The sun strolled lazily across the sky, scattering boundless light and heat upon the ninja world below.
The Land of Fire truly deserved its reputation as the most fertile place in the ninja world; this dense woodland spread everywhere, no wonder it was called Konohagakure.
Uchiha Yasuo was perched atop a large tree, staring blankly at the shadow of a tree inching along the ground, his heart hollow.
He felt some regret now.
Last night he had been too impulsive; his actions had lacked forethought!
He should not have just killed Sasuke like that!
Now that he had calmed down, he regretted it.
He had made Sasuke too cheap!
He should have cut off Sasuke's limbs first, then dug out his eyes, stabbed his ears deaf, cut off his tongue, turned him into a human swine, and kept him in a jar!
Ah, no—wait, don't dig out Sasuke's eyes first; stimulating him like that might yield a pair of Mangekyō after all!
The massacre of an entire clan was such a massive jolt; that cold-blooded brat only flared open a single tomoe in anger, clearly the same sort of thing as his brother—both of them had no feeling for their kin!
Those two brothers were both damned not-good things!
Such beastlike clan members should be kept in jars!
Then take the jar to show Uchiha Itachi!
And ask Itachi, since he is so magnanimous, wouldn't he feel extremely pleased to see Sasuke in such a state?
What a pity!
Last night he had been too impulsive; rage overtook his mind, and in a fit of anger he killed Sasuke, this great plan was completely ruined.
He should not have done it!
From now on he must act calmly!
Uchiha Yasuo could not stop reflecting on his behavior, examining himself three times daily.
The Uchiha had always been an emotionally extreme clan, and under the influence of the Mangekyō's extreme Yin Release chakra, Uchiha Yasuo felt not the slightest wrongness in his thoughts.
Avenging oneself was a matter of course; nobody should try to stop him!
What counted as revenge?
Of course it was making the enemy suffer!
Make him suffer so much he wished he were dead!
Make him regret his past actions!
To achieve this, Uchiha Yasuo would do anything!
He would not spare Uchiha Itachi!
He would not spare Uchiha Obito!
He would not spare the Third and Danzō, those two hidden manipulators!
He would not spare all those accomplices in Konohagakure!
While Uchiha Yasuo could not stop his self-reflection, a group of children came running over like a streak. The person ensconced in the center, with blond hair, was clearly Uzumaki Naruto.
Yasuo turned his head to glance at the sun high and bright in the sky, silently approving in his heart.
Konohamaru and his group of children really were efficient—so quick to lure Naruto out. Truly worthy of being the grandson of the Third Hokage.
If it had been anyone else doing such a thing, they would most likely have alerted the ANBU protecting the Nine-Tails.
But now, within the village, the Third's power was overwhelming—who would dare investigate his little grandson?
Ninjas were, in the end, nothing more than dogs raised by those in power!
Under the mask, the corner of Uchiha Yasuo's mouth curved into a cold arc. His figure quietly descended, vanishing soundlessly into the forest.
A group of children surrounded Naruto and rushed beneath the great tree. After looking around and confirming this was indeed the mission location the ANBU had mentioned, they began cheering, jumping, and shouting.
"Ah, we made it, we made it—it's this tree!"
"Mission complete, it's complete!"
"Where's the ninja, huh? We're here to report the mission!"
"Huh? What mission?" Uzumaki Naruto, still scratching his head in confusion, looked strangely at Konohamaru. "Didn't you guys say we were coming outside the village to play a game?"
"Idiot! Don't alert the target!" Konohamaru, furious, punched the most excited companion beside him, then turned back, scratching the back of his head and laughing awkwardly toward Naruto.
"Haha… Naruto-nii, we meant ninja games!"
Naruto sensed that something wasn't quite right, but since he had few friends and was disliked in his class, now that someone was willing to play with him, he was happy enough. He simply pretended not to notice and played along, asking: "Oh, th-then how are we playing?"
"Uh…" Konohamaru froze, tongue-tied, unsure how to answer. He could only look around, trying to spot the ANBU who had issued the mission—but there wasn't a single shadow to be seen.
He didn't know if this was another test. Just as he was about to make up some lie to placate Naruto, a faint sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out beside his ear. A figure fell heavily from the great tree above, hitting the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust—the body was clearly dressed in ANBU attire.
"Ah!" Konohamaru jumped in fright, and before he could react, muffled groans echoed one after another. A string of corpses emerged from various directions, blood splattering everywhere, filling the air with the stench of iron.
"Ah! It's the enemy!"
Compared to Konohamaru and the other children, Naruto, at least a half-trained ninja, reacted more quickly. He pulled out a kunai, gripping it in his hand and assuming a defensive stance toward the front.
In the world of ninjas, even the slightest difference in strength meant the difference between life and death.
After awakening the Mangekyō, Uchiha Yasuo's power had undergone a qualitative transformation.
What he had strengthened was not only his Mangekyō ability, but his overall attributes—speed, strength, reflexes, and chakra reserves—all had been enhanced in every respect.
Just as Itachi had once effortlessly killed jōnin with three-tomoe Sharingan, now Yasuo's assassination of those ANBU was equally a matter of a single strike.
After easily dealing with these nuisances, Uchiha Yasuo revealed himself, standing before the group, stepping forward one slow step at a time.
Seeing the heap of corpses fall before their eyes, Konohamaru and the others were stunned with terror, still stammering as they asked: "Y-you're not an ANBU ninja?"
"Weren't you sent by Lord Hokage?"
"Why—why did you kill them?"
"Weren't they ANBU too?"
Only Naruto reacted with sharp instinct, hastily stepping in front of the others and shouting anxiously: "Run! He's not ANBU!"
Konohamaru, still foolishly arguing, yelled back: "No, he is!"
"He's ANBU!"
"I've seen him beside Grandpa!"
"I recognize him!"
Uchiha Yasuo paid no attention to their back-and-forth, his face cold, voice wooden as he recited his lines.
"The Nine-Tails, born evil, should be firmly held under the village's control—it must never be allowed to roam free outside!"
At this moment, his heart was filled with hatred, his gaze icy cold. That look—one that regarded those before him as less than human—carried the unmistakable air of Root, making everyone who saw it tremble all over.
But Konohamaru, never having suffered the world's cruelty, still trusted his own eyes. He refused to believe the man before him was an impostor and couldn't imagine anyone daring to harm him within the village, shouting stubbornly: "W-what Nine-Tails? There's no Nine-Tails here!"
He didn't notice that Naruto's body beside him had already begun to tremble.
Naruto suddenly cut Konohamaru off, shouting: "He's here for me!"
"Run!"
"What?" Konohamaru was shocked, but he didn't flee. Instead, he pulled a kunai from his pouch, yelling with great loyalty, "A ninja must never abandon his comrades!"
"Naruto-nii, you run! We'll cover you!"
"Don't worry about the Hokage—I'll beg Grandpa for mercy!"
After shouting, he lunged straight at Uchiha Yasuo.
And the group of companions behind him, fired up by his action, all drew their ninja tools and charged as well.
"Don't!"
Naruto cried out, wanting to stop them, but it was too late. He could only watch as Konohamaru reached the enemy—and was cut in two from shoulder to waist in a single slash.
Naruto rushed forward, but at this point, he hadn't even mastered the Three Basic Techniques, and his greatest cheat had yet to awaken—he couldn't do anything at all.
Yasuo slightly tilted his body, dodged Naruto's punch, and with a casual strike to the back of his neck, knocked him unconscious before once again raising his butcher's blade.
Moments later, corpses littered the ground, making the scene resemble the Uchiha compound on the night of the clan's extermination.
"Hehe… hahaha…"
Yasuo covered his forehead with one hand, laughing madly toward the sky, a laugh that was almost a cry. His eyes could no longer suppress their transformation into the Mangekyō form, glowing blood-red.
Yes—this was it!
Revenge should be just like this!
Come on, Third Hokage, let's put it on the scales and see!
On one side is your grandson, and on the other, your old friend—let's see which weighs more in your heart!
After the manic laughter, Yasuo only felt an emptiness inside—no sense of satisfaction at all.
He gently touched the scroll in his arms that sealed the bodies of his parents and younger brother. After a moment of silence, he lifted Naruto up and leapt toward the direction of the Land of Rain.
Nagato, didn't you always want to collect the Tailed Beasts?
Now I've come to bring you a gift—are you ready to receive it?
And you, Itachi, you beast—I'm coming for you!