"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Kairen Uchiha unleashed a cascade of fiery orbs, weaving them into the air before launching five shuriken in a cross pattern. He fought and retreated at once, slowly drawing the battle closer to the Konoha's perimeter.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
The enemy countered immediately, torrents crashing against flame.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The blast thundered across the clearing, and Kairen broke into a sprint toward Konoha, blood streaking down his arm. The enemy jonin was relentless—closing in, cutting through every feint and trap. Kairen's body screamed in pain, the gashes multiplying by the second.
A sudden boom erupted to his left—the detonation tag he'd hidden earlier flared to life. Three shuriken hissed from behind the smoke, but his opponent barely flinched.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Tiger!"
Electric chakra condensed around the jonin, forming a massive, snarling tiger of crackling blue energy. It lunged forward, lightning claws tearing through the forest. The next instant, Kairen was struck head-on—
—and his body burst into splinters.
A log clattered to the ground in his place.
"Uchiha Shuriken Jutsu!"
From behind another tree, Kairen's blades cut through the air again, and he kept running.
But he was hit. The substitution had come too late—his ribs ached, the taste of iron filled his mouth. He coughed blood, staggering through the branches. This can't go on, he thought. At this rate, I'll die before backup gets here.
He shouted over his shoulder, taunting between gasps,
"Hey, old man! You've already lost your target! We rescued the girl, your mission's a bust. Walk away while you still can!"
The jonin said nothing. His answer came in a storm of blades and jutsu, each strike more lethal than the last. He wasn't stopping until one of them was dead.
Kairen's jaw clenched. Fine then… if it's death you want, I'll give it to you!
Their exchange grew sharper, faster—sparks, smoke, chakra bursts ripping through the clearing. Kairen's body was at its limit… until something inside him flared awake.
A burning surge flooded into his eyes.
And suddenly—everything slowed. The enemy's every twitch, every faint shift of muscle, was clear as daylight.
The Sharingan had awakened.
Though his body wavered, his movements grew cleaner, sharper. The jonin hesitated, realizing something was off—until he caught sight of those red eyes, swirling with tomoe.
"Sharingan… An Uchiha, huh?" He grinned darkly. "Well, this trip wasn't for nothing. Even if I can't bring the Jinchūriki back, one of those eyes will do just fine."
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
"Lightning Step!"
Thunder split the air. The flash of lightning and his figure arrived almost simultaneously.
Kairen smirked through the blood on his lips. "You might wanna hold that 'thank you.' Save it for when my old man gives your corpse to his dogs."
Several voices rang out behind him—
"Earth Release: Mud Wall!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The jonin barely managed to block the barrage—but it was too late. Two Uchiha elites, their Sharingan spinning with three tomoe each, drove their blades through him and pinned him to the dirt.
One of them—broad-shouldered and grinning—looked down at Kairen.
"Left eye, one tomoe. Right eye, two. Not bad, kid. You're a reckless little bastard, but you've got the blood for it."
He slung his injured son over his shoulder.
"Let's head back to the Konoha."
"Dad," Kairen rasped, "did you find the blonde kid and the red-haired girl? What about Honō and Retsu?"
His father's tone softened slightly. "Those two were with us at first. Then the Foundation showed up, demanded custody of the Jinchūriki. I had to chase after you, so I don't know how that ended—but no one takes anything from the Uchiha. Not even Root. Your brothers' trail's being followed by your uncle and Ankoku. They'll handle it."
They moved through the trees—until a new group appeared ahead.
"Well, this is quite the reunion," Kairen's father muttered. "Two of the Sannin, huh? Jiraiya… which one of these kids is yours?"
"Don't start rumors, old man! I don't even have a girlfriend yet!" Jiraiya barked back.
Orochimaru, standing nearby, gave a thin smile. "You really don't need a reputation to ruin, Jiraiya—it's doing fine on its own."
Then, turning serious, he addressed the elder Uchiha:
"Uchiha Yasuyuki. By the Third Hokage's order, we're to take custody of the red-haired Jinchūriki."
He tossed a sealed scroll toward him.
A Root squad leader stepped forward. "We have orders from Danzō-sama. The girl is to be placed under Root's supervision."
Orochimaru's smile sharpened. He flicked a black badge toward the man. "Then you can report back to Danzō that the Hokage outranks him."
Under the silent approval of the Uchiha, the girl—Kushina Uzumaki—was handed over to Orochimaru.
Jiraiya signaled to the blonde boy, Minato, who bowed politely to Kairen before rejoining his sensei. The three factions parted ways in silence.
On the road home, Retsu grumbled, "You awakened too?! What the hell, Kairen? I nearly died and only then unlocked mine—you barely have a scratch!"
Honō laughed, "Hey, I thought he was dead! Guess my emotions got the better of me and bam—eyes opened. Shows how deep our bond is, right, Kairen?"
Kairen just stared at him. When I can walk again, he thought grimly, I'm going to beat him half to death.
Their bickering echoed through the forest as the team made their way home.
---
When Kairen finally opened his eyes again, it was to a white hospital ceiling. Most of the pain was gone—he'd live. Barely.
The mission was technically a success, but he knew the truth. If not for their status, their bodies would already be cold in the morgue.
According to what Honō and his father told him, their clan elders had decided to conceal the truth: officially, only Retsu had "awakened" the Sharingan in battle. A convenient story—one that would protect the others from unwanted attention.
The Hokage later issued commendations. The Uchiha had performed admirably, and the three young shinobi were each granted two B-rank jutsu from the Hokage's personal archive. The three brothers now had names worth remembering.
Meanwhile, the blonde kid—Minato—was taken under Jiraiya's wing as a direct disciple, and Kushina ended up training under Koharu, one of the village elders. A political trade-off, no doubt.
Danzō got nothing. Again. For a so-called mastermind, the man was awfully good at losing.
Kairen was mulling over which reward jutsu to claim when a cheerful voice broke his thoughts.
"Yo~ I brought food!" Honō came in balancing a large lunch box. "Curry beef, radish stew, jasmine tea, and matcha cake. Best combo in town!"
If this were another world, Kairen thought, the guy would make a great delivery driver.
"Thanks. Let's eat with Retsu," Kairen said, grabbing the tray and heading next door.
Halfway through the meal, he asked, "So, have you decided which B-rank jutsu you're picking?"
Retsu replied between bites, "I'm thinking one Earth Release, and the other—I'll ask the Hokage for his personal notes on Earth Release training."
Both Kairen and Honō froze, impressed. Retsu scratched his head. "Or should I just take Wind Release instead?"
"Notes!" the other two said in unison.
Honō grinned. "If each of us gets notes from a different element, we could form some crazy combo jutsu!"
"Or," Kairen added, "we collect all five nature transformations and add a sealing jutsu to the mix."
The room buzzed with plans and arguments long into the night.
The next day, Honō returned from the Hokage's office with six scrolls—Fire, Lightning, Wind, Earth, and Water Release training notes (Volume I), and a bonus: the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
Even if they only got the first volume, it was a treasure trove. The Hokage clearly intended to extend an olive branch to the Uchiha.
As they buried themselves in study and training, the weeks slipped by. Kairen was discharged, and he and Honō began secret genjutsu training under Uchiha Ankoku.
A month later, Team Kairen was whole again.
And this time, their teacher had prepared something far more dangerous.