Chapter Text
Chapter 8
As a shinobi, one of the many things they teach you is that as soon you set a foot into a battle, everything else stops mattering. Only serving the village. And while being a shinobi is many things, but there isn’t a moment in which Rei wonders what her life could have been if she hadn’t been picked up by him.
Now it isn’t the time, her mind tells him as she struggles to breathe. She knows she’s still bleeding, after the last match, but she knows she won’t get medical aid. Not before she wins this round. Her armor weighs down heavily on her, and she has a sick feeling in her guts.
The gates open and she watches how two people enter the arena.
She forces herself to concentrate.
“Attempt forty-two,” She can hear the voice speaking from the other side of the room. “Thirty seconds.”
There’s sweat on her face, blood on her clothes, and the beginning of a headache. It’s been two hours since the last time they gave her a break, but she can’t fail. She’s so close, so freaking close to the goal, that she can’t fail it.
She unsheathes her katana and looks at the hard eye of the leaf ANBU, now her enemy. This time it’s only two.
She turns her head to the side and sees the timer set. Five minutes. Her breath is ragged, and there’s this fear of not knowing if this time she’ll make it through. A fear that began ever since one of her other opponents managed to slice part of her armor.
She doesn’t know if she’s still bleeding, but she would rather bleed than to not fail this test. It’s a classic standard test, whenever ANBU wants to know if their members are still functional to the village.
Rei only hopes she doesn’t fail. She can sense on the other side of the room, all the examiners silently judging her. And in between the multiple people watching the spectacle, she can sense him, seated not too far from the Hokage.
The timer beeps, signaling the battle is about to come. She closes her eyes; takes a deep breath despite how much it burns to even breathe and concentrates on the two people she must incapacitate in less than five minutes. She would have gladly done that in less than two, but ever since her last batch of poison ran out in attempt number 29, she has been forced to improvise.
Yamanaka Jin and Aburame Daito take position too, signaling that they will go soon. Probably go for her left side, that’s still tender after being hit by Fox’s rock wall and what made her cough up blood.
Three hand signs and with a katana in hand, Rei goes to battle.
She’s having a dream.
She knows she’s in some sort of dream because there are arms that are holding her down and right in front of her is Tamiko, frowning. Before she can open her mouth, someone tightens his grip and there’s a sudden flare of pain to the point where her eyes water.
The rest of the room, filled with people, is silent. She can faintly smell some incense burning, and strangely so, the room feels very familiar. Like she was once there, except...she doesn’t remember ever being here.
“I found her near the container,” One of them says. She looks up, and it’s a young man, with the Konoha hitae ate on his forehead. There’s a sword strapped on his back and a tattoo on his left arm. Perhaps this kind of outfit would have made her raise her eyebrow at the other, but after living for more than three months in this strange world Kita has grown accustomed to seeing the eccentric looking attires.
“Again,” He stresses.
“This is the third time we’ve caught you actively seeking the container Kita,” Tamiko says with displeasure. She can sense the disapproval from all the room emanating in waves. Especially Tamiko, which she can sense she’s furious. What container? She wants to ask.
“You know it’s forbidden.”
And while under any other circumstances, Kita would have immediately apologized, it’s hearing those exact words to her raise her head and look Tamiko right in the eye.
“I want to be friends with her,” The words come out angry and rapid. Too unlike Kita. And before she can get a hold of herself, her mouth starts speaking out of its own.” Why can’t you let me live my life the way I want?
“Is that so?” Tamiko asks, simply arching one eyebrow. Kita has the impression that this topic has already been talked about too. “Despite the possible consequences of being discovered. Despite knowing that if the container or the Hokage ever know about our lineage, the whole family will be in danger?”
“You preach about defending our family, yet you have absolutely no shame in abandoning her too,” Someone from the room gasps, but for some strange reason, has no time to deal with this type of nonsense. While the rest is stupefied with her statement, she uses that exact moment to break out of the other’s grasp. “She’s in Uzumaki in both name and blood. Yet you don’t care.”
“Is that what you think of me, Kita?” Her voice is for some reason deadly calm. A chill runs up to her spine when Tamiko stands too. She’s no ninja, but for some reason, the other Kita keeps her ground. Her body is filled with anticipation and adrenaline. “After everything I had done for you?”
Just watch, please.
Don’t fight it.
Let me show you.
“Don’t twist my words,” The other Kita whispers while gathering whatever courage she has left in this body. “Don’t you dare twist my words. For this clan, I have allowed being tainted and enslaved by your endless paranoia and-”
“Get out,” She blinks when Tamiko points at the door. All the anger and twist into something else, when Tamiko doesn’t say anything else. Fear, she realizes because the similarities between this and the time she was kicked out of her family are so hard it hurts.
“Get out and never return.”
“Obaa-san,” She tries to speak, but her voice comes out wobbly and simply wrong. “What do you mean-”
“Watanabe Kita,” Tamiko states, her eyes cold. “You have stated your goals, and I think that no matter the amount of convincing from myself or the rest of the clan, nothing will be able to change your mind, so you are free to do whatever you want. Get out and never return.”
“I-”
“You have one minute to leave or else my men will drag you out,” Tamiko says next. “If next time we find you near the compound, we’ll apply the security measures approved by the Hokage.”
And before she says anything, she gets kicked out. She leaves with no money, no belongings, only her identification and the shames that comes with being pushed through the main door, barefoot. The clothing feels heavier when it starts to rain. And soon enough she feels cold when her clothes end up soaked.
But unlike her other world, because she remembers sinking into a great depression and it was only four years later with the help of many psychiatrists, this Kita doesn’t quite sink. While her heart is heavy and broken, she keeps her head straight and keeps walking. Even when her bare feet start leading her into an apartment in the middle of the village.
Why exactly is she there?
She has no idea.
But by the time she arrives, soaked from head to toes, and surely with a cold on her way, she knocks on the door. It’s on her third time she manages to knock well because her hands are cold and for some strange reason, she keeps trembling.
“You’re not a ninja,” Is the first thing the man says to her. It’s a Jōnin, probably in his late twenties. There’s still blood on his vest and judging by the bloodshot eyes there’s a high probability she just woke him up. She doesn’t say anything, still trembling and with her eyes focused on the ground.
“Wait,” He comes closer, and then asks. “...Kita?”
“Why are you here?” The other Kita shuts her eyes, hands unconsciously traveling down to her stomach where the small living thing is growing inside her. This is perhaps her only chance but having to seek the man that got her pregnant in the first place is quite a frightening thing indeed.
“I need a place to stay,” She says, voice breaking at the end of the sentence. While the night surrounding the events leading to her getting pregnant is still fuzzy, she knows Sarutobi Taishi is not a bad man. Perhaps under any other circumstances, Kita could have easily fallen in love with him, she knows that now she can only that-
Don’t think about it.
She opens her mouth, but no word comes out. It’s only on her second attempt to speak because she needs to explain to Taishi why she is here, what exactly happened. Except that her body refuses to cooperate, and all she can do is stand there with tears in her eyes, soaking wet at Taishi’s doorsteps.
It doesn’t take long for Taishi to figure out what happened.
“You’ve got kicked out,” He says when she doesn’t say anything else. She wants to scream that she’s alright, that she’s okay, but she can’t because for the last 24 years she has been living with the same people that didn’t think twice in kicking her out.
Only because she had gotten way too near to the container.
“Hey,” She looks up when there’s a hand touching her back. Taishi offers her a smile, that for some reason, breaks her heart a little bit more. “It’s going to be alright Kita.”
So, in a moment of vulnerability and with a sudden spark of courage, the other Kita tugs Taishi’s vest and closes the distances. Letting herself be hugged, by the person the other Kita had sworn to never be in contact. Yet now, she cannot deny that the warmth and all the reassurances falling out of Taishi’s mouth makes her feel hopeful, that while her future is uncertain that maybe…
She’ll be okay.
The worst of all? Is that Kita can’t wake up from this dream.
Morning hit Sarutobi Taishi like any other. As a thirty-four years old ninja who hasn’t retired, Taishi could feel firsthand all the side effects that come with his profession. Days where the pain from the many wounds and scars he had acquired, throughout his whole career as a respectable ninja, was enough to make him doubt in getting out of bed at all.
It hurt.
A lot.
While one may foolishly think, that after many years’ shinobi can get accustomed to the endless pain that comes with their profession, Taishi would defer. He had long learned that pain is an invisible thing, open dispute unless it is one's own. And as an active ninja at this age, Taishi had a long history with it. It’s the sacrifice he pays, by servicing his beloved village.
This time is not different from the others. By the time he tries to take out the covers, he must take a deep breath and count to ten. Because this time it’s his back what is hurting. An injury that has yet to heal, after an Iwa nin almost sliced him in half in the latest mission he finished.
One week ago.
He slumps against the covers, almost defeated. There are old memories of the prognosis still in his mind. Memories of reassurances that with three months of physical therapy he would be back in shape, but he simply shakes his head, before throwing the covers and sits up. Because deep down Taishi knows it won’t make a difference. Ever since Tsunade-Sama left, the medicine in this village hasn’t been the same.
Perhaps the same injuries under Tsunade’s care would have given him full mobility back, but now? Now? Taishi is counting the days to retire once and for all. But ever since the news of Uchiha Hiro found dead on the Naka River hit the general public, Taishi has the feeling he won’t get to retire anytime soon. Because now paranoia has hit its course and there’s nothing to stop it.
It will probably take months for things to go back to normal. Despite Taishi not being in touch with his clan ever since Hiruzen-sama took office, he knows it’s only a matter of time to be summoned back to his clan’s land. The Naras, Akimichi, and Yamanaka have done that with their disperse members.
He can only imagine the political nightmare both the Clan Council and Hiruzen-Sama will have later this week. While he hasn’t been able to talk to someone, since most of the village is on lockdown, he knows that Fugaku is furious.
The Uchiha elders are probably screaming for revenge.
Especially after finding out that Uchiha Hiro had never been entrusted with a mission, meaning that he was taken down inside the village. Whether it was an enemy or a long fallout with someone, the Uchiha clan declared that until they can find the culprit, they will be on total lockdown. The Hyūga’s followed them soon. In fact, the only reason why his teammate Hyūga Hisato (Boar) has been allowed to go out at all had been because he’s the one of the ANBU members guarding the nine-tails host.
Taishi sighs, before taking out the covers. As a Nara would say, what a drag. This situation is slowly getting out of hand and after doing C mission yesterday, he feels tired. He slowly walks from his spartan bedroom to the kitchen in the small apartment he has.
It’s so tiny it’s almost ridiculous.
But it’s the only thing he got since he’s most of the time out of the village. And while he did have the option to stay in his clan’s land, there’s nothing Taishi likes more than privacy. He scratches his back, careful to not pull out his bandages, and waits for the water to boil, deep in thought.
Thinking how exactly the rest of the ANBU squad are going to survive this hellish month, since this is the third member that passed away in mysterious conditions. Hiro had been the second who perished while having a dōjutsu.
And while Uchiha Hiro had been a fairly “new” member of their organization, he was a pretty good kid. Always the good guy who would crack a joke while they were in the middle of an operation, or how much he would complain about paperwork.
It’s sad, having to realize he’ll never get to hear Hiro’s complaints anymore. He clicks his tongue. This is worse than the time they found Rei almost beating to death on the outskirts of the village, due to a passing squad of Kiri nin.
At least with Rei, they had at least a culprit but with Hiro? They haven’t found anything. It’s been two weeks since they found the body, but they have yet to get a lead. And this whole thing, is four times above his clearance, meaning his superiors are wanting to keep this under wraps.
Someone is knocking on his door.
He immediately takes out a kunai from his pocket, just in doubt, and looks at the clock plastered on the wall. Too early for an official. He grips harder because ANBU officials don’t knock on the door either. Out of nowhere, his mind brings him back the memories he had bowed to never remember. Memories about a young girl asking for a place to stay, soaked from head to toes, pleading if she could stay the night-
“I need a place to stay,” She says, voice breaking at the end of the sentence. She’s shaking like a leaf. “Please.”
He shuts his eyes and grasps the wall. Does anything in order to not remember her. After what he made her go through, he doesn’t deserve to even think about her. He knows it was for the best. According to what Hyūga Hisato said to him, the girl is doing far better.
She’s now an asset. A C-4 type of asset, being only the nine-tailed host above her. Judging by the number of members entrusted to surveillance on her and the nine-tailed host, he knows she’s at a much better place than what she was only a year ago.
If only….
It doesn’t matter anymore, he thinks, pushing those thoughts aside. Because sometimes despite what the hearts and body want, at the end of the day he must follow orders. Their (and how strange is the feeling, of thinking he could have become a father) baby never stood a chance. ANBU was very clear on that one. The moment his official knew about Watanabe, it was just a moment of deciding when it should be terminated. He just never had the guts to tell her what was going to happen.
Instead, he let her live the lie. He helped her assemble the crib, painted the room, helped pick out the baby name, knowing that the second he stepped out of the village his official would order to kill it. And unlike his other teammates who had similar experience, his superiors were comprehensive enough to make the abortion seem as natural as possible and putting Watanabe under a genjutsu so she wouldn’t remember most of it.
And by the time he got back, the deed was complete, and the job was done. Even the Hokage mentioned it when Taishi gave him back the report, offering his condolences with a bonus for not protesting about it.
He slowly clenches his fist. The rules are very clear on that, ANBU cannot have a family. Having kids only distracts them from their goal which is protecting the village and everything that comes with it. Kids and family are unnecessary to them anyways because-
“The village is my family,” He mutters, ushering Watanabe Kita and the past they once shared. To his surprise, it’s no other than Minato’s remaining student, Hatake Kakashi, standing on the other side of the door. He can’t help but groan when he sees the teen’s hands shaking because it can only mean one thing, and he’s still half-asleep.
So, he deviates, of course.
“Breakfast will be ready in ten,” He says, letting him in. He eyes him, wincing when the carpet gets tainted with blood. The rest of the teen’s body is covered in gore too. As he hands him a towel, he can’t help but look at his emaciated body. He’s thin. Way too thin for his liking. And he hates the officials a little bit more, for taking advantage of Kakashi’s mental state and using that to do more missions.
He doesn’t remember looking that way when he was fourteen. Sure, there was the second war going, but he never looked as ragged as Kakashi. It’s strange, seeing his late friend’s student this way. He can still remember how his friend spoke so highly about him, the first time he was given a genin team.
Back when Minato had yet to take the hat and Taishi still loved being a shinobi. Now, he’s older with more scars and without friends, since the majority died in the war, and with a different perspective on the shinobi arts. Back when he still believed he could make a difference.
He gives the boy one look, who hasn’t moved and goes to the kitchen, deep in thought. Perhaps he was late to save Minato and Kushina or even his unborn baby, but he can still do something.
“The burial will be in one hour,” He says, knowing that Kakashi’s sensitive ear will pick it up. It’s one of the many Hatake traits that made them so well known in the espionage department, until the second war came and swept them away. He glances back at Kakashi, who hasn’t moved at all.
“Thanks, Sarutobi-san.”
“It’s nothing kid,” Taishi comments as he grabs the turnip that Kakashi likes so much and thinks how exactly he is going to add it into the soup he was making, without making it taste like shit. Taishi is many things, but his cooking skill leaves much to be desired.
“I thought you had retired Taishi,” is the first thing he hears the moment he enters the cemetery. Not too far is Kakashi, fiddling with the black clothing Taishi handed him, because the teen had forgotten to bring one. He looks comical, looking so serious while wearing a kimono two sizes bigger.
At least the sandals fit, so overall Taishi isn’t that preoccupied.
He’s one of the few teens there, since the rest of the Uchiha children are hidden, away from the prying eyes. It makes sense, how the Uchiha are going the extra mile for protecting the minors because they still don’t know whether this attack will be the first of many or this was all one isolated incident.
He turns back to the voice that spoke and it’s no other than Fugaku, leaning against a wall. They both share history being longtime buddies. Back when Taishi had been his superior official in ANBU, then they became war-teammates when they were shipped to Taki, until the war ended and Fugaku chose to follow his clan’s duties and focus more on the Police Forces.
ANBU still misses the absence of Kyōgan Fugaku. Uchiha Hiro was good indeed, but there’s nothing like Fugaku. And by the way, Fugaku is looking at him, Taishi has the feeling, that whatever thing he’s going to say, won’t be anything good.
Because if Kakashi looks bad, Fugaku looks wrecked. He has eyebags under his eyes, and he looks as if he could faint in any given second. He opens his mouth to offer his condolences, but Fugaku simply shakes his head and takes him farther into the clan’s land.
Far away from the multitude.
“Did you know Hiro had summons?” He asks, with a side glance. His eyes are red, meaning that Fugaku is going the extra mile with this.
“I did,” He says, unsure of how to proceed. While it isn’t uncommon for Uchihas to have an affinity towards birds, crows were far more uncommon than one may think. “He used them on missions, whenever there was a need for quick back up. He had three.”
“We also thought he had three.” Fugaku comments, while taking out some pellets for the Koi. For every Uchiha that died for the village and honored their clan, they add one. Now there are eleven, in different shapes and colors, swimming in circles. “But he had one more.”
That gathers his interest, immediately.
“More?” He asks as Fugaku starts feeding the fish. After doing missions with most part of ANBU, Taishi knows almost every single one of ANBU’s summons. It’s one of the requirements ANBU puts, establishing apart from their skills and background, a detailed archive of shinobi’s summons.
“It was found by Shisui.” Ahh, he goes, his mind already remembering Kagami’s favorite grandson. While he didn’t keep in touch after his teacher Kagami died, Taichi can still remember the small kid following Kagami-taicho everywhere, like a small lost duckling. Uchiha Shisui, the kid would introduce himself, even when his sensei tried to shoo him away.
There’s a brief pause before Fugaku locks eyes with him and says.
“The crow hasn’t returned to the summon dimension,” Taishi eyes widened at that. He blinks when Fugaku doesn’t add anything else because the implications behind that statement are huge. Out of all summons, Crows are proud and loyal things.
To the point where they will do anything in their power to follow their summoner’s last wishes. When a summoner dies, their summons usually returns to their world, so another person can get the contract. So, for the crow to stay here, after weeks of Hiro’s death can only mean that blood link between the summoner and summon is still alive and for that to happen it-
“Someone is using Hiro’s eyes,” He says, feeling the anger taking over him. As Kagami’s student, Taishi knows a little about their traditions and how much Uchiha thinks that once dead, they should let the body rest in peace. To an Uchiha, someone using part of his Hiro’s body is perhaps one of the biggest offenses.
Then he adds.
“And why are you telling me this?” He can’t help but ask, still dumbfound. “I don’t have the crow’s contract, nor do I have an important weight on my clan to-”
“I want you to keep your eyes open for me in ANBU,” Fugaku says, standing up and dusting the dirt on his pants. “There’s someone out there, in Konoha, that killed Hiro and is using his eyes. And I want to find him.”
“Because you think that whoever decided to go for Hiro,” He says slowly realizing what “Had enough power to keep it under wraps and tramp the investigation.”
“He decided to go for my people,” Fugaku says without wasting time. His left hand, the same one that killed so many, is shaking with pure fury, and his Sharingan is twirling rapidly. “And for my people and my clan, I’m willing to do anything.”
There’s a brief silence and Fugaku adds.
“Anything to give Hiro peace.”
“And what are you planning to do?” Taishi asks as Fugaku starts walking back. He momentarily stops as soon as Taishi finishes, turns to face him and chuckles.
“I have something in mind.”
“I’m sorry Watanabe-san,” The doctor breaks the news, as gently as possible, while on the other side Kita simply wants to scream. Wake up, she keeps repeating hoping for a miracle, please wake up. It doesn’t make a difference, because the room doesn’t change.
Nor does that stop the tears falling down her face. Out of all the possible memories the other Kita had, this one is perhaps the most frightening and painful of all. Having to experience losing the unborn child, and blood. So much blood and she couldn’t do anything-
“We tried everything we could.”
Kita simply screams.
Two seconds later, she wakes up.
Kita twirls her pencil and looks at her pages, which sadly isn’t filled with all the things she had been wanting to write in the first place. She’s distracted. There are too many thoughts and ideas plaguing her mind, and while she has the pen and ink right in front of her face, she can’t get her ideas straight.
Much more when there’s a cranky baby protesting in her lap. A quick angry bah distracts her from writing, and she looks down. It’s no other than Naruto furiously pouting, wriggling his arms, doing everything in his babish power to evade going to sleep.
He’s probably cranky for having to sleep since Naruto hates to nap, but Kita knows it’s necessary. The doctor said so, and the doctor’s word is the law. Not too far from her is her knitting utensil and the letter she must write to Lord Fire Shadow regarding Naruto’s advantages because she’s late.
Awfully late.
She’s so past the expiration date that a Chūnin knocked on her door the other day, to remind her that she has until Friday to fill all the papers. And now, there she is...doing absolutely nothing. It isn’t her memory, quiet, on the contrary, she has a pretty good one (one of the many perks that come with being a librarian).
It’s more of writing it.
Because every time she picks up a pen and tries to write about it, she gets this sudden feeling of frustration...because she didn’t exactly ask to take care of Naruto. Having to write about all the development of the child forcefully entrusted into her care feels so wrong.
Not only that...but well...something happened in the village. If it makes sense. People are now acting weird, and more shinobi are doing rounds on the street. There’s a curfew too. And all the police officers she knew have not appeared.
And as if that wasn’t stressful enough, Tamiko has gone fifty shades of crazy. If Tamiko used to get sometimes overbearing, now she’s ten times worse. Kita can’t get out of the house without Tamiko trailing behind her. Kita can’t even go on a walk without enduring Tamiko’s fifteen-minute interrogations.
It feels as if she was on some type of house arrest.
The only reason why she isn’t protesting much is Tamiko left some minutes before, for a meeting with the other clan’s leader. According to what she said it was so important that Lord Fire Shadow even called the civilian ones and judging by Tamiko’s rant, it means something big happened. And well...if Kita was being honest here, she’s kind of relieved to not have Tamiko around.
All because of that stupid nightmare she had the two nights ago. A shiver runs up to his spine at the memory. It had all been so detailed, so vivid, which makes her wonder if it was even a nightmare in the first place. He hopes it’s that and not Watanabe’s leftovers memories, because if so…
Kita has no idea on how to proceed from here. She has so many questions, so many things she wants to ask to the point where it makes her head hurt from just thinking about it. Not only that...but she has the feeling the real Wanatabe Kita was hiding something.
And she wants to find out why.
So, it’s why, in the spur of the moment, her feet take her to Tamiko’s room, once Naruto finally falls asleep. There’s something...she can’t pinpoint, and she wants to know why. And for some reason, it’s the image of Tamiko, Kita, and that strange man that is stuck into her brain. She knows it must be in Tamiko’s room, somewhere along with some sort of diary entry and-.
Bingo, she thinks, while hurrying to where she thinks it is. Except...that just as she’s about to start looking in between the multiple scrolls lying around the room, there’s a sudden noise outside.
It’s a kid.
A cute looking kid.
Okay, a very cute looking k-
“Wanatabe Kita?” A black-haired kid asks.
You’re not Batman, so don’t even think about it, her mind chastises, we are not adopting him. Right. She blinks and inspects him with more care, cuteness aside. He’s small. Probably not older than eight years old. And if that wasn’t strange enough, there’s a crow perched on his shoulders, on top of everything.
“Is that you?” The boy inquires, panting with such force that it almost makes her ponder if he had just run a 20 miles marathon. “Wanatabe-san?”
“And you are…?” She asks, not knowing how to even voice out politely why the hell is a small child doing here, on her doorsteps at 9 AM.
“I’m Shisui,” The boy answers with a bow. Uh, she thinks, wondering if by some chance the little (and very cute, mind her) white and red fan stitched on the boy’s back has some connection with the police force’s logo, before quickly discarding. Knowing her luck, it may just be a coincidence.
“And I need your help, ma’am.”
Ah, and he has good manners.
Look at that.
“Come on in,” She says letting him in, but before she can say something else, the boy’s stomach starts grumbling. He quickly evades her gaze, suddenly more interested in the floor. She smiles, pats the boy’s head and quickly leads him into the kitchen.
“Dinner will be ready in five,” She says taking out a pan and ignoring the boy’s protest on the matter. “Now, help me chop these vegetables, will ya’?”
Contrary to what many people may think, Danzo is patient. It’s a principle he swore to never leave behind after his impatience and hesitation cost him his sensei’s life. While it’s been decades since Tobirama Senju died, there’s no day in which Danzo doesn’t remember his sensei’s sacrifice.
In a way it was thanks to his Sensei’s death that prompted Danzo in creating another division outside ANBU, to protect the village his sensei loved. And now, with seventy members in his hands, Danzo feels getting closer to the goal he desires with all force.
A goal that was stolen from his hands. While it’s no secret that his sensei’s had a gruesome favoritism in Hiruzen, Danzo simply knows that out of all the shinobi in the village, he’s the best choice on having the hat. But the final cherry on top came to the night where, a year ago, Hiruzen entrusted him that he would soon step down.
Seeing how his name was not on the list of potential candidates made him decide to go back to his original plan and take the hat by force. Now, with a new eye, he’s powerful enough to once and for all complete his goals. The plan was already set and going...if only that Uchiha working in ANBU hadn’t died.
Because now?
Now, he’s under the spotlight. There’s no movement he makes without Hiruzen knowing. It annoys him, constantly.
“Sir?” It’s the timid voice of one of his subordinates that manages to bring him back to reality. “What are your orders?”
“Look for Uchiha Hiro’s stolen eyes,” He barks. “As soon as we can find the culprit, we go back to the main plan.”