In a deserted alley, Mikoto's Sharingan spun rapidly, meticulously scrutinizing every inch of the ground in hopes of finding even the slightest clue.
However, after wasting nearly half an hour, Mikoto remained empty-handed.
"Not a single trace left behind... what a terrifying individual," Mikoto frowned, internally debating whether she should report this to her grandfather.
Her grandfather was a clan elder. If she told him, it would likely turn all of Konoha upside down. Even if they found the person who ambushed her, it would probably lead to a fallout with the village leadership, pushing the Uchiha into an even more awkward and isolated position.
"That damn bastard! Just wait until I find you!"
She stomped her foot in frustration and turned to leave, her body still trembling slightly from the lingering shock. But after only a few steps, a small accident occurred.
Thud!
"Ow!"
At the corner, the black-haired girl and a red-haired girl collided, both falling back onto the ground.
Opening her eyes, Kushina rubbed her head. "Who is it? Don't you look where you're going?"
"Sorry, sorry! I was spacing out!" Mikoto apologized repeatedly. After standing up, she reached out a hand to Kushina. "Here, let me help you up!"
Faced with Mikoto's gentle demeanor, Kushina's temper cooled, though she still muttered, "Seriously, you have to watch the road!"
"Er... haha..." Mikoto gave a wry smile. She had indeed been distracted and didn't try to argue.
As they brushed the dust off their clothes, Mikoto smiled and suggested, "How about I treat you to some evening tea? Consider it an apology and a chance to make a new friend!"
Looking at Mikoto's kind face, Kushina thought for a moment and agreed. "Alright! Let's be friends!"
The Dango Shop
Mikoto and Kushina sat across from each other. Kushina was happily sipping red bean soup, devouring tricolor dango one skewer at a time. Mikoto, while smiling, watched her with narrowed, scrutinizing eyes. If Kushina weren't so thick-skinned and carefree, she definitely would have noticed something was off.
She doesn't look like a suspect.
Watching Kushina eat heartily, Mikoto's suspicions faded. Given how coincidentally Kushina had appeared, it would have been stranger if Mikoto hadn't suspected her. But based on her behavior, Mikoto realized she was looking in the wrong place.
It seems finding the culprit won't be easy!
Just then, Kushina looked at the last two skewers of dango and said to Mikoto, "Hurry up and eat! If you don't, I'm going to finish these last two as well!"
Kushina promptly picked up another skewer.
Mikoto snapped back to reality and, seeing the plate nearly empty, picked up the final skewer. "I didn't realize you liked these so much! We really are alike!"
"Hehe!" Kushina laughed goofily, then suddenly remembered something. She stared at Mikoto with wide eyes. "Right, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Kushina Uzumaki, a ninja!"
"Kushina Uzumaki?" Mikoto paused, but looking at the girl's vibrant red hair, she understood instantly. "I'm Mikoto Uchiha, also a ninja."
"An Uchiha?!" Kushina was genuinely shocked. In her experience, the Uchiha were a bunch of arrogant pricks—men and women alike who looked at everyone down their noses. She had never met an Uchiha as gentle as Mikoto!
"Hehe, surprised you, didn't I?" Mikoto knew exactly how the Uchiha were perceived. Seeing Kushina's unfiltered reaction, she couldn't help but smile.
Kushina realized she had been a bit rude and scratched her head. "A little bit... but Mikoto-san, you're nothing like the other Uchiha! You're so kind!"
"I suppose..." Mikoto smiled helplessly. Because of her personality, her grandfather often criticized her, saying she wasn't suited to be a shinobi.
While the two were chatting, the true culprit, Ren Kurogane, was back in his lab, meticulously analyzing the Uchiha bloodline.
Ren's primary target hadn't actually been Mikoto; it was her future husband, Fugaku Uchiha—the father of Itachi and Sasuke and the current young head of the clan. In terms of status, Fugaku was the counterpart to Nawaki. Furthermore, given how talented his future sons would be, Fugaku's own genetics had to be top-tier. At this stage, only Uchiha Madara, currently rotting in a cave, likely possessed superior DNA.
However, Ren's observations showed that Fugaku was always surrounded by lackeys. He never ventured into secluded areas, making a quiet ambush difficult.
Ren wasn't the type to put all his eggs in one basket. While monitoring Fugaku, he had also kept tabs on Mikoto. Compared to Fugaku, Mikoto was a much easier target. She didn't have an entourage and often spent time alone in quiet places. Thus, Ren chose her, leading to the previous ambush.
He hadn't expected her to run into Kushina afterward. By then, Ren was already in his lab extracting Uchiha genetic factors.
This time, Ren spent nearly an entire month in isolation before successfully mapping the Uchiha's genetic markers.
Stopping his work, Ren let out a long sigh. "If only Pirate Ren wasn't such a training nut... the genetic technology in his world is incredibly advanced. If I could just learn it..."
The technology in the One Piece world was staggering, especially regarding genetics—they could even make inanimate objects like swords "eat" Devil Fruits! It was a terrifying prospect. Unfortunately, Pirate Ren had almost stopped thinking entirely. When he fist-bumped Scientist Ren, the knowledge had basically entered one ear and left the other.
Ren turned to look at his reflection in a mirror. His dark eyes shifted to crimson, three black tomoe spinning clearly within them.
"I have the power of both the Senju and the Uchiha now. But without the chakra of Indra and Asura, I can't awaken the Rinnegan. At most, the side effects of the Mangekyo will vanish."
As he spoke, the three-tomoe spinning accelerated. When it stopped, his eyes had transformed into an eerie pattern of red markings on a black background. The pattern resembled eight fine clock needles; the tips pointed in eight directions while the bases overlapped.
Ren focused. The pattern in his right eye emitted a faint red glow. Everything around him seemed to enter slow motion, except for Ren himself, who remained unaffected.
Then, he activated the left eye. The humming machinery in the lab instantly went silent. Time itself stood still. Ren walked through the frozen world, thoroughly satisfied with his awakening.
"Time-based abilities. The right eye can accelerate the time of an object or myself—a 'Bullet Time' I can bestow on others. The left eye is Time Stop. It really is Za Warudo now~"
Ren twitched an eyebrow and deactivated the ability. Time resumed its flow in the lab. He sat down, holding a vial of green serum.
"The Senju serum is complete. But it's best if the Konoha high-brass doesn't find out about this," Ren whispered. "Oh well, I'll let Minato come up with the excuse. With his intelligence, I'm sure he can find a perfect explanation!"