The news of the Nine Tails' rampage in Konoha spread swiftly across the Ninja World. While many ambitious people were eager to make their move, after careful consideration, anyone with sense chose to back down.
This Nine Tails incident was different from the one in the original timeline. At that time, only Sarutobi Hiruzen was left as Konoha's last Kage-level shinobi defending it, weakening the village. Konoha nearly lost its standing as one of the five great Shinobi villages, faring only slightly better than the Suna, which ranked last.
It was this weakness that emboldened the Fourth Raikage to disgrace Konoha. Not only did he attempt to kidnap Hyūga Hinata, the heir of the Hyūga clan, but after being caught, he even dared to challenge Konoha to war if Kumo wasn't compensated for the death of their Envoy. Back then, Konoha's vulnerability made them an easy target.
Oh, and in this timeline— the Fourth Raikage died in the last war. Now, it's the Third Raikage who leads the Cloud Shinobi. With powerful figures like Hatake Tatsuya, Hatake Sakumo, the Fourth Hokage Tsunade, and Sarutobi Hiruzen all still alive, no one foolish enough to challenge Konoha dares to now.
...
...
Inside the Hokage's office.
"Obito is alive?!"
When Tsunade told him that a few nights ago, during that nine-tail rampage, the masked shinobi who had displayed mastery over space-time ninjutsu was his student. Minato was stunned.
"Calm down," Tsunade said, resting her cheek on one hand. "This is what Tatsuya claims to have sensed similarity in his and the attacker's chakra, though I still have doubts." Despite her composed demeanor, she was still annoyed by the tricks the troublemaker played on the two young foxes.
It wasn't surprising that Minato was so shaken. To think that the student who had been presumed dead for three years could resurface like this—no one would believe it easily.
Minato fell silent, his thoughts racing. If it was Obito, that would mean... Obito was the one who nearly killed Kushina? His student tried to kill his wife? Not just his wife—he even wanted to harm Naruto…
"Lady Tsunade, I'll take my leave for now," Minato said, bowing before departing.
He needed time to process this. Obito... could it truly be you?
Just then, Nawaki entered the office, dropping a stack of papers on Tsunade's desk. "Sister, here's the list of new students enrolled in the Ninja Academy this year."
"Ugh! Too much!" Tsunade exploded with frustration. "All these lists, reports, documents—day after day! If this keeps up, I swear I'm going to collapse! This Hokage is quitting! I need a replacement! Someone take over!!!"
Nawaki was so startled that he quickly backed away, shrinking into the corner. He couldn't understand how something as simple as an enrollment list could make Tsunade so angry.
What Nawaki didn't realize was that Tsunade's fiery personality was naturally rebellious, and these endless documents only added to her frustration. The enrollment list was just the final straw that pushed her to the breaking point. Well, the real breaking point was Tatsuya, along with the two little foxes, Rin and Terumi Mei.
I'm out here sweating and working, while you're having fun at home? Tsunade thought bitterly. Why?
After a few minutes, Tsunade finally calmed down. She grabbed the list that Nawaki had picked up and began reading it.
"Uchiha Itachi." Tsunade's brow furrowed as she read the name aloud.
"Father: Uchiha Fugaku. Mother: Uchiha Mikoto. This kid is..." she murmured, trailing off in thought.
Nawaki, standing beside her, remembered how furious his sister had been just moments ago and whispered to himself, Looks like I need to talk with my Aniki.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!" Nawaki called out. The door opened, and three aforementioned girls stepped into the office.
"You three..." Tsunade's sharp eyes narrowed slightly before she pouted. "Why aren't you following that scoundrel around?"
"Sensei, Tatsuya-sama said we'll be your assistants from now on," Rin chimed in, her voice sweet as she tried to endear herself to Tsunade.
Kurenai added, "I've always wanted to see how Tsunade-sama works."
Terumi Mei, slightly more hesitant, said, "It didn't feel right to just stay home alone, so I thought I'd come along..."
For some reason, Tsunade couldn't shake the feeling that these girls were like concubines trying to win favor with the empress. Tatsuya, you bastard, she thought, is this really what you've set up? Are you treating this like some sort of harem arrangement?
...
...
"Damn it! It's one of the Uchiha!" shouted a middle-aged shopkeeper from the market, glaring at the black-haired boy.
"Get away! Get away, you monster!" a woman passing by with her child scowled, pulling her son closer.
"My mom says the Uchiha are monsters who control the Nine-Tails! Stay away from us!" yelled a boy around the same age, echoing what he'd heard at home, as a few kids nodded in agreement.
After a long time away, Tatsuya had come to the lakeside outskirts, preparing to begin his daily training, when he heard shouting nearby. Turning to see what was happening, he spotted a group of unruly children throwing stones at a black-haired boy, no older than six.
The boy didn't retaliate. Instead, he simply shifted his body slightly, dodging the stones with minimal effort—none of them could touch him.
It was none other than Uchiha Itachi.
"What do you think you're doing?" Tatsuya's sudden voice startled the children, stopping them in their tracks.
The stone-throwers froze, their eyes wide with fear as they recognized him. One of the boys, trembling, stammered, "Tatsuya-sama, we... we're chasing this monster out of Konoha!"
"Yeah! Our parents said the Uchiha are all monsters!" another child chimed in.
"I am training in this area leave," Tatsuya said calmly. "Leave."
"Uh... yes, sir!" The group of kids, all no more than five or six years old, didn't dare protest. They quickly scattered, leaving without looking back.
Tatsuya paid no mind to the fleeing children, his attention now on young Itachi.
"If this keeps up, Itachi will end up facing the same treatment Naruto did..." Tatsuya thought as he glanced at Uchiha Itachi, already imagining what Sasuke's childhood would be like in the future.
"Thank you for helping me, Tatsuya-sama," Itachi said, stepping forward.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Tatsuya replied while casually unbuttoning his shirt in preparation for practice. "I just wanted a quiet place to train."
Tatsuya turned his back to Itachi, continuing, "You don't seem to be doing too well..."
Tatsuya recalled that Itachi had been treated somewhat like a sacrificial hero, but now, his situation seemed to mirror Naruto's—ostracized and misunderstood. And Sasuke's future likely wouldn't be much different.
"The whole Uchiha clan is almost... like they're all bad guys," Itachi said quietly, lowering his head with a sad, wistful smile. "But... it's not true."
He knew the reason all too well. Ever since the Nine Tails incident, the villagers had blamed the Uchiha, despite the clan's innocence in the matter. It was as though Uchiha were cursed by the souls of their dead.
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