Mitsuro stood by Daiki's bedside. His hands were deep in his pockets, but his gaze was fiercely serious. Moments earlier, he had incapacitated all the Anbu assigned to guard Daiki just so they could speak alone.
"Why did you do it?" Mitsuro asked, his voice low.
Daiki glared back, shouting fiercely, "Did what?!"
"Don't play innocent. You inserted yourself into Sasuke's fight. You clashed with one of Konoha's most dangerous enemies, and now you've jeopardized yourself and everyone else."
For years, Daiki had resented Sasuke. He'd been forced into a secret exile from Konoha, while Sasuke—the clan killer's brother—lived comfortably in the village as a legitimate survivor. Sasuke could proudly display his Sharingan and shout the Uchiha name. But Daiki had to learn everything in the basement of an underground orphanage, alone, with only scrolls and Mitsuro's limited guidance, all while watching over the other kids who weren't even allowed to use their own names.
Yet, when he saw Sasuke in trouble, he couldn't let him be killed by a stranger. If anyone was going to defeat Sasuke, it had to be Daiki—the one destined to restore the Uchiha's glory.
"What did you expect me to do? Retreat like a coward? Like you?"
Daiki instantly regretted the words. Mitsuro visibly flinched, and a tense silence filled the room.
"Is that really what you think of me? That I'm a coward?" Mitsuro asked quietly.
Daiki offered no reply.
In the past, Mitsuro had been like a god to Daiki and the other children in the orphanage. He was a Jōnin who, despite his youth, commanded immense respect from other instructors. Even when the kids misbehaved, a simple mention of Mitsuro being involved in their games was enough for the instructors to back down. This respect multiplied tenfold the night Mitsuro fought to save them during the massacre.
But everything changed when Mitsuro returned to the hideout to sneak them out. He was no longer the cheerful young man; he was a scarred, one-eyed man with a cold, ruthless seriousness, who told them all of Konoha was unsafe and that he couldn't resolve the issue with the village for their sake. From that day on, Daiki's profound respect for Mitsuro was gone.
"What's your plan now?" Daiki asked, scowling.
"What's my plan? You've ruined everything!" Mitsuro said, despair in his voice. "I'm a Konoha ninja. You're a registered Takigakure ninja. I can't even speak to you officially, much less do anything for you."
"Konoha again! 'I can't do anything' again! You're making me sick!"
Upon learning the truth of the Uchiha massacre, Daiki had come to hate Konoha with every fiber of his being. The worst part was that Mitsuro had no intention of fighting Konoha and still considered himself a Konoha ninja.
The older Daiki got, the more he realized Mitsuro wasn't the strongest ninja in the world and that stronger ones existed, but he couldn't stand living under Konoha's shadow. He thought Mitsuro's training would eventually grant him the power to seek revenge, but the confrontation with Orochimaru had shown him just how weak he was, only deepening his frustration.
Mitsuro sighed. "Zwei..."
Daiki yelled furiously, "Stop using that ridiculous name! My name is Daiki! Daiki Uchiha! Not Zwei or any other garbage!"
Suddenly, a hard slap landed on his cheek, snapping his head to the side. Shock flooded him. He stared, stunned, at Mitsuro, whose eyes were ice cold.
"Kid, raise your voice to me one more time, and I'll hit you so hard you'll spit blood!" Mitsuro said in a frigid tone. "For all these years, I tolerated your ridiculous arrogance, trained you, and put you in charge of the others, hoping you'd eventually understand the real world. But you've only gotten worse! Now look at the disaster you've brought down on yourself and everyone else!"
Daiki was unable to reply. Mitsuro angrily gestured to the unconscious Anbu. "Do you think they're here to protect you? No, you fool! You're a prisoner! When the Takigakure council arrives in Konoha, they'll have to answer to the Hokage about why an Uchiha was among their Genin! They'll have to prove there are no other Uchihas! They might even be forced to open their gates for Anbu inspection! And you're yelling at me after causing that kind of danger for everyone else?"
He then grabbed Daiki's collar and pulled him close. "And don't forget that Cursed Seal Orochimaru put on you! Do you know who Orochimaru is? He's one of the Legendary Sannin, someone who can fight the Hokage head-on! You caught the attention of someone like that! Do you think that even if Konoha lets you go, that maniac will?"
He released Daiki's collar and said with a merciless look, "Even if I killed you right now, the mess you made wouldn't just disappear!"
Daiki was finally starting to feel genuine fear.
"Now do you understand how bad the situation is?" Mitsuro continued, his tone more devastating than any shout.
"What happens now?" Daiki asked, his voice trembling.
Mitsuro replied seriously, "We have two paths. We can abandon everything and hide. In that scenario, your fate is decided by Orochimaru and the Hokage. Whichever one is stronger, you're finished. The third exam is less than a month away, and you're not only unprepared, but because of that damned thing on your neck, you can't even use your usual skills. To the other kids and me, you're a liability, a lizard's tail."
He looked at Mitsuro. Mitsuro's gaze was so cold it pierced him to the bone.
"You want to kill me, don't you?" Daiki was no longer angry, only resigned. "Only my death can keep the others safe."
Mitsuro sighed. "Daiki... I don't want to kill you. Honestly, yes, the simple solution would be to choose the first path, but there's another way. I've temporarily diverted Konoha's attention. Let's hope the village doesn't have time to think about you and your background before the exams start. This path is difficult and dangerous, and things might not go right..."
"What did you do?"
"It doesn't matter what I did." Mitsuro began rubbing his forehead. "What matters is now! I'm going to put a Genjutsu on you so no one can see your real memories for a while. You have to clear your mind of all noise for me to do this. No one must know your past. I think the Genjutsu will last a week or two."
"How likely is it that my memory won't come back?"
"You should be asking how likely it is that you can successfully erase everything! You think it's that easy? I'm going to perform a type of hypnotism on you. I'll seal your mind so they can't see your past, and use a Genjutsu to fabricate a new past for you. This is something I've never done before! Don't worry, I'll put a key in your head so you'll remember everything when the time is right, but for now, we have to ward off the greater danger. At least until the Sandaime dies."
"What?!"
"You heard me. The only way the village will completely forget about you is when the Sandaime dies! When another Hokage takes over, we won't have to worry about you! Because typically, a new leader focuses on getting the village in order before worrying about external threats."
"What about that freak?"
"Orochimaru?"
"Yeah..."
"His people will probably come for you when the time is right and extend an invitation. They'll promise to make you stronger."
"How real is that promise?"
"Very real."
"Then I'll go with him."
"Go with him! Just remember that from the moment you leave, you have to learn everything you can from him. Sharpen your hatred and gather information for me. Recruit his useful people. Orochimaru will be your teacher, but not your friend! When the time comes, you have to leave him, and don't give him your body."