond the village.
'The Ghost of the Land of Rivers,'
Could it be that…
'—Anyone who saw those eyes never lived to tell the tale?'
A shiver coursed through Tatsuya's spine just then. It was clear that Suguru was treating this battle with solemnity. No one had seen him fight with those eyes.
However, the Sharingan was too useful a tool for battle.
This only meant that — even when Suguru didn't have fully-evolved Sharingan — his foes never lived to tell the tale.
'Damn,'
Frankly, that thought was terrifying.
Unfortunately, the stone was already falling.
'Sharingan!'
Tatsuya's eyes took on a similar pattern.
The two crimson irises met in midair. Their gaze clashed, and Tatsuya realized that a Genjutsu had already been cast.
'What..?'
—Hehehe~
Suguru's laughter echoed in his ears, coming from right behind him.
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