The Yellow Flash, the A B combination, Scorch Release Pakura, the Copy Ninja Kakashi… many powerful figures would leave their names on that battlefield.
Ironically, the most famous Sharingan user of the Third Great Ninja War would actually be an outsider Kakashi.
It seemed that by the end of the war, Shisui would also have grown up. That child… Hopefully, the upbringing he received would change his overly soft nature.
Kakashi, who had skipped class the entire day, leaned against the doorway. The moment he saw Uchiha Kagami approaching, he immediately straightened. "Kagami… my father wants to see you!" he said, bowing deeply at a full ninety degrees.
Even when he had been completely defeated by Kagami before, Kakashi had never shown this level of humility.
Kagami still had time before his medicinal bath, so he followed without hesitation.
Inside the dimly lit hall, only a few lamps cast faint light. Kagami stepped in alone and saw the once renowned White Fang of Konoha.
His once tall and sturdy body now looked like little more than a skeleton wrapped in skin. His hair had turned dull and lifeless, and his eyes had almost completely lost their light. At an age where a shinobi should have been at his peak, Sakumo radiated only decline.
"…You must be Kagami kun. Kakashi speaks of you often," Sakumo said, his voice hoarse, as if even finishing a sentence took effort.
"Hello, Jonin Hatake." Kagami didn't like initiating conversations, so he simply waited.
"Kakashi told me what you said… Your Sharingan seems to see deeper than any Uchiha I've ever met… I truly don't understand. May I ask for your advice? Tell me… what is the right thing to do?"
Kagami frowned slightly. He wasn't suited for comforting people. So he chose the direct approach. "Jonin Hatake… do you know who leaked the mission details?"
"…I think I already have a guess."
"It should be Lord Danzo with the Hokage's tacit approval. Danzo acted, and the Hokage chose not to stop him. That's the reality," Kagami stated plainly. "You want to die because your ideal image of the Third Hokage has been shattered… right?"
"…you mean...?"
"It means you never saw his true self. In your eyes, the Third Hokage was always a perfect, benevolent leader."
"…Then why… why would he do that…?"
"The Third Hokage is human," Kagami continued calmly. "And all humans have selfish desires. What happened to you is beneficial for him. A man with a ruined reputation is no longer a candidate for Hokage."
"I never wanted to become Hokage!" Sakumo's voice rose.
"Whether you want it or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you had the ability." Kagami's cold gaze shattered Sakumo's final illusion. "From their perspective, they did nothing wrong. They probably never imagined you'd consider suicide because of this. They wanted a blade that could be stained… not something that could become 'jade. In my opinion, after this, they would push you into the shadows and use you for darker tasks."
"…What… do they expect me to do…?" Sakumo feel lost
Kagami pointed at himself and gave a faint smile. "Isn't it obvious? Use you to deal with the Uchiha. In their eyes, the Uchiha clan is the greatest destabilizing factor."
"Kagami-kun… we're all from the same village. Why…?"
"There is no 'why.' As long as people gather together, conflict is inevitable. Only by standing above others do people feel the satisfaction of superiority. That… is the poison called power."
"…Even though I'm much older than you… I still can't see things as clearly as you do…"
"That's normal. You lack the proper perspective."
"I did spend years in the academy…"
"That's not the same thing," Kagami said, waving it off impatiently. He had already spoken more than usual. "I won't give you comfort or advice. If you truly can't endure it… then suicide is a valid escape. Besides, Kakashi's mother has long since passed. It won't make much difference if his father dies too."
Out of everything Kagami had said that final sentence struck the deepest. Could Kakashi, who wasn't even a full shinobi yet, really endure losing his father? Sakumo, who had grown up as a war orphan, couldn't fully grasp that pain. If Kakashi were already a hardened ninja, perhaps he could convince himself the boy would endure it…
But he wasn't.
Sakumo hadn't eaten for days. With great effort, he forced his body to move and then suddenly dropped to his knees in a deep bow before Kagami. "Please… tell me what I should do."
Sakumo Hatake was like a blade. Left to think on his own, he would only drive himself into a dead end. So he chose to trust someone else.
Kagami's lips curved slightly. "It's simple. Whatever decision you make even if it's wrong you must stand by it. Go beat down everyone who says you're wrong. Tell them your comrades matter more than the mission. And if you still hesitate… I'll beat you until you're certain. Break every bone if I have to. If you're still angry after that, kill one or two people. At worst, you'll spend a few years in prison. With your record, you won't be executed."
"…I understand…" Sakumo said after a long silence, lifting his head. "Kagami-kun… it seems you've already chosen your side. The Uchiha… or the village."
Kagami shook his head. "It's not about which side I choose. It's about which side… will win."
***********
"A seven year old child with a three tomoe Sharingan… how long are you going to let this continue?!" Danzo said
Inside the Hokage's office, the four highest authorities of Konoha had gathered. At the center sat the Third Hokage alongside the two senior advisors and Danzo.
"The boy is studying normally at the Ninja Academy," Hiruzen said in a heavy tone. "Danzo, I've told you before stay out of academy matters."
"Heh." Danzo let out a cold laugh. "Have you forgotten what this means? Have you forgotten those eyes?!"
"…Mangekyō," Koharu murmured, turning toward Hiruzen. "The talent Uchiha Kagami has shown… it's very likely he could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan if pushed. That power… is far too dangerous to control."
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, exhaled slowly, and spoke with firm resolve. "I already have a plan."
"What plan?" Danzo snapped. "You should do as I say and hand him over to me for training. I can ensure he will stand completely on our side."
"Hiruzen…" Koharu and Homura exchanged glances. They were clearly tempted. They had lived through the era of Madara. To them, the Mangekyō Sharingan was something terrifying yet undeniably powerful.
A seven year old child with three tomoe… such talent even surpassed what had been recorded of Madara in his youth. If someone claimed he wouldn't awaken the Mangekyō, even they would find it hard to believe.
Seeing the shared hesitation among his old comrades, Hiruzen sighed. "I've already contacted Jiraiya. Uchiha Kagami will be placed under his guidance."
"Jiraiya…" Homura and Koharu looked at each other, then nodded. In their eyes, Jiraiya was one of the strongest candidates to become the next Hokage. Entrusting the boy to him brought them reassurance.
But Danzo's expression darkened. "You would entrust an Uchiha to someone who ignores village rules and wanders freely?!"
Hiruzen replied calmly, "He trained Minato." At those words, the remaining doubt in Homura and Koharu vanished. To them, Minato was also the ideal future Hokage.
"That's because Minato is exceptional not because your student is a good teacher!" Danzo argued one last time.
"If necessary, I will train him myself. I've already trained the Sannin there should be no issue."
"You're raising a tiger that will one day devour you!" Danzo's voice turned cold. "That boy will bring disaster to the village. I can already see the darkness hidden within him."
"I won't regret it, Danzo," Hiruzen said firmly. "That child has done nothing wrong. I will raise him into a great shinobi who values his comrades. And as for you…" Hiruzen's gaze sharpened. "Don't think I'm unaware of your actions. Regarding Sakumo stop now."
Even in old age, the tiger still bared its fangs. Under Hiruzen's increasingly cold stare, Danzo said nothing more. Instead, he turned and left slamming the Hokage's office door hard enough to shake the room.
"…At his age, and he still hasn't learned how to close a door properly," Hiruzen muttered.
***********
Uchiha Clan District.
After finishing his medicinal bath and cleaning himself, Kagami was told by his grandmother that someone had come to visit.
"Kagami kun, forgive me for disturbing you." Standing at the door was Uchiha Fugaku.
"Clan Head, please come in," Uchiha Kagami said politely, though his tone carried little real respect.
Kagami was a radical and he had no intention of showing true deference to another man like Fugaku. Obito and Itachi would one day be the ones to massacre the clan. But in Kagami's eyes, Fugaku was the one who allowed things to reach that point.
Was it fate? Circumstance? Perhaps. But as clan head, failing to change anything was still a mistake.
"I won't stay long," Fugaku said calmly, his usually expressionless face showing a rare hint of a smile as he handed over a letter. "I came to deliver an invitation."
Note:
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