The hidden chamber beneath the Naka Shrine felt colder than usual. Torchlight flickered across stone walls, drawing sharp shadows over the three men gathered inside.
Uchiha Yoru stared at them as if they had just asked him to swallow a kunai."Me? Seriously?"
Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku remained unreadable, arms folded, gaze steady. Senior Advisor Uchiha Setsuna gave a slow nod, his voice low and deliberate.
"The clan relocation will begin soon. Tension in the village is at its peak. Most jonin no longer trust the Uchiha. We need someone… reliable."
It had been three days since the Nine Tails tore through Konoha.Day one: funerals.Day two: the Third Hokage stepped back into power to stabilise the village.Day three: the reconstruction plan began, alongside the unavoidable decision to relocate the Uchiha district.
And because only jonin had been permitted anywhere near the frontlines during the attack, most lower-ranked ninja had no idea the Nine Tails had been controlled. Suspicion fell, as always, on the Sharingan.
Yoru's brows tightened. His gaze drifted toward the quiet boy standing beside them.
Shisui. Thirteen years old, already shouldering more than any genin ever should.
"Shisui's the right age," Yoru muttered. "Send him."
Shisui's shoulders twitched, his expression somewhere between mortified and pleading for rescue.
Setsuna sighed. "Yoru, talent isn't your issue. Shisui has skill, yes, but you…" His eyes narrowed with weight. "You have a different kind of potential."
Yoru blinked.Different kind of potential?What kind of phrasing was that supposed to be?
Shisui offered a small nod as if agreeing that yes, he indeed lacked whatever mysterious trait Yoru supposedly possessed. Yoru felt his own face twist into a conflicted grimace.
Fugaku finally spoke. "The assignment is dangerous. After discussing it with the council, we've classified it as an A-rank clan mission. Compensation will be one million ryō."
The tension in Yoru's shoulders vanished before Fugaku finished the sentence.
"One million—? I mean—" He straightened at once, voice deepening, posture noble enough to make statues jealous. "For the future of the Uchiha. For the village. I accept."
Shisui stared at him as though watching a particularly shameless transformation jutsu.Setsuna looked like he was reconsidering the meaning of youth itself.Even Fugaku's eyelid twitched.
They knew Yoru too well to be fooled.
Yoru Uchiha, age fourteen. Newly awakened one-tomoe Sharingan. Officially a chunin, unofficially a menace.Shisui, already a three-tomoe prodigy, had jonin-level prowess at the age of thirteen.
Yet even Shisui silently admitted it: Yoru had a charisma, a reckless spark, a presence that pulled attention the way a drawn blade caught light.
The boy stood tall, wrapped in a white, loose-cut overcoat over black clothing. His chest was half-exposed, his forearm guards sleek and dark, a straight kunai-sword strapped at his hip. For fourteen, he was unreasonably imposing… enough that even Setsuna caught himself nodding.
"Yoru," Setsuna said, voice settling into something resolute, "the Hokage may be stabilising the village now, but eventually a Fifth Hokage will be chosen. Only the Legendary Sannin have the standing to claim that seat."
"Tsunade is nowhere to be found. Jiraiya is on long-term assignment beyond our borders. That leaves Orochimaru as the sole viable candidate. Our clan's future trust with the Hokage's office may depend on this."
Shisui lifted his head, determination flickering in his eyes. Building a bridge between clan and village… maybe it really did fall on their generation.
Yoru nodded once, almost solemn. "Understood. I'll do everything I can to approach Orochimaru-sama's chunin disciple… Mitarashi Anko."
Because that was the plan.
The Third Hokage had spoken repeatedly about stabilising the village before stepping back again. The next Hokage would almost certainly be chosen from the Sannin. And among them, Orochimaru seemed the inevitable successor, respected, powerful, and ever-present.
If the Uchiha could foster goodwill early, perhaps the clan could reclaim its standing.
Anko was the closest entry point.
Of course, no one could predict that Orochimaru would one day walk away from the village entirely.
Fugaku and Setsuna exchanged glances. Yoru's age was young, yes… but also perfect. He looked older, carried himself boldly, and had awakened his Sharingan. And most importantly…
He was the most striking boy in their age bracket. A useful detail, all things considered.
Yoru shifted awkwardly. "Clan Head, Advisor… approaching Anko might require some… funding."
The two adults stared at him in pained silence.
Setsuna rubbed his forehead. "Fine. I'll arrange two hundred thousand ryō in advance."
Yoru brightened instantly.
If they hadn't known he was terminally money-hungry, they might have believed his false modesty earlier.
He needed the funds. After the Nine Tails incident, he'd exhausted every resource to strengthen his eye technique. His savings had evaporated. He could barely afford dinner, much less impress a girl connected to a future Hokage candidate.
And another complication brewed in his head.
Kurenai and Anko were close friends.Explaining this to Kurenai later might be… hazardous.
For now, one mission at a time.