One year later, Konoha Ninja School.
"Wherever leaves are flying, fire will burn. The shadow of the fire will illuminate the village and make new leaves sprout..."
Namikaze Minato stood on the stage, his tone solemn, echoing the familiar words of the Third Hokage with ease and grace.
Yun, seated in the audience, rubbed his eyes. Izumi had been overly excited about starting school yesterday and had stayed up far too late being noisy, which meant he hadn't slept well either.
His gaze drifted away from the stage toward the crowd behind him.
Uzumaki Kushina, with her striking red hair, stood holding a nearly one-year-old Naruto. Both mother and child looked at Minato with light in their eyes, warmth and pride evident.
On the other side, Uchiha Mikoto, widow of the fallen Uchiha clan leader, held the now one-year-old Sasuke. Her eyes flickered with worry as they landed on the cold child in the field—Uchiha Itachi.
"Huh..."
Yun exhaled slowly. Itachi, who had originally awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan at eight after witnessing Obito kill his teammates, had already unlocked the two-tomoe before turning six in this timeline.
Over the past year, the mentally troubled child had only sunken deeper into his vortex of life and death, often muttering cryptic philosophical thoughts to himself.
'Obito really brought about quite a change. I wonder what kind of people Naruto and Sasuke will grow up to be now.'
His clone, Sora, had yet to secure a medium to locate Obito. Without Kakashi's Kamui, dealing with a cautious Obito would be an uphill battle.
And his current six-year-old body was still lacking in chakra reserves. Even using Flying Thunder God was limited—too few uses available. It made Yun question the assumption that red hair always meant Uzumaki heritage.
'And where exactly is the cave where Uchiha Madara died? I'll have to ask Kakashi in a few years. That cave can't be far from where Rin died… I'll need to plan for that.'
The entrance speech finally came to an end amidst the suppressed yawns of the new students. Yun left the field with Izumi. Classes would officially begin tomorrow, but the thought of using a Shadow Clone already gave him a headache.
'Itachi could use a Shadow Clone in his first year. Did Shisui teach him? Or was it Fugaku before he died?'
'Maybe I should just ask Shisui for help...'
…
"Onii-chan, Mom asked us to bring back some three-color meatballs for lunch."
"I remember. Let's stop by the dango shop first, then head home."
Yun nodded, taking Izumi's hand and walking down the street toward the dango shop.
He wasn't a fan of sweet things like this, but since Izumi liked them, their mother often sent them to get some. He didn't mind obliging.
The family's financial state had significantly improved over the past year. After all, the clone Sora—controlled by him—had "died" three times outside the village, using money from the underground black market (earned through robbery, technically) to help support their struggling household.
"Asshole! There's barely any tenderloin today!"
"And this sake is bland! You hear me? I ain't wrong!"
*Pah!*
A loud slap silenced the complaint. Yun turned to look. A man had just been forced face-down onto the ground by three individuals wearing the round fan emblem of the Uchiha clan on their backs.
They were members of the Police Force. The drunk man they'd apprehended was clearly intoxicated, his face flushed, and his words slurred. It was obvious the alcohol wasn't the problem—he was.
"Did you just call us assholes?"
"Is the Uchiha name something a commoner like you can insult?"
"A drunk like you, in broad daylight! Just wait until I join the police department—I'll make you regret this!"
…
Their loud voices made some nearby civilians whisper among themselves.
"He's just a drunk. Isn't taking him away a bit much?"
"Everyone knows the police department's game. You can't leave unless you pay up."
"Poor guy. His son just became a ninja and died recently on a mission. I heard even the Chunin team leader didn't make it back… must've gone wrong during the mission."
"Shh! Don't talk so loud. There are Uchiha around. You want to get picked up too?"
…
"Huh..."
A helpless sigh came from beside him. Yun turned.
"Shisui Jonin, back from a mission?"
Shisui gave a slight nod. "The tension's getting worse."
Then he smiled at the two of them.
"If you're free this afternoon, come to Training Ground Four. Itachi will be there too. Since you're officially enrolled now, I prepared gifts."
Izumi's eyes lit up at the mention of Itachi. She eagerly chimed in, "I want to go too! Did you prepare a gift for me too, Shisui-nii-san?"
Shisui chuckled and nodded. "I did. But Yun will have to bring it back for you. You're still too young."
Izumi puffed out her cheeks in protest. "Onii-chan's only a little older than me! What do you mean I'm too young?! And—"
*Pah!*
Before she could finish, Yun gently patted her head and gathered her long hair into a ponytail.
"Be good. You've got school tomorrow morning."
That quieted her immediately. She nodded obediently and held Yun's hand again.
After bidding Shisui farewell, Yun and Izumi headed home.
In the year since Fugaku's death, the Uchiha clan still hadn't chosen a new leader. The hawks and doves bickered endlessly at every clan meeting, almost coming to blows more than once.
Shisui, being the most talented among them, had considerable influence at these meetings. But he was still just one young man, and the elder hawks overshadowed him in age and seniority.
Fugaku's death had shifted the path the man once saw under Infinite Tsukuyomi. If Shisui could take leadership…
But then there was that old fox Danzo. With both the Third and Fourth Hokage still alive, Danzo had become like a turtle hiding in its shell—nearly impossible to strike down.
'It's almost time. If everything works out, I'll have speed and strength…'
…
"Onii-chan, why don't you like Itachi?"
Izumi's innocent voice pulled Yun from his thoughts.
He looked at her and answered calmly, "He's humble, kind, gentle—a new Uchiha genius. Plenty of girls will like him, right?"
"But because of those same reasons, Itachi sees many things as insignificant. He constantly ponders abstract ideas—life and death, the meaning of being a ninja, the meaning of the village."
"Thinking on a higher plane but failing to understand the basic truths—that's a flaw in most shinobi."
"Izumi, a person like that, who places himself so high, isn't right for you. Liking someone just because of what people say… that's just adolescent ignorance."
'Although, adolescence in this world sure comes early…'
Izumi didn't quite understand all that, but still nodded with admiration. Her onii-chan always sounded so wise.
School was starting tomorrow, and she was really excited to be classmates with Itachi.
Yun glanced at her, sighed, and said no more.
'If that mentally unstable brat doesn't lose it again, fine. If not, maybe I should eliminate him before he awakens the Mangekyō.'
'Aren't I just a sis-con at this point?'
Yun pulled himself out of his spiraling thoughts and looked to the horizon.
One month left until the second Information Exchange.
*****
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