Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at that retreating back, his pupils shrinking slightly.

He wasn't joking.

This realization poured over him like a bucket of cold water, snapping him to his senses.

"Stop!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice rang out from behind, laced with urgency.

Uchiha Taiga didn't look back. He simply raised a hand and waved it dismissively behind him, as if shooing away a stranger.

The gesture was so casual that it sent a chill down Hiruzen's spine. He instinctively ordered the ANBU beside him, "Stop him."

Several ANBU moved simultaneously.

They were incredibly fast, leaving behind a series of afterimages in the firelight as they closed the distance to Uchiha Taiga in the blink of an eye.

One reached out to grab his shoulder, another circled around to block his path, and yet another had already slipped a hand into a ninja pouch.

Uchiha Taiga abruptly turned his head.

In that instant, his eyes shifted from white to crimson, the pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan slowly spinning within his irises.

The ANBU shuddered in unison, as if something had struck their brains directly.

Their movements halted at the exact same moment. Their eyes rolled back, their bodies stiffened, and then they collapsed limply to the ground.

*Thud, thud, thud...*

Several muffled impacts echoed almost simultaneously.

The ANBU lay sprawled across the ground, their kunai clattering sharply against the gravel.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed drastically.

He subconsciously took a step forward, but before his foot could even touch the ground, Uchiha Taiga's voice drifted over.

"Do not make any moves that might cause a misunderstanding, Third Hokage."

His voice wasn't loud. "If you feel that Konoha has no place for me, then I can become a Rogue Ninja. All you have to do is say the word."

Uchiha Taiga paused for a moment before adding, "This is my advice to you."

As his words fell, his figure vanished from the spot.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand froze in mid-air. His mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.

He stood there, staring at the fallen bodies of the ANBU. Only after seeing the rise and fall of their chests and confirming they were still alive did he slowly lower his hand.

Genjutsu. It was just genjutsu.

Uchiha Taiga hadn't killed them, nor had he even injured them.

But the words he left behind were more lethal than any ninja tool.

A Rogue Ninja.

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The air was thick with the smell of char, mixed with the metallic tang of blood and the scent of dirt—a nauseating combination.

He opened his eyes and looked down at Shimura Danzo's corpse.

That arm, covered in Sharingan, gleamed with an eerie light amidst the flames. Those half-open eyes seemed to be staring at him, mocking him.

Countless images flashed through his mind—a young Danzo, a spirited Danzo, the Danzo who had stood beside him as they swore to protect Konoha together.

Those memories overlapped with the corpse before him, hitting him with an intense wave of dizziness.

He closed his eyes.

"Danzo..."

His voice was so soft that only he could hear it.

"What on earth did you do..."

The cause of all this largely rested on Shimura Danzo's shoulders.

It was Shimura Danzo's ambition, his greed, and his belief that any means were justified for the sake of Konoha.

And he himself, who had tacitly permitted Shimura Danzo's actions, was equally to blame.

He had given Shimura Danzo power, and he had given Shimura Danzo chance after chance.

He had thought Shimura Danzo would show restraint, know when to stop, and prioritize the village's interests.

He was wrong.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's hands hung at his sides, his fingers trembling slightly.

He didn't know how to handle Uchiha Taiga.

That young man had already lost all trust in the village. Those words weren't a threat; they were a statement of fact.

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his head and looked in the direction Uchiha Taiga had disappeared.

There was nothing there.

...

On the opposite bank of the river, in the shadows dozens of meters away.

A small white snake slithered out from the edge of the sea of fire, weaving through the scorched grass and over several pieces of rubble before finally stopping behind a large tree.

There was a small hollow in the trunk, and the snake slipped inside.

From deep within the hollow, a hand reached out and caught the small snake. The snake slithered up the fingers and retreated into a wide sleeve, disappearing from sight.

Orochimaru leaned against the tree trunk, his golden, slit-like pupils reflecting the firelight from the opposite bank. He flicked his tongue out to lick his lips, the corners of his mouth curling up into an enigmatic smile.

He pulled a glass container from his robes. It wasn't large, and inside the transparent bottle floated two eyeballs.

The two eyeballs were blood-red, with three tomoe clearly visible on their irises.

Sharingan.

"To think that a guy like Shimura Danzo would die just like that."

Orochimaru's voice was soft.

"What a pity. I've suddenly lost quite a good collaborator."

He placed the glass container back into his robes and patted his lapel. Then, his body began to break apart. Small snakes slithered out from beneath his hem one after another, scattering across the ground and crawling off in different directions.

His body was like a dismantled pile of building blocks, completely vanishing within seconds.

...

Further away.

Deep in the forest, atop the canopy of a massive tree, the air began to distort. A vortex appeared out of thin air, as if someone had torn a rift in space itself.

Uchiha Obito stepped out of the vortex, his feet landing on the branches without making a single sound.

He was clad in the White Zetsu Tobi, the white, swirl-patterned mask concealing his face, leaving only his right eye exposed.

His right hand clutched his right eye socket, his fingers pressing down slightly.

Into his palm, a white eyeball squeezed out from the gap in the mask and dropped into his hand.

The eyeball was a ghastly white, the exact same color as the White Zetsu Tobi he wore.

Uchiha Obito shoved the eyeball into the inner lining of the White Zetsu coating, where something caught it, subsequently absorbing it until it disappeared completely.

"How did it go?"

Zetsu's voice came from beside him as his black-and-white body emerged from the tree trunk, looking like a pitcher plant sprouting from the soil.

The White Zetsu half of his face wore its usual playful expression, while the Black Zetsu half remained as silent as ever.

Uchiha Obito lowered his hand, his voice beneath the mask flat and devoid of any emotion.

"That guy, Shimura Danzo, is dead."

"Oh?"

White Zetsu's voice carried a hint of surprise. "That fast?"

"What a piece of trash."

Uchiha Obito's tone was filled with undisguised contempt.

Black Zetsu didn't speak. His half of the face showed no expression, but inwardly, he was speechless.

*Someone like you actually has the nerve to call others trash.*

*You were beaten so badly by a teenager that you had to sever your own arm to escape, got your mask shattered, and fled Konoha like a stray dog. And now you're calling someone else trash? How very Uchiha of you.*

"Let's go."

Uchiha Obito's voice interrupted Black Zetsu's thoughts.

"There's nothing left to see here. We need to find the next person. We won't be coming back to Konoha for a while."

Space distorted once more as his body began to be swallowed by the vortex. Zetsu's body also melted back into the tree trunk, as if they had never been there.

Peace returned to the canopy, leaving only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.

...

Konoha.

The Hyuga compound.

In the meeting hall of the Main House estate, Hyuga Hiashi sat at the head seat, his hands folded in front of him, his expression so calm it bordered on cold.

Seated on either side of him were several Main House elders, all gray-haired old men. Each of their eyes carried that particular brand of reserve and arrogance unique to the Hyuga Main House.

No one spoke.

The atmosphere in the meeting hall was somewhat heavy, but not with tension—it was the heaviness of waiting to watch a good show.

They were all waiting for news, waiting for word from Hyuga Soma.

Hyuga Soma had taken men out today, alongside Shimura Danzo, to deal with that Uchiha brat—the one who had somehow acquired the Byakugan.

This matter had been debated within the Hyuga Main House for days. Some advocated for a hardline approach, while others urged caution. Ultimately, everyone agreed to Hyuga Soma's plan: have the village's higher-ups step in, bring Uchiha Taiga back to the Hyuga compound, and uncover the origins of his Byakugan.

If possible, they would reclaim the Byakugan.

They were very confident in Hyuga Soma's mission. After all, he was with Shimura Danzo, representing the will of the village's upper echelon.

No matter how rebellious that Uchiha Taiga was, he couldn't defy the village on this matter.

Who was Shimura Danzo?

The Hokage Advisor, the leader of Root—even the Third Hokage had to respect his opinions on certain matters.

With him stepping forward personally, coupled with a Hyuga Main House elder, could a mere teenager really turn the world upside down?

The first elder seated to Hyuga Hiashi's right picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down with a soft clink.

He looked around, an air of composure on his face.

Looking at their expressions, Hyuga Hiashi only found it laughable.

He was slightly younger than the Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, and having only recently become the clan head himself, his mindset was naturally much clearer than these decaying, deadwood-like Main House elders.

He understood perfectly well the weight behind the name Uchiha Taiga.

That boy was no ordinary Uchiha. He was a wielder of the Mangekyo Sharingan, someone even Shimura Danzo had to handle with extreme caution.

These Main House elders had been blinded by their status for far too long.

They believed the Hyuga's Byakugan was the strongest visual prowess in the ninja world. They believed the Hyuga's Kekkei Genkai was inviolable. They believed that anyone, even an Uchiha with the Mangekyo, had to bow before the rules of the Hyuga.

Hyuga Hiashi lowered his eyes, concealing the trace of mockery in his gaze.

*Fine.*

*It wouldn't hurt to let the Main House face reality.*

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly sensed something.

His brow furrowed slightly as he looked up toward the entrance of the meeting hall.

It was quiet both inside and outside the hall—unnervingly quiet, like a dead silence.

The Main House elders were still conversing in low voices. Someone noticed his expression and stopped to look at him.

"What is it?" asked the elder seated to his left.

Hyuga Hiashi raised a hand, cutting him off.

He turned his head, angling his ear toward the door, and closed his eyes, listening intently.

Footsteps.

Very faint.

They were coming from just outside the hall entrance. The stride was neither long nor short, the pace neither fast nor slow, and the interval between each step was almost perfectly identical.

It sounded like someone taking a stroll, yet also like someone measuring something.

Hyuga Hiashi's eyes snapped open, his white pupils reflecting the doorway.

"Someone is coming," he said.

The murmurs ceased. Teacups were set down. Everyone's gaze turned toward the entrance.

The footsteps drew closer and closer.