"Cousin?!"
Not only Shigure but even Minato, Rin, and Kakashi froze in astonishment. At first, they thought Obito was joking. Yet judging by Obito's serious face, it was no joke at all.
"How are we connected on the family tree?" Shigure asked quickly, curiosity sharpening his voice.
Obito held up a scroll covered in clan records. "My name is Obito, and I only have one younger brother—Shisui. He's already being trained in Anbu because of his talent. That's how fast he's risen."
Shigure's expression flickered with surprise. "So Shisui is your brother… Already in Anbu at such a young age? He must be a true genius. We'll definitely have to fight one day, test each other's strength. But wait, you called me your cousin… Does that mean your father and my father are brothers?"
Which naturally led to the next, heavier question. Shigure leaned closer. "So then, who is your father exactly?"
Of course, Obito could not possibly know that Shigure standing before him carried the soul of someone from another world. From Obito's view, Shigure was still just another Uchiha child—though an unusual one. So the boy tilted his head.
"Eh? Why are you asking about my father?" Obito replied, somewhere between annoyed and embarrassed. "Shouldn't you be more worried about your own? If I'm not mistaken, you probably don't even know your father's name!"
The words hit like a slap. Because it was true. After all this time in this borrowed body, Shigure had never learned who his parents were.
"You… you know something?" Shigure pressed.
Obito shook his head, frowning. "That's the strange part, Shigure. About your father… it's not normal. All of his information was erased. Documents, records—even his name. Nothing remains in the clan archive. It makes no sense. Honestly, the only reason I even remembered you is because of how bizarre that omission felt."
"Erased?" Shigure's face tightened.
"Yes. Written out deliberately. It seems like your surname, your very identity, was edited out by the clan elders. I don't know why or what they're hiding…" Obito admitted, confused himself.
A slow heat rose inside Shigure's chest. The memories of rejection and constant sneers from the clan burned even sharper now. "So that's why… That's why I've always been treated like an outcast. This is why I was shunned."
"The Third Hokage told me my parents were heroes who died fighting for Konoha," Shigure muttered bitterly. "If that's true, shouldn't I be honored as their son? Instead, I get scorned and insulted by my own kin."
As rage stirred, his eyes flared without conscious command. The three tomoe of a fully matured Sharingan appeared, spinning slowly.
Obito's breath caught. He recognized the power instantly and stepped back, eyes wide.
"And that's the reason, isn't it?" Shigure continued in a heavy voice. "A fatherless, motherless boy is easy to erase. That made me their perfect target. As if my very existence is their weak point to exploit..."
He fixed his gaze on Obito, who looked uncertain, almost guilty. "Do you know any deeper truth?"
Obito finally shook his head. "I'm not close to the clan leadership. The ones making decisions are the patriarch and the elders—just as it was ten years ago. If not for them… maybe someone could have told you more."
"I see…" Shigure said softly. "Thank you, Obito. Whatever scheme they're playing at, I'll uncover it myself. One day or another—I'll force the truth out of the clan."
But not yet. Not while unfinished battles still clung to him. He knew the deaths of three Genin and one Uchiha from Anbu remained unsettled.
The shadows outside lengthened. Realizing time had slipped past, Shigure turned to leave. He gave Minato a short bow. "Master, I'll take my leave. Next time, I trust we'll fight side by side."
Minato smiled warmly. "I look forward to it, truly. May fate let us stand together one day."
Kakashi, however, gritted his teeth in determination. "At the Chunin Exams! I'll meet you there, Uchiha Shigure, and I'll finally show you what I can do."
Obito shook his head, despair written all over his face. "Forget it, Kakashi, there's no way I want to face him… He already has a three-tomoe Sharingan! And he's what, five? Six years old?"
With a faint smirk, Shigure raised his hand in parting, then vanished in a flicker.
His home was quiet when he returned, though something was different. The wreckage left from his clash with Uchiha Mamoru and the others was gone—swept away, restored.
"This must be… Hoshiko's doing," Shigure thought. That quiet little civilian girl had somehow cleaned and arranged everything neatly in spite of the chaos. "I underestimated her before. She's more capable than I knew."
The silence of the tidy house weighed on him though. As he stared at the empty rooms, frustration twisted back into his chest.
I may be a transmigrated soul, but I am still Uchiha Shigure. Their contempt for him is contempt for me. My identity… this shadow over my parentage—I must find the truth.
He sat with that heavy thought, fatigue washing over him until a faint sound outside the door broke his spiral. He was about to activate his Sharingan when the door slid open on its own.
Hoshiko stood there, grinning brightly. Beside her was a second girl—Amamiya Suiren, the delicate yet spirited daughter of the shadowy merchant family Shigure had once tangled with. Between them, they carried a small cake, its candles flickering.
"What… what are you two doing here?" Shigure asked warily, though his guard softened at their earnest faces.
"Brother Shigure, did you forget what day today is?" Hoshiko teased.
"What day?" Shigure blinked.
"Your birthday!" Hoshiko said proudly.
"Birthday?" Shigure repeated, stunned. "Wait… how old am I supposed to be?"
Suiren smirked and burst into laughter. "You mean you actually don't know your own age? What a mess of memories you are. Well, remember it now—today's your fifth birthday."
Shigure's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "Fifth?! I'm only five years old?! That can't be! I look and fight like someone ten at least!"
Hoshiko giggled. "You're really only five, same as me. I'm just a few months younger."
Shigure's mind reeled. Compared to Kakashi, nine years old already, and Obito, who was ten… he truly was just a child among them. And Shisui—wasn't he supposed to be older still? At least six, maybe even eight.
The candles flickered quietly on the cake, throwing tiny shadows on the walls. For a moment, the heavy questions of erased names, hostile clans, and secret betrayals fell away. Here, in this little room, there was only warmth, laughter, and the fragile reminder that he was still a child—not only a weapon or a forgotten son.
But even as Shigure blew out the candles, one thought refused to leave him:
If they erased my father's name from the Uchiha records… then what else are they hiding from me?
--
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