In the early morning, a middle-aged man with hair nearly white as snow stood alone in a secluded corner of the cemetery.
Though his face suggested he was in his forties, the sudden whiteness of his hair made him look older, worn by grief. His son was dead, yet even the body had not been recovered. Uchiha Yama had erected only a cenotaph for him.
A wave of bitter self-mockery crossed his face. He struck his own cheek sharply, the motion heavy, as though weighed down by decades of sorrow.
The sky above was a deep, gem-like blue, scattered with drifting white clouds.
A distant wind stirred the black hem of his robes. It was cool, carrying with it the scent of an approaching storm, a herald of dark clouds that would soon obscure the sun.
From behind, footsteps echoed.
Shimura Danzo approached, his movements measured and emotionless. Uchiha Yama slowly lifted his gaze, and the weariness and despair that had clouded his face vanished instantly.
"Shouldn't you be doing something?" Yama's voice was cold, his eyes sharp and unreadable.
Danzo made no reply to the tone; after all, this was a man whose son had died, whose hair had turned white overnight. A bit of resentment would not harm him.
After all, Danzo was the one who had assigned the mission.
"I truly do not understand why the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would appear there. I can assure you none of my subordinates leaked this information," Danzo said without hesitation. He meant it—there had been no betrayal on his part. The Hidden Mist Village had sealed itself off completely; no one could have passed the intelligence along.
"This is not what concerns me. What matters is how the village will respond to the Hidden Mist Village."
Danzo sighed, knowing his purpose here. The young patriarch of the Uchiha clan, one of Konoha's founding families, had perished on a mission. The village needed to respond in some way—but open war was impossible.
Having only recovered from the previous turmoil two years earlier, Konoha could not risk provoking the Hidden Mist. Danzo had been sent as a scapegoat, tasked with appeasing Uchiha Yama on Hiruzen's behalf.
Yama sneered. "The village refuses to declare war, does it?"
"Yes," Danzo admitted, voice weary. "The village regrets the loss, and compensation can be offered to the Uchiha clan."
A hoarse, bitter laugh escaped Yama. "Compensation? My son is dead. How can anything compensate for that?"
"The village will allow Uchiha clan members to join the Anbu, and grant you a seat on the Elder Council," Danzo continued, maintaining his calm.
Yama's laugh deepened, heavy with scorn. "How generous. And what else can you offer me?"
"Then what do you want?" Danzo asked.
"Kagami's right eye."
Danzo stiffened. "That is not part of the agreement."
"What? Are you afraid I might awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan in both eyes?"
Danzo remained expressionless. "I said it is not part of the deal. That eye is mine, not the village's."
Yama's eyes narrowed. "Back then, you traded Kagami's left eye to me to secure a period as captain of the Military Police Force. Why be stingy now?"
A sudden laugh left Yama's lips. "Could it be that you intend to transplant Kagami's Mangekyō for yourself? That's why you refuse the other eye."
Danzo said nothing, only letting out a cold snort.
Yama shook his head with arrogant amusement. "You are not of the Uchiha. Such power is beyond your control; do not entertain the thought."
"That is none of your concern," Danzo replied. "The eye will not be given to you."
Yama fell silent for a moment, then smiled coldly. "What if I tell Hayashi that you possess Kagami's Sharingan?"
Danzo laughed, unflinching. "If he knew, who do you think he would believe?"
Yama nodded. "Ah, I forgot. Then Hayashi is our common enemy."
"Wrong. Only yours, not mine."
Yama laughed loudly. "Not yours? Then why is Kagami's eye in your possession? Explain your role in that incident. Kagami was your teammate, saved your life, and yet… you kept it?"
Danzo's gaze was icy. "Do not deceive me. Kagami's death had nothing to do with me. I obtained the eyes by chance."
"Chance or not, do you think Hayashi will believe it? He is our enemy regardless."
"What exactly do you want?" Danzo asked, tension rising.
"To lure him from the Daimyo's mansion. I will kill him."
Danzo stared, incredulous. "You grieve for your son, but what does that have to do with him?"
"Who says it has nothing? Fugaku sought him out before leaving for the Land of Rainbows. Perhaps he was the one who leaked the intel."
"You are mad," Danzo spat. "Completely mad."
He turned to leave, unwilling to bargain with a man possessed.
"If you walk away," Yama shouted, "I will expose everything about you and me."
Danzo paused. "You would dare?"
"My son is dead. What does it matter if I perish? Refusing serves no one. Should I succeed in killing Hayashi, a major threat is removed. Should I fail, I die. Either way, it benefits you. You have no reason to refuse, correct?"
Danzo's face betrayed uncertainty. Slowly, he nodded. "I hope this is the last time."
He left, leaving Yama alone.
Yama returned his gaze to the cenotaph. A bouquet of flowers rested silently at its base.
Time passed in quiet reflection. A sigh escaped him.
"Fugaku, do you know? My right eye has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. With Kagami's transplanted eye, I now possess the Mangekyō in both eyes. But this… is not enough. This power alone cannot destroy the Hidden Mist Village, cannot destroy Konoha, cannot avenge you.
"I know that beyond the Mangekyō, there exists the Eternal Mangekyō. Madara wielded it to challenge the First Hokage. I have no brothers, so I must attempt Hayashi's eye. Kagami was his father—no one has tried this before. But if I succeed…"
He paused, rain beginning to fall in heavy sheets, blurring the world around him.
"As long as I succeed, none can stop me. If I fail… no. I cannot fail."
Uchiha Yama stood, unyielding, amidst the torrential downpour. His figure gradually blurred in the sheets of rain, but his resolve burned ever brighter.