Land of Fire, Konohagakure – Village Gate.
Standing atop the village's defensive wall, Shōgetsu Uchiha wore his standard chūnin vest, eyes fixed on the departing motorcade of Cloud Country dignitaries. His Sharingan, now evolved into a three-tomoe form, flared with a deep crimson glow.
Only when Roy and Darui of Kumogakure had completely vanished from sight did he deactivate his kekkei genkai.
"I swear—I'll send you both straight to hell with my own hands."
With that unshakable vow burning in his heart, Shōgetsu turned and walked away.
Deep within the Foundation's underground base, Danzō Shimura, seated at the head of the chamber, had just received word of the Cloud delegation's departure.
"Lord Danzō, the Cloud shinobi have left the village."
A Root shinobi wearing a tiger-themed mask and known only by the codename Chitora (Earth Tiger) knelt before him, delivering the report with absolute deference.
"Proceed as planned,"
Danzō ordered coldly.
"Understood."
Without hesitation, Chitora disappeared in a blur, knowing well the mission ahead would be far from easy.
"Hiruzen… If you lack the resolve, then I'll carry it out myself."
As Chitora departed, Danzō muttered, then turned his mind to another matter—Veigar Koshima. A shadow crossed his face as he addressed the empty room.
"Bird, any word on Veigar's whereabouts?"
No sooner had he spoken than a Root shinobi in a bird-shaped mask emerged from the shadows, kneeling wordlessly before him.
"Yes, my lord. Target confirmed—currently residing in Jōnin Minato Namikaze's household."
Since Dove had been eliminated the previous night, Bird had taken over his duties. Finding Veigar was now his first and foremost priority.
"Bring him to the Root. Do not alert anyone—not even Minato."
A gleam flashed through Danzō's eyes as he issued the command.
"Yes, sir."
Bird departed swiftly.
Back at Minato Namikaze's home, Veigar Koshima was calculating that the Cloud emissaries should have exited Konoha by now. He finally let out a breath of relief—completely unaware that he was about to receive a "summons" from the Root.
By midday, Shōgetsu Uchiha had arrived at a local yakiniku restaurant, where he had arranged to meet Kōtarō Akiyama and his mentor, Masahi Yūhi.
"Masahi-sensei, Kōtarō—I'm sorry I'm late."
As he opened the private second-floor dining room's door and saw the two already seated inside, he quickly offered his apology.
"It's alright—we only just got here."
"Yeah! And congrats on becoming a chūnin, Shōgetsu."
The two responded warmly to his apology.
Seeing Shōgetsu still standing at the door, Masahi Yūhi waved him over.
"Come on, sit down. To celebrate your promotion, Sensei is treating today—eat your fill!"
The three dug into their meal with gusto, each of them nearly full when Masahi finally set his chopsticks down and turned to Shōgetsu.
"So, have you made your decision?"
Shōgetsu slowly followed suit, placing his own chopsticks down. He looked at Masahi, then at Kōtarō before nodding solemnly.
"Yes, Sensei. I've made up my mind."
Kōtarō, seated beside him, leaned in curiously.
"And what decision did you make?"
"Last night, I turned down the Clan Head's offer to join the Konoha Police Force."
At this revelation, Masahi stared intently at Shōgetsu for several seconds.
"Is this… because of Hoshino Sarutobi?"
The moment that name was spoken, a heaviness filled the room. Kōtarō's face grew somber, his eyes clouded with memory. He gave a slow, silent nod.
Masahi could only sigh.
"Sigh…"
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, joining the Konoha Police Force would've been a natural, prestigious path forward.
But Shōgetsu had chosen differently—driven by vengeance.
"Since you've already chosen, Sensei will respect your decision," Masahi said after a long moment.
He paused, then added:
"But that does mean you'll be joining a new shinobi team."
Shōgetsu and Kōtarō both looked confused.
"Sensei, what do you mean?" Kōtarō asked, puzzled.
Shōgetsu mirrored his question with a furrowed brow.
"It's because I've received a new mission from the Third Hokage," Masahi explained, trying to keep his tone light.
"Starting yesterday—right after you became a chūnin—I was reassigned. I'll no longer be your squad's jonin instructor."
"So, since you turned down the Police Force, you'll either be placed on another team or form a new chūnin unit with other ninja in the village."
Shōgetsu nodded in understanding.
"Don't worry, Sensei. No matter what, I'll avenge Hoshino with these eyes of mine."
The surge of rage awakened within him once again, and his three-tomoe Sharingan flared instinctively.
Masahi froze—then exclaimed in awe:
"Your Sharingan… it's evolved into three tomoe already?!"
Just yesterday, Masahi had seen that Shōgetsu's eyes were only at the two-tomoe stage. He hadn't expected such rapid growth in a single night.
But then it dawned on him: the emotional trauma from Hoshino Sarutobi's death must've been what triggered the evolution.
Shōgetsu gave a solemn nod, and while Masahi felt a swell of pride, he couldn't bring himself to say "Congratulations." Not under these circumstances.
For a long moment, he was speechless.
Kōtarō, hearing Masahi's announcement about his reassignment, lowered his head guiltily.
"Sensei… you're stepping down as our instructor because of me, aren't you?"
His voice was soft, heavy with remorse.
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