The next morning, at dawn.
After finishing breakfast, Sogetsu tidied himself up and got ready to go see the Third Hokage.
"Morning, big bro Sogetsu."
He'd barely stepped out of his room when he nearly collided with someone.
Looking down, he saw a boy of about ten, with messy, hedgehog-spike black hair and a pair of goggles big enough to cover half his face.
As any self-respecting transmigrator should, Sogetsu knew the plot.
This slightly awkward, earnest kid in front of him was destined to become the greatest villain of the ninja world, the anime fandom's famous "pure love extremist," and the man who would one day spark the Fourth Great Ninja War—
Uchiha Obito.
"Oh, Obito. Here this early—what can I do for you?" Sogetsu asked, calm as ever, reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair.
Obito's face flushed. He hesitated, then stammered:
"Uh… I wanted to try that… Wish-Fulfillment thing."
"Oh?" Sogetsu raised a brow, interest sparked. "My therapy isn't cheap, you know. Even the lowest-tier trial session is fifty thousand ryō. You got that kind of money?"
"Of course! Don't underestimate me, big bro Sogetsu!" Obito puffed his chest out, proudly fishing a wad of high-denomination notes from his pocket. "I earned this fifty thousand from missions!"
"Right, I forgot—you're a full-fledged genin now."
Sogetsu pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd had too many things on his plate recently and hadn't exactly been tracking the "plot updates."
Still, the big picture wouldn't change. If Uchiha Obito had already graduated, then the Third Great Ninja War wasn't far off.
"I've been graduated for ages, okay, big bro Sogetsu?!" Obito protested, black lines practically forming over his head. "Stop treating me like a little kid!"
"I get it, Obito." Sogetsu scrubbed his hair even harder, smiling. "But sorry, not today. I have to go see Lord Hokage. Next time, alright?"
[Side Quest: A Teenager's Troubles]
No matter how hard he tries, Obito never seems to catch the girl's eye. At last, he's decided to…
Reward: Fate Doll — severs the threads of destiny, protecting the holder against curses, divinations, and tracking effects.
Sogetsu glanced at the side quest description and more or less guessed what kind of "wish" Obito wanted granted.
"Oh…" Obito's head drooped; disappointment crept over his face.
"Next time, Obito."
Sogetsu ruffled his hair yet again, chuckling. "I'll give you a discount. Thirty thousand."
"Thanks, big bro Sogetsu!"
The moment he heard it was twenty thousand cheaper, Obito bounced right back, cheerful again.
Hands in his pockets, Uchiha Sogetsu walked down Konoha's main commercial street.
He'd only taken the promotion potion recently, and his spiritual power was still overflowing a little. He was doing his best to rein it in, but it would take time to fully adapt.
Deep in his dark eyes, a bottomless vortex seemed to turn, like ripples under an otherwise calm pond. If not for the special glasses resting on his nose, any passer-by who met his gaze would probably have their mind pulled under and drowned in an instant.
"I still need better control."
He rubbed at his throbbing temples, letting his spirit vision wash over the street.
Red. Yellow. Blue.
Colours like paint swirling through a pool—this was how the auras of living ether bodies appeared under spirit sight.
Back when he'd still been Rank VII, he could only read those colours to judge someone's mood. Now, at Rank VI, he could see deeper, straight into the hidden layers of a person's mind.
"Hey, you heard? That big incident!"
"You mean… ah, yeah, I heard. It's actually true."
"Such a shame… tch."
"Tell me about it…"
The conversation of two people by the roadside snagged his attention.
Sogetsu's eyes shifted slightly. A deeper undercurrent of psychic power flowed out from him, silent and invisible, into their minds.
Subconscious suggestion.
The two barely resisted at all. Their thoughts stalled for a moment, like a frozen screen.
"Mind telling me what you were talking about?" Sogetsu asked mildly.
"Hatake Sakumo… killed himself at home."
The answer made Sogetsu pause for a heartbeat.
So it was already Year 44 of Konoha.
The Third Great Ninja War wasn't far off—within a year or two at most.
"Then I'll have to speed things up."
A subtle expression crossed his face; he let out a quiet, meaningful chuckle, then released the suggestion and lengthened his stride toward the Hokage Tower.
The Third Great Ninja War was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Miss it, and the next window wouldn't open for over ten years.
He had no intention of waiting that long.
At the Hokage Tower, in front of the office door, he knocked.
"Lord Hokage, it's Uchiha Sogetsu."
He stood and waited respectfully until a slightly aged voice answered:
"Come in."
Sogetsu slid the door open and stepped inside. Along with the Third Hokage, he saw another man present—Danzo.
His brows tightened before he smoothed them out again. The flicker of irritation vanished as quickly as it came.
Even back at Rank IX, he'd already learned to control his expressions and emotions perfectly. If he didn't want something to show, even the Sharingan couldn't read it.
"Lord Hokage. Lord Danzo." Sogetsu greeted them both, face mild and pleasant.
The Third Hokage behind the desk was still in his prime, not yet the worn, hesitant old man he would become years later. The aura of a "ninja hero" still clung to him—ambition, pressure, and all.
Pipe in his mouth, he exhaled a smoke ring and beckoned Sogetsu closer.
"Uchiha Sogetsu, was it? I remember you. On multiple missions, you refused to abandon your teammates and volunteered to cover the retreat. Your mission completion rate is extremely high, and you're skilled in medical ninjutsu. A rare jonin, indeed."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage. I was only doing what I should." Sogetsu gave a shy laugh, rubbing the back of his head as if embarrassed.
"Good, good—no need to be so stiff."
The Third Hokage's satisfaction deepened.
"In you, I see Konoha's future. It's because of young people like this that the First Hokage's Will of Fire has been passed down to today. That makes me very happy."
"Yes, Lord Hokage. I'll keep working hard!"
Sogetsu's cheeks reddened as if he were genuinely moved, excitement colouring his voice.
"I'll definitely inherit the First Hokage's Will of Fire and use my life to protect the village and everyone in it!"
"Heh. I believe you, Uchiha Sogetsu."
The Third nodded, gratified.
"You're still young, but you already know how to think from the Hokage's perspective."
"P-please don't say it like that, Lord Hokage." Sogetsu rubbed his nose bashfully. "It's only the result of listening carefully to your teachings and thinking them over, that's all."
"Hahahahaha!"
The Third Hokage burst into laughter. That flattery hit him right where it felt best.
"Hmph."
Off to the side, Danzo finally couldn't take it anymore and let out a cold snort.
What "Will of Fire"?
What "listening to teachings"?
Weren't the Uchiha supposed to be proud and aloof? Since when did an Uchiha brat walk in and start buttering the Hokage up like this? Where was the icy arrogance? The clan pride?
Damn Uchiha brats…
Danzo had never liked the clan to begin with; now he liked this one even less. A deep, poisonous malice flickered in his eyes.
That malice couldn't possibly escape Sogetsu's senses.
The man's etheric aura was a heavy, pitch-black smear; his hostility burned like open flame.
What is wrong with this fossil?
When did I ever offend him?
Sogetsu was genuinely baffled. In all these years he'd only met Danzo three times. Where had this mountain of hatred come from?
The Third Hokage, whose good mood had been interrupted, wasn't all that pleased either. He shot Danzo a sideways glance full of quiet displeasure.
But with someone else in the room, he let it pass. He cleared his throat twice.
"Uchiha Sogetsu, I'm glad you're willing to join ANBU. In a while, 'Elephant' will take you over so you can familiarize yourself with things. We'll discuss the rest later."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Sogetsu nodded, then turned and took his leave from the office.
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