Beside the Uchiha clan compound, a breakfast stall by the street.
Kagami panted heavily, hesitated for a moment, then continued:
"The pupil technique in my right eye is called 'Takamagahara.' Its ability allows me to foresee the future, observing events that will occur five seconds ahead. When I actively intervene in reality, the glimpsed future also shifts accordingly—truly a technique of 'fate manipulation'! By channeling more ocular power, I can peer further ahead, with the maximum temporal range being... five minutes!"
"Hmph. Did Tobirama order you to tell me this?" Kamihane tapped the table with his index finger, visibly displeased.
"Correct." Kagami replied calmly. "My teacher said that providing strategic information at critical moments can intimidate enemies and achieve victory without shedding blood."
"That old bastard still clings to life..." Kamihane frowned with feigned regret. "Between dealing with Hashirama and forcing your Sharingan awakening, we let him slip through our fingers."
Kagami wiped blood from his face. "I've disclosed all my ocular jutsu and their effects to Sensei. Under his command... we might still stand a chance against you."
Kamihane smirked faintly. "Fight me? You don't actually think you stand a chance, do you?"
"Brother, I won't let you succeed! Even if it means fighting, I won't retreat." Kagami declared with hard-won courage, enunciating each word clearly. "Because this was Teacher's final instruction before falling unconscious!"
"Heh. It seems these eyes have made you rather arrogant."
"At least I can protect it from being stolen by you!"
"Very well." Kamihane surveyed their surroundings with keen interest. "Your confidence is admirable, but I wonder... does this Konoha Village share your boldness?"
Kagami stiffened, a terrible suspicion dawning upon him.
"You couldn't possibly mean..."
"Watch your mouth, 'little brother.'" Kamihane lifted his gaze, a malicious grin spreading across his face as he slowly rose from the table, palms pressed against its surface. "If you anger me... the entire Konoha will pay the price for your words..."
Just then, a youthful voice suddenly floated through the street.
"Mama, look at that big brother! He's so pretty~"
There stood a young girl with pigtails, beside her a middle-aged beauty cradling an infant.
"Haruri, don't point at people—it's rude!" she chided her daughter while offering Kamihane a slight bow and an apologetic smile.
"No need. I've always had a soft spot for sweet-talking little girls."
Kamihane nodded in acknowledgment and beckoned to the little girl. She responded with a sweet smile before bouncing over energetically.
Kagami stood motionless, watching everything unfold with a grave expression.
"Let me ask you something, little one. What's your name?" Kamihane looked at the sweet, childish girl as he settled back into his seat and picked up a piece of cake.
The little girl answered cheerfully: 'I'm Uchiha Haruri, four and a half years old. My little brother is Uchiha Kirito, just three months old... Hmm... and...'
She suddenly sneaked a furtive glance around, then stood on tiptoe to approach. Kamihane smiled and leaned down to listen as the girl whispered breathlessly:
"Let me tell you a secret... my little brother... shares the same birthday as Princess Tsunade. Yesterday's celebration wasn't just her 100th day—it was his too!"
Kamihane chuckled softly, unable to resist patting her little head. His warm eyes and delicate, gentle features made his smile radiate sunshine.
"Haruri's so clever! Clever kids deserve rewards. Here, big brother will treat you to cake. Don't worry, my hands didn't touch it..."
"Thank you, big brother!"
Kagami stared dazedly at this scene, as if petrified.
For a split second, he even forgot to activate his pupil technique. A faint twinge pulsed deep in his heart - suddenly hollowed out, then flooded with a sour, astringent emotion.
"Haruri..."
"I'm here, Haruri."
Kamihane gazed into her clear, dark eyes and said earnestly, "Remember, no one is born above or beneath others. Anyone can be a princess—even you."
"Haruri... could I be a princess too...?" she asked timidly, tapping her fingertips together.
"Of course." He gazed at the girl's bewildered eyes and whispered softly, "So don't feel proud just because your brother shares a birthday with Tsunade. We Uchiha are second to none."
Haruri nibbled her cake in small bites, her large eyes suddenly brightening. "Oh right! Big brother still hasn't told Haruri your name, has you?"
"As for me…"
Kamihane pondered for a moment, then countered: 'Do you think your brother is a bad person?'
Haruri immediately shook her head, her little braids swaying. 'Big Brother is the most beautiful and kindest brother I've ever met!'
"Then... remember today's answer." Kamihane lowered his voice to a volume only Haruri could hear:
"My name is Uchiha Kamihane. Whatever you hear about me from others in the future will be lies. Only the me standing before you at this very moment is real."
Haruri nodded with partial understanding, then pattered away at the summons of the middle-aged beauty.
Only after the mother and daughter had walked some distance did Kamihane turn to Kagami and drawl, "Let's return to our earlier topic. You seemed... to believe yourself capable of challenging me just now."
"I don't want to fight you!"
"Simple. Hand over the eyes obediently, and I'll spare you," Kamihane chuckled. "And Konoha as well."
Kagami swallowed hard, tentatively asking, "You... you're threatening me with innocent villagers?"
"What's on your mind?"
Kamihane shot him a glance. 'Slaughtering civilians, mercilessly killing the elderly, weak, women, and children... How is that any different from a beast?'
"Then you..."
"I'm full." Kamihane finished the last sip of soup and stretched lazily in contentment.
"I'll give you a fair chance to duel." He stood up, slapping a stack of bills onto the table. "Three days from now, at the Valley of the End."
"I..." Kagami rose as well, tension evident in every trembling line of his body.
"What's wrong? Weren't you full of fighting spirit just now?"
Kamihane's tone shifted, carrying a bone-chilling coldness. 'I'll be waiting there for you. If you don't appear within three days... I'll line up certain people's heads on your bed, one by one.'
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura... along with the clan leaders of Hyūga, Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Aburame, Inuzuka, and Kurama..."
"I'll deliver them to your doorstep in batches, one after another..." Kamihane feigned remorse, "Though I bear no grudge against them, who made these your bonds?"
Kagami's face flushed crimson. "How is this not a massacre?"
He harbored no doubt about the feasibility of those words, for he knew full well—the man before him was the one who had defeated the 'God of Shinobi.'
Even the teacher's expression turned uglier than swallowing feces whenever Kamihane's name was mentioned.
"Of course, you can't blame me," Kamihane drawled, leisurely pacing to stand beside Kagami. "When that time comes, you must remember - it was your cowardice that doomed them."
After speaking, he strode into the distance and vanished between one heartbeat and the next.