Nightfall descended, a bright full moon rose high, and the river mirrored the starlit sky. From time to time, startled egrets scattered into flight.
Kurenai Yuhi crouched low in the riverside underbrush.
Asuma and the others stood silently in the trees above.
Five people and a dog—watching the upper reaches of this not-too-wide river with unwavering focus.
The river wind rustled Kurenai's softly curled black hair as it brushed across her forehead.
Her graceful silhouette hovered just above the water's surface, her white feet barely disturbing it, her presence captivating as the moonlight shimmered around her.
Just a few minutes ago—
Asuma had led the team to set explosive tag traps across the river. For any ordinary ninja—even a Jonin—stepping into the danger zone without caution would mean certain death.
Kurenai's almond-shaped eyes betrayed her worry. She feared Yu would show up. She also feared he wouldn't.
Her breathing grew rapid. Her heart pounded wildly.
If Yu did come—
She would have to act fast and save him before the traps were triggered. As for the other Uchihas? She could leave them to their fate.
Her pupils trembled slightly as she made up her mind. She wasn't someone who hesitated once a decision was made. When she resolved to do something, she committed.
That decisive spirit—
Was born from the night of the Nine-Tails disaster.
Her father, Yuhi Shinku—a Genin, Chunin instructor of Konoha—had been in charge of protecting and evacuating the newly graduated Genin from Kurenai's class.
He treated her like a child.
But that night, under his pressure, Kurenai stood up and declared that as Konoha shinobi, even if they couldn't fight, they should at least help with rescue missions.
That same night, she had poured her heart out to her classmates—Might Guy, Kakashi, and the rest.
Her courage earned her father's approval, and he entrusted her with the Will of Fire.
But what no one knew—
Was that the one who encouraged her to express herself, the one who stood beside her that night, comforting and pushing her forward, was Uchiha Yu.
While she hesitated—
It was Yu who gave her that final nudge.
And it was that same night—
She had watched, with her own eyes, as her father and other Jonin sacrificed themselves under the claws of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
If Yu hadn't encouraged her to speak up, her fellow Genin might have been evacuated and protected.
And she would never have been able to stay by her father's side as he lay dying, calling out her name with his final breath—never able to give him peace.
"Kurenai, what are you thinking about?"
Asuma, noticing her dazed expression, jumped down from the tree and asked curiously.
Kurenai snapped out of it, stepped back half a pace to create some distance between them, and shook her head. "Nothing."
Asuma frowned, gave a bitter smile, then leapt back into the trees.
---
Meanwhile—
Halfway up Mt. Kikyo, where the forest grew thick—
The Uchiha defectors had entered the mountain paths. To their east was Kikyo City, its lights glowing like stars, and the winding silver ribbon of the river.
"Achoo—!"
Yu sneezed, then wiped his nose with a gloved hand. His cold and aloof expression quickly returned as he led the group, leaping from branch to branch.
His eyes were sharp as torches—even in the dim moonlight, he could still distinguish the way forward.
As they traveled—
Yu kept thinking, running through every detail of their escape plan, looking for any flaws, while also contemplating the current state of the ninja world.
In the days before and after the Uchiha massacre—
The shinobi world had appeared calm on the surface, and even in the shadows, there were no signs of upheaval. No major events had occurred.
"If there aren't any yet…"
"…then I'll make sure there are."
Yu pondered silently.
Only in a chaotic shinobi world could he feel safe and take advantage of the confusion to blend in.
Otherwise, the Five Great Ninja Villages would turn their full attention onto their small Uchiha defectors' squad—eyes blazing and unrelenting.
Even with the Yasakani and Kotoamatsukami, Yu couldn't survive in the shinobi world indefinitely.
But as for stirring chaos—he already had a plan. This escape of theirs was only one part of it.
After the battle with Danzo—
Yu had figured out the limits of his own Mangekyō. With a full-strength Yin Release Mangekyō chakra pool, he could, on first use, control around 120 elite mid-to-high-level shinobi—like those in the Root organization.
This limitation was closely related to his current ocular strength. A Uchiha's eye power originated from love turned into hatred—the deeper the hatred, the stronger the power. It also correlated to his mental strength and chakra reserves.
For now, Yu had no quick method of leveling up that strength. All he could do was hone his spirit slowly over time, refining and mastering his chakra through discipline.
"It's been almost three days since the Night of the Massacre. My Yasakani Mangekyō Yin Release chakra has only recovered to 30%. Kotoamatsukami, though, is off cooldown… but that's enough."
Yu felt somewhat reassured.
The original body he now inhabited had been born a Uchiha police captain with three tomoe—well-versed in Uchiha swordsmanship, Fire Release, and close-quarters taijutsu.
But even so—
On the run, if all Yu had was a singularly focused Mangekyō ability like Yasakani, and not the most powerful genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami—then the pressure of escape would have been overwhelming.
As for Susanoo—
He was still exploring its possibilities.
That was also why Yu had to kill Danzo—why he risked so much to seize the Mangekyō Sharingan that held Kotoamatsukami.
Then, just as the group leapt over a ridge—
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Five dark silhouettes rose from the waist-high shrubs, blocking the Uchiha defectors' path.
Under the moonlight, it was clear: they wore forehead protectors and wielded weapons.
Uchiha Yu was the first to stop. He crouched low on a branch, activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, and locked his eyes forward, analyzing the situation. At the same time, he raised a hand and gestured behind him.
In an instant—aside from Minami, who was carrying Tamao, and Izumi, who was tending to Mikoto—
The other Uchiha vanished, slipping swiftly into the shadows of the forest with perfect coordination.
Mikoto's dark, beautiful eyes flickered slightly in surprise. The reflexes and tactical coordination of Uchiha shinobi… really were this impressive.
But as a three-tomoe Sharingan wielder and also a Konoha jōnin, Mikoto understood clearly:
No matter how powerful the individual team members were in solo combat—
Without a central figure to rally around, the team could never achieve true synergy, seamless coordination, or instant responses to commands.
"What exactly did he do… that made you all not only fear him but also genuinely trust him?"
Doubt flickered in Mikoto's eyes as she glanced toward Izumi.
Izumi rolled her eyes with clear irritation, gripping her ninja blade tightly, poised for battle, but didn't reply.
Right now, Izumi was still stewing over whether this old woman was a good match for Captain Yu.
So what if she was Itachi's mother?
Just because she's Itachi's mom doesn't mean she's allowed to rob the cradle!
Izumi puffed out her cheeks angrily, her hand clenching tighter around the hilt of her blade. If she didn't have to stay behind and look after this woman, she could be fighting side by side with Captain Yu right now.
Mikoto, confused by Izumi's hostility, misunderstood it as lingering rejection or coldness from the younger kunoichi.
She didn't know what had happened on the Night of the Massacre—
While her eldest son was slaughtering civilians—
Yu led the remaining Uchiha on a surprise mission, assassinating key figures among Konoha's leadership, even killing Shimura Danzo to avenge their clan.
Izumi suddenly sighed. "Sigh… Maybe Captain Yu's decision wasn't entirely right after all. Choosing the mountain path ended up landing us in an ambush. If we'd taken the river route, things might have gone differently."
Mikoto didn't pay much mind to Izumi's muttering. She naturally maintained her graceful, calm demeanor, her beautiful eyes fixed on Yu's tall and upright figure ahead.
At the front of the group—
"Hmm?"
Yu narrowed his eyes slightly, analyzing the situation. A split second later, he decisively drew his ninja blade from his back and vanished forward in a blink—straight at the five dark silhouettes ahead.
In a flash—
Mikoto's eyes widened. Her vision blurred for a moment, and by the time she saw clearly again—
Not only had Yu moved—so had the rest of the Uchiha who had scattered earlier.
They surrounded the five shadowy figures in a tight formation, each of their blades crossing and pressing against the enemies' necks.
The ambushers were caught completely off guard.
Silence fell like a curtain.
Yu's ninja blade was pressed against one man's throat. The sharp edge had already cut into the skin, drawing a thin line of blood.
Using the moonlight, Yu tilted his head to get a clearer look at the man's face.
The enemy was a young man, lean-faced, wearing a rogue Mist Village forehead protector. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but his eyes were filled with ferocity as he tightly gripped his bow.
That wiry young man was sizing Yu up as well—until suddenly his pupils contracted. His face lit up with joy and surprise as he cried out:
"Captain Yu!!! It's me—Yega!
You saved us before!"
°°°
A/N: Give some stones to the poor :<
Hungry for more chaps? Then check out our pătreon!
Link: Påtreon.com/BaphometFiction
I post 20 advanced chapters of this fanfic there.