Nara Yakiniku Restaurant.
Inside a large private room, several dozen Konoha shinobi were gathered. Today was the scheduled reunion party for the graduating class Tatsuya roughly belonged to.
The door opened, and Tatsuya walked in, accompanied by Sakawa and Yuuhi Teru.
"Tatsuya!" Seeing him enter, many people stood up to greet him.
Tatsuya smiled and nodded in response, his gaze sweeping across the room. Kakashi, Ebisu, Raidō Namiashi, Asuma, Hayate Gekkō, Kurenai Yuhi, Genma Shiranui, Mitarashi Anko, Kyoko... many familiar faces were present.
Among the attendees, Tatsuya was first surprised to see Mizuki and Tsubaki together. Their affectionate demeanor made it clear they were now a couple. Looking at Tsubaki's gentle, pretty face, Tatsuya couldn't help but sigh internally. Her taste in men is terrible!
Then, his gaze shifted, and he spotted someone even more unexpected: Yamato.
"Tatsuya-senpai," Yamato greeted Tatsuya, quickly standing up and bowing respectfully. "I am Yamato. I'm currently assigned to the ANBU directly under Lord Hokage's command!"
"No need for formalities," Tatsuya replied, slightly pausing for a moment before offering a warm smile. He couldn't help but glance towards Kakashi nearby.
Kakashi noticed and stood up, leaning in to explain quietly to Tatsuya. Apparently, during the three months Tatsuya was away from Konoha, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had taken his direct ANBU subordinates to confront Danzo at Root headquarters and forced him to hand over Yamato. A Wood Style user successfully integrated with the First Hokage's cells! How could the Third Hokage allow such an asset to remain under Root's control?
Tatsuya nodded in understanding after hearing the explanation. He chatted briefly with Kakashi, then naturally found a seat between Kyoko and Anko. Kyoko beamed happily, while Anko looked slightly shy. Seeing this, many people in the room exchanged knowing, teasing smiles. Tatsuya, of course, paid them no mind.
Strictly speaking, Tatsuya and Kyoko weren't really classmates with most people present. When this group graduated, Tatsuya and Kyoko were still lagging behind in the Academy. In previous years, they hadn't been invited to these reunions. But now, Tatsuya was undeniably one of Konoha's peak combat powers; his status and standing were completely different. Naturally, events like class reunions would now include him.
Shortly after Tatsuya's group sat down, the party officially began.
"Tatsuya, is the Mangekyo Sharingan really as terrifying as the legends say?" Not long after the food started cooking, Genma Shiranui asked Tatsuya quietly. Hearing his question, many others turned their attention towards them, clearly interested in the answer.
"Mm," Tatsuya nodded seriously. "Once an Uchiha awakens the Mangekyo Sharingan, they gain extraordinary power. Unique and powerful abilities manifest in their left and right eyes. When both eyes are used simultaneously, they can unlock a third power comparable to that of a god – Susanoo! It's an incredibly strong ability, combining offense and defense. Ordinary Jonin are as helpless as infants before it, and few in the entire shinobi world can stand against it. Kakashi witnessed the power of Susanoo during the battle in the Land of Hot Water." Tatsuya finished by looking towards Kakashi.
Everyone else followed his gaze, turning to Kakashi. Kakashi sighed resignedly, put down his piece of grilled meat, and nodded in confirmation.
"Tatsuya-senpai," Yamato spoke up, turning to look at Tatsuya with curiosity, "since Susanoo is so powerful, how did you manage to break through it?"
Tatsuya smiled slightly and shook his head. "In that battle, I didn't actually break Uchiha Teru's Susanoo. He couldn't sustain it himself."
"Couldn't sustain it?" The group looked puzzled.
"While the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan is immense, it also puts an enormous strain on the user's body and dōjutsu power," Tatsuya explained. "An ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan simply cannot maintain an activated state for long periods. I was only able to defeat him by dragging out the fight."
Understanding dawned on their faces. However, everyone present also knew that simply surviving against a Mangekyo Sharingan user's onslaught long enough to outlast them was an incredibly difficult feat in itself.
After a brief moment of silence in the room, Kakashi spoke again. "Tatsuya, you must have heard as well – there's supposedly another Mangekyo Sharingan user over in the Land of Fields, associated with Ansei Hall, who even claims to be Uchiha Madara. What do you make of that?" Kakashi looked directly at Tatsuya as he spoke.
"I've heard," Tatsuya nodded. "However, that person definitely isn't Uchiha Madara."
"Why are you so certain?" Kakashi pressed.
"If Uchiha Madara was truly only at that level, he never could have been Lord Hashirama's equal back in the day," Tatsuya replied with a hint of disdain.
"That's right! That person can't possibly be Uchiha Madara. How could he still be alive after all this time?" Raido Namiashi chimed in, agreeing with Tatsuya. Many others in the room nodded silently in accord.
Tatsuya remained silent, saying nothing more on the subject. None of them could possibly imagine the utterly unbelievable situation they'll face in just over a decade, he thought wryly.
The reunion party continued late into the night. By the end, some were drunk, Mitarashi Anko among them. Seeing Anko leaning heavily on Kyoko for support like a tipsy kitten, Tatsuya felt rather exasperated.
After returning to the Akimichi compound and seeing Kyoko and Anko safely home, Tatsuya went back to his own room to wait quietly.
That evening, a figure flickered into existence by his window. Shisui appeared inside Tatsuya's room.
"You arrived faster than I expected," Tatsuya greeted Shisui with a smile.
Shisui gave a wry smile in return and silently knelt on the floor opposite Tatsuya.
They sat in silence for a moment before Shisui finally spoke, his voice heavy. "Is this really the only path left for the Uchiha clan?"
"Whether it's the only path or not, you know the answer better than I do," Tatsuya replied. He could understand Shisui's hesitation and struggle, but he didn't agree with it. Of course, Tatsuya had the advantage of his foreknowledge, his "god's-eye view." Shisui, caught in the middle of it all, naturally couldn't see the issues concerning his clan's fate with such clarity.
Shisui fell silent once more.
After several more minutes passed, Shisui asked, "Who is Misuke-nee's target?"
"Uchiha Yashiro."
"Elder Yashiro? How could it be him?" Shisui exclaimed in shock. Within the clan, Yashiro had always appeared quite protective of Misuke; outsiders generally believed they had a close relationship.
"It's him," Tatsuya confirmed with a definitive nod.
"Why?" Shisui asked, utterly bewildered.
Tatsuya countered, "Shisui, do you remember the incident when the Cloud delegation tried to kidnap Hinata?"
"I remember," Shisui nodded.
"Then did you know," Tatsuya continued, "that when the Cloud envoy, Toro, was attempting to escape, someone from within the village secretly aided him?"
"You mean..." Shisui looked horrified.
"That's right. The order came from Uchiha Yashiro. And the one tasked with carrying it out was Uchiha Misuke," Tatsuya stated, a mocking smile touching his lips. "His goal was to deliberately create conflict between the village leadership and your clan, thereby forcing your Clan Head Fugaku to launch a coup." Tatsuya couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of disbelief, despite having thought about it countless times before. The Uchiha clan truly has few members who think normally. That kind of twisted logic! No wonder the Third Hokage eventually decided extermination was the only solution. Faced with such powerful, ideologically extreme fanatics, perhaps wiping them out entirely seemed like the safest option.
A bitter smile spread across Shisui's face. The clan's second-most influential figure had been engaging in such treacherous activities behind the scenes... no wonder the village had always been wary of the Uchiha.
After a long pause, Shisui asked in a low, muffled voice, "When do you plan to make your move?"
Tatsuya replied calmly, "Make my move? It's still too early. Probably not for another year or two."
"A year or two! But what about the clan...?" Shisui sounded anxious. He now clearly understood the gravity of the situation.
"Relax," Tatsuya waved a hand reassuringly. "Because I killed Uchiha Teru, both the village leadership and your Uchiha clan are wary right now. There should be a brief period of peace."
Tatsuya's killing of Uchiha Teru had sent shockwaves through both Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha clan. From the Uchiha perspective, Tatsuya, originating from the Akimichi clan, should naturally align with the Hokage faction. Since the battle in the Land of Hot Water, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had been trying his best to maintain this perception. With a top-tier fighter like Tatsuya added to the Hokage faction's side, certain elements within the Uchiha clan would naturally think twice before stirring up trouble. The fact that no Uchiha had come looking for trouble with Tatsuya since his return proved this point.
However, only Tatsuya himself knew that his heart wasn't truly aligned with the Hokage faction. If the Uchiha clan were to genuinely launch a rebellion right now, Tatsuya would most likely stand aside and watch. He had long grown dissatisfied with the village's old guard himself. Hiruzen, Danzo, and the others were well aware of this too. Therefore, as long as the Uchiha didn't actually raise the banner of revolt, the leadership wouldn't want to act rashly either. Barring external intervention, Konoha should experience a short period of peace.
Hearing Tatsuya's analysis, Shisui's anxiety lessened slightly. He then asked, "Does Misuke-nee need any special protection?"
Tatsuya shook his head. "No. My agreement with her is contingent on me successfully killing Uchiha Yashiro. Until that happens, there's no connection between us."
"Oh? Is that so?" Shisui considered this for a moment, then tilted his head, giving Tatsuya a skeptical look. "Really?"
"What's with that look?" Tatsuya asked, feeling slightly baffled by Shisui's strange expression.
"Nothing!" Shisui shook his head, then added cryptically, "I was just wondering if Misuke-nee might end up like Anko-senpai in the future."
Tatsuya was rendered speechless. He hadn't expected Shisui, with his perpetually youthful face, to have such a gossipy side.