Once, he had believed that killing Shimura Danzō would be enough to change the fate of the Uchiha clan — that Itachi would no longer be forced to abandon the village he loved.
But now he knew: Danzō had only been a catalyst. The true root of it all lay within the Uchiha themselves.
Though Hyūga Shigeo had never directly asked Itachi about it, he had ordered ANBU operatives to investigate.
Their report concluded that three years ago, the Uchiha clan had been suspected of plotting a coup d'état against Konoha, nearly plunging the village into chaos — until, mysteriously, the entire clan was annihilated.
The ANBU did not know the truth. But Shigeo did.
It had been Itachi's choice — to slaughter his clan for the sake of peace and to protect his younger brother.
He had borne all sin and left the village.
What had happened could not be changed.
But what had not yet happened — Shigeo swore to prevent.
For those who had treated him kindly, he would make sure they lived on.
"Haku… I've come to see you."
Shigeo appeared on the coast. In the distance, a great bridge was under construction.
Judging from its scale, it could only be the Great Naruto Bridge — the time when Kakashi led Team 7 to the Land of Waves.
No… was he too late?
Was Haku already dead?
A sudden pang of dread hit him. He rushed to grab a passerby.
"Hey, old man! Has anyone died here recently? Like, two ninjas fighting to the death — explosions, flashy techniques, that sort of thing?"
The man gave him a baffled look, then snorted, "Are you sick or something?"
He shook his sleeve free and walked off.
"Too late…? Haku, I'm sorry," Shigeo groaned, staring up at the cloudy sky.
"I'm sorry we met as friends only for me to forget you. Some friend I am — I'm worse than a pile of crap! Haku!"
His shout echoed across the bay.
Just then, an argument drifted from a nearby house.
"Father, you can't go! Have you forgotten what happened before? I don't want anyone else in our family dying for that bridge!"
"Someone has to take the first step! I won't give up! I'll go to Konoha if I have to — this bridge will be finished!"
The old man stormed out, backpack slung over his shoulder.
Shigeo hurried after him. "You're Tazuna, right? Headed to Konoha to request protection? Must be a C-rank mission, huh, old man?"
Good — he wasn't too late.
Tazuna turned his head, squinting at the stranger but said nothing and kept walking.
"Come on, old man! I don't charge much. I know every ninjutsu under the sun. Why not hire me instead?"
If Team Kakashi never came, Haku wouldn't die.
Tazuna huffed. "You think I'm stupid? Real ninjas wear forehead protectors. You don't even have one. You expect me to believe you're not some rogue pretending?"
He kept walking.
Shigeo sighed, then grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him clean off the ground. "Why so stubborn, old man? You've got a perfectly good ninja standing right here!"
"W-Wait! Put me down! You brat, my back—my back!"
Shigeo quickly set him down as the commotion drew a crowd.
"You… you…" Tazuna rubbed his waist, glaring nervously at the people staring. He spotted two thugs with hard eyes among them — definitely Gato's men.
"All right," he grumbled. "How much do you want?"
Shigeo rubbed his chin. "Hmm… I usually don't take jobs. When I do, it's at least twenty million. Sometimes fifty. Occasionally eighty—"
"What kind of joke is that?!" Tazuna snapped. "If I had that kind of money, the bridge would've been done already! Forget it, I'll just go to Konoha and hire genin!"
Shigeo sighed, then stuffed a heavy pouch of gold coins into the old man's hands.
"I'll pay you instead. Just keep the bridge going. Don't stop the work — please."
Tazuna blinked, weighing the pouch.
"Well… that's suspicious as hell," he said, narrowing his eyes. "What's your real motive?"
Shigeo leaned closer and whispered, "I'm looking for a friend. Works for Gato. I can't find him, so I need your help to lure them out."
Tazuna's face lit up. "Ah, a straight talker! Fine, then. You're hired — you protect me, I build my bridge. Let's go!"
And just like that, they struck a deal.
Construction resumed the next day.
Shigeo waited all afternoon on the bridge, but no one came.
Eventually, he dragged out a chair and fell asleep right there.
By nightfall, Tazuna invited him home for dinner.
That night, Shigeo stayed at Tazuna's house, sharing a room with his grandson, Inari — a quiet boy. Shigeo didn't mind; he liked the peace.
But past midnight, the door creaked.
Two figures burst in, daggers drawn — and were immediately kicked through the wall by a sleepy Shigeo in his nightclothes.
They weren't even shinobi, just hired thugs. Apparently, they didn't take him seriously.
He stomped forward, booting them again until they groaned on the floor.
"Tell Zabuza and Haku I'm waiting on the bridge!"
The two crawled away in terror.
Tazuna, his daughter Tsunami, and grandson Inari peeked out from the hall, pale-faced.
"W-What do we do now? Gato has more ninja under him!" Tsunami whispered.
"Trust me," Shigeo said calmly. "I'm a ninja too."
He turned and went back to bed.
Tsunami frowned, whispering to her father, "Maybe we should still go to Konoha… it's safer."
But the old man looked toward Shigeo's room and shook his head firmly.
"No. I trust him."
Inari stood in the doorway, silent.
After a long pause, he whispered, "You're really a ninja?"
Shigeo yawned. "Yeah. Go to sleep. You'll see tomorrow."
No speeches. No pep talks about courage or hope.
He didn't need to explain. The despair hanging over this town was thick enough to feel — the way Gato's cruelty had crushed their will to fight.
Tazuna was brave. He wanted to show his people that persistence could change fate.
Shigeo respected that.
Tomorrow, he would meet Haku.
(End of Chapter)
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