Land of Fire, Hidden Leaf Village.
At the village gates, a man clad in Uchiha attire strolled in, a Leaf Headband tied around his arm—clear signs of a returning mission.
His face was warm and cheerful, like a gentle spring breeze.
Twirling a kunai in his hand, he walked towards the village entrance with an easygoing air.
With that face and lazy demeanor, he could pass for the friendly neighborhood big brother or a carefree young man.
...
Assuming you ignored the blood-soaked ninja he was dragging behind him.
Otherwise, the scene would've been titled 'Handsome Man in the dusk'.
Spotting the two gate guards, he grinned and waved.
"Hey, gatekeepers! Rough day, huh?"
"Shift change's coming up—must've been a hassle dealing with folks all day."
The guards' expressions soured instantly upon seeing him.
Not because of his looks—but because of his reputation.
The speaker was Uchiha Yato, one of the rare Uchiha ninja in Hidden Leaf known for being approachable to civilians.
As everyone knew, the Uchiha Clan was full of stunningly good-looking individuals, and Yato was no exception—his features were flawless even among them.
Yet, this man was also dubbed "The Shit-Stirrer Under Moonlight."*
Yato himself insisted the title didn't fit.
After all, if he was the 'shit-stirrer' then everyone around him—no, the entire Hidden Leaf—would be…
Well.
People couldn't beat him in a fight, nor could they out-talk him.
It was a headache.
In terms of strength, Yato was a Jonin of the Uchiha Clan, wielding a three-tomoe Sharingan, unique abilities, and formidable combat skills—solid proof that he was no pushover.
Moreover, Uchiha Yato's learning ability was exceptionally strong. He could memorize basic ninjutsu at a glance and master slightly more difficult techniques with just two days of practice.
Logically speaking, Uchiha Yato should have become the pride of the Uchiha clan and a symbol of the Hidden Leaf Village, gaining fame across the ninja world like the "Sannin," who were slightly older than him.
But this guy was just absurd.
During the Second Shinobi World War, he was sent to assist the Sannin.
Uchiha Yato was tasked with intercepting the Sand Ninja reinforcements.
Not only did he successfully block them, but he also seized their supplies.
This could be considered an outstanding support mission.
However, Yato only killed a few Sand Ninja who had initially provoked him.
He then sent the six or seven Chunin and one Jonin accompanying him to reinforce the front lines, while he alone kept the remaining two Sand Jonin and four Chunin behind to "play" with them.
When the Sand Ninja's subsequent plea for help reached Chiyo, her face twitched uncontrollably as she turned to Ebizo beside her and cursed.
"What the hell is this?"
"Who the hell steals supplies and then plays house with the enemy?"
"He made the Sand Ninja pretend to be the Hidden Leaf, while he played the Sand Ninja, and then they 'attacked' each other."
"The fucker won and then shouted 'Sand Ninja will prevail!'"
"And then he gave them a moral lecture about how fighting is wrong. How come he didn't say that when he was beating them up?"
This outburst of vulgar language from the usually hot-tempered Chiyo even shocked Ebizo, who was instantly intrigued by the report.
After reading the letter and learning about the current state of the returning ninja, Ebizo discovered that Yato had made them role-play, taught them how to dance in unity and even discussed their Bloodline Limits with them.
Ebizo muttered to himself, "This kid is something else. He doesn't do anything normal, doesn't even interrogate them for intel—just mentally tortures them."
The two Jonin who returned kept screaming "Demon Uchiha" in their sleep.
Of the four Chunin, two were still performing bizarre dances, while the other two explained that they had been trapped in a genjutsu where a chicken wearing overalls forced them to dance.
If they didn't dance, they couldn't escape the illusion.
So, the two "awake" Chunin had already finished their dance sessions.
When higher-ups asked about their suffering, the victims immediately looked like abused wives, their expressions full of grievance.
Seeing the eerie dances and the mentally broken ninja, Chiyo subtly pulled her grandson, Sasori, behind her.
The boy's parents had just been killed by the White Fang of the Leaf.
If he learned this cursed dance, Chiyo would lose her mind before he did.
From then on, the Sand Ninja referred to Uchiha Yato as 'Gay ninja'.
But Yato didn't just torment his enemies—he also tortured his allies.
Later, he was sent to the Land of Rain to continue supporting the Sannin.
He arrived just in time for the legendary moment when Hanzo the Salamander "bestowed" the title of Sannin upon Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade.
This should have been a mutual retreat for stability, as Hanzo, wary of the Hidden Leaf's strength, chose to spare Hiruzen Sarutobi's three students.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—still lacking sufficient strength to defeat Hanzo the Salamander—also found an excuse to withdraw from the battlefield.
Just as they retreated, Uchiha Yato arrived at the front lines and called out.
"Don't worry, esteemed sannin! Not only do we have the Hokage, but we also have Lord Shimura Danzo backing you from the rear!"
Then, he turned to Hanzo and added, "Listen old man, you should know that Lord Danzo holds the pettiest grudges. If you bully the students of his dearest friend (Sarutobi Hiruzen) today, he'll make sure you regret it tomorrow. Then your Rain Hidden Village will suffer dearly!"
What could have been a dignified retreat for the four instantly turned awkward.
They all cursed inwardly, Where the hell did this troublemaker come from?
Back at the rear, Shimura Danzo, upon hearing Uchiha Yato's words, was so furious his face cycled through shades of black, red, white, and purple.
'Damn it, you're making the entire shinobi world hate me! How am I supposed to campaign for the Fourth Hokage now? Truly, the Uchiha are evil.'
Ever since the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, passed away and Sarutobi Hiruzen succeeded as the Third, Danzo had harbored ambitions to become the Fourth—though he had yet to establish Root.
However, Uchiha Yato's reckless remarks tarnished Danzo's reputation, fueling his deep-seated resentment toward the Uchiha Clan.
While such matters were usually handled in the shadows—like Ebizo of the Sand Ninja, another intelligence leader—they were never spoken aloud, as doing so would ruin one's standing.
Because of this, what should have been a peaceful resolution turned into Hanzo signing a surrender agreement.
The civilians of the Hidden Leaf rejoiced, but the higher-ups were far from pleased.
Upon returning to the village, Danzo immediately demanded Uchiha Kei (the current Uchiha Clan head) hand over Yato for punishment.
However, Yato had already anticipated Danzo's pettiness and advised the clan head beforehand.
When Danzo arrived at the Uchiha Clan Grounds with a Hokage Warrant, the clan head simply stated, "Yato is still a child. His discipline is the Uchiha Clan's affair."
Enraged, Danzo began shouting curses right at the clan gates.
Hidden Uchiha shinobi, seeing someone openly provoking their clan, didn't bother asking questions—they attacked first.
After everything was clarified, both sides compromised: Yato would be punished within the clan.
After all, thanks to his taunts, the Rain forces had retreated swiftly, reducing the enemy's pressure on the Leaf.
Recalling these events—and the chaos Yato had stirred both within and outside the clan—he could truly be called a "walking controversy."
He wreaked havoc not only on enemy nations but also on the Hidden Leaf—and even his own clan.
Just as the two gatekeepers considered pretending they hadn't seen him, another Uchiha approached Yato and said, "Lord Yato, the clan head requests your presence at the shrine after this mission."
Yato nodded. "Understood. Ryo, please submit this mission report for me. I'll head there now."
Watching Uchiha Yato rush toward the Clan Grounds without another word, the three people present all sighed in relief.
Wherever this guy appeared, trouble followed. No one wanted to get involved in unnecessary conflict.
Just as the three relaxed, they saw a slip of paper flutter down, bearing the following message.
"The mission states there's a smuggler ninja—a member of the Sarutobi clan. The evidence of his crimes is in his pocket. Just retrieve it directly."
Uchiha Ren was instantly dumbfounded upon reading the note.
As expected, anything related to Uchiha Yato brought misfortune.
This kind of trouble-making task had somehow slipped past him.
The two gatekeeper ninja didn't even glance at the note—looking too closely might invite disaster.