"Hey, did you hear? He even said back then that Lord Tobirama wanted to choose him as Hokage!"
"Laughable, does he even deserve it? If an Uchiha could become Hokage, Uchiha Madara wouldn't have defected in the first place."
"Hey, no matter what, he's still the strongest in the village right now, saying that is a bit much..."
...
One night, Kagami sat on the Hokage Rock, lost and dejected, his mind unable to find peace for a long time.
His beliefs, his ever-victorious ninja way, the "Will of Fire" that had supported him until now, wavered for the first time.
"Am I... really wrong?"
One morning, a piece of news suddenly spread through the streets and alleys of Hidden Leaf Village:
"Uchiha Kagami has long coveted the position of Hokage! He is colluding with foreign countries, working with Hidden Cloud Village to weaken Hidden Leaf's strength, deceiving Lord Tobirama's trust, and finally, at the negotiation meeting, working with his brother, the rogue ninja Uchiha Shin'yu, to kill Lord Tobirama, all just to make himself Hokage!"
An absurd thing happened. This rumor, which no one knew where it came from, was somehow promoted into the "truth."
In the streets and alleys, countless villagers marched and petitioned, intending to execute Uchiha Kagami and restore justice to Hidden Leaf Village!
This matter aroused great attention from the Hidden Leaf Village's higher-ups, and they immediately held a meeting, but the focus of the meeting was not to find out the truth, but to argue over who would get his body and Sharingan after Uchiha Kagami was executed.
That night, Uchiha Yuko ran to Kagami's house crying, her eyes red as she sobbed:
"Kagami... I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. Do you know that because of you, the elders of the clan have impeached my brother!"
"Yuko, even you won't believe me?" Kagami widened his eyes, his last belief collapsing.
Yuko's voice was shrill: "I was really blind to have fallen in love with you, and even... become pregnant with your child... I hate you!"
At that moment, Kagami felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his body growing colder inch by inch from his heart to his fingertips, no longer having any warmth.
He was confused, the Will of Fire he had adhered to all his life completely collapsed, and he did not resist, but silently watched his companions, watched these people he had once desperately protected, push him to the execution ground.
He knelt before the guillotine, his gaze slowly sweeping over the villagers below the execution ground. Their faces were different, some cheering, some applauding, and some cursing venomously, as if Kagami had raped and killed their mothers, but Kagami didn't remember offending these people at all.
"I was really wrong..."
His face was pale, and his lips were tightly closed. Any more explanations were useless now. These people hadn't even tied him up, because they were sure he wouldn't resist.
He didn't beg for mercy, didn't curse, just silently watched this group of people who wanted him to die, burying all his grievances and unwillingness deep in his heart, turning them into bone-chilling coldness.
"So... this is what it feels like to be betrayed..."
The time had come, and the Shimura Clan Elder in charge of the execution immediately waved his hand, and the executioner took his order, preparing to raise the guillotine.
Just then, a bolt of lightning suddenly fell from the clear sky, and with a *"Kacha"* sound, struck the executioner, leaving him charred on the outside and tender on the inside.
The dazzling lightning, even in the daytime, made the Hidden Leaf Village people rub their eyes.
When their vision returned to clarity, they were shocked to find that a figure had appeared beside Kagami at some point.
"It's about time, you should come with me too." Shin'yu tilted his head slightly, his smile pure and innocent, "Younger Brother."
Mirror remained unmoved, his eyes dull and lifeless, like grapes that had lost their vitality.
"How ugly!" Shin'yu spread his hands, a cold sneer hidden in his faint tone, "Look, this is the real Shinobi World, this is the real human heart, this is the so-called Hidden Leaf Village!"
...
Within the Land of Fire, atop a certain cliff.
"You have a good eye; this place has beautiful scenery, perfect as a dueling ground." Shin'yu stood with his hands behind his back, leisurely admiring the scenery. "I haven't been idle this year either; I've developed some interesting things, just right to test them out on you."
Mirror softly asked, "Brother, did you do all of this?"
"Apart from instigating the war, I did nothing, not even participating in the whole process." Shin'yu's lips curled up. "Isn't it laughable?"
Mirror blankly raised his head, looking at the clear blue sky. "I once thought that protecting my comrades was protecting the village... but the current outcome tells me that I was wrong..."
"Now you feel wronged?" Shin'yu gently shook his head. "The Hidden Leaf Village has never been a place of pure righteousness. You may be the first to bear the same tragic fate, but you will definitely not be the last."
He wrinkled his nose, suddenly becoming a little impatient. "Alright, let the battle begin. Your ridiculous Five-Year Agreement proposed to protect the Hidden Leaf Village is completely meaningless."
"Come on, I am ready." Mirror took a deep breath, pointing to his chest. "Kill me, if you can."
A shadow flashed, and Shin'yu's sword-finger pierced into Mirror's chest, cyan light penetrating his heart, leaving a bloody hole in his chest and back, even piercing through a dozen large trees behind him with sword energy.
Mirror coughed blood and took a few steps back, reaching into his chest, Shin'yu thought he was going to take out a ninja tool, but it was just a scroll.
"I no longer know how to move forward. Perhaps, my disappearance would be a better choice for the Hidden Leaf Village and for you, brother."
He threw the scroll to Shin'yu, then slowly raised his hand, his fingertips reaching for his eyes.
"I know you planted a charm in my heart to protect my Eye Power. This did help me a lot in the war, but it's meaningless now..."
Saying that, he personally dug out his eyes, tremblingly handing them to Shin'yu.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have betrayed you back then. I know these words are useless now, but this is the only thing I can compensate you with." Mirror revealed a miserable wry smile, crimson-gold blood flowing from his tightly closed eyelids. "Brother, please go and see the road ahead for me..."
"That scroll is the Wooden Style Ninjutsu developed by Lord Hashirama, perhaps it will be helpful to you..."
He took two steps back, opening his arms as if to embrace someone, his black hair moving without wind, a rich life aura gradually permeating the air, making one feel refreshed with just a breath.
The surrounding flowers and plants grew wildly, instantly spreading a refreshing atmosphere, and a large field of flowers sprang up, with peach blossoms and green willows, fragrant and rich, as the breeze blew, various petals danced in the sky, a rain of fallen flowers.
Shin'yu gazed at Younger Brother, his eyes gentle, "Do you have any last words?"
"In another year, my child will be born in the Hidden Leaf Village. Whether he is unfortunate or not is up to you to decide."
Mirror's body began to bloom with a sacred white light, this light becoming more and more intense, eventually illuminating the daytime world into a transparent brightness.
"Goodbye, brother."
The light bloomed, and a giant tree with lush branches rose from the ground, the ground continued to shake, as countless strong roots spread in the soil, a surging airflow swept across the flower field, stirring up petals.
Uchiha Mirror disappeared.
Replaced by a towering tree hundreds of meters high, requiring dozens of people to encircle, and a beautiful flower field of various colors.
Shin'yu was silent, standing in the flower field for a long time, his black clan robes rising and falling with the wind.
Finally, he put away Younger Brother's eyes, put his hands in his pockets, and turned to leave.
"From today onwards, the grudges between you and me are settled."
[End of Volume 1]
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