Konoha Village.
The afternoon sun shone brightly on the clean and bustling streets of Konoha. People moved about, chatting and laughing, filling the air with a lively energy.
Taking advantage of a rare moment of leisure, Rinjin strolled through the streets with Rii, who was curiously glancing around at the various shops and stalls.
As Rii peeked into a sweets shop, a scruffy man with sunken eyes slowly emerged at the far end of the street.
As he drew closer, Rinjin recognized him—it was none other than Kagami Uchiha.
"Hey, Kagami!" Rinjin called out, waving at the lifeless-looking man.
Hearing the greeting, Kagami weakly raised a hand in acknowledgment and walked over to Rinjin.
Noticing his usually spirited friend looking so dejected, Rinjin couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? You look like you haven't slept in days."
With a weary sigh, Kagami replied in a low voice, "You guessed right. I haven't had a proper night's sleep in four or five days."
"Oh?" Rinjin immediately leaned in with a mischievous grin, teasing, "Did your wife keep you up? Maybe she dragged you to bed for some quality time? Or perhaps a kiss from a middle-aged couple gave you nightmares for days?"
Hearing this, Kagami couldn't help but chuckle bitterly, covering his face with his hand. Shaking his head, he replied, "None of that. It's all because of the iron ore mess!"
At those words, Rinjin's eyes darkened slightly, and he let out a silent sigh in his heart.
Kagami, don't blame me! If I don't drag you to Amegakure, you might not survive for long. And if you fall, your descendant, Shisui Uchiha, won't fare much better.
Unaware of Rinjin's inner turmoil, Kagami grabbed his friend's arm and led him toward a nearby izakaya. Seeing this, Rinjin called out to Rii before following Kagami inside.
Inside the izakaya, familiar shinobi sat in small groups, drinking and chatting.
However, the moment they noticed Kagami, their gazes shifted elsewhere, avoiding him entirely.
For some reason, word had spread about the Uchiha clan's involvement in the iron ore debacle.
While many despised the true mastermind—Shimura Tantantan, the younger brother of Danzō—the Uchiha clan's actions had drawn even more scorn.
Why should the Uchiha get special treatment? Just because their eyes are redder than ours?
In a village like Kumo, where strength and loud voices ruled, such issues would rarely arise. But in Konoha, gossip and judgment were inevitable.
Noticing the subtle yet disdainful glances around him, Kagami's expression grew even darker.
Those sideways looks seemed to mock him, as if all his past efforts to integrate the Uchiha into the village had been in vain.
With his head lowered, Kagami walked to the farthest corner of the izakaya, away from prying eyes, and silently took a seat.
Rinjin, with Rii in tow, sat down at the same table.
"Edamame, fried chicken, pickled cucumbers, and sake," Rinjin said, raising his hand to place the order.
After ordering, Rinjin propped his elbow on the table and leaned toward Kagami, lowering his voice. "So, what exactly happened? Tell me the details."
Seeing Rinjin lean in, Kagami instinctively wanted to pull away. Associating with the Uchiha clan, whose reputation was currently in shambles, wouldn't do Rinjin any favors.
But he suppressed the urge, a flicker of gratitude flashing in his dark eyes. In a low voice, he began to explain.
"A while ago, the clan ran into some trouble. During a clan leaders' meeting, our clan head was set up by Tantantan, Danzō's brother. At first, only the clan elders and the head knew about it.
But somehow, word got out, and now the entire village knows.
When I heard the news, I confronted the clan head for details.
That guy… not only did he show no remorse, but he also blamed me for failing to secure a position in the village's leadership.
And then… and then…"
Kagami sighed heavily, his frustration evident.
"After that, the villagers—whether civilians, other clans, or even people I've helped—started treating me with nothing but coldness."
Hearing this, Rinjin remained silent, lost in thought.
At that moment, Rii suddenly spoke up.
"Kagami-ojisan, you're too naive!"
Surprised by the unexpected comment, Kagami raised an eyebrow and looked at Rii with curiosity. Despite her young age, he didn't underestimate the girl who once bluntly pointed out humanity's arrogance.
"Rii-chan, how am I naive?"
"You're just naive, that's all! You don't understand the Will of Fire properly."
"Oh?" Kagami leaned forward, intrigued. "Then tell me, what is the Will of Fire?"
With a proud tilt of her head, Rii glanced at Rinjin before answering confidently, "The Will of Fire? That's easy! It's just old folks protecting the young, the young growing up to become old folks who protect the next generation, and everyone living happily ever after as one big, prosperous family!"
Hearing this, Kagami's mouth twitched slightly. One big, prosperous family? Something about that sounds… off.
After finishing her explanation, Rii sneaked another glance at Rinjin. Seeing no reaction from him, she continued, "Kagami-ojisan, your ultimate goal is to integrate the Uchiha clan into Konoha, right? To make everyone equal?"
Kagami nodded instinctively, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Seeing this, a sly glint flashed in Rii's eyes. She began to analyze, "Then you need to tackle this step by step.
First, you have to understand that forcing things won't work. Within your clan, there are probably people like you who genuinely want to stay in the village.
Then there are those who want to stay but crave power.
And, of course, there are those who are disillusioned with the village and want to leave, though they might not openly admit it.
If the Will of Fire is about making everyone in the village one big family, without distinctions between powerful clans and ordinary ones, then why cling so tightly to the Uchiha name?
That's why I say you're naive.
Why carry the heavy burden of the Uchiha name alone? Let those who want to leave, leave; let those who want to live peacefully, live peacefully; and let those who crave power, fight for it themselves.
Your approach is no different from the clan elders who are obsessed with power."
"And what should I do then?" Kagami asked, his face expressionless.
"Simple—do nothing. If you want to fully embrace the Will of Fire, you have to forget your clan, forget your name!"
"And have you forgotten your name, Rii?" Kagami asked again.
Scratching her head, Rii chuckled and shook her head. "Nope! I'm not from Konoha. The Will of Fire has nothing to do with me!"
Hearing this, Kagami couldn't help but roll his eyes.
This girl reminded him too much of a younger Rinjin, a smaller version of the troublemaker sitting beside him.
Glancing at Rinjin, who wore a similarly exasperated expression, Kagami sighed inwardly.
This brat… Who taught her to twist the Will of Fire into such nonsense?
At that moment, Kagami picked up the sake that had been quietly delivered to their table and took a slow sip.
"What if," he began, "just what if, I still want to help the Uchiha integrate into Konoha?"
Hearing this, Rii, who had been eyeing the sake bottle, snorted and declared, "Then you're just burning yourself out for nothing! The clan elders are a cancer, a stubborn stain, a festering infection. Get rid of them all! They only spread their toxic ideas to the next generation. Wipe them out, and the wound will finally heal."
Her words were chilling, her tone dripping with murderous intent. Yet, without a care for the atmosphere she'd created, she pointed at the sake bottle and looked at Rinjin with wide eyes.
"Big brother, I want some of that!"
Unfazed, Rinjin nodded calmly. "Decide for yourself."
Delighted, Rii jumped up and reached for the sake bottle.
Startled, Kagami quickly snatched it away, glaring at Rinjin.
"Rinjin, how can you let her drink? She's not even of age!"
"I didn't say yes. I just told her to make her own decisions. She's eleven now! When I was eleven, I was scheming against the Raikage in Kumo and arm-wrestling tailed beasts. Why can't she decide whether or not to drink?"
Hearing this, Kagami rolled his eyes but stubbornly clutched the sake bottle.
Though he didn't take Rii's words seriously, the strange thing about words is that some, no matter how important, are easily forgotten, while others, no matter how much you want to ignore them, resurface at critical moments.
Perhaps, only when Kagami Uchiha found himself cornered would he recall what Rii had said that day.
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