**Tanaka's Perspective 50 Years Ago**
Young Tanaka left the clan leader's residence, overwhelmed by deep despair, and set off for home, preparing for a long journey to the Valley of Enlightenment, later known as the Valley of the End. He walked confidently until he suddenly stumbled upon the Oishii restaurant, Sarani Oishii (tastier and even tastier). Memories of his first meeting with Ayame and their frequent dinners together flooded his mind, stirring feelings of anguish. Tears silently welled up in his eyes, and he didn't even notice how he entered the restaurant with a lowered head. The confidence he once had was nowhere to be found.
Unaware of how he had taken a seat at a table, he hesitantly picked up the menu, even though he knew all the dishes and their prices by heart. When the waiter approached him, Tanaka replied, "As always," waving his hand dismissively, still lost in thought.
The waiter contemplated, as this phrase meant he needed to bring 150g of Karubi, 100g of Tanjiru, 150g of Harami, 100g of Tongtoro, and 100g of Yakitori. It was a good order for two, and considering the possibility that a girl or friends might join him, the waiter realized that the first option was unlikely due to his mood and the rumors circulating throughout the village. The second option also made little sense, as in all his seven years of visiting the restaurant, Tanaka had never come with friends. Dismissing these thoughts, he quickly said, "It will be served as always." With these words, he tried to end the order with a joke, but Tanaka, still immersed in memories, merely smiled.
Fifteen minutes later, the meat was brought to his table, and suddenly a surprised voice called from the door, "Tanaka?!?!?" Turning around, he saw two of his friends, Satsuki and Hirati.
Hirati quickly approached the table and asked, "Can I join you?" Tanaka hadn't expected to see the always-positive Hirati and the gloomy Satsuki again, as they were supposed to be chasing down traitors across the continent.
"We were informed that you lost Ayame," Satsuki calmly said, confirming that they were aware of the situation. "No one expected the nine-tailed fox to show up," he tried to console his friend.
Tanaka merely scowled. Hirati, realizing that Satsuki wasn't very adept at expressing sympathy, attempted to lift his spirits: "You can't turn back time. But time heals wounds, not just of the body, but of the soul. Remember what Ayame was like; what would she have said upon seeing you?"
Hearing these words, Tanaka seemed to explode: "What do you know about her?!" He shouted across the restaurant, but Satsuki, noticing that the situation was escalating, quickly gave him a light smack on the back of the head.
"Maybe we didn't love her, maybe she didn't love us, and maybe we didn't have a wedding planned," Satsuki continued calmly, albeit with a hint of anger. "But remember, we were her best friends; we grew up together, and don't belittle her." And he continued quietly, "Know that you're not the only one who lost close friends."
Satsuki had always been level-headed and rarely showed anger. But Tanaka's contempt irritated him. Though it initially appeared as sorrow, it was actually a manifestation of pride that surfaced unconsciously. Tanaka had once been the clear heir to the clan leader, as he intended to marry the eldest daughter. In a battle that had taken place five years ago, he had emerged victorious, so he looked down on them. But the loss of his friend had weakened him.
At the table, the three men sat in a gloomy mood. After five minutes of silence, Hirati called the waiter and asked, "What did my dear friend order?" With a crooked smile, he turned to the young waiter. "It was an order for two, or rather..."
As the waiter finished speaking the order, a tense atmosphere enveloped their table. When Hirati noticed it, he tried to lighten the mood by leaning back in his chair and saying, "If this is an order for two, then finally someone is paying for me." Tanaka, hearing this, merely shrugged his shoulders, but since Hirati was annoying him, he quickly replied, "This is for Satsuki, not for idiots like you."
Hirati, feigning despair, flipped the table: "(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻" "It's because I'm not Satsuki," he said, trying to avoid further misunderstandings.
"No, it's because you always talk without stopping," Satsuki concluded. "(╥﹏╥) ---♥→" - Hirati
The waiter, astonished, watched them. Just a moment ago, they were in sorrow, and now they were almost laughing. The most shocking thought was that three stars of the Masuroboshi clan were sitting in front of him, and if he hadn't been told their names, he wouldn't have recognized them. There were many rumors about them, such as that they could become future elders or even candidates for the clan leader position.
Hirati, realizing that his situation was hopeless, said gloomily, "Then I'll take half of what this man ordered." He pointed at Tanaka. Tanaka, hearing this, exclaimed, "Hey, that man has a name!" Satsuki simply smiled.
Hirati tried once more to lighten the situation: "Well, if I'm such a 'fool,' then I'll have to pay for myself..." He pretended to be offended, but there was still joy shining in his eyes. Despite his inner pain, Tanaka couldn't hold back a smile: "Fine, I was planning to do that, idiot. But forget about it. Sit down and eat already."
Satsuki, leaning back in his chair, looked tired of the conversation, but a faint smile appeared on his face: "Perhaps this evening won't be as bad as we expected."
The three friends continued their dinner, talking about everything that didn't relate to the past. Tanaka's wound was still fresh, but at least for this moment, he felt he wasn't alone.
After finishing their meal, Tanaka suddenly announced, "I'm leaving the clan for three years." The cheerful atmosphere vanished. Hirati, already concocting something, said, "You know, going to seek vengeance against a fox that's obviously stronger than you is a bad idea." Tanaka, hearing this, grew angry. But Hirati, not giving Tanaka time to respond, continued speaking: "I'm not going to take revenge on a stupid fox because he killed my friends."
Satsuki, hearing this, raised his eyebrows in surprise: "HEH, that's fair," he sighed. "It's a fox; it's stupid, and you came and almost destroyed its home with your fights, and even woke it up. We, as humans, if someone came to us like that, we would do everything to destroy those people. But it's a beast that acts solely on instinct, so it's all okay."
Satsuki was very surprised by Hirati's wise words that came from his mouth.
Tanaka, in shock and anger, quietly said, "I'm not such a stupid piece of shit as you. I'm not going to take revenge on someone who's obviously stronger than me, and I'm shocked that you think so lowly of me." Hirati, realizing he had misunderstood his friend's words, simply dropped his head onto the table and said, "Forgive me." Satsuki merely slapped his forehead but asked, "If you're not going to take revenge, then where are you going?"
"I'll be traveling," Tanaka said more quietly and not quite clearly. Satsuki, hearing this, frowned, as he knew his friend well and could recognize when he was lying. Squinting his eyes, he asked, "Are you sure?" Tanaka realized late that he was facing someone who knew him almost best and, understanding that he couldn't reveal his true intentions, quickly replied as if waking up, "Yes, for sure," he continued quickly. "I have to get ready, so goodbye." A second later, only the money remained in his place, and he himself vanished. Such haste surprised his friends, but they continued their conversation.
"He's not going to travel," Satsuki shook his head. "We can't stop him," Hirati simply replied, still lying on the table. "No, I'm just worried he'll become a traitor," Satsuki argued heavily. "And do you know what will happen next? They'll send a group of people who will just destroy him, and there won't even be any bodies left."
**Present Time**
**Tajima Uchiha's Perspective**
On the shore of a large lake stood a man in a dark kimono with iron elbow pads branded with the symbol of the samurai clan. A large turtle emerged from the water, looking enraged, its eyes gradually changing color from yellow to red.
The man turned to face it, which might have seemed like an act of suicide. But to the beast, this man didn't look dangerous; rather, he appeared to be a being capable of standing up to it or even defeating it. But to kill—unlikely.
If one looked into Tajima's eyes, they would see a remarkable sight: it seemed that a Sharingan was spinning in his eyes, but without the tomoe, so it looked like just a black circle rotating against a red background. "Stupid turtle, you're just like all the others, a mere mindless creature," Tajima Uchiha shook his head, but continued with disappointment. "You don't even know that true power lies in words. I said a few words, and you already hate me," he concluded even more disappointedly, but with strange enthusiasm. "But don't worry; you'll learn true pow—"
At that moment, a mass of water resembling a tsunami engulfed him. But he simply smiled and continued, "power."
And, vanishing from sight, he reappeared behind the wave, his beautiful face twisted into a smile after the words: "SUSANOO!" At that second, his body was enveloped by something resembling half of a spine and ribs of a humanoid creature, but that was not the end: muscles appeared on the bones, and then armor.
Thus, on the shore of the lake stood a humanoid green giant, while against it swam a turtle with three tails. This "Susano," as Tajima called it, held a mirror in one hand and a katana engulfed in black flames in the other. The man inside simply laughed maniacally.
"Know how small you are before the power of words and my Mangekyō." It seemed that tension filled the space, as the three-tailed beast was already preparing to create a bomb, while the green giant simply stood and watched the growing dark sphere. But the main battle wasn't being fought here; it was in another dimension.
Tajima Uchiha stood opposite a small turtle that was sleeping. It seemed not so harmless, but the problem was that he looked down upon it with disdain. Raising his hand as if to say: "In spirit, you're a little turtle, even though you've lived for millennia," he raised his hand enough and began to wait, but for what? "What else could one expect from a mere beast?" As he spoke, chains began to appear from the air. "Well, that was quite an exciting battle, albeit short," as time passed, more and more chains appeared, but the clan leader continued to speak. "You possess great power, but you don't know how to control it."
The turtle opened one eye, but it was already too late: the man lowered his hand, and hundreds of chains began to fall, piercing the turtle and thus binding it. Perfect control over power allows one to always demonstrate the true essence of their might.
Meanwhile, outside, the bomb simply shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. The man's eyes began to bleed; he merely rubbed them to wipe away the blood, and, sighing, turned his back to the monster, saying, "I can't leave alone, for otherwise the Masuroboshi clan will attack the Uchiha clan like crazed beasts, and no talents will save us. Therefore, despite my desire to witness the suffering of these three bitches, I must return."
He simply walked back.