Chapter 46: Shadows and Sharingan
In the Hokage's office, the air was thick with the smell of tobacco and unspoken tensions. Shimura Danzo stood before Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk, his single visible eye narrowed.
"Sarutobi, that Hyuga boy is clearly up to no good. His closeness to the Uzumaki girl is a strategic risk. He should be placed under surveillance. Leave this matter to my Root," Danzo stated, his voice low and insistent. In his mind, this was the perfect opportunity. By controlling Shinra, he could indirectly exert influence over Kushina, and by extension, the Nine-Tails. The power of a Tailed Beast was a temptation Danzo had never been able to resist.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a long, slow pull from his pipe, exhaling a cloud of smoke that obscured his weary expression. He knew this old friend—and rival—better than anyone. Danzo's "for the good of the village" always conveniently aligned with his own thirst for power.
"Hyuga Shinra is a member of the main Hyuga clan," Hiruzen replied, his tone final. "Aggressive surveillance could be seen as a provocation, leading to internal conflict. We will not act against him. This matter is closed."
"But he doesn't even possess the Byakugan!" Danzo argued, his fist tightening in frustration. "The Hyuga clan likely sees him as a failure. They won't intervene."
"The decision is made," Hiruzen said, his voice gaining a steely edge. He leveled a firm gaze at Danzo. "In fact, I have decided that Uzumaki Tomoko will be the next Jinchuriki."
Danzo's eye widened in genuine shock. "What?!"
He had not expected Hiruzen to have already made such a crucial choice. He stood there for a long moment, searching Hiruzen's face for any sign of hesitation. Finding none, he finally turned with a grunt of displeasure. "You are making a mistake, Hiruzen." With that, he stalked out of the office, his wooden cane tapping angrily against the floor.
"Sigh." A heavy sigh escaped Hiruzen's lips once he was alone.
In terms of pure talent and vitality, Kushina was the superior vessel. But her personality, as he had observed these past few days, was fiercely independent and strong-willed. Compared to the gentle, timid, and easily influenced Uzumaki Tomoko, they were polar opposites. This incident with Shinra had solidified his decision. He needed a Jinchuriki who would be compliant, who would follow orders without question. An uncontrollable Jinchuriki was a liability. He would sacrifice a measure of power for absolute control.
However, as a precaution, he quietly dispatched a team of loyal ANBU. Their orders were simple: discreetly monitor Hyuga Shinra, Uzumaki Kushina, and keep a general watch on the Hyuga clan's activities. He had to be sure they had no designs on the power of the Nine-Tails.
Back in his hidden base, Danzo's rage erupted. The sound of shattering ceramic echoed through the chamber as he swept several expensive tea sets from a table onto the floor.
"Sarutobi! You sentimental fool!" he roared to the empty room, his face a mask of grim determination. "I will not give up. The security of this village cannot rely on your weak-heartedness!"
The news of Kushina moving in with Shinra spread through the academy like wildfire. The male students, even at their young age, looked at Shinra with a mixture of awe and bitter envy. While polygamy wasn't unheard of in the shinobi world, it was rare, especially among children their age.
To have not one, but two incredibly close female companions by the age of six made Shinra the object of their collective jealousy. Their envious stares were so intense their faces seemed to twist.
Shinra, for his part, basked in their attention, regarding them with the smug air of a champion looking down on the defeated.
"Your stares are really putting me in a bad mood. I have the urge to punch that look off your face," Nawaki grumbled, cracking his knuckles.
"Are those the howls of the defeated?" Shinra retorted, not even turning to look at him. "A lone wolf like you could never understand the life of a winner like me. Life for me is like... while you are all still crawling, I am already standing at the peak, looking down upon all living beings."
"You damn guy! I think you're even more annoying than that Uchiha Ken with his nose in the air!" Nawaki shot back, his irritation growing.
" ignorance. I'm simply stating a fact. Do you truly believe I am putting on an act?" Shinra said, his tone flat and infuriatingly calm as he crossed his arms.
"Having two girlfriends isn't that impressive! My future girlfriend will be a hundred times better than yours! You'll be the one who's jealous then!"
Shinra looked at Nawaki with feigned amazement, then reached out and patted his shoulder sympathetically. "With your... modest physique, do you really think you could handle that?"
"Senju Nawaki! Hyuga Shinra! Return to your seats this instant!" Ueno Kuri's roar cut through their bickering as he entered the classroom. "Today, we will be discussing the history of Konoha's founding."
For the rest of the class, everyone except Shinra listened with rapt attention, including the usually lazy Nara Shikaku. Shinra, however, found it profoundly boring. The history being taught was a sanitized, polished version of events. The name Uchiha Madara was conspicuously absent from the narrative of the village's founding, the glory heaped solely upon the First and Second Hokage. When Madara was mentioned, it was only in passing, painted as a one-dimensional villain—which, while technically true, ignored the complexity of his fall.
This revisionist history definitely wasn't Hashirama's work, Shinra mused. This has Senju Tobirama's—or maybe even Danzo's—fingerprints all over it. Given Tobirama's well-documented distrust of the Uchiha, it was a likely possibility.
The school day passed without further incident. Aside from now walking to and from school with both Mikoto and Kushina, his routine remained largely unchanged, and the monotony was beginning to wear on him.
On the walk home, Shinra's expression suddenly sharpened. He sensed it—a presence, cold and professional, tailing them. Subtly changing their course, he guided the two girls down a quieter, dimly lit path, a shortcut that was usually deserted.
Once they were deep in the secluded alley, Shinra stopped and turned, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.
"Get out."
Mikoto and Kushina flinched in surprise, then heard the soft footsteps behind them. A figure emerged from the shadows, clad in the standard jonin attire and wearing a blank, dog-like mask.
"Hyuga Shinra," a hollow, emotionless voice addressed him, a whisper meant only for his ears. "Lord Danzo requests your presence."
Hearing that name, Shinra's face grew cold. He held no positive feelings for the man who festered in Konoha's roots. Danzo, who always hid behind the excuse of the village's welfare while committing one atrocity after another, was the worst kind of hypocrite.
If Danzo was seeking him out, it couldn't be for anything good. In that case, Shinra saw no reason to play along. He would give Danzo a problem of his own to deal with.
"What's about to happen might be a bit... graphic," Shinra warned Mikoto and Kushina softly without turning around. "If you're squeamish, close your eyes."
"It seems you refuse the invitation. Then I have no choice but to use force." The Root ninja's eyes shifted, the three tomoe of the Sharingan spinning to life as he coldly assessed Shinra.
"Sharingan? An Uchiha in Root?" Shinra was momentarily taken aback, then a slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. "Interesting. And convenient."
"Tenseigan: Puppet Control!"
A wave of invisible energy pulsed from Shinra. The Uchiha Root ninja's body froze mid-step, his Sharingan-wide eyes glazing over. In an instant, his will was completely overwritten. He was now a living puppet, his consciousness trapped, his every action dictated by Shinra's command. The effect was not unlike the dreaded Kotoamatsukami, with the key limitation that it could only be used on those significantly weaker than the user.
"Gouge out your own eyes," Shinra commanded, his voice devoid of warmth.
The puppet's hand rose without a moment's hesitation. There was a sickening, wet sound as his fingers dug into his eye sockets, and he pulled out his own Sharingan, letting the bloody orbs fall to the ground.
Shinra nodded, seemingly unmoved. He then produced the pair of Mangekyo Sharingan he had taken from Uchiha Kairen and tossed them to the puppet.
"Transplant these eyes. Then, your mission is to launch a public attack on the Third Hokage. Make sure the blame falls either on Danzo... or on the Uchiha clan."
"Yes, Master," the puppet intoned, its voice a hollow echo.
Performing eye transplants in the Naruto world was not overly complex, but it did require knowledge of medical ninjutsu, which this Root agent lacked. Fortunately, Shinra had learned a great deal from Tsunade. While he wasn't a master, he was proficient enough to perform the grisly procedure right there in the alley.
As he finished suturing the second Mangekyo into place, Shinra felt a surge of power from the puppet. The agent, who had been a standard jonin before, now radiated the chakra signature of an elite jonin, amplified by the potent eyes.
But is it enough? Shinra wondered. Even with the power of the Mangekyo, this puppet would only have a brief window of shadow-level strength. In the heart of Konoha, surrounded by its strongest shinobi, he would be captured or killed quickly. He was essentially delivering a precious pair of Mangekyo Sharingan right into the Hokage's hands.
This guy is a bit of a disappointment, Shinra thought, feeling a twinge of frustration. Maybe this isn't the best plan after all. Should I just call it off?