Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

At first, Konoha didn't pay much attention to the disappearance of the two Genin.

Or rather, they didn't notice it immediately.

Two eleven or twelve-year-old kids had vanished from the village without alerting anyone or leaving a single trace behind.

It wasn't until the third day that the news reached the Hokage's office.

Hatake Kakashi stood before the desk, holding a thin intelligence report with only a few lines of text. His eyes scanned the words, his expression odd. His brow furrowed, his right eye narrowed slightly, and his lips pressed together beneath his mask.

He couldn't quite describe how he felt; it was just bizarre.

'Why did that kid defect from the village too? Is there really some sort of curse on the Uchiha clan?'

Beside him, Uzumaki Naruto's eyes were wide, his blue pupils filled with sheer disbelief. His jaw practically dropped to the floor. Leaning forward with his hands planted on the Hokage's desk, his body was taut like a drawn bow.

"What?!" His loud voice echoed through the office. "Are you serious? No way! How could a guy like Sasuke defect from the village?"

Behind him, Haruno Sakura was fraught with anxiety. She nervously gripped the hem of her shirt, her fingers constantly rubbing the fabric until it was completely wrinkled. Her lips trembled slightly, and tears shimmered in her eyes.

Hatake Kakashi lowered the report and let out a sigh. "I apologize, Lord Hokage." He looked at Orochimaru. "I believe I might be partly responsible for this."

Orochimaru sat behind the desk, his hands clasped in front of his lips. The corners of his mouth curled up in a faint, enigmatic smile. He stared at Kakashi, his golden slit-like pupils devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

He paid no mind to Uzumaki Naruto's outburst, not even glancing in his direction. Instead, he said, "The intelligence indicates that Uchiha Sasuke sought you out shortly before his departure. Perhaps your conversation solidified his resolve."

Hatake Kakashi nodded, not denying it. "He asked me for information regarding Uchiha Taiga."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Kakashi continued, "I didn't hide anything; I told him what I knew. I didn't think much of it at the time because quite a few people in the village actually know some of those details. Even if everyone intentionally kept it a secret, if Uchiha Sasuke was dead set on finding out, we couldn't have hidden it from him for long."

Orochimaru nodded, agreeing with the assessment. "I see. That explains it."

Uzumaki Naruto suddenly jumped up, bouncing off the desk with both feet leaving the ground. He waved his arms in the air before landing his hands back on the table.

"Uncle Hokage!" His voice was so loud it made the office doors rattle. "I'm going to bring Sasuke back!"

He clenched his fists, a fiery light burning in his eyes.

Beside him, Haruno Sakura nodded frantically. Tears were already spilling down her cheeks, dripping onto her collar.

Orochimaru shook his head. "The village will search for him, but you will not."

He turned his head toward the door and called out, "Come in."

The door pushed open, and two ANBU shinobi entered. Wearing animal masks—one cat, one dog—they were clad in black skin-tight suits with gray flak jackets over them. They walked up to the desk, dropped to one knee, and bowed their heads, awaiting orders.

Orochimaru lowered his hands from his chin, resting them on the desk, and tapped his fingers lightly against the surface twice. "Dispatch two squads to bring back Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji." He paused. "Also, notify the Hyuga clan to send out a squad of their own."

The two ANBU bowed their heads simultaneously. "Yes, Lord Hokage!" Their voices were perfectly synchronized. They then rose and left the office, the door clicking shut behind them.

Uzumaki Naruto immediately threw a fit. He lifted his hands from the desk, waved them in the air, and spun around to face Orochimaru. "I'm going too!" He shouted even louder than before to make his stance clear.

Hatake Kakashi quickly stopped him, clamping a hand down on his shoulder and digging his fingers in to hold the boy in place.

"Apologies, Lord Hokage," Kakashi said, his voice steady. "Please allow Team 7 to assist in this matter."

Orochimaru thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on the desk twice more before stopping. "Very well." He looked at Kakashi. "As Uchiha Sasuke's Jonin instructor, you should indeed go."

His gaze shifted to Naruto. "But as for Uzumaki Naruto..."

Before he could finish, Uzumaki Naruto cut him off. "I have to go! That jerk Sasuke left the village without saying a word. I'm going to find him and beat him to a pulp!"

Orochimaru ignored him, shifting his gaze from Naruto back to Hatake Kakashi.

Hatake Kakashi sighed helplessly. "Please rest assured, Lord Hokage. I will keep a close eye on the boy." The underlying meaning was clear, even if left unspoken.

Orochimaru stared at him for two seconds, then nodded. "Fine, let it be so. But I am only giving your team five days."

He raised his eyes to look at Naruto. "If you do not find Uchiha Sasuke and the other boy within five days, you are to return immediately."

Only Hatake Kakashi understood the true intent behind this order. He nodded solemnly. "Yes, Lord Hokage."

Uzumaki Naruto opened his mouth to argue, but Orochimaru simply shot him a flat look. "That is an order."

The look was completely devoid of emotion, but it was enough to make Naruto snap his mouth shut. He didn't say another word, though his fists remained tightly clenched.

...

Meanwhile, at the Uchiha compound, inside the clan head's estate.

Uchiha Fugaku sat in the seat of honor in the living room, holding an intelligence report identical to the one Hatake Kakashi had read. He stared at the paper for a moment before setting it down on the table. His face was completely expressionless, his eyes unchanged. It was as if the contents of the report had nothing to do with him.

Sitting beside him, Uchiha Mikoto's expression was entirely different. Her brow was furrowed, her lips pressed tightly together, and her hands rested on her knees, fingers trembling slightly.

"Why would that child do such a thing?"

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Mikoto, his voice perfectly calm. "He awakened the Sharingan."

"I know, but..." Mikoto paused, sudden realization dawning on her. She fell silent, lowering her head and saying no more.

That was just how the Uchiha were. Once they awakened their eyes, they developed their own stubborn convictions, for better or worse. Their ancestors were like that, they themselves were like that, and their children would be no exception.

Uchiha Fugaku's voice remained even. "The village will send people to search for him, and I will have the Police Force dispatch a squad to join the effort." He looked at Mikoto. "You don't need to worry too much."

Uchiha Mikoto didn't look up; her gaze remained fixed on her hands resting on her lap. "Is that child... going to find Taiga?" Her voice was so quiet it sounded like she was muttering to herself.

Uchiha Fugaku remained silent. Both of them already knew the answer in their hearts, and his silence was confirmation enough.

Deep within the clan compound, at the shrine.

An elder stood before the altar, holding a rag and carefully wiping away the dust. His movements were slow and meticulous, wiping from the top of the altar to the bottom, as if determined to remove every single speck of dirt.

After a moment, he set the rag down and let out a soft chuckle. The laughter wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly in the empty shrine.

"So, that brat has taken this step too?" he spoke, his voice light, as if talking to himself. He moved his hand from the rag to the edge of the altar, his fingers gently tracing the wood. "Both brothers have now left the village."

The corners of his mouth curled into a smiling arc. "Perhaps it is time to meet with that person."

His eyes gleamed in the dim light of the shrine, and three black tomoe appeared in his irises, spinning slowly. "Such a perfect test subject... I can't allow any accidents to happen."

Having said that, he resumed his chores as if nothing had happened.

Once finished, the elder hobbled out of the shrine, exchanging greetings with familiar clan members along the way until he reached a secluded alleyway and stopped.

The elder then formed a hand sign. With a poof, a cloud of white smoke erupted, and a crow appeared before him.

He tied a small scroll to the crow's leg. With another poof, the bird vanished into a puff of white smoke.

Acting as though he had done nothing at all, the elder clasped his hands behind his back and slowly strolled away.

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