The Uchiha survivors in the Land of Snow had already settled into a routine, training diligently every day as they awaited the day they could take revenge on Uchiha Itachi.
Yami trusted them now and wasn't worried about disobedience.
However, as everyone knew, the rate of mental instability in that clan was notably high.
If something unexpected were to occur later, and a few of them began having thoughts they shouldn't—like suddenly declaring vengeance on their savior—it wouldn't be impossible.
Even if they could be crushed like ants, the mere thought was repulsive.
So Yami decided to use a few methods to control these Uchiha. Naturally, he thought of an Uchiha—Uchiha Nanashi.
Or, more properly, Uchiha Hikari.
Yami didn't know exactly from which era Uchiha Hikari came. She was an extremely high-ranking member of the clan.
She had lived during the Sengoku period and was born into a branch family of the Uchiha.
Her parents had wanted her to live a peaceful, sunlit life, so they named her "Hikari"—light.
But of course, if nothing unexpected happened, something unexpected would.
Gold always shines, and the brilliance of genius couldn't be hidden.
Uchiha Hikari awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at a very young age, and her eye technique was immensely powerful.
It was a unique Mangekyō ability known as Yachihoko (Eight Thousand Spears), the only one of its kind in recorded history.
As long as a mark was placed on a shinobi, she could erase their memories, control their mind through the mark, and even absorb their chakra to strengthen herself or others.
This incredible power soon drew the attention of the Uchiha clan elders.
Then, something inhumane happened.
In order to "make better use" of Uchiha Hikari's abilities, the clan sealed her away, subjected her to secret techniques to forcibly grant her Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, and stripped her of her name, turning her into a pure weapon of war.
…Damn.
Isn't that exactly the same as Root?
No wonder Senju Tobirama always said the Uchiha were dangerous. Isn't this the best example?
Back to the point.
With the power of Eight Thousand Spears, Tsukuyomi, and Amaterasu, Uchiha Hikari helped the Uchiha gain the upper hand in their war with the Senju, dealing heavy losses to their enemy.
But her power also drew fear and caution from the other clans.
In the end, she was sealed away through the joint efforts of the Senju and Sarutobi clans.
Normally, she should've been rediscovered decades later by a group called "Zero Organization," and returned to the world—only to be used once again.
Yami didn't intend to let that happen. He planned to dig her up now and use her Eight Thousand Spears to control the Uchiha survivors. A fitting countermeasure.
Unfortunately, it was still proving difficult.
He only had her name. He didn't know the exact era or where she was sealed.
All he could do was search the archives of the Uchiha and Senju for clues.
But Sengoku history spanned nearly a thousand years. Both clans had existed since the founding of the Ninja World, and the accumulated records were vast.
Yami was nearly buried in information.
Still, who could resist a standard Uchiha girl?
Beautiful. Crazy. Proud. Loyal. Stubborn.
He had no choice but to push through.
But once he got into it, the reading wasn't as boring as school textbooks. Many stories from the Sengoku period were quite fascinating.
In the blink of an eye, dawn was approaching. Yami packed the books back onto the shelves and quietly left the restricted section.
This routine continued for the next few days. He treated the records like bedtime reading. When he got sleepy, he went home. With plenty of time and a finite archive, he would finish it eventually.
Soon, something broke Yami's regular schedule.
Sarutobi Hiruzen transferred Kakashi out of Anbu on the grounds that his term had ended, returning him to the standard jōnin roster.
In the office, both Kurenai and Yugao came in. They were Yami's trusted lieutenants in Anbu.
"What's the Third really thinking?" Kurenai rested her chin in her hand, pondering casually. "Anbu doesn't have time limits. Many people stay their whole careers. Why single out Kakashi?"
"Maybe he thinks our team is too strong and wants to weaken us?" Yugao offered.
The Third Team had previously included Kakashi, Yamato, and even Uchiha Itachi at one point. Plus, there was Yami. Their strength was clearly Anbu's top tier.
Now, two of their heavy hitters were gone. Only Yamato remained, focused mostly on infrastructure. This felt like cutting off the funding.
"Yami, what do you think?"
Both women turned to the boy who had been silent.
"Huh?"
Yami seemed to just snap out of his thoughts. He blinked, sat up straight, and refocused.
"It's just Kakashi. No need to overthink it. But Hiruzen definitely isn't being simple. He wouldn't do this without reason. I'll go extort some compensation out of him tomorrow."
Yami didn't feel like pondering Hiruzen's real motive. There was no need.
He sent the two women home for the night and stayed behind. Soon, Kakashi entered, wearing his standard jōnin vest, having returned his Anbu gear.
"Captain, I'm here to return the equipment." Kakashi sighed.
He and Yami had gotten along quite well over the years. Their captain barely showed up to base half the time, anyway.
As they became more familiar, Kakashi realized Yami wasn't nearly as aloof or unapproachable as rumors made him seem. Though… his bluntness and sense of authority were hard to miss.
Still, compared to Danzō, he was miles better.
They could be called friends now.
And Kakashi had a feeling this whole transfer was probably related to the Uchiha massacre.
"Just leave the stuff there. Sit down." Yami pointed to a corner, then gestured toward the couch. "Also, don't call me captain anymore. Just use my name."
"…Alright, Yami."
"Let's just talk like normal friends. Don't get all stiff."
You're the one making me nervous.
Kakashi twitched under his mask but played it cool, slumping into the sofa.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Let's talk about your teacher."
Yami smiled faintly. "You're the only surviving student of the Fourth Hokage."
…
What kind of hellish conversation starter is that?
Kakashi's head started to ache.
Who leads with reopening emotional wounds?
If it were anyone else, he would've stormed out right there.
But…
Seeing Yami's warm, relaxed expression, Kakashi's lone eye softened.
"…What are you trying to say?"
"What kind of man do you think the Fourth was? How did he treat you?"
"…Minato-sensei was a perfect shinobi. A Kage who could change the village. He treated me… very well. I'll respect him forever."
"Funny."
Yami tilted his head. "You didn't seem too broken up when he died."
Kakashi's expression changed. Anger flared in his chest.
"Yami, what are you getting at?"
His reverence for Minato came from the heart. After Minato's death, he wandered like a corpse. Even now, the weight lingered, numbed only by missions.
And now Yami dared accuse him like this?
Even if he couldn't win in a fight, he was ready to clash.
But then, Yami quietly said a name.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"You know who I mean, don't you?"
He spun a kunai between his fingers. "Do you know who he really is?"
"…I do."
Kakashi nodded stiffly. His voice was dry. "The Nine Tails' jinchūriki. The Fourth's… son."
"Tsk."
Yami sighed. "The orphan of a hero sure didn't have it easy."
"Even though Hiruzen gave him enough living expenses, stores refused to sell to him. I chased away a lot of people, but I can't force every merchant to sell to him, can I?"
"That would just make people hate him more."
"You were the Fourth's student. Naruto should call you big brother. And yet you watched him live like that for seven years."
"…Yes. I was wrong."
Kakashi lowered his head. "After Minato-sensei died, I buried myself in Anbu missions. I ignored Naruto. I didn't visit him because I didn't know how to face him. If he asked me who I was, I wouldn't know how to answer."
"And with the Third's gag order… I didn't know what to do."
"Forget visiting."
Yami walked up to Kakashi.
"With me as his big brother, he's doing fine now. Your sudden appearance will just make Hiruzen more cautious."
"If you really want to help, use your position to punish those who mistreated Naruto."
With that, Yami left the office.
He didn't expect to turn Kakashi with just one conversation.
He only wanted to plant a seed of discontent—a thorn in his heart.
Given time, it would grow into something more.
Ninja Academy.
After leaving Anbu, Yami realized he hadn't picked Karin up in a while. He walked to the academy gates to wait.
The bell rang. Karin came out with two friends, and a yellow-haired boy with a bump on his head followed behind.
"Yami-sama!"
The Byakugan really had its uses.
Hinata was the first to spot Yami. Karin and Ino ran up right behind her.
"Yami-sama!"
"Yami-nii!"
They all greeted him with cheerful bows. Yami looked at the bruised Naruto.
"You annoyed Karin again, didn't you?"
"I didn't hit him," Karin quickly denied. She didn't want Yami to think she was violent.
"Yeah, Iruka-sensei hit me." Naruto scratched his head sheepishly, then winced in pain.
Ino chimed in, "Naruto tugged on Sakura's hair today. Almost made her cry."
For some reason, Naruto still had a crush on the most ordinary girl in class.
"Yami-nii, are you free this weekend?"
Ino lit up with excitement. "We were thinking of inviting you to Yakiniku Q. You're always so busy with missions!"
"I'll definitely make time."
Yami nodded with a smile. "But I should be the one treating you all. I still haven't used the 20% discount card Uncle Chōza gave me."
"Thank you, Yami-nii!"
Ino didn't mind who paid. She just wanted an excuse to hang out with her handsome big brother.
"And Naruto…"
"I'll treat you to ramen on Sunday."
"Really? Can I get two bowls?"
"Three is fine."
This kid was so easy to please.
They all agreed on a time and were about to leave when Yami caught sight of a lonely figure walking out of the school.
Silent. No one talked to him.
Uchiha Sasuke.
This was the most difficult time for him.
Yami only glanced once and looked away, holding Karin's hand as they walked home.
That night, he snuck into the restricted archives as usual and read until dawn.
After finding an empty alley, Yami stretched and headed straight to the Hokage building.
Two Anbu reached out to stop him, but he punched them aside and kicked open the office door.
Inside, Nara Shikaku was mid-report with Hiruzen.
Startled, Shikaku stepped back. Hiruzen, however, remained calm. He had expected this.
"Old man," Yami growled, "you transferred Kakashi without telling me. That's dirty."
"Personnel transfers within Anbu fall under my jurisdiction as Hokage," Hiruzen replied mildly. "Even if you're a captain, you can't stop it."
"Then transfer everyone and dissolve the Third Team. I won't be captain anymore. If something happens to the barrier, don't come looking for me."
Seeing the escalating conflict, Shikaku slipped out with an excuse.
Hearing Yami's words, Hiruzen's brow furrowed.
(To be continued.)