Shinichi Uchiha

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Looking at Shisui's exhausted face, Naoki offered a few words of comfort. "Do not worry. Things will turn around eventually."

Shisui said, "I hope so."

The village's constant pressure on the Uchiha was, in truth, a reflection of the village's own weakness.

And the origin of all this trouble was none other than Obito Uchiha, who had been watching Konoha from the shadows and waiting for any chance to take a bite out of it.

By then, the Third Hokage was exhausted in both body and mind.

Because of his age, the Third's strength had already begun to decline from its peak. If the successor he had carefully chosen, the Fourth Hokage, had not died unexpectedly, that would not have mattered much.

But with the young and vigorous Fourth suddenly dead, everything changed.

The problems facing Konoha now, whether Kumogakure outside the village or the Uchiha inside it, could all be seen as consequences of the Fourth's death.

If the Fourth were still alive, if the Nine-Tails jinchuriki were still alive, Kumogakure would not dare move recklessly. The Uchiha would not dare entertain improper thoughts either. Many of Konoha's later misfortunes might have vanished before they ever began.

But the Fourth was dead, and so Konoha had fallen into disorder.

Naoki glanced behind them again and lowered his voice. "Someone is following us."

Shisui nodded. "Yes. I noticed on the way here."

After thinking for a moment, Naoki said, "It should be Danzo's Root."

Team Eleven was ANBU under the Hokage's direct command. Usually, they were the ones tracking and monitoring others. No one should have been assigned to track and monitor them. If the Hokage did not trust them, he could simply remove their ANBU status. There would be no need to send another ANBU team to watch them.

Shisui seemed unconcerned. In a calm voice, he said, "I will not harm the village. I am not afraid of being watched."

Naoki said, "You are thinking about this too simply."

Shisui asked curiously, "Senior, what do you mean?"

"Surveillance is a signal. It means not only that Danzo does not trust us, but also that he does not fear us." After a pause, Naoki gave a faint smile. "He can refuse to trust us, but he cannot refuse to fear us."

Shisui had always mistakenly believed that Naoki's state when he borrowed the giant Tenseigan's chakra was Naoki's normal strength. In his eyes, Naoki was currently Konoha's undisputed strongest shinobi. Even the Third Hokage or one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, would fall short of him.

So when Shisui heard Naoki say that, he immediately asked in worry, "Senior, you are not truly planning to attack Lord Danzo, are you?"

Seeing Shisui's alarmed face, Naoki knew he would not dare move against Konoha's leadership. He said, "You do not need to do anything. Just keep my secret."

When it came down to it, the people who truly feared Danzo were Konoha shinobi who would never defect and who cared wholeheartedly about the village. For any shinobi whose options included leaving the village, Danzo amounted to very little.

In a forest outside Konoha.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

After releasing the Fire Release ninjutsu, Shinichi Uchiha dropped to one knee, panting. Soon, however, he forced himself back up and began throwing shuriken at the distant targets again.

He spent the entire morning training fiercely. Even after sweat soaked through his clothes, he showed no intention of stopping.

Ever since he failed to challenge Naoki and had to be carried back by Shisui, he had become a laughingstock inside the Uchiha Clan, drowning in endless mockery and doubt from his own people.

The pain of it nearly drove him mad.

From that day on, he had rarely returned to the clan district. Whenever he had free time, he came here and used exhausting training to numb himself.

Far away.

The masked man sat cross-legged on a tree branch and watched Shinichi train like a man possessed. In a flat voice, he asked, "Is that the one you meant?"

Half-emerged from the tree trunk, Zetsu nodded. "I can sense the hatred inside him."

As Akatsuki's scout, Zetsu's sensing ability ranked among the best in the shinobi world. For certain special reasons, he could even sense a target's emotions.

The masked man seemed to be reminded of something, though his tone remained cold. "That level of hatred is still far from enough."

Zetsu said, "He is the best target I have found so far who meets your requirements."

Most Uchiha shinobi who had awakened the Sharingan served in the Police Force, so under normal circumstances, Uchiha shinobi rarely left the village.

Shinichi Uchiha was the exception.

On top of that, Shinichi possessed a three-tomoe Sharingan, strength on the level of a special jonin, and a heart full of hatred. As soon as Zetsu discovered him, he reported the information to the masked man.

The masked man hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "He will do. Wait here. I will meet him."

With that, the masked man's entire body twisted into a spiral and vanished without a sound.

Before long, the masked man appeared behind Shinichi Uchiha and spoke in a hoarse, deep voice. "What a sorry sight, young Uchiha."

Shinichi Uchiha jolted in alarm. He quickly turned and leaped back, demanding, "Who are you?"

The masked man smiled. "Who I am does not matter. What matters is that I can give you what you want."

Shinichi Uchiha flew into a rage. "Hiding your face and skulking around? Who do you think I am? I am Shinichi Uchiha!"

The masked man slowly spread his arms. His tone remained perfectly calm. "You are nothing."

Feeling deeply insulted, Shinichi Uchiha could no longer restrain himself. He drew his short blade and lunged at the masked man.

When he saw the masked man standing still, neither dodging nor blocking, a hint of a vicious smile appeared on Shinichi's face.

"Die!"

But when the blade struck the masked man's body, it passed straight through him. The feedback through the hilt told Shinichi that his strike had hit nothing.

"What...?"

As Shinichi Uchiha stared in terror, the masked man punched him in the stomach.

Knocked to the ground, Shinichi still looked at him in disbelief. "I... I cut you just now. Why did you... Is it genjutsu?"

Thinking he had guessed the truth, the three tomoe in Shinichi Uchiha's pupils spun rapidly.

The masked man said blandly, "You keep shouting Uchiha, Uchiha. Is this all you are capable of?"

Shinichi Uchiha gritted his teeth. "I already broke your genjutsu!"

As he spoke, he stood, formed hand seals at high speed, and shouted, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A huge fireball shot toward the masked man.

Boom.

With a rumbling blast, the Great Fireball struck a row of trees and burned them into charcoal.

Shinichi looked carefully around him. Seeing no trace of the masked man, he murmured, "Did he die?"

At that moment, the masked man suddenly appeared behind him again, placed a hand on his shoulder, and dragged him into a twisting spiral.

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