He ran all the way, trying to clear his head. The Uchiha clansmen he passed recognized him and knew his family had just suffered a tragedy, so no one stopped him.
They only watched his back as he left, silently cursing that old hag in their hearts.
At his aunt's house, two white lanterns swayed at the gate, lit to guide his sister's spirit home. Uchiha Renji drew in a long breath and stepped inside.
The first thing he saw was his uncle dressed in black, sitting in the courtyard, and his teacher Uchiha Ming beside him in the same attire. Three swords rested by the doorway.
Renji lowered his head in salute, struggling to keep his voice steady. "Uncle, where is my mother?"
Uchiha Tongren didn't answer, just pointed silently toward the house. Ming gestured for him to go inside quickly and not waste words.
When Renji entered, his steps faltered in the hall. His sister's portrait rested among flowers, beside her favorite toys, the rattle he had given her, and the small wooden comb from Fugaku.
Tears spilled freely. What was this? What was the point of all that training?
Damn it all. Unless I kill them, I will never find peace.
He spun around and shouted, "Uncle, tell me! Why do you train with the sword? Why do you practice at all?"
His mother Lan had already stepped out when she heard him come in, wanting to comfort her son. But before she could say a word, she saw him storm back out of the hall, shouting at her brother-in-law.
She froze, shocked both by his words and his outburst.
Before anyone could react, Renji had already dashed out the door.
Tongren clenched his fists tight, glanced at Ming, and said nothing. He simply sat in silence.
Ming finally spoke.
"You know what the clan has decided. Emotionally it is hard to accept, since in the end her actions caused this. But by law, the true culprits were enemy shinobi. If you want to leave the village and hunt rogue ninja for revenge, I can go with you."
Lan worried for her son. He had always been steady and dependable, but something about him now felt dangerously off.
After leaving his aunt's house, Renji split into two shadow clones. One went to find Uchiha Yan, the other to Uchiha Retsu, telling them to meet at the village gate.
He wanted his brothers to accompany him outside. They were the only people he could trust and rely on.
Standing by the gate, Renji looked out at the Hidden Leaf. All those words about sacrifice for the village, about serving under lofty ideals, made him sick.
Every sentence from Sarutobi Hiruzen was nothing but a way to make others serve him in the name of righteousness.
But when their own people made mistakes, they were treated as if nothing had happened, walking around the streets again after a short while. Danzo was like that. So was that old crone.
When the three friends gathered, Renji told the guards at the gate,
"You've heard what happened to my family. I'm going out with my brothers for a while."
The guard nodded. "Understood. Be careful, times are not safe. When I change shifts, I'll inform your family."
Renji thanked him, and the three set off. Neither Yan nor Retsu asked where he was going. They simply followed in silence. At dawn, they reached a public latrine.
Renji spoke bluntly.
"I want to kill Koharu Utatane. On my own I can't succeed. Even if I managed it, I'd have to make it look like an outside attack. I'll need your help, and I'll need outside aid too. You'll stand with me, won't you?"
Yan chuckled. "I thought you'd go straight there the moment you left home."
Retsu nodded.
"There's nothing to discuss. Your sister was our sister too. She's just gone like that, and my heart is burning. Killing that old woman is exactly what I want."
Yan shot Retsu a glare. Big brother never knew how to phrase things. Just say 'I'll support you' and leave it at that, why drag sisters into it?
Renji continued.
"Remember that scroll we seized years ago from those Root shinobi? Teacher Ming gave it to me without even looking inside. It contained information, two hundred million in funds, and a rare treasure from Takigakure called the Hero Water. I plan to use this to hire someone. His name is Kakuzu."
He transformed his appearance and stepped into the latrine, which was actually a hidden black market exchange.
"To the steward inside," he said, "I want to post a mission, but only Kakuzu can take it. Payment is two hundred million. I'll come here at this time every day until he meets me in person."
He dropped a hundred million as deposit, as the rules required, then left.
Back in the Leaf, he first stopped by home, found it empty, then went to his aunt's again. His mother and aunt were sitting in the courtyard. His aunt leaned against Lan, staring blankly at the swing in the yard.
Renji told his mother,
"I won't be home the next few days. I'll be out at night with Yan and Retsu. Tell Father for me."
Lan looked him over, sensing something wrong.
"I understand. Be careful. Don't do something foolish. There are things that, once done…"
Then she sneered faintly.
"And if you do it, make sure it's clean." Her three-tomoe Sharingan gleamed as she winked at him.
Renji felt exposed under her gaze. For a moment he thought about asking her to find him more allies, but quickly dismissed the idea.
He couldn't risk unnecessary complications. Who knew if someone close to her carried those naïve ideals of the so-called Will of Fire.
On the fourth day, in the underground chamber of the black market, Renji finally met Kakuzu. He came straight to the point.
"Kakuzu, I have a mission for you. Assassinate former Konoha advisor Koharu Utatane. Reward, two hundred million. Interested?"
Kakuzu laughed.
"Getting into and out of Konoha isn't so easy right now. Killing is simple. Escaping is the hard part. Your pay is too low."
Renji replied,
"We'll handle getting in and out. We'll also participate in the kill. All I ask is that you deal with any pests who get in the way. Once it's done, I'll also give you sensitive information about Takigakure. I guarantee it will please you."
Kakuzu thought for a moment. "Fine. When?"
"Tomorrow morning, at this crossroads near Konoha. I'll be waiting." Renji handed him a small map.
The next day, near the gate, Renji left a shadow clone with Retsu, telling him not to leave, then walked boldly out with Yan and another clone.
Meeting Kakuzu, Renji had him disguise himself as Retsu. The three then re-entered the Leaf. Patrols tried to stop them, but Yan and Renji brushed them off.
When they reached Koharu's residence, Retsu pulled out a map of surveillance details and guard positions they had gathered over the last few days.
They went over the plan. Tonight, they would strike.
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What you have witnessed is only the surface of a deeper, blood-soaked history. Renji's fate has already been carved into forbidden scrolls that the village would never reveal. To step into that future, to see the battles of tomorrow today, cross the hidden threshold.
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