In the burning ruins of the Uchiha clan, Danzo stared at the flames with a cold, calculating expression.
The fire had disrupted all his plans and preparations.
All the Uchiha bodies, along with their precious Sharingan, were lost to the inferno.
Touching the bandage on his head, Danzo's gaze turned even darker.
One of the driving reasons for accelerating the Uchiha extermination plan was to acquire their Sharingan. After all, his own Sharingan had been stolen by that masked man. He had hoped to salvage this loss by recovering the Sharingan of these "rebels" to further Konoha's strength.
But now, those plans had been reduced to ash.
Who set the fire?
Danzo's mind raced.
Was it Uchiha Itachi? Or the masked man?
If the masked man was involved, is his goal also the Sharingan?
Danzo clenched his fists. It didn't matter who it was—he wouldn't let either of them go unpunished.
With no reason to remain in the ruins, Danzo turned to leave with his Root operatives. The Sharingan may have been lost, but the elimination of the Uchiha clan could still be counted as a victory.
Suddenly, one of his Root operatives spoke up, breaking the silence.
"I saw them all."
Danzo froze mid-step, his eyes narrowing as he spun around.
Standing before him was a figure with blood-red, swirling eyes.
The Mangekyō Sharingan!
It was Uchiha Itachi.
Danzo's pupils constricted in shock.
How is he here?
Itachi stood motionless, his face calm but his eyes burning with quiet intensity.
"I saw them all," Itachi said coldly. "And I will continue to watch. If you dare lay a hand on Sasuke, I will expose all of Konoha's secrets to the enemy nations."
Before Danzo could respond, Itachi's figure dissolved into a murder of crows, scattering into the night.
Elsewhere, Uchiha Shisui worked with Uchiha Fugaku and others to obscure the truth.
They used illusions and scrolls to fabricate a convincing lie, creating the illusion that the Uchiha clan had been completely annihilated.
The fire, carefully set, destroyed any evidence that could expose their secret survival. Once their preparations were complete, they activated teleportation scrolls, relocating to the distant Land of Contact Lenses.
Meanwhile, Satoru, having held off Obito long enough, also returned to the Land of Contact Lenses to regroup with the surviving Uchiha.
In the Land of Contact Lenses, Satoru sat leisurely, eating a skewer of dango.
"Are we really doing the right thing by leaving Sasuke out of the loop like this?" he asked, his words muffled as he bit into the dango.
"We had no choice," Shisui replied patiently. "It was the only way to ensure our plan wouldn't be exposed."
"Children grow through adversity," Fugaku said with a small smile, sipping his tea.
"Itachi's actions are calculated. For now, all eyes are on Sasuke, making it inconvenient for us to intervene directly. We'll wait and see how things unfold."
The group calmly discussed their plans, their relaxed demeanor suggesting they had little to fear.
Satoru, munching on another skewer of dango, thought to himself with amusement, You can't blame me this time—it was their choice to play it this way.
Time passed swiftly, and three years slipped by in the blink of an eye.
In the Land of Contact Lenses, Satoru, now wearing a black robe, was meticulously tying bandages around his arms.
Bai stood nearby, watching him curiously.
"Lord Satoru, what are you doing?" Bai asked.
Shisui, standing a short distance away, gave Satoru a suspicious look.
"You're not planning to cause trouble in another country again, are you?"
Satoru's reputation in the black market had grown significantly. Known as the "Bandage Maniac," his bounty far exceeded that of most S-rank rogue ninja. Shisui was wary of letting him leave their base, knowing his tendency to stir up chaos—even during seemingly mundane outings.
The Uchiha sighed deeply, recalling Satoru's last escapade, where he nearly abducted a foreign princess during a temple fair.
"No, I'm heading to the Chūnin Exams," Satoru declared with a bright smile.
Shisui twitched in disbelief.
"The Chūnin Exams?" he repeated, aghast.
"You're a former Jōnin of Konoha! Why would you compete against a bunch of kids?!"
Satoru remained unbothered, his expression calm and serious.
"I don't see the problem. I'm just an ordinary genin now," he said matter-of-factly, glancing at Bai. "Isn't that right?"
Bai nodded earnestly. "Yes, exactly."
Shisui pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
"Fine. Do whatever makes you happy."
Soon after, Satoru set off for Konoha with Bai and Ghost Lantern Hozuki, a girl he had rescued years ago in the Land of Water. Hozuki, having been ostracized for her abilities, had nowhere to go, so Satoru brought her to the Land of Contact Lenses. There, he established a small, informal ninja village for children like her.
On the journey, Hozuki broke the silence.
"In what name are we participating in the Chūnin Exams?" she asked.
"In the name of our village, of course," Satoru replied casually.
Hozuki frowned, her expression skeptical.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? Our village doesn't exactly have the best reputation…"
Satoru adjusted the bandages over his eyes, his tone suddenly serious.
"It's time to make a name for ourselves and revitalize our homeland!"
Bai and Hozuki exchanged uneasy glances, silently wondering if they would survive the inevitable chaos their "leader" would unleash.
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