It had been over four years since the Nine-Tails' rampage.
As time wore on, Sarutobi Hiruzen was no longer the tireless young man he once was. Even basic tasks like handling village affairs were starting to feel draining. Lately, two issues had been weighing heavily on his mind.
One came from outside the village.
With the Fourth Hokage and Kushina gone, and the three legendary Sannin having left one by one, the Hidden Cloud Village had sensed Konoha's weakness and was getting restless.
The other issue was internal—
Reports indicated growing discontent within the Uchiha clan toward the village leadership, and it was only getting worse. The Uchiha's police force had become increasingly strict in their enforcement, stirring up resentment among the villagers.
If things kept spiraling, the situation could turn ugly, threatening the very foundation of the village.
"Sigh… I hope Fugaku can see the bigger picture and make the right call…"
Hiruzen let out a weary sigh, pulling a crystal ball from his drawer. "Let's check on that little guy Naruto. It's been a while, and I wonder how he's doing."
He formed hand signs, activating the Telescope Technique.
And then…
He saw the commercial street where Naruto was, and standing next to the spiky blond kid was a figure in Warring States-style clothing. Crimson eyes, black hair splayed like a hedgehog's quills, exuding an unmistakable aura of bold defiance. Even through the crystal, that presence hit like a tidal wave, eerily reminiscent of someone etched deep in Hiruzen's memory.
"What the—?!"
For a split second, Hiruzen froze, his old, tired eyes widening to their limit.
*Holy crap, is that Uchiha Madara?!*
But he quickly snapped out of it.
No, something's off.
The vibe was similar, but the age and gender didn't match. Besides, Uchiha Madara was killed by the First Hokage in the Valley of the End—there's no way he'd be alive now.
So… when did the Uchiha clan produce someone like this? To awaken a three-tomoe Sharingan at such a young age—she's clearly a prodigy. Why hadn't Shisui ever mentioned her? Who allowed her to approach the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki? What are the Uchiha up to?!
A flood of questions sparked an uneasy feeling in Hiruzen's gut.
"Lord Third!"
The office door swung open.
An Anbu with a gorilla mask, broad and imposing, strode in. "I need to report something—"
"Not now, I've got something urgent to handle…"
Hiruzen was already rising from his desk, reaching for his cloak to head out.
But the Anbu pressed on. "Please, Father—er, this is critical! Last night, Ibiki's squad found signs of an explosion in Aoki Forest, north of the village, and clashed with an unknown enemy. The sealing team, with help from a hidden Senju scroll, confirmed it was the site of a Warring States-era Uchiha's seal!"
"You call me *Lord Hokage* in public!"
Hiruzen paused mid-step, turning to face Sarutobi Shinnosuke with a stern correction before processing his words. "Wait, what did you say? A Warring States-era Uchiha?"
"Yes, we don't have precise details yet, but based on the seal's complexity, she likely had eyes on par with Uchiha Madara's, which is why it was so heavily guarded…"
As Shinnosuke spoke, Hiruzen's gaze snapped back to the crystal ball on his desk.
That figure who looked so much like Madara…
Could it be *her*?!
---
"Need some help?"
In front of the shop, Uchiha Hikari repeated her question.
Naruto stared at her blankly, not responding, until she grabbed his wrist and pulled him to his feet, gently brushing the dirt off him.
It was a casual gesture, nothing special to Hikari.
But Naruto froze. His big, blue eyes suddenly welled up with tears. No matter how hard he wiped, they kept coming. "Th-thank you…"
"…What's with the waterworks? If you get dirt in your eyes, don't expect me to clean them."
Hikari used her sleeve to wipe a scrape on Naruto's hand, then turned to the onlookers across the street.
"You lot, pick up the coins on the ground."
The parents of the kid from earlier, along with two Anbu, were already on their knees, trembling as if they'd seen something terrifying. Against ninjas of their level, Hikari didn't even need to go all out—just a three-tomoe Sharingan and a quick cast of *Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes* was enough to paralyze them.
Her actions, however, revealed her Sharingan.
"Those eyes… she's an Uchiha!"
"The Uchiha are attacking Anbu?! Are they really going to—?"
"Quick, pick up the money! She's looking this way!"
Under the weight of her killing intent, the onlookers' legs turned to jelly, barely able to move. Finally, one person took the lead, and the others mustered the courage to gather the scattered coins. A trembling ninja with a Konoha headband handed them to Hikari.
Once she took them, the group scrambled back, some tripping over themselves as they fled.
(*Huh… did I just make things worse between the Uchiha and Konoha?*)
Hikari blinked.
She didn't dwell on it, though. Turning back, she pressed the coins into Naruto's hands. "Here, take these. They're yours."
"Oh, you were trying to buy that mask, right?"
As Hikari looked up, the toy shop owner's teeth started chattering. He hurriedly grabbed a pile of masks from his shop and stammered, "P-please, take whichever you like, no charge…"
"Naruto?" Hikari tilted her head.
The blond kid snapped back to his original goal. He hesitated, glancing between her and the shopkeeper, then pointed at a fox mask on top with his uninjured hand. Digging into his pocket, he counted out a few coins. "This is triple the price we agreed on…"
"…"
The shopkeeper didn't dare take them, shooting a pleading look at Hikari.
Hikari casually plucked a 500-yen coin from Naruto's hand and tossed it over. "Keep the change."
"But this amount…"
The shopkeeper started to protest, but under Hikari's calm, almost *too* friendly gaze, he swallowed the words "isn't enough."
With that settled, Hikari watched Naruto tuck away the mask and coins before pulling him along to leave.
Their footsteps crunched softly on the stone path as they walked.
Naruto kept glancing back, sneaking peeks at Hikari. After a while, he cautiously looked up at her. "Big sis… why'd you help me?"
*(End of Chapter)*