Fugaku Uchiha looked at Elder Isshin with a deeply confused expression.
Are you kidding ?
To Fugaku, the Uchiha clan was starting to look like a psychiatric ward. One
minute, Isshin was preaching about "Patience" and "Hiding our true intent" to
buy ti. Now, after hearing two sentences from an Uzumaki girl, he was
practically foaming at the mouth with excitent.
"Don't let the Sharingan replace your brain," Fugaku rembered a quote from the
clan archives. It was an old warning from Izuna Uchiha, urging his kinsn to
think logically instead of reacting emotionally.
Fugaku thought the Elder needed to re-read that chapter several tis.
"What are you staring at for? Go get the honor guard!"
Isshin delivered a sharp kick to Fugaku's backside. "You didn't hear the 'truth'
in that girl's words? You think I'm just being dramatic?"
"Dammit, Fugaku! I told you to read the archives! You probably skipped straight
to the parts where Izuna-sama was yelling at the Senju! You have no tactical
depth!"
"If I leave the clan in your hands, we'll be extinct by the ti my grandson is
born!"
Fugaku stumbled, his ears ringing from the Elder's sudden verbal blitz. The old
man really does know too well, he thought. It was a mystery how Isshin
commanded such respect despite never awakening a Mangekyō, but in this mont,
his "Strategic Aura" was undeniable.
Shio Uzumaki watched the two Uchiha bicker with a polite, shaky smile. Are they
all like this? she wondered. The Grass told us the Uchiha were cold-blooded
killers, but these two look like they're in a cody routine.
A few monts later, the Uchiha Three-Tomoe elite had assembled under Fugaku's
command.
Isshin stood at the head of the formation, his voice becoming low and resonant.
"The fact that one of our own was left to rot in a foreign cage is a stain on
all of us!"
"Every Uchiha is family—blood and bone joined together!"
"Follow ! We are going to bring that boy ho. And if he refuses, we will show
him so much 'sincerity' that he has no choice but to accept!"
The other Uchiha elites scratched their heads. The "Blood and Bone" speech
sounded nice, but it didn't really fit the clan's usual culture. Uchiha loved
with everything they had, yes, but they also hated with that sa intensity.
Within the compound, power usually dictated respect—not "family feelings." And
an Uchiha who refused the clan was normally viewed as a traitor to be purged.
Isshin sensed their hesitation and let out a weary sigh. Izuna-sama is gone. The
heart of the clan is a ss. I'm the only one left to steer this ship.
He decided to use the only tool he had left: Hiruzen's own rhetoric.
"We're doing this because it's the Will of Fire!" Isshin shouted.
The Uchiha blinked. Since when do we care about the Will of Fire?
"The village is handing out pensions! They're giving stipends to our widows!
They just gave the Police Force a raise!" Isshin lectured. "And now we find an
Uchiha orphan. Are we really going to let the Hokage pay for his room and board
while we sit back and watch?"
"What will people say about the Uchiha's pride?!"
Isshin lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "This is a strategic
counter-move. We can't let the Hokage use this kid as a PR tool against us. The
water is deep here, brothers. Trust on this."
The Three-Tomoe elites nodded solemnly. Ah, it's a plot! Now that makes sense.
Isshin sighed again. He hated that he had to fra "caring for a child" as a
"political conspiracy" just to get his n to cooperate. What has happened to
our culture?
"Move out! And rember: stay on-brand with the Will of Fire! We're the 'good
guys' today!"
Across the repatriation camp.
Tobirama (disguised as the youth) found himself staring at Danzo Shimura with a
growing sense of irritation.
As a man who could extract a mountain of data from a single look, Tobirama found
Danzo's appearance deeply offensive.
Why the bandages? Tobirama wondered. He's not injured. I can sense his chakra
pathways are perfectly healthy. He's using his scars as a tool—a constant,
silent announcent that he has 'bled' for the village.
But did the other Leaf shinobi not bleed? Is he the only one who sacrificed?
It's an amateur play. A shallow, theatrical display of martyrdom. If he wants to
be a 'Sword of the Shadows,' he should be invisible. If he wants to be Hokage,
he should be able to look people in the eye. This 'Mummy' aesthetic proves he's
incapable of clinical self-reflection.
He hasn't grown at all since I died, Tobirama realized with a sting of
disappointnt.
He had expected the "Shadow Team" to evolve into masters of statecraft. Instead,
it seed Hiruzen was doing all the heavy lifting while Danzo was busy playing
dress-up as a "Dark Legend."
Hiruzen is too soft on him, Tobirama noted. I suppose the 'Bond' between them is
so tight that it's beco a liability.
"I don't like his look, Hiruzen. And I especially don't like his eyes," Danzo
muttered to the Hokage, glaring at the Uchiha boy. "How dare he look in the
face like that? Who does he think he is?"
Hiruzen did his absolute best to keep his face a neutral mask.
"I hadn't noticed," Hiruzen lied. "But it's normal for an Uchiha to be prideful.
He's a survivor, Danzo. Vigilance is his default state."
"What? You expect him to cower when he sees you?"
Hiruzen smiled inwardly. If you knew who was behind that face, Danzo, you'd be
the one doing a dogeza in the dirt.
Danzo nodded as if Hiruzen's answer were the most logical thing in the world.
"Of course he should fear ! I am the Darkness! I want the Uchiha to tremble
when they hear my na! I am the heir to Lord Tobirama's iron resolve!"
Hiruzen let out a long, slow "Oh."
So that's the play? You think being an asshole makes you 'Tobirama-tier'? Master
Tobirama is currently thinking about how much he wants to kick your teeth in.
Hiruzen studied the "Uchiha Tobirama" vessel. The craftsmanship was stunning.
The base was Izuna, but Tobirama had added subtle "Senju" flares. The hair was
black, but the sideburns had a faint, silvery sheen. The jawline and the arch of
the brow were pure Tobirama.
It was a biological hybrid that looked different depending on the viewer's
perspective.
"Hiruzen... look at him," Danzo whispered, his voice gaining a frantic,
obsessive edge. "Don't you see it? The chin... the way he carries his
shoulders... the arrogance..."
"He has the 'vibe' of the Master! I'm not talking about the face—I'm talking
about the spirit!"
"I spend three minutes every night staring at the Master's portrait to harden my
heart! I know his presence! This brat... he's a fluke of nature!"
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. Three minutes of staring at a portrait? Danzo, you
really are a creep.
"You're overthinking it, Danzo. You're just tired," Hiruzen said dismissively.
"I'm telling you, I'm an intelligence expert! I see things others don't!" Danzo
insisted. "This boy is a variable. He could be a disaster for the village's
future if he isn't controlled."
"Hand him to . I'll break his arrogance and turn him into a perfect tool."
Hiruzen looked at Danzo, then at Tobirama.
He realized he could solve two problems at once. He could give Tobirama a
"handler" to keep him close to the inner circle, and he could keep Danzo so busy
dealing with a "Difficult Genius" that he wouldn't have ti for any new
sches.
"Root is gone, Danzo," Hiruzen said slowly.
"But... if you want to take him as a personal disciple, I won't stop you.
Provided he agrees. Everything must be above board. The Uchiha are citizens, not
assets."
Danzo nodded eagerly. "Leave it to , Hiruzen! He'll be begging for my guidance
by noon!"
Danzo didn't fear rejection. Who am I? I'm the Anbu Commander. The Hokage's
shadow. Every orphan in the world would kill for this chance!
Hiruzen watched as Danzo puffed out his chest and strode toward the boy.
Tobirama (as the youth) watched the "Mummy" approach. He had heard every word of
their conversation with his enhanced hearing.
"Listen up, brat," Danzo said, looking down at Tobirama with a cold, predatory
smirk. "I see potential in you. You have the fire, but you lack direction."
"How would you like to be the student of the Darkness of the Shinobi? I will
teach you the true aning of the Will of Fire and the secrets of the Anbu."
Hiruzen stood in the background, clutching his stomach to keep from laughing.
Danzo Shimura... trying to apprentice Tobirama Senju. This is the greatest
'Heavenly Jest' in history.
Tobirama stared at Danzo. He felt a surge of ancient, teacherly rage.
He looked at the bandages. He looked at the fake "tough guy" posture.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tobirama saw Elder Isshin and the Uchiha honor
guard arriving.
"No," Tobirama said. His voice was cold, sharp, and carried a weight that made
Danzo's smirk falter.
"I refuse."
"And for the record... I don't like people who wrap themselves in bandages just
to look cool. It looks stupid. You look like a failure of a ninja who doesn't
know how to dodge a kunai."
Danzo's face turned a violent shade of red.
☆☆☆
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