In the Uchiha clan district.
Uchiha Obito stood in front of the bathroom mirror, tears streaming down his face.
Reflected in the mirror… was a pair of Sharingan—each eye bearing two tomoe.
He was still a student at the Academy, yet he had already awakened the Sharingan.
But this pair of eyes… he didn't want them at all.
Tonight, Konoha had been attacked.
Obito hadn't followed the clan's orders. He hadn't gone to the evacuation shelter. Instead, he rushed out at the first moment—to help an old neighbor who had lost his legs.
That man couldn't move on his own. If Obito didn't go, he would die.
The old man had lived a miserable life. His wife and daughter had both died in the war. His legs had been blown off, and every day he endured unbearable phantom pain.
But when Obito arrived at the man's house, the first thing he saw was a figure leaping out of the window.
There was blood on the kunai in that person's hand.
Droplets scattered through the air.
Obito rushed inside.
The old man had collapsed halfway to his wheelchair.
A long, horrific wound split open his chest.
His ribcage had been torn apart.
Seeing Obito, the man spoke weakly.
In his youth, he had served in the Police Force. He had once sent a criminal to Konoha Prison.
That criminal had held onto his hatred ever since. And tonight, amid the chaos… he had come for revenge.
His voice grew faint, like he was leaving behind his final words.
"Obito… don't ever join the Police Force. All these years… all I've felt is hatred."
"Every villager I dealt with hated me. Every criminal wanted to kill me."
Obito nodded on the surface.
But in his heart, he only wanted to get the man to a medical ninja.
He lifted the old man onto the wheelchair.
Just as he pushed him out the door—
The man slipped off.
When Obito rushed to check—
His lung had fallen out.
He was already dead.
Obito cried as he laid the body flat… then turned and ran to help others.
But along the way—
There was nothing but despair.
The Police Force had all gone to evacuate civilians. The clan district was left exposed.
No one knew who started it.
No one knew who called for it.
No one knew who incited it.
But Obito saw it with his own eyes—
Dozens of Konoha ninja had entered the Uchiha district… seeking revenge.
Besides the old man, he found three more neighbors—dead.
And then—
He saw her.
The girl next door.
The one who used to help his grandmother comb her white hair.
Her body lay soaked in blood.
At that moment—
Something inside Obito shattered.
She had been such a kind person.
She knew his grandmother struggled to take care of him alone, so she would often come to help.
Every time Obito came home, he could tell whether she had visited… just by looking at his grandmother's hairstyle.
Even his habit of helping others—
He had learned it from her.
And yet—
Even she had been killed.
Obito had seen the killer's back.
It was someone who had once been her classmate.
He had pursued her and been rejected… and after that, he would linger around her with resentment.
Even at his young age—
Obito understood what her torn clothes meant.
The chaotic night finally came to an end.
Standing before the mirror—
The twin tomoe in his eyes spun violently.
Just moments ago—
Nara Shikakaku, the leader of the jonin, a figure of authority in the village, had personally come to the Uchiha district.
He told the clan—
Those who had taken advantage of the chaos to kill Uchiha… were not Konoha ninja.
They were White Zetsu, subordinates of Uchiha Madara, disguised as others.
White Zetsu possessed a Transformation Technique capable of perfectly mimicking another person's chakra.
Even the Byakugan couldn't see through it.
Shikakaku expressed deep regret for the Uchiha clan's losses.
Uchiha Kagen accepted the explanation.
But—
Obito did not.
The one who killed the old man… had once been sent to prison by him.
The one who killed the girl… was a Tokubetsu jōnin who had failed to win her heart and grown hateful.
A face could be faked.
But hatred?
Could that be faked too?
How could White Zetsu know so precisely—
Know exactly who held grudges against those people?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
Obito wiped away his tears.
Then he put on his goggles.
He was only seven years old.
Yet he had awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan—
On par with the prodigies recorded in his clan's history.
***
At the border of the Land of Fire.
Uchiha Madara and Guruguru walked slowly through the forest.
Madara seemed in no hurry.
The location of Konoha was not far from where the Uchiha clan had once lived during the Warring States Era.
The Uchiha excelled in Fire Release.
These forests… were their natural domain.
Even after decades—
Madara still found comfort walking through them.
They arrived at a U-shaped bend in the river.
Madara fell into silence.
This—
Had once been the Uchiha clan's homeland.
It had once been glorious.
But after he defected from the village…
Under Senju Tobirama's leadership—
This place had been completely destroyed.
Only a few scattered foundations remained, silent proof of its past splendor.
A White Zetsu emerged from the ground.
"Madara-sama, I killed five people who were close to Uchiha Obito. Finally forced him to awaken his Sharingan."
"If he still hadn't awakened it… I would've had to kill his grandmother too."
"His talent really is impressive. Two tomoe right from the start."
"That's only natural," Madara said calmly.
"His ocular talent is obvious."
"Or rather… Uchiha Obito is a truly good child. A child without any malice."
"And when someone like that falls into despair… they unleash the greatest power."
"When an honest person reaches despair… when they realize their values were a joke… that everything they believed in was worthless…"
"They tend to choose the most extreme path."
"We should have waited for him to grow further."
"But our plans have changed too much. We had no choice but to force his growth."
"Weaken Konoha. Sow hatred between Konoha and the Uchiha."
"And accelerate Obito's development."
"Tonight… we achieved all of it."
He turned away.
"Let's return to the Land of Rain."
"I need to replace an eye."
Inside the Hokage Tower.
Yako crouched on the roof outside the Hokage's office window, silently guarding the building.
From where he stood—
Konoha was in ruins.
There were five breaches in the village walls.
Four had been caused by wooden Susanoo constructs.
The largest one, to the east—
Had been carved open by Madara's Perfect Susanoo.
Below the walls, countless buildings lay in rubble.
In the distance, ninja carried bodies—
Two at a time, heading toward the Memorial Stone.
The Senju district was devastated.
The giant feet of Susanoo had carved trenches into the earth.
Its massive sword had gouged even deeper scars.
And beyond that—
White Zetsu had spread death and chaos throughout the village.
Inside the office—
Nara Shikakaku was reporting the losses.
Among the higher ranks—
Mitokado Homura, Hatake Sakumo, and Akimichi Torifu had fallen.
More than 270 ninja had died.
Among civilians—
Over 1,100 had perished, killed either by the aftermath of Susanoo's attacks or by White Zetsu.
As for property…
The losses were immeasurable.
Shikakaku placed the report scroll on the desk and pushed it toward the Third Hokage.
"Hokage-sama, this is the extent of the damage."
"What concerns me more… is what comes next."
"Advisor Sakumo had stabilized the external situation. With his death… everything has collapsed."
"Once the daimyō of each country hear of Konoha's heavy losses… they will begin to reconsider their stance."
"Their doubts are one thing."
"But the other hidden villages… seeing Konoha weakened… may begin probing and provoking us."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened.
He coughed lightly.
Tonight alone—
He had finished five pipes of tobacco.
"The situation is dire…" he muttered. "Shikakaku, we'll handle it step by step. Start with internal matters."
Shikakaku nodded.
"Compensation and reconstruction can be arranged."
"But Hokage-sama… I've gathered some grievances."
"These sentiments… may threaten the village's authority."
He chose his words carefully.
But the meaning was clear—
Some voices were already questioning Hiruzen's leadership.
Hiruzen gestured for him to continue.
"Some ninja believe the village reacted too slowly to Uchiha Madara."
"They think we should have mobilized earlier to eliminate him."
"Some civilians say they had already heard his name over a year ago… so why wasn't the threat dealt with?"
Shikakaku paused.
"Rebuilding is easy."
"What's difficult… is restoring unity."
Hiruzen inhaled deeply from his pipe.
After a long silence, he spoke.
"Madara is old."
"When we first confirmed his existence, we believed we could wait—"
"Wait for him to weaken… or die."
"Who could have expected… that even in that state, he would still possess such power?"
"We did react too slowly."
"We only sent ANBU to monitor his movements."
He exhaled smoke slowly.
"Guide public opinion."
"Shift the blame… toward the Uchiha clan."
"Reduce the pressure on the leadership."
Shikakaku hesitated—then nodded.
It was effective.
Madara was an Uchiha rogue ninja.
Redirecting hatred toward the Uchiha clan… would ease the burden on the higher-ups.
Hiruzen continued.
"As for external pressure…"
"I'll appoint new advisors for foreign affairs and internal governance."
"We must show that Konoha still has capable people."
"We will respond strongly to provocations."
"And deal with problems at the borders."
"As for the daimyō… the new foreign affairs advisor will handle them."
He paused.
"If necessary… assassination is not off the table."
Shikakaku's heart tightened.
Had things really deteriorated this far?
He asked quietly,
"Hokage-sama… who will take these positions?"
Hiruzen answered without hesitation.
"Yellow Dog will serve as foreign affairs advisor."
"As for internal affairs… it can wait."
"For now, Shikakaku, you'll take over those responsibilities."
"Understood."
Shikakaku bowed and left.
As he descended the stairs, a thought crossed his mind—
In the end…
The Hokage had still chosen his own.
Tonight, Yellow Dog hadn't taken action.
Others had dealt with the Susanoo clones.
Hiruzen himself had faced Madara.
Yellow Dog's role—
Had been to monitor the Uchiha clan.
To prevent them from making contact with Madara.
From causing internal and external collusion.
Given the ties between the Sarutobi clan and the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance—
Shikakaku should have supported this decision.
But…
With Konoha in such a fragile state—
He couldn't help but worry.
Could Yellow Dog truly handle this role?
If not…
Shikakaku even considered relinquishing the Uzushio guardian position held by their clans.
An incompetent advisor—
Could not appease the daimyō.
Could not withstand pressure from the other villages.
The more he thought—
The more chaotic his mind became.
Hiruzen worked until four in the morning.
Only then did he leave the office and return to the Sarutobi district.
Yako's guard duty ended.
At last, he had time—
To visit the Uzumaki clan's Mask Storage Hall.
The hall had been built specifically for Princess Kushina.
Its interior was identical to the one in Uzushio Village.
"Sorry. I'm late."
Tsunade leaned against a pillar.
Hearing Fox's voice, she said calmly—
"The deputy head of the ANBU is certainly busy."
"But I've just finished calculating the clan's losses."
She looked at him.
"So, Fox…"
"Tonight was never going to end in sleep."
"Why did you bring me here?"