This Uchiha Dish Is Delicious!
Dusk slowly fell over Konoha.
The afterglow of the setting sun stretched across the horizon, dyeing the clouds a faint crimson, as a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy wearing the Uchiha clan crest dragged his exhausted body back toward the Uchiha clan district.
The streets inside the compound were quiet.
Too quiet.
Looking at the last ray of sunlight sinking below the rooftops, Uchiha Yi's face was filled with uncontrollable bitterness and helplessness.
It had already been more than a month since he had transmigrated into the world of Naruto and become a member of the Uchiha clan.
More precisely, he had become an insignificant Uchiha teenager who barely existed in the original plot.
For an entire month, he had trained desperately every single day taijutsu at dawn, chakra control at noon, ninjutsu practice at night but the results were simply painful to look at.
His progress was so slow that it was almost insulting.
What made things even worse was that, at this extremely critical moment, the most terrifying event in the Uchiha clan's history was approaching step by step.
The Uchiha clan massacre.
And it was not far away at all.
How did Uchiha Yi know this?
The reason was very simple.
Because Uchiha Itachi was now the same age as him.
That meant the current Itachi was thirteen years old the exact age at which he would carry out the annihilation of the Uchiha clan in the original storyline.
Although the precise date could not be confirmed, based on the timeline, the Night of Genocide could be tonight… or tomorrow night… or at most within the next few days.
In short, it was no longer a distant future.
It could happen at any moment.
This was simply a cosmic joke.
A massive rip-off.
If he had transmigrated even one or two years earlier, he could have prepared, planned, accumulated strength, or at least found a way to survive.
If he had arrived a little later, after the massacre, he might have avoided it altogether.
But instead, he arrived at the most awkward, most desperate point in time.
Want to become stronger?
One month was far too short to bring about any qualitative change.
Defect from Konoha?
That was even more unrealistic.
At this stage, Konoha was already watching the Uchiha clan extremely closely. Surveillance was everywhere, both overt and covert.
As long as an Uchiha dared to step out of the village without authorization, the Root would notice immediately.
Do you believe that Shimura Danzo, the leader of Root, could turn you into a "new person" within minutes?
Uchiha Yi believed it completely.
Not to mention that he currently only possessed the strength of an ordinary Genin.
He had neither power nor influence, and he was completely incapable of making any long-term plans to escape fate.
Still…
He was unwilling to just sit quietly and wait for death.
So over the past month, he had trained like a madman, squeezing every bit of time and energy he had.
Even if it was only a tiny improvement…
What if that tiny bit of strength could give him a chance to survive?
But the cruel reality was that the original owner of this body was truly, utterly useless.
Perhaps it was bad luck.
Perhaps it was bad genetics.
Perhaps it was just fate playing a cruel joke.
In his body, there were only two chakra natures Fire and Yin and the Fire attribute chakra overwhelmingly dominated the Yin attribute.
Without sufficient Yin chakra, the Sharingan could not be awakened at all.
As a result, despite being a pure-blooded Uchiha, he had never even opened a single tomoe.
Even worse, the original owner only knew one ninjutsu.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
That was it.
Fireball.
Fireball.
Still fireball.
A textbook example of an Uchiha who only knew Fire Release.
No wonder even the food tasted awful.
In the original owner's memories, he and Uchiha Itachi were once mockingly nicknamed by the clan members as the "Uchiha Bipolar."
One was an extreme genius.
The other was an extreme failure.
And it was painfully obvious which one he was.
This was simply ridiculous.
Such a weak Uchiha… he had never seen one like this in his entire life.
He was even worse than early teenage Uchiha Obito before his awakening.
What was he supposed to do?
Uchiha Yi was so angry that he almost wanted to punch this useless original body a few times.
But unfortunately…
He was the original body now.
Hitting the original body meant hitting himself.
In the end, he could only swallow this resentment alive.
"Ha…"
Uchiha Yi let out a long, helpless sigh.
There was nowhere to vent his frustration.
No room for resistance.
No room for struggle.
Absolute despair.
At that moment, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"By the way… shouldn't transmigrators have some kind of cheat?"
Where was his golden finger?
It had already been a full month.
There hadn't been the slightest reaction.
"Ding! Fire Release System is activating… loading in progress. Please wait."
Suddenly, a clear mechanical sound echoed in Uchiha Yi's mind.
It was as if a divine voice had descended, gentle yet unmistakable.
For a brief moment, he felt as though he had heard his father calling him.
Dad… you're finally here.
I've missed you so much.
...
Night fell completely over Konoha.
The village was unnaturally quiet.
Earlier in the evening, ordinary civilians had been ordered to stay indoors and not go out tonight.
Although they didn't know the exact reason, they believed the Third Hokage must have his reasons.
Only the members of Konoha's major clans sensed that something was terribly wrong.
A storm was coming.
As a result, each clan strictly restrained its members and warned them not to leave their respective compounds under any circumstances.
Inside the Hokage Tower.
Deep within a hidden, dimly lit chamber.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, held his pipe in silence and slowly exhaled a thin ring of smoke.
Before him, Uchiha Itachi knelt on one knee.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was heavy, filled with hesitation, sorrow, and exhaustion.
"Have you made your decision, Itachi?"
His voice was deep and hoarse.
"Yes, Third Hokage-sama."
Uchiha Itachi raised his head.
His face was calm, cold, and resolute without the slightest hesitation.
"…Sigh."
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long sigh.
"I never thought things would come to this."
"Konoha can no longer afford another war."
"If civil strife erupts within the village, the balance of the entire ninja world will collapse."
"The other four great villages will seize the opportunity to act, and then…"
He paused before continuing slowly.
"Itachi, on behalf of Konoha, I thank you."
"You alone prevented the rebellion of the Uchiha clan."
"You preserved the hard-won peace of the village."
"Rest assured. I will personally protect and guide your younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke."
"I will raise him to become an excellent ninja of Konoha."
"…Thank you, Third Hokage-sama."
For the first time, a trace of emotion flickered across Uchiha Itachi's eyes.
He had always been aware of the contradictions between the Uchiha clan and the village.
He had worked tirelessly to bridge the gap.
Yet all he received was suspicion, hostility, and accusations of betrayal.
Now, the clan was even preparing to launch a coup.
That final realization hardened his resolve completely.
"After tonight," Sarutobi Hiruzen said heavily,
"only you and I will know the truth."
"From this moment on, you will become an S-rank missing-nin who massacred his own clan."
"You will bear the infamy of the world, be hunted endlessly by Konoha, and walk a path of eternal darkness."
"This road will be extremely difficult."
"I understand."
Uchiha Itachi slowly pulled down his ANBU mask.
His voice was cold and filled with killing intent.
"Then… let it begin."
The moment his words fell, his figure vanished from the room.
Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent for a long time.
Then he spoke into the darkness.
"Prepare yourselves."
More than a dozen masked ANBU emerged soundlessly from the shadows.
"Yes!"
They disappeared one after another into the night.
Although Root, led by Shimura Danzo, would assist in the operation…
Sarutobi Hiruzen still dispatched his most trusted ANBU members directly loyal to him to monitor the entire process.
As the Hokage bathed in sunlight, he could not appear personally.
"Uchiha…"
"For the peace of Konoha…"
"You will once again become part of its history."