Chapter 9: The Return and the Spiral
As the village gates came into view, a sense of something like "home" settled over me, a feeling I was still getting used to.
The two guards at the gate immediately snapped to attention, their eyes fixed on Hiruzen. "Lord Sarutobi! Welcome back!"
Hiruzen puffed out his chest slightly. "Just got back today. The mission was simple, no point dawdling."
"Of course, of course! Only someone of your caliber would find a B-rank so effortless!"
Hiruzen chuckled, soaking in the flattery. "Hahaha, well, it was nothing special, really."
Just then, a sharp, familiar voice cut through the pleasantries. "A B-rank mission? How much time did you expect it to take? Don't get a big head over something so trivial, Sarutobi."
I didn't need to look to know it was Shimura Danzo. He strode up, his posture rigid, his face set in its usual permanent scowl. He was younger than I'd ever imagined him—no bandages, no cane, just a lean, intense chunin radiating ambition.
"Well, if it isn't Danzo!" Hiruzen said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. He snatched the mission scroll from Danzo's hand. "Let's see what you've been up to. An A-rank! Nice work, Danzo."
A smug look crossed Danzo's face. "Naturally. I am Shimura Danzo. The Hokage's seat will be mine one day." His critical gaze then shifted past Hiruzen and landed squarely on me. "I don't have the luxury of being leisurely, taking my little teammate on low-level tours of the countryside."
I studied him carefully. This was the future root of so much of Konoha's—and the Uchiha's—suffering. Right now, he was just a rival to Hiruzen, his disdain for the Uchiha plain in his eyes, a perfect mirror of his teacher, Tobirama. If it weren't for Hiruzen, this man would likely be the Third Hokage.
Seeing Danzo focus on me, Hiruzen smoothly changed the subject. "Well, now that you're back, Danzo, let's not stand around. I'll treat you to barbecue tonight."
Danzo just snorted, turning on his heel and marching into the village without another word. The gate guards stayed silent, wisely not wanting to get between the two competing heirs.
Once he was gone, Hiruzen turned to me with an apologetic shrug. "Don't mind him, Tenchi. Danzo's... a good man at heart. He's just in a competitive mood."
I just nodded. I knew all about Danzo's "heart." His loyalty to Konoha was absolute; it was his methods and his view of everyone else that were the problem.
"Alright, Tenchi, head on home," Hiruzen said, clapping me on the shoulder. "I'll handle the mission debrief. I'll have your share of the pay for you tomorrow at the usual spot."
As he walked away, I headed back to my quiet street and my empty house. Pushing the door open, the silence greeted me like an old, unwelcome friend. My eyes drifted to the only two pictures on the wall: one of my mother, her smile gentle and sad, and one of Uchiha Madara, his face a mask of grim determination.
"Madara," I muttered to the photograph. "I wonder where you are right now. Are you sitting alone in some cave, just like I'm sitting alone in this house?"
Then I caught myself. Damn it. Why am I feeling sorry for him? "Screw you, you old bastard!" I said aloud, the anger feeling more familiar and comfortable than the pity. "You left. You deserve to be stuck in the ground with Hashirama for all eternity!"
My daily ritual of cursing my father complete, I set about cleaning the thick layer of dust that had settled in my absence. The work was mindless, giving me time to think. When I was done, I sat in the small, overgrown yard and finally opened the system.
Points: 5,000.
Enough for an A-rank jutsu. My heart beat a little faster as I scrolled through the options. So many choices... Fire Dragon Projectiles, Water Dragon Bullets, Earth-Style walls... my mouth practically watered. I spent a good thirty minutes in a state of greedy indecision.
But my mind kept circling back to two in particular. I knew the theory behind them. I could probably develop them myself, given enough time and trial and error. But time was a luxury I didn't have. With Hashirama gone, the First Great Shinobi War was a dark cloud on the horizon. I needed power, and I needed it now.
The two jutsu were the Chidori and the Rasengan.
Chidori was the obvious choice for an Uchiha. A lightning-fast thrust, perfectly complemented by the Sharingan's predictive sight. It was a perfect tool for assassinations and single, lethal strikes. But its flaw was just as obvious. That sound—a thousand birds screeching—was a massive announcement of your position and your intent. On a battlefield full of chunin and jonin, using it would be like painting a target on my back. Unless I was overwhelmingly powerful, it was a death sentence.
That left the Rasengan. The A-rank brainchild of the Fourth Hokage. It was silent. It had no long-range capability, but its close-range destructive power was immense—a concentrated sphere of chakra that grinds its target into dust. Naruto had used it all the way to the end. It was reliable, powerful, and subtle.
My mind was made up. System, exchange for the Rasengan.
[Exchange successful. -5,000 Points. Rasengan technique data uploaded.]
The knowledge flooded into me—the complex, spiraling chakra control, the feeling of it forming in the palm. I couldn't wait. I held out my right hand, focusing. Unlike Naruto, I didn't need a shadow clone to stabilize it; my chakra control, honed to a razor's edge over years of solitude, was more than enough. A faint, blue-white light flickered in my palm, then grew, swirling and condensing until a perfect, humming sphere of chakra, the size of my palm, hovered above my skin.
It was beautiful.
I looked at a nearby tree, a sturdy old thing that had seen better days. I lunged forward and pressed the Rasengan into its trunk.
There was no loud boom, just a deep, grinding CRUNCH. The tree didn't just break; the section where the Rasengan made contact simply disintegrated into a cloud of splinters. When the light faded, a massive, spherical chunk was missing from the trunk, and the tree groaned before slowly toppling over with a thunderous crash.
I stared at the devastation, a wide, uncontrollable grin spreading across my face. This was it. Real power. With this and my Chunin-level chakra, I could finally stand my ground.
In the Hokage's office, Tobirama listened to Hiruzen's report, his steepled fingers hiding his frown.
"...and his aptitude is remarkable, Sensei. He's already at chunin-level reserves and has mastered the Two-Tomoe Sharingan with no formal guidance."
Tobirama sighed inwardly. Just like his father. The talent is undeniable. The boy was a raw, uncut gem, and gems could be polished into treasures or used as deadly projectiles.
"His temperament, Monkey? Has he shown any... resentment towards the village?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "He's surprisingly well-adjusted, Sensei. A bit sarcastic, but good-natured. We joke around. As for resentment... it's hard to say. He keeps his cards close to his chest."
This did not reassure Tobirama. It worried him more. He knew the Uchiha better than anyone.
The love in an Uchiha's heart is deeper than any other's. But because they love so deeply, when they lose that love, the fall is catastrophic. The void fills with hatred. He saw Madara in his mind's eye. If this boy becomes the next Madara, with no Anija to stop him...
"Teacher," Hiruzen said, breaking into his thoughts. "You worry too much. I believe Tenchi has the heart of a Konoha shinobi. He could be the next Kagami, not the next Madara."
The name Uchiha Kagami was a balm to Tobirama's anxiety. Kagami was proof it could be done. An Uchiha who had truly placed the village above his clan. If this boy, Tenchi, could be guided, could be made to love Konoha as Kagami did... then he would not just be safe; he could be an asset. A powerful right hand for Hiruzen one day.
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