Explosions roared violently, flames blazed fiercely, and deafening booms filled the air.
Not far from the borders of the Land of Fire, the continuous explosions quickly drew the attention of many.
From behind a large tree, Danzo Shimura emerged unscathed.
In the very last second before the explosion, he had used the Substitution Jutsu to switch his position.
Glaring at the relentless explosions in the distance, Danzo's face darkened like the bottom of a pot, countless questions swirling in his mind.
Who was it? Someone who avoided the Byakugan's surveillance and lurked underground?
What was the attacker's purpose in doing this?
Was the attacker encountered by chance, or had this been planned for a long time?
And why hasn't the explosion tags stopped detonating yet?
Though his mind was filled with doubts, there was no time for him to ponder further.
The commotion here was too loud, and it would easily draw the attention of both allies and enemies.
Thinking of this, Danzo's face darkened further, and he spoke in his deep, gravelly voice:
"Clean up. Retreat in three minutes!"
Upon hearing this, the numerous Root operatives disguised as Iwagakure ninjas nodded in unison.
In a room within the central tower of Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village), Kagami Uchiha lay on a bed, his pale face staring blankly at the white ceiling above. His mind replayed the events of his life like a revolving lantern.
In his childhood, he became a disciple of Tobirama Senju, basking in glory, once believing himself to be the pride of the Uchiha clan.
As a teenager, his talent was outstanding. Although younger than Hiruzen Sarutobi and others, his strength was not inferior in the slightest.
As a young adult, he was bright and cheerful, wholeheartedly embracing the Will of Fire, loving the village deeply and without a hint of darkness in his heart.
Then, his teacher, his protector, Tobirama Senju, passed away.
From that moment, Kagami Uchiha began to slowly glimpse the darkness within the village.
When Hiruzen succeeded as the Third Hokage, Tobirama's disciples formed a tight-knit power circle centered around Hiruzen to counterbalance the prominent clans within the village.
From that time, Kagami began to feel a sense of alienation.
Although everyone still appeared amicable on the surface, their words were laced with subtle superiority and distance.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane became part of Konoha's high council, while Danzo Shimura led the Root organization.
Even Torifu Akimichi, who had no interest in politics, was tasked by Hiruzen, under the guise of friendship, with defending Konoha's security.
Only Kagami seemed to have become an outsider to this circle.
What a sorrowful fate—to be marginalized.
Later, he met Rinjin, a kindred spirit.
Although their days together were pleasant, a deep bitterness lingered in Kagami's heart.
Eventually, he and Rinjin worked together to rescue Princess Tsunade, earning a period of universal admiration.
However, for reasons unknown, anti-Uchiha sentiments among the villagers grew immensely, and Kagami himself became a target of their hatred.
At this thought, Kagami slowly closed his eyes.
If he still couldn't figure out who was behind all this, then he would have lived in vain.
But that was not the worst of it. What truly broke his heart was Hiruzen Sarutobi's prolonged indifference.
When Kagami was ostracized by the villagers, Hiruzen did not step up to speak a fair word.
When Kagami was isolated by his clan and threatened by the clan leader, Hiruzen continued to feign ignorance.
When Kagami was expelled from the Uchiha clan, the Third Hokage offered only a few hollow words of comfort.
Kagami understood Hiruzen's difficulties; he could empathize.
But why was there still this lingering resentment in his heart?
At this thought, Kagami suddenly felt a deep hatred for his Uchiha surname and his coveted eyes.
Anger, hatred, resentment, loathing, disgust...
These emotions surged through his heart all at once.
Clenching his teeth, Kagami, despite his weakened state, summoned a burst of strength from somewhere deep within. He gouged out his own eyes and threw them forcefully aside.
Just then, the door swung open, and Rinjin, chewing on a toothpick, walked in. His gaze immediately fell on the eyeballs that had rolled to his feet, staring straight back at him.
"What the hell!"
"Are you out of your mind? Gouging out your eyes like that nearly gave me a heart attack!"
But in the next second, Rinjin quickly bent down, muttering about the "three-second rule" as he picked up Kagami's two eyeballs.
From the bed, Kagami, with empty eye sockets, stared blankly at the ceiling. Blood streamed steadily from the corners of his eyes as he weakly spoke.
"Rinjin, is that you?"
Hearing this, Rinjin sighed helplessly and replied, "Yeah, it's me."
As he spoke, Rinjin pulled out two white, clay-like chunks of flesh from who-knows-where and wrapped Kagami's eyeballs in them.
After kneading them casually for a moment, Rinjin walked over to the bed without pause.
At that moment, the bedridden Kagami, barely clinging to life, suddenly spoke.
"Rinjin, can I ask you for a favor?"
"Nope!"
Rinjin rejected him without hesitation, then stuffed the eyeballs, wrapped in the white flesh, back into Kagami's eye sockets.
The white chunks wriggled, slowly reconnecting Kagami's nerves and blood vessels.
The next second, Kagami slowly opened his eyes, staring speechlessly at Rinjin.
Well, great.
I was planning to entrust my eyes, my wife, and my children to you!
But you—you're something else! You just gave them back!
Wait a second! Why does my vision seem even sharper now?!
As Kagami sat there in stunned silence, Rinjin shrugged, still chewing on his toothpick, and grumbled, "You're a grown man, yet you throw your things around like that. Even little Rii—uh, I mean, even a nine-year-old knows to take care of their belongings!"
Hearing this, Kagami felt both exasperated and helpless.
Damn it, give me back my heartfelt moment!
This guy—he could turn any serious, touching moment into utter absurdity!
At that moment, Rinjin plopped down on the edge of the bed and spoke softly:
"The poison in you isn't serious. It's just chakra-suppressing. You'll recover after a few days of rest.
By the way, Kagami, do you have any plans now?"
Hearing this, Kagami froze slightly, his expression turning somber as he replied in a low voice.
"What plans could I possibly have? I've already fallen out with Danzo Shimura.
Go back to the village to expose him? Do you think I can take him on?"
"Nope! Public pressure alone could drive you to suicide!" Rinjin replied bluntly.
Hearing this, Kagami rolled his eyes in exasperation and shot Rinjin a glare.
The room fell silent.
After an unknown amount of time, Rinjin suddenly spat out his toothpick and sighed deeply.
"Kagami, why don't you stick with me? Bring your wife and kids here to Amegakure!
Hearing this, Kagami's eyes flickered, and a hint of struggle appeared on his face.
To be honest, he was tempted.
All the efforts Rinjin had made were not in vain; Kagami felt no aversion to him.
In fact, he quite enjoyed dealing with Rinjin.
But the thought of having his wife and children live in Amegakure didn't sit well with him.
Like most fathers, he would rather endure hardship himself, even work himself to death, than let his wife and children suffer alongside him.
With this in mind, Kagami struggled to sit up and looked at Rinjin, his gaze filled with a hint of pleading.
"Rinjin, will you accompany me to Konoha? I want to meet Danzo Shimura face-to-face!"
Kagami knew that only Rinjin could truly keep that old fox Danzo in check!
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