In the heart of Konoha's Military Police Force. Uchiha Daichi, the stern and respected chief of police, sat behind his meticulously organized desk, his sharp eyes fixed on Uchiha Miwa, a skilled jounin from his clan.
"Miwa, how did your investigation go?" Daichi asked with his tone measured and precise.
"Daichi-sama, I discovered that there have been several unusual chakra signatures around the area. But there is something more... sinister about these patterns. It's as if they are deliberately avoiding detection."
Daichi's brow furrowed, "This aligns with the recent reports we have been getting about increased suspicious movements. We must be vigilant."
"Knock!"
"Knock!"
"Knock!"
Just then, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Daichi's eyes snapped to the door, "Who is it?" he asked.
"It's Uchiha Sinoda," came the muffled response from the other side of the door.
Daichi's frown deepened. He was about to dismiss Sinoda, considering the sensitivity of their discussion, but Sinoda's voice cut through his thoughts. "It is an emergency, Daichi-sama."
With a sigh, Daichi nodded to Miwa and then called out, "You may Enter."
The door swung open to reveal Uchiha Sinoda, a squad captain with a reputation for his keen instincts, and Renjiro & Toda.
Sinoda had short, spiky hair and dark circles under his eyes that hinted at long hours of relentless duty. He stepped into the room after the chunins, closing the door behind him.
Renjiro's presence immediately drew concern from Daichi and Miwa as they saw the bandages covering Renjiro's left eye.
Daichi's sharp eyes narrowed "Renjiro, what happened?" he asked.
Miwa's reaction was more immediate and emotional. Her eyes widened, and she stepped forward, "Renjiro, your eye... What happened during your mission?" The sadness in her tone was unmistakable.
Renjiro was her only living relative so seeing him injured was not a feeling she could easily stomach.
'I knew at some point that I would have to explain the situation to Miwa, but I didn't think it would be this soon. Anyway, this is going to take a while.' Renjiro sighed inwardly.
Renjiro managed a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. During the mission, we encountered shinobi from the Kurogane clan attacking Ishigakure. I managed to defeat all the chunins I faced, but when a jounin arrived, I had to quickly escape. The jounin wanted my eyes, but I luckily escaped with both of them although one of them had been forcefully removed."
Miwa's expression tightened with a mix of sorrow and anger. She reached out, gently touching Renjiro's arm. "Renjiro, I'm so sorry. Is your left eye safely stored?"
Of course, Miwa was aware of Renjiro's chakra seinou so she wasn't confused why he hadn't used medical ninjutsu to fix his eye.
Renjiro was not quite sure he had the chakra purification ability Kushina as while the abilities were mostly the same, it was possible for them to have subtle differences. So he chose to wait and tick off all the characteristics for confirmation.
'Although the ability the boy got from his Uzumaki genes is really good as it gives him immunity against genjutsus, the drawbacks are making me wonder if it is really worth it.' Daichi mused as he understood Renjiro's current predicament.
While that was true since powerful could be near immune to genjutsu, with the exception of powerful ones like the infinite Tsukuyomi, the fact that it negated the help of medical ninjutsu while fighting made it more of a disadvantage to most shinobi.
Of course, most shinobi were not like Renjiro who had an improved regeneration, a fact that he had chosen to keep from Daichi and Fugaku after seeing their reactions when he revealed his chakra seinou.
Renjiro nodded his head, "Yes, I already stored it and I am now waiting to fix it."
Meanwhile, Sinoda was confused as he could vaguely understand what was going on.
'He already has his missing eye, so why did he not use medical ninjutsu to fix it?' He thought.
Daichi, although deeply concerned, knew he had to keep the focus on the matter at hand. "Renjiro, it is good that you aren't severely injured but why am I only half of your squad here?"
Seeing the opportunity, Sinoda decided to answer, "Renjiro and Toda came to me with crucial information about their mission. As Renjiro already mentioned, they encountered shinobi from the Kurogane clan.
Since Fujioka and his squad managed to thwart the attack, Fujioka and his assistant remained behind and sent these two to request reinforcements as he was sure the Kurogane clan was going to retaliate."
'That was the right decision because either Iwa or Suna put them up to this. So we have to handle this with care. But who am I going to send?'
Daichi's expression darkened, his mind racing as he absorbed the information. "Sinoda, Miwa will lead the reinforcements, I want you to work with her and mobilize a squad that will support her."
Miwa, who had been listening intently, nodded. "Thank you Daichi-sama, It has been a long since I fought anyone, so this will be a great time to vent out my anger."
While Renjiro and Toda were giving their report on the result of their skirmish with the Kurogane clan, a similar situation was happening a couple of hundred miles away.
In the dimly lit cave, the flickering light from a lone torch cast long, dancing shadows on the rough stone walls. The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and the faint echo of dripping water.
From the ground, a figure emerged, the movement almost seamless as if the earth itself had given birth to him. The figure's body was split into two halves, with the right side being completely white and resembling plant-like bark or roots, while the left side is black and more fluid.
Surrounding his head was a large, Venus flytrap-like structure that could open and close, enhancing his plant-like and otherworldly appearance.
As it fully materialized, it glanced around the cave, ensuring they were alone. Another figure, shrouded in a similar dark cloak, awaited him deeper within the cavern.
Despite the advanced age of the second figure, they still exuded a powerful and menacing aura. Their long, wild hair was grey cascading down his back and framing his stern, weathered face.
"It's about time," the second figure said, his voice a low, raspy voice.
The first figure nodded respectfully. "I apologize for the delay."
"Have they made a move?" the second figure asked.
"Yes, Konoha sent a team that thwarted a wave of attack. From what I heard, they are about to send more shinobi to protect Ishigakure."
The second figure let out a low chuckle, "As expected, are they going to more Uchiha?"
"Most likely."
"Everything is proceeding as planned. Our time to move again will soon be upon us. Continue to monitor the situation closely and report any further developments immediately."
The first figure bowed slightly, a gesture of respect and acknowledgement. "Understood. I will keep you informed."
With that, the first figure sank back into the ground, disappearing as swiftly and silently as he had appeared. The second figure remained by the cave, contemplating the available options before him.
[A/N:: Madara was still alive at this time and it did not make any sense for him to just be silent and not make any moves, so I decided that he would have a part to play pre-third shinobi war.]
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It was already late in the evening when Renjiro left the base. Miwa, Sinoda, Toda and other officers were already on their way heading to Ishigakure. Renjiro did not join them for obvious reasons and was given time to rest. The mental fatigue had been accumulating, and needed to be remedied.
Entering his home, Renjiro felt a momentary sense of peace. He moved through the house methodically, locking the door behind him, and headed to his bedroom.
Renjiro sat on the edge of his bed, feeling the weight of the day's events pressing down on him. He reached up and slowly began to unwind the bandages from around his head. The coarse material fell away, revealing his left eye – or rather, where his left eye had been.
He hesitated for a moment, then stood and walked over to the mirror on the wall. As his reflection came into view, Renjiro's breath was caught in his throat.
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