In November of Konoha's thirty-fourth year, heavy snow had already blanketed most regions of the Land of Fire. The sudden, relentless snowfall wrapped the Daimyo's palace in a layer of silver, giving it a cold and solemn beauty.
For Uchiha Hayashi, the timing of the news about Fugaku made no sense.
With his naturally cautious and slightly paranoid disposition, his first thought was not grief or curiosity, but suspicion. He even considered the possibility that this was Uchiha Madara's bait, a deliberate attempt to lure him away from the Daimyo's palace.
The problem was that the bait was far too obvious, and far too tempting.
Fugaku's incident had supposedly occurred in the Land of Rainbows, yet the trail suddenly appeared near the border of the Land of Fire. Even crossing the sea should follow basic logic. This made the entire situation reek of something unnatural.
As for curiosity, Hayashi lacked it entirely. Curiosity got people killed, and he had no interest in becoming a lesson for future generations.
More importantly, he was not Fugaku's father.
The death of the young clan head, tragic as it was, had nothing to do with him. Preserving his own life came first. If he rushed to the border only to be ambushed by ninjas under Madara's control, he would not even have the dignity of regret.
The last person who acted so recklessly had grass growing over his grave. Hayashi knew his own limits. His strength was nowhere near that of the Second Hokage, and his escape techniques were even worse. He had no desire to be remembered as a cautionary tale beneath a loquat tree.
After careful consideration, he issued only one order, the Anbu were to investigate discreetly. As for him, he continued his calm and uneventful life within the Daimyo's palace.
Half a month passed in peace.
One day, after completing his routine patrol, Hayashi was preparing to return to his quarters when a ninja hawk appeared in the sky once more.
This time, it carried a distress signal.
Using a specific decoding technique, he opened the scroll and immediately recognized the name written inside.
Fujiwara Shu.
According to the report, Fujiwara Shu had encountered a Konoha rogue ninja during a mission. He had been caught in a surprise attack, severely injured, and was requesting immediate support.
Among the Anbu under his command, Fujiwara Shu was one of the people Hayashi trusted most, second only to Shinnosuke. The two had fought side by side in the Land of Rain, and it was precisely because of that experience that the Third Hokage had transferred Fujiwara Shu under Hayashi's leadership.
There was no hesitation.
Hayashi gathered his equipment, briefly explained the situation to Mikoto and Himeji, and left the palace at once.
Fujiwara Shu was less than two hundred miles from the Daimyo's palace. The distance was not great, and as the captain of the squad, Hayashi could not ignore a subordinate in danger.
As for the possibility of a trap, Hayashi dismissed it after a brief analysis. No matter how powerful Madara was, his influence could not fully extend into the Land of Fire.
Especially not to the point of mobilizing a large group of ninjas without drawing attention.
Since it was unlikely to be Madara's work, there was no reason to hesitate.
There were only thieves who acted without restraint, never guards who watched forever.
If this had happened outside the Land of Fire, Hayashi would not have gone. But if something occurred so close to the Daimyo's palace and he still dared not respond, then he might as well quit being a ninja and raise pigs.
Even so, caution remained his habit.
Before departing, he sent a secret message via ninja hawk to Shinnosuke, instructing him to bring additional Anbu to the location.
Traveling at full speed, two hundred miles passed quickly.
However, when Hayashi arrived at the designated area and saw the figure seated calmly by the stream, his steps halted.
The man sitting there was unmistakable.
Uchiha Yama.
Hayashi's expression sharpened instantly.
Uchiha Yama finished a pot of wine, tossed the empty container into the flowing water, and stood up leisurely.
"You've come."
Hayashi did not approach. He maintained a distance of nearly two hundred meters and spoke calmly.
"Judging by your tone, Clan Head, it seems you have been waiting for me for quite some time."
As he spoke, the Dabai on his body conducted a thorough scan of the surroundings. No other chakra signatures appeared.
Uchiha Yama's deep voice followed.
"There is only me here. No barriers, no traps. You can relax."
"So you came specifically to wait for me?"
After confirming there was no immediate danger, Hayashi relaxed slightly. With his current strength, he was not afraid of Uchiha Yama.
"That's right." Uchiha Yama chuckled. "I thought Fugaku's news would draw you out immediately. I didn't expect you to ignore it. It seems you value your subordinates more than I expected."
Hayashi's pupils contracted.
"So all those messages were sent by you? I thought…"
"What did you think?"
"It doesn't matter." Hayashi shook his head. "Where are my subordinates?"
"I used genjutsu on them earlier," Uchiha Yama replied calmly. "As for now, they're dead."
Hayashi's gaze darkened.
"So someone is helping you behind the scenes."
Uchiha Yama raised an eyebrow with interest. "And how do you know that?"
"With your ability to infiltrate the Anbu, gathering precise intelligence would be difficult," Hayashi said coldly. "Finding my men and luring me out would be impossible without outside assistance."
Unbothered by the sarcasm, Uchiha Yama smiled faintly.
"Don't you want to know who it is?"
"I don't."
"What, afraid it might be someone you know?"
"Cheap reverse psychology," Hayashi replied. "Enough talk. What is your goal? You didn't come all this way to reminisce."
"Of course not."
Uchiha Yama fell silent for a moment before asking, "Hayashi, how have I treated you over the years?"
"Very well," Hayashi replied flatly. "Aside from exiling me to a remote corner as a child, allowing clan members to bully me, and pretending none of it happened."
"I compensated you," Uchiha Yama said. "Without my help, would you have become Orochimaru's disciple?"
Hayashi cut him off. "Get to the point."
"I want you to join me."
Uchiha Yama stepped forward and extended his right hand.
"Fugaku is dead. You are alive. You are the most gifted genius of the Uchiha. I will fully support you as the Fourth Hokage. In exchange, become my adopted son and remove a few obstacles."
"As long as you do that, the position of young clan head will be yours."
Hayashi stared at the man whose hair had turned white almost overnight. After a long pause, he shook his head.
"Clan Head, I am truly saddened by your son's death," he said slowly. "But you are clearly not thinking straight. Did you forget your medicine before leaving the village?"
"So you're rejecting me?"
"Obviously," Hayashi replied with a shrug. "I don't have the habit of calling someone else my father."
"I expected this," Uchiha Yama said calmly. "Still, I had to ask. Since that's your answer, don't blame me for not offering mercy."
Hayashi let out a quiet chuckle.
"Confidence is admirable. Too much of it becomes arrogance. Do you really think you can kill me? Do you still see me as that child in your study eight years ago?"
"Even if I leave right now, can you stop me?"
"No," Uchiha Yama admitted, narrowing his eyes. "But if you leave, you will never learn how Kagami died."
Hayashi froze.
"What did you say?"
"I'm sure you heard me."
Silence followed.
"Look around," Uchiha Yama said softly. "Do you know where we are?"
Hayashi finally examined the surroundings carefully.
A forest stretched into the distance. Nearby was a wide, open field. Hidden among the weeds were faint traces of old human activity.
"This was once a village," Uchiha Yama continued. "One that disappeared long ago."
"Villages vanish every year in the Land of Fire," Hayashi replied.
"Yes," Uchiha Yama agreed. "But this one is special. Fourteen years ago, an ambush took place here."
"That ambush forced the remaining villagers to flee."
"Fourteen years ago," Hayashi repeated quietly.
"That's right," Uchiha Yama said. "This is where your father, Uchiha Kagami, was ambushed and killed."
His smile deepened.
"Fourteen years have passed in the blink of an eye. Aside from one other person, I am the only one who knows the full truth."
"I made a deal with him. In exchange, I recovered your father's Sharingan."
He tapped his left eye lightly.
"So tell me, do you still want to leave?"
Hayashi lifted his head.
"No," he said calmly. "I don't want to leave anymore. I want to kill you first, then leave."
Uchiha Yama laughed loudly.
"Then come. Defeat me, and I will tell you who attacked your father, and who gave me this eye."
The snow continued to fall.
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