Chapter 3: Target: Nine-Tails
Morning light filtered through the leaves, casting scattered patterns across the stone walkways.
Shops along the street pulled open their wooden doors, beginning the day's business.
Inside Ichiraku Ramen, Teuchi skillfully worked his dough, the aroma of hot broth wafting down half the street.
Occasionally shinobi passed overhead, their silhouettes flashing briefly against the blue sky, causing wind chimes beneath the eaves to sway gently with crisp echoes.
Everything appeared peaceful, as if nothing had happened. Only the gossip flowing through the streets betrayed last night's events.
"Hey, did you hear? Last night, the Uchiha clan was wiped out!"
"How could I not hear? When I first got the news, I thought it was a joke! They were the village's strongest clan with countless jonin among them."
"What good are numbers? I heard they were assassinated in their sleep, died without knowing what hit them. Word is the clan head Fugaku's son did it. That genius boy, Itachi. Who guards against their own family?"
"Ah, I never would've guessed. That's going too far, isn't it? Those were his own clansmen. Couldn't they talk through whatever conflicts they had? How could he just..."
"What do you know? The Uchiha clan was born evil. When they go mad, they'll kill even their own parents. What's a few clansmen? Hey, have you seen those blood-red eyes of theirs? Just looking at them makes your skin crawl!"
The crowd shook their heads and sighed, cursing Itachi's cruelty and coldness, but truly, very few mourned the Uchiha clan's demise.
After years of Danzo's persistent provocations, the Uchiha clan's relationships with other village families had grown distant. Even ordinary villagers disliked the arrogant Uchiha.
Now that the Uchiha clan was eliminated, these villagers offered a few remarks of amazement at most, not feeling their lives would be affected whatsoever.
After satisfying their curiosity, the crowd dispersed, returning to their daily routines.
No one noticed a nearby figure silently slip into a side alley.
Uchiha Yasushi had returned.
His deep understanding of Konoha allowed him to easily assume a different identity and re-enter the village without suspicion.
The face he currently wore truly existed, belonging to someone people found vaguely familiar but had never deeply interacted with.
Combined with walking openly through the streets, no one would check whether he'd used transformation jutsu.
Moreover, with the Konoha Military Police Force now dissolved, even if someone found him suspicious, who would foolishly step forward to interfere?
They say revenge doesn't wait overnight. For Uchiha who frequently experienced emotional extremes, this was especially true.
Having failed to find Itachi last night, Yasushi knew he must have left with Obito. To settle accounts, he'd need to go to the Land of Rain.
But before leaving, he needed to give Konoha something to occupy themselves with. He absolutely couldn't let Konoha casually brush this matter aside and peacefully pretend nothing had happened.
Itachi was certainly the primary culprit, but those who instigated from behind, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo, weren't good people either. They were the true masterminds who absolutely couldn't be forgiven.
And those detestable families in Konoha, those ignorant villagers, every single one of them served as Sarutobi and Danzo's lackeys and accomplices!
Without their instigation and tacit approval, how would those two dare repeatedly suppress the Uchiha?
They all deserved death!
The Uchiha were Konoha's co-founders. Now that the Uchiha were gone, how could Konoha continue existing?
Konoha without the Uchiha clan had no meaning whatsoever!
Intense hatred surged wildly through his heart. Wave after wave of negative emotions violently impacted his mind, making his ocular power increasingly formidable.
Under the Mangekyo's extreme Yin Release chakra influence, his originally moderate personality had become doubly obsessive.
Just like Uchiha Obito. The greater the former love, the greater the current hatred.
The greater the former kindness, the greater the current malice.
Yasushi concealed his presence, lurking in the shadows, carefully observing passersby, searching for suitable targets.
Before long, his eyes brightened. A group of children came running and shouting in his direction.
The leader was six or seven years old, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt beneath an orange hooded vest, the collar askew revealing the ninja tool pouch strap underneath. He wore cropped jeans with metal knee guards, an explosive tag holder strapped to his left leg, and green goggles pushed up on his forehead.
His black hedgehog hair had two tufts sticking up at the crown like puppy ears, his face showing innocence untouched by society's hardships.
Seeing such innocence and cuteness, Yasushi couldn't help but remember his own equally adorable brother, Uchiha Sachi. But the instant his mind flashed to Sachi's miserable death, rage blazed through his heart.
Why!
Why could Sarutobi Konohamaru live so innocently and happily while Sachi had to lie cold in a pool of blood!
Yasushi roared internally, his eyes burning red, his body trembling slightly until even his transformation jutsu threatened to break.
He gasped violently, lowering his head slightly and covering his crimson eyes, forcing himself to calm down.
I must stay calm! Now isn't the time to lose control. I'm not strong enough yet.
To destroy Konoha, to make everyone pay sufficient price, I need to become stronger!
I need more allies!
Before resurrecting Mom, Dad and Sachi, create a safe, danger-free shinobi world for them!
Yasushi took several deep breaths before finally managing to restore his composure.
He formed hand signs. With a puff of white smoke, a figure dressed as ANBU appeared in the alley, wearing a fox-shaped mask that concealed his true features. The only identifiable characteristic was his fluffy silver-white hair.
"Ah ah ah... I'm first! I completed the mission first!"
Konohamaru jumped and cheered excitedly while his companions looked considerably less pleased.
"What! You clearly cheated and started early!"
"I did not cheat!"
The children argued noisily, faces flushed with debate.
"Now, now, Konohamaru-sama, don't bully your friends. These are your future comrades!"
With these words, the white-haired shinobi appeared, standing before Konohamaru.
"I'm not bullying them!" Konohamaru protested angrily. "We're playing shinobi games!"
After shouting, he looked up and saw the ANBU mask, startling slightly.
"Eh? You're ANBU? Did Grandpa send you?"
"That's right!" Yasushi nodded seriously. "Konohamaru-sama is getting older and will soon enter the Academy. So the Hokage wants to give you a trial mission to test if you're qualified for enrollment."
"Oh!" Konohamaru instantly forgot all his irritation, jumping high and pumping his fist against his chest, calling out excitedly, "Tell Hokage-sama he can count on me! Konohamaru guarantees mission success!"
"Me too! Me too! I want the mission too!" The other children, burning with envy, clamored to join.
To prevent information leaks, Yasushi nodded and accepted them all, amending his statement: "Then the mission becomes a group assignment."
"However, you must understand that once you begin executing a mission, you must maintain strict secrecy. You cannot leak information. The mission's specific content cannot be revealed even to your parents."
"Can you do this?"
The group of naive children, indoctrinated since birth with shinobi codes, had minds full of nothing but the mission. They never considered the assignment's suspicious nature, raising their hands and swearing to maintain secrecy.
"Good! Please remember firmly, those who cannot keep secrets are unqualified to be shinobi!"
After delivering this additional manipulation, Yasushi assigned the mission: "Given that you haven't yet enrolled in the Academy, this isn't a combat mission."
"Mission details are as follows: Before sunset today, bring Uzumaki Naruto to the large tree by Shimizu River north of the village."
"Remember, this isn't a combat mission. Use your intelligence."
"Also, don't make the target suspicious."
After finishing, Yasushi vanished in a body flicker. Konohamaru and the others charged from the alley with excited shouts, beginning their search for Uzumaki Naruto.