Chapter 9 – The Merchant Visits the Hospital and the Riverbank
The next day.
News of the Uchiha clan's annihilation swept through Konoha like wildfire.
Of the entire proud clan, only one survivor remained: Uchiha Sasuke, lying unconscious in the hospital, broken in body and spirit.
But that wasn't even the most shocking part.
The killer was revealed to be the clan head's own eldest son, the village's celebrated genius, Uchiha Itachi.
To slaughter his own parents and kin, just how ruthless could one man be?
Even villagers who had always despised the Uchiha felt a twinge of pity.
The major clans stayed silent; they all of them had their private suspicions.
Itachi alone could never have wiped out the strongest clan in Konoha.
The faces of the village elders were equally grim.
They had been looking forward to carving up the Uchiha's spoils, only to find the vault completely cleaned out. Not even a copper coin left for the rats.
"Hmph! I always said no Uchiha could ever be trusted!"
In the Hokage Tower, Shimura Danzō's expression was darker than midnight.
Not only had he failed to harvest a single Sharingan last night, he'd lost dozens of elite Root operatives. A total disaster.
His prejudice immediately pinned the blame on Itachi.
"Hiruzen, hand Sasuke over to me. I'll forge him into a blade that serves only Konoha."
"Enough, Danzō!" the Third Hokage snapped.
"Itachi already reported: Uchiha Izumi and an unknown man were responsible. The casualties among Root and ANBU are also their doing.
Right now our priority is identifying that man and finding where they're hiding."
Hiruzen was furious too.
Zero loot from the Uchiha, and now the Sarutobi vault had been robbed blind.
Those two were obviously the culprits.
"According to reports, Izumi has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and gravely injured Itachi.
The man is the leader; we know almost nothing about him."
Mangekyō Sharingan… and a mysterious mastermind?
The elders paled. Greed flashed deep in Danzō's remaining eye.
"Leave the search to me," Danzō declared, thumping his chest. "Nothing escapes Root's eyes."
Hiruzen agreed instantly.
Let Danzō's cannon fodder test the waters.
Meanwhile.
Disguised by a casual genjutsu, Aike and Izumi strolled openly down Konoha's main street.
"Didn't expect the little avenger to still end up in the hospital," Aike mused.
Itachi had been half-dead from Izumi's beatdown, yet still found the strength to traumatize his little brother.
Guess we didn't hit him hard enough.
"First breakfast, then the hospital."
Izumi had no objections.
The two walked into Ichiraku Ramen, the shop that appeared in practically every arc.
Aike had always wanted to try the legendary noodles.
The moment they stepped inside, they ran into an old acquaintance: Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi, the man with the eternal 50-50 win rate.
Aike gave him a quick glance and sat down right beside him with Izumi.
"Boss, two large miso chashu ramen!"
"Coming right up!"
Kakashi's ANBU instincts kicked in. He covertly studied the pair.
Strangers. Not villagers.
The man seemed ordinary, but the woman radiated faint killing intent and an inexplicable sense of lethal danger.
Man + woman…
Kakashi's pupil shrank. He suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"No need to be so tense," Aike said mildly, slurping his noodles.
"Unless you want Konoha flattened, I suggest you stay very, very still."
A whisper of spiritual pressure pinned Kakashi in place like an insect on a board.
Only after Aike finished his bowl did Kakashi dare speak, voice low.
"Who are you? Why are you in the village?"
"I'm a merchant. Naturally I'm here to do business."
Kakashi obviously didn't buy that for a second.
You massacred half our forces and call it "business"?
But Aike wasn't in the mood to explain. He stood to leave, then paused as if remembering something.
"Oh, right.
If you want to know the truth about why your father really killed himself… or some information about Uchiha Obito…
come find me at the inn tonight.
Alone.
Otherwise…" He smiled pleasantly. "I can't promise what might happen to the village."
With that, he and Izumi walked out, leaving Kakashi staring at his untouched ramen, face cycling through ten different emotions.
On the street, Izumi asked curiously, "Are you going to recruit him too?"
"Nah. I just want something he's carrying."
Namely, that delicious Kamui Sharingan.
Spatial abilities were rare; snatching one would be a nice bonus.
A few minutes later they reached the hospital.
For convenience, Aike put the entire building under Kyōka Suigetsu.
They walked straight into Sasuke's room.
"Kid's got guts, I'll give him that. Mental trauma this bad, he'll be bedridden for days," Aike judged, looking at the pale, bandaged boy.
At the same time he sensed an incredibly deep, ancient chakra coiled inside Sasuke.
Indra's chakra.
Almost on par with his own soul signature.
"No wonder I bothered coming all this way."
He casually healed the boy with a pulse of healing Kidō, then left with a complicated-looking Izumi.
Moments after they were gone, Sasuke's eyes snapped open.
Word reached the Hokage Tower instantly.
Hiruzen himself appeared at the hospital entrance not long after.
Meanwhile.
Aike brought Izumi to the village outskirts, stopping at a quiet riverbank.
His gaze stayed fixed on a blond kid trying (and failing) to catch fish with his bare hands.
"That him? Your next target?" Izumi asked.
"Yep. He's carrying something just as valuable as what's inside Sasuke."
Aike walked over and released the light camouflage.
The surrounding hidden ANBU had already been hypnotized hours ago.
"Who're you guys?"
Little Naruto tensed up, instantly on guard.
Aike's entire aura shifted, warm, gentle, trustworthy, exactly like Aizen in his "benevolent captain" phase.
"Relax, kid. We're just here for a picnic. Saw the river and thought we'd grill some fish."
"You're here to fish too?!"
Naruto's wariness vanished, replaced by excitement.
"Believe it or not, I come here all the time! I'm super good at it, want me to help?"
He rolled up his sleeves and puffed out his chest proudly, though Aike caught the faint nervousness underneath, afraid of rejection.
"Sounds perfect. In return I'll treat you to all the grilled meat you can eat."
A few sentences were all it took for Naruto to drop every defense and start chattering away like they were old friends.
Izumi watched the wholesome scene with the strangest expression.
This should have been heartwarming…
So why did it feel exactly like watching a shady adult lure a child with candy?
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