Captain, we've got a survivor here!
Hearing his teammate's call, Kakashi, who had been in the yard, rushed into the house without hesitation.
"Where?"
"Over here!"
Following his comrade's gaze, Kakashi spotted the boy lying on the floor. "This is… a Sharingan?!"
"Am I going to die?"
In the boy's scarlet eyes was a mixture of confusion and grief. Yet, upon seeing Kakashi, the corners of his lips curled into a faint smile—eerily reminiscent of Obito the day he was trapped beneath the boulder.
"No, you won't!"
Overcome with memories of his dear friend, Kakashi scooped the boy into his arms and bolted out the door.
As he sprinted down the oppressive, deathly silent street, Kakashi could feel his heart pounding wildly.
"If I had been able to carry Obito away back then… maybe it would have been just like this."
The thought made him quicken his pace again.
The hazy moonlight spilled over his body, and for a moment, it felt as if Obito himself was smiling at him.
But this time—
He would not let go!
"Lord Hokage, Sasuke has been found."
"I see…"
When the ANBU found the Third Hokage, he was at the entrance to the Uchiha compound, smoking.
White smoke curled from the pipe in his hand. Combined with the shadow cast by his Hokage hat, it was impossible to make out his expression.
Yet, from his tone, they could still sense his sorrow.
"Last night, Danzō went to the Aburame clan to take away Shihei's child… I don't know what he's plotting again."
Having once been the target of an assassination attempt by Danzō, the Third Hokage felt uneasy. Back then, he hadn't been too concerned about Yamato's watered-down Wood Release, but Shihei's child possessed a swarm of nano-scale poisonous insects. If they were ever turned against him, there would be no defense.
After all, he couldn't exactly stop eating, drinking, or breathing, could he?
"What a pity… Danzō runs Root so tightly that it's impossible to know his thoughts right away. If only Sasuke could be as 'sensible' as Shisui and Itachi."
The Third Hokage sighed quietly.
One of the ANBU quickly tried to comfort him. "Lord Hokage, you're simply too kind. The Uchiha brought this fate upon themselves—you shouldn't feel sorrow for them."
"Ah…"
The Hokage was about to reply when Kakashi suddenly appeared before him, carrying Uchiha Jiyue.
"Lord Hokage."
"Kakashi, what's the situation?" the Third asked, but then his gaze caught on the boy in Kakashi's arms. "Wait—this child is…?"
"A survivor," Kakashi answered.
Though his teammates had already given Jiyue a quick bandage, Kakashi still looked concerned. "Lord Hokage, I'll take him to the hospital first. As for the Uchiha situation, Tenzo can give you the full report later."
Those eyes—two-tomoe Sharingan?!
Seeing the boy suddenly open his eyes, the Third Hokage's own lit up. He stepped aside to make way. "Go quickly!"
"Yes, sir!"
With a short reply, Kakashi darted away in a few blinding shunshin steps, disappearing from the Hokage's sight.
The next morning.
Uchiha Jiyue was awakened by the voices of two nurses. Though they spoke in hushed tones, he still caught the one name he least wanted to hear—
Uchiha Itachi!
"Sorry!"
"We apologize!"
The moment Jiyue fixed them with his Sharingan, both nurses froze in fear and quickly apologized.
"You just said Itachi… escaped?"
Jiyue narrowed his eyes as he asked.
One nurse, trembling as she unwrapped his old bandages, stammered, "Y-Yes…"
As expected…
Jiyue closed his eyes, saying nothing more.
Taking the hint, the nurses hurried to change his dressing, re-bandage him, and wheel their cart out of the room.
Not long after—
The door opened again.
"How're you feeling, kid?"
Jiyue opened his eyes to find Kakashi standing there. This time, he didn't keep his expression cold. "You're the ANBU who brought me to the hospital yesterday, aren't you?"
"How'd you know?"
Placing a lily into the vase, Kakashi looked at him curiously.
"I heard your voice last night," Jiyue replied, sitting up and propping a pillow behind his back. "Looks like I survived after all. Thanks."
Kakashi didn't answer right away. He patted Jiyue's shoulder and said only, "If you need anything, tell me. I'll come check on you tomorrow," before leaving in a hurry.
He's a good man…
Watching Kakashi's departing back, Jiyue suddenly felt the knot in his chest loosen just a little.
One month later.
Signing his discharge papers, Jiyue left the hospital and returned home.
But that very afternoon—
He received a summons from the Third Hokage.
When he arrived at the Hokage's office, he found the old pipe-smoker hiding behind his chair, sneaking a puff. Jiyue couldn't help but remark, "Leaving aside the health hazards, your office is filled with smoke."
"Cough—cough!"
Perhaps no one had ever roasted him so bluntly before, because the Hokage choked on the smoke and coughed hard for a while before recovering.
…
Somehow, the boy's words were more choking than the smoke itself.
"Ah, Jiyue—you're here!" The Hokage calmly tapped out his pipe and smiled as if nothing had happened. "How's your health?"
"Fully recovered. Thank you for your concern, Lord Hokage." Jiyue bowed politely.
"That's good!"
The Hokage's wrinkled face softened into a kindly smile.
He rose from his chair, walked around the desk, and took the boy's small hand. Then he began chatting about family, dreams…
…and embarrassing stories from his youth.
Boring.
Outwardly, Jiyue listened attentively. Inwardly, he was analyzing the Third Hokage's character through the lens of Aoki Hiroshi's memories.
"Maybe when he first became Hokage, his heart truly was with Konoha. But as the years passed, he changed. Now, this withered old man is like an autumn leaf—rotten to the core."
Jiyue's thoughts were interrupted when the Hokage suddenly narrowed his eyes and asked, "What's wrong, Jiyue? Thinking about your family?"
"…Yes."
Decades in politics hadn't dulled the Third Hokage's instincts—if anything, they had sharpened them. Facing his probing question, Jiyue found it difficult to keep up.
"Jiyue, the dead cannot return. If your parents' spirits are watching, they would surely wish for your happiness. So, lift yourself out of this gloom as soon as you can," the Hokage said, resting a hand on his shoulder.
Just yesterday, Danzō had pulled a prodigy from the Yamanaka clan into Root. If this continued, the Hokage feared Danzō's ambition would grow unchecked. He needed Jiyue to enter Danzō's line of sight sooner.
Why is he in such a hurry?
The sudden shift in the Hokage's tone set off alarms in Jiyue's mind. After a brief pause, he decided to play along. "Don't worry, Lord Hokage. I'll pull myself together soon."
The Hokage nodded slightly and personally escorted him out of the building.
"No openings… truly an old fox."
Walking home, Jiyue couldn't shake a faint sense of unease.
Note from the author:
Yes—Hiruzen has been targeted for assassination before, and Danzō is making moves again. So, Hiruzen being wary of Danzō is perfectly logical in the plot. I've seen some complaints in the comments, so here's the explanation.