Hiruzen Sarutobi felt tempted.
But after thinking it through carefully, he still shook his head and refused.
"No."
"Uchiha Kai is the descendant of Kagami's subordinates, and now he's gotten close to Shisui. Shisui is the most important person we have monitoring the Uchiha."
"If he learns that Kai was transferred to Root, he'll completely lose his trust in us."
"Keeping the Uchiha in check is the greater priority. Danzo, I need you to understand that."
"Don't touch Uchiha Kai. That's my warning to you."
Danzo's face darkened to the extreme.
Once again, his suggestion was rejected!
Hiruzen's indecisiveness filled him with fury.
A worthless Uchiha weakling—he refused to believe such trash could affect the bigger picture with the clan.
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"
After that standard exchange, Danzo stormed off, his face ashen, slamming the office door behind him.
He really did regret it.
Back then, he had been just one step away from becoming Hokage himself.
If things had gone differently, he would be the one sitting in that chair now!
The next morning.
Uchiha Kai yawned as he rolled out of bed, washed up, then headed out to Ichiraku Ramen.
After eating, he strolled leisurely back toward home.
But this time, as he cut through a side alley, he realized once again—he was being followed.
…What the hell?
Yesterday it had been Shisui. Today, who could it be?
The Third Hokage's ANBU? Or Danzo's Root operatives?
But a moment later, he realized he was overthinking it.
A sideways glance was enough to reveal his stalkers—three Uchiha clansmen.
And they were familiar faces.
Uchiha Isao, Uchiha Ryo, and Uchiha Yoshio.
Uchiha Kai: "…"
Great. Just what he needed.
Within the entire Uchiha clan, the only ones who made a point of butting heads with him were these three.
The real elites, the geniuses, the high-ranking figures—they couldn't be bothered to deal with him.
But these idiots, stuck in mediocrity, had nothing better to do than harass him constantly.
For the sake of survival, he had tolerated it.
But clearly, these three weren't done playing.
His eyes flickered with thought.
The next second, he took a turn, heading straight toward the dense forest behind the Hokage Monument, the edge of Training Ground 23—bordering the Forest of Death.
As ninjas, all of them moved swiftly.
Half an hour later, Kai dropped down from a tall tree, looking around at the thick, unbroken woodland, satisfaction flickering in his eyes.
And right then, his three pursuers landed as well, surrounding him.
"Uchiha Kai, you deserve to die!"
"As a worthless trash like you, you're unworthy of the Uchiha name. Why don't you just hurry up and die already?"
"Living shamelessly is one thing, but you even went running to Shisui with your problems."
"You can't even use the Three Basic Jutsu properly, yet you dare tarnish the clan's honor."
"This mountain and forest will make a fine grave for you."
Uchiha Yoshio's expression was twisted with malice.
His gaze was haughty, arms crossed as he looked down on Kai with pure ridicule and contempt.
He wasn't a genius.
As a proud Uchiha, hearing the clan endlessly praise Shisui filled him with rage and resentment, but also a crushing sense of powerlessness.
Deep down, he knew the truth.
No matter how much he envied or hated Shisui, he would never surpass him.
So—
If he couldn't take it out on Shisui, why not on Kai, the clan's trash?
All his hidden frustrations and inferiority, he vented onto Kai.
To put it bluntly, he was a bully.
If they were still within the compound, the most he would dare was to beat Kai up a bit.
But here?
This was the Forest of Death.
Far from the village, no one around to notice.
And considering that Kai had recently gotten close to Shisui, Yoshio's malice only grew stronger.
A vicious thought took root—if Kai died, wouldn't that hurt Shisui badly?
The thought thrilled him. His whole body trembled with excitement.
"Let's do it. Kill him!"
His lips twisted into a cruel grin as he pulled out a kunai.
"Brother, this…" Uchiha Ryo looked stunned, blurting out, "Isn't that too much? Kai may be annoying, but he's still Uchiha!"
"Yeah, big bro, just beat him up." Uchiha Isao tried to dissuade him.
Clearly, the two still had some sense.
But Yoshio?
Once he had killing intent, he wasn't about to be swayed.
"Hmph, cowards!"
"Regardless, I will kill Uchiha Kai. Do as you like."
"And if word of this gets out, don't think you two will escape punishment either."
With that, his eyes turned blood-red, revealing his two-tomoe Sharingan.
In a flash, he unleashed Uchiha's Shuriken Jutsu, seven kunai sealing off every angle of escape, all targeting Kai.
His hands blurred through seals, and within seconds, his chest swelled.
"Fire Style:Great Fireball Jutsu!"
BOOM!
A roaring fireball burst forth, blazing heat surging toward Kai.
Meanwhile—
Ryo and Isao exchanged looks, fear and panic in their eyes.
This was murder.
Murdering their own clansman!
But Yoshio was right—if Kai survived and word spread, they'd be dragged down too.
There was no turning back.
They gritted their teeth, Sharingan spinning as their eyes turned red, single tomoe glinting coldly.
Steel glinted in their hands—shuriken and kunai flying in a storm from both flanks, sealing Kai's escape.
Uchiha Kai narrowed his eyes.
Watching the three rush him, a mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"So that's it. You're certain I'm doomed?"
"But tell me—why?"
"I really don't get it. Do you have no brains at all?"
"Why would I come to the edge of the Forest of Death, if not to lure you here?"
"You really think I'd serve myself up on a silver platter just to give you a chance?"
"Is your stupidity truly this bottomless?"
His tone was icy.
The easygoing, harmless demeanor he usually wore was gone—replaced with a frigid, merciless edge.
Yes.
This was the grave he had personally chosen… for them.
Almost instantly—
His own Sharingan flared to life.
Three tomoe spun rapidly, exuding an aura of chilling darkness and malevolence.
His smile turned cruel as he looked upon his clansmen.
He had endured these fools long enough.
All he wanted was to quietly grow strong.
Why did they have to keep trying to use him as their punching bag?
Since they were so eager to die… he would oblige.
After all—
He was a very kind person.