At the edge of the Forest of Death—
After evading everyone, Uchiha Kai first destroyed the Cloud ninja's brain with a fire jutsu, then carefully restored the body to a "dying" state before tossing it casually deeper into the forest. Only then did he slip away at high speed.
He encountered no one along the way.
Once home, Kai immediately dropped back into his salted-fish lifestyle—collapsed on his bed and fell into deep sleep.
The next morning.
He was still snoring when a knock sounded at his door.
Uchiha Kai rubbed his eyes, clearly annoyed. Half-asleep, he yawned, opened the door—only to find Uchiha Shisui standing outside.
He couldn't help grumbling:
"Seriously, Shisui?"
"Don't you ever rest?"
"Look at the time—it's only six in the morning!"
Shisui: "…"
He stood there speechless, glancing first at the bleary-eyed, just-woken Kai, then at the yard outside, where countless clan members were already up training with energy to spare.
His mind blanked for a moment.
Was this guy really an Uchiha?
It was already six o'clock, and he still hadn't started training?
Shisui honestly couldn't understand.
But he quickly remembered why he'd come, and drew in a deep breath.
"First of all—this is already late. Ordinary Hidden Leaf Village ninja, even civilians, wake up at five to train. Clan ninjas like us Uchiha start at four-thirty. And there's even a taijutsu maniac in the village, Might Guy, who gets up at three-thirty."
"Kai-kun, you need to work harder. The day after tomorrow, squads will be assigned. You might be sent straight into battle."
Shisui's words were earnest, even nagging.
To Kai, he held five parts guilt, three parts kinship, and two parts expectation.
They had played together as kids. But after Kai's grandfather Uchiha Kagami passed away, Shisui buried himself in training, and the two gradually drifted apart.
Still, because of Kai's parents' fate, Shisui always treated him as family. And Kai's long years of hardship only made his sense of guilt heavier.
He blamed himself—if he had paid more attention earlier, Kai wouldn't have been forced to suffer so much.
So now, he had expectations. He believed Kai's laziness was just a façade born of resentment. If Kai truly roused himself, he could absolutely rise to greatness.
If they worked together, and rallied others with the same ideals, they could restore the Uchiha clan's honor, and fight for peace between the clan and Hidden Leaf Village.
But unfortunately—
Kai wasn't listening.
"Alright, Shisui."
"No need to comfort me. I'm just a piece of trash. Hard work is exhausting—I'd rather lie flat and enjoy life."
"Come on in."
He waved lazily, completely dismissing Shisui's lecture.
After all, he'd spent years cementing his "good-for-nothing" persona. There was no way he was giving it up now.
They moved into the sitting room.
Shisui could only sigh inwardly—trying to ignite Kai's fighting spirit was clearly going to be a long, uphill battle.
But he still believed. With their bond, Kai would eventually stand tall.
Taking a moment, he smiled and finally shared his news.
"Kai, I have good news."
"Clan Leader Fugaku, after hearing about what happened, flew into a rage and scolded the hardline elders. Starting today, all unfair treatment of Kagami-grandfather's descendants is forbidden. From now on, resources will be distributed equally, just like to every other Uchiha."
"And the pensions and resources that were withheld all these years? The clan has agreed to make up for them in full."
"So, Kai-kun, think carefully—what do you want?"
"Oh, and there's more."
"The Third Hokage has also heard of this. Since it's a clan affair, he won't interfere directly. But he's still willing to allocate part of the village budget as additional compensation."
Shisui's eyes shone. Clearly, he was deeply satisfied with this outcome.
On the other side, Kai fell silent.
Watching Shisui so excited for his sake… he felt a tightness in his chest.
Because Kai could see it clearly—Shisui truly meant well. He treated him as family.
But… damn it.
He didn't need it!
Worse—how was he supposed to stand by and watch this kid get murdered by Danzo, his eyes stolen?
But if he didn't stand by, he'd be dragged deep into the Uchiha's swamp.
Headache. Pure headache.
"What a kid…" Kai sighed inwardly. "Then again, Shisui's only thirteen. In my past life, that's basically an elementary schooler—not even a middle schooler."
"What was I doing at that age? Copying homework? Bickering with girls? Skipping class? Arguing with my parents? Playing games?"
A heavy feeling pressed down on his heart.
Looking at Shisui, something soft inside him stirred.
But Uchiha affairs were too messy. He hadn't yet decided what to do.
Still—it didn't matter. Worst case, he could ambush Danzo, save Shisui, and have him conveniently "disappear."
As for the "good news" Shisui was talking about?
Fugaku? Hiruzen?
Hah! What a joke.
That kind of talk might fool an innocent kid like Shisui.
But Kai knew better.
Still, it had nothing to do with him. If he could milk some benefits out of this, why not?
So he spoke:
"I want Izanagi and Izanami, plus a katana and swordsmanship scroll. The rest, just give me explosive tags and soldier pills."
Shisui: "…"
He froze.
After a long moment, he finally asked in shock:
"You… awakened the Sharingan?"
"Nope," Kai replied calmly. "Just preparing for the future."
Shisui fell silent again.
Those were incredibly important techniques. But… this was Kai's request.
After a pause, he nodded.
"I know both Izanagi and Izanami. I'll copy the scrolls for you myself."
"As for the katana and sword style—I have some at home. I'll bring them."
"The tags and soldier pills—Clan Leader won't refuse that."
"No problem. I'll take care of it."
His tone was steady, without hesitation.
Kai, on the other hand, was stunned.
Good grief!
He hadn't expected Shisui to personally cover more than half of it.
So the clan only had to provide some basic supplies?
He hadn't realized before—but apparently, Shisui was loaded!
Well, it made sense. He was from a main branch. His grandfather was Kagami himself.
Just as Kai was about to speak again, a masked ANBU suddenly appeared in the yard.
"Uchiha Shisui. Uchiha Kai."
"The Hokage orders you both to report to the Hokage Building."
"Immediately."