As night deepened, the lights of Konoha Village flickered on one by one along the streets and alleys. The stone paths of the Uchiha Clan Compound still held the lingering warmth of the day, and the evening breeze swept up a few scattered cherry blossom petals.
Uchiha Shao Yu stepped through the moonlight, walking quickly through the familiar streets. The echoes of his clansmen's shouts still rang in his mind, but at this moment, his greatest concern was the small figure back at the house.
Possessing the memories of the Original Owner, he felt some affection for Shisui, his 'cheap' younger brother.
When he pushed open the wooden gate of his small courtyard, the warm yellow light from inside spilled through the cracks in the door, illuminating the stone steps at the entrance.
He tapped gently on the door panel. Immediately, a hurried set of footsteps sounded from inside. Then, with a creak, the wooden door was pulled open, and a small face, childish yet filled with worry, peeked out.
It was his younger brother, Uchiha Shisui.
Shisui's eyes were still rimmed with red, and his long eyelashes seemed to hold traces of undried tears.
When he saw Uchiha Shao Yu standing at the door, he froze for a moment. Then, a light of pleasant surprise erupted in his eyes; his little mouth puckered, and tears began to fall again.
"older brother! You're back!"
He lunged into Uchiha Shao Yu's arms, his small arms tightly hugging his brother's waist as he rubbed his head against his chest. His crying was filled with a sense of grievance and lingering fear.
"I didn't see you in the house just now, I thought you were gone..."
Uchiha Shao Yu felt a warmth in his heart. He reached out and gently stroked Shisui's hair, feeling the softness of the strands. He softened his voice, his tone full of tenderness.
"Silly boy, why are you crying? Didn't big brother come back perfectly fine?"
He pulled Shisui back slightly, letting him look at his face.
"See? The wounds on big brother's body are almost all healed. There's nothing wrong at all. I won't let you worry ever again."
Shisui raised his tear-stained little face and reached out to cautiously touch the places on Uchiha Shao Yu's arm where bandages had once been wrapped. Feeling that the skin there was smooth and even, with no trace of a wound, he finally broke into a smile through his tears.
He wiped the tears from his face with the back of his hand, his nose still twitching slightly, but he smiled like a child who had just received candy.
"That's great... It's good that big brother is okay..."
Uchiha Shao Yu took Shisui's hand and walked into the house. The furnishings were simple but cozy, and a bowl of untouched rice porridge sat on the table, clearly left there specifically for him by Shisui.
He pulled Shisui down to sit by the table, picked up the chopsticks, and said with a smile.
"It just so happens big brother is hungry. Come eat a bit with me."
Shisui nodded vigorously and hurriedly picked up his own small bowl, filling it with porridge. He took small sips, occasionally looking up at Uchiha Yu with eyes full of reliance.
While eating the porridge, Uchiha Shao Yu softly asked Shisui about the past few days. Upon learning that Shisui had been cared for by the clan elders after his injury and hadn't been frightened, he finally felt completely at ease.
Just as the two were chatting warmly and Uchiha Shao Yu was patiently telling Shisui not to go out alone in the future, a sudden clamor of footsteps came from outside the courtyard, accompanied by the scolding voices of clansmen, shattering the silence.
Uchiha Shao Yu's brow furrowed instantly. He put down his chopsticks, his gaze becoming alert.
At this hour, why was it so noisy at the perimeter of the clan compound?
He patted Shisui's shoulder reassuringly: "Stay in the house and don't go out. Big brother is going to take a look."
Shisui grabbed his sleeve with some fear: "Big brother, did something happen outside?"
"Don't be afraid, big brother is here."
Uchiha Shao Yu gently pried Shisui's hand away, just as a cold and familiar voice came from outside the courtyard. That voice carried an unquestionable authority, yet it was laced with a hint of gloom.
"I am the Hokages Assistant, here by the order of Hokage-sama. Who among you Uchiha Clan members dares to stop me?"
Uchiha Shao Yu's heart sank. Danzo! Why would he suddenly come to the Uchiha Clan Compound?
He didn't go out immediately but instead peeked through the crack in the door. At the entrance to the clan compound, a dozen or so men in black wearing animal masks were standing there. The man at the lead wore dark robes; his exposed half-face was covered in wrinkles, and his gaze was as cold as a venomous snake. It was indeed Danzo Shimura.
Behind him, the Root Ninjas were armed and aggressive, while several guards of the Uchiha Clan Compound stood before them, their faces flushed with anger, yet they dared not speak out.
"Lord Danzo, barging into our Uchiha Clan Compound late at night—you must give us an explanation!"
A guard said through gritted teeth, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Danzo gave a cold laugh, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding Uchiha clansmen, his tone filled with contempt.
"An explanation? I suspect someone in your Uchiha Clan of treason for deliberately letting the One-Tails Jinchuriki escape. I have come this time to take the suspect back to Root for interrogation. That is the explanation!"
"Treason? Who?"
The surrounding Uchiha clansmen instantly erupted in an uproar, shouting questions one after another.
Danzo's gaze moved slowly, finally landing in the direction of Uchiha Yu's house, his voice suddenly rising: "Uchiha Shao Yu!"
"Bullshit!"
Several Uchiha clansmen said angrily.
These people were all from the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan who usually respected Uchiha Yu very much. How could they allow an old fossil like Danzo to slander Brother Yu here?
The other Uchiha clansmen also glared at Danzo. They generally knew what was going on and were well aware that this old fossil was just here to cause trouble.
Looking at the agitated Uchiha Clan, Danzo began to break into a cold sweat.
Although he was the Hokages Assistant and these Uchiha should not make a move against him, if a fight really broke out, his dozen or so people really wouldn't be enough to handle these Uchiha clansmen.
Just then, the crowd parted to make a path, and a dignified middle-aged man wearing Uchiha Clan robes walked out. It was the head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Tenjima.
He walked up to Danzo, his expression calm but carrying a trace of imperceptible anger.
"Lord Danzo, visiting late at night and making such claims—I wonder if you have any evidence? Uchiha Shao Yu is a genius Ninja of our Uchiha Clan and has contributed much to the clan. To say he committed treason is far too arbitrary."
Danzo glanced at Uchiha Tenjima, his tone remaining cold.
Now that Tenjima had arrived, he was no longer afraid of being beaten by these Uchiha clansmen.
"Evidence? Once I take him back to Root for interrogation, the evidence will naturally be found. Patriarch Tenjima, you had better not obstruct me in the execution of my duties. Otherwise, you will be making an enemy of the Konoha high-ranking officials."
Uchiha Tenjima's face instantly turned ugly. He knew Danzo's character; the man had always been overbearing and had long held a grudge against the Uchiha Clan. Now, deliberately finding an excuse to target Uchiha Yu was clearly done with ulterior motives.
But Danzo was, after all, the Hokages Assistant and held the power of Root. If they truly had a falling out, it would be of no benefit to the Uchiha Clan.
He suppressed the anger in his heart and said with a forced smile.
"Lord Danzo, even if an interrogation is necessary, it should be handled by the Konoha Military Police Force rather than your Root overstepping its bounds. Furthermore, Uchiha Shao Yu just went through a battle a few days ago and was seriously injured. He is currently recuperating and truly should not be moved."
"Seriously injured?"
A trace of amusement flashed in Danzo's eyes, followed by a cold snort.
"Whether he is truly injured will be clear once he is brought back to Root. Patriarch Tenjima, if you continue to obstruct me, do not blame me for being impolite."
The two sides fell into a stalemate. The Uchiha clansmen surrounded them, each glaring with fury, yet because of Danzo's status and the deterrence of the Root Ninjas, they could not step forward.
Meanwhile, the Root Ninjas brought by Danzo watched the surroundings alertly, ready to act at any moment.
Being stared at by a group of guys with 'red-eye disease,' the pressure was truly explosive.
No one noticed that, under the cover of the crowd, three Root Ninjas wearing fox masks had quietly left the group and were creeping toward Uchiha Shao Yu's house along the alleys of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
The order they had received was to take advantage of the chaos to infiltrate Uchiha Shao Yu's residence and directly take him away while he was still heavily injured.
Danzo calculated that Uchiha Yu's injuries had not yet healed and he would be unable to resist. As long as they brought the person to Root, even if Uchiha Tenjima was dissatisfied, there would be nothing he could do.
At this time, Uchiha Shao Yu was still in the courtyard. Listening to the dispute outside, he already understood Danzo's intentions.
He turned back into the house and saw Shisui huddling in the corner in fear. He hurried over, knelt down, and took Shisui's hand.
"Shisui, don't be afraid. Big brother will be fine. No matter what happens outside later, you stay in the house. Do not go out, do you understand?"
Shisui nodded vigorously, tears starting to well up in his eyes again.
"Big brother, are they coming to catch you?"
"No, they won't."
Uchiha Shao Yu smiled and reached out to wipe the tears from the corners of Shisui's eyes.
"Big brother is better now; I can protect myself and I can protect you. Stay here and be good. Big brother is going to handle some business and will be back very soon."
Just as he finished speaking, the wooden gate of the courtyard was suddenly kicked open with a loud 'bang.' Three Root Ninjas wearing fox masks rushed in, the Kunai in their hands glinting with a cold light as they headed straight for Uchiha Yu.
"Uchiha Shao Yu, come with us!"
The leading Root Ninja's voice was hoarse and his tone cold, clearly not taking this 'unrecovered' Uchiha clansman seriously.
Uchiha Shao Yu's gaze turned cold. He shielded Shisui behind him and slowly stood up.
There was no trace of Chakra leaking from his body, yet in the depths of those black pupils, a hint of crimson quietly surfaced.
Three Special Jonin.
It was just the right time to test his current body.
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808