CHAPTER 27

c27 - Huh? Orochimaru?

In the Uchiha compound, the training ground echoed with the sharp clash of kunai and the bursts of chakra-infused movement. Two figures fought fiercely, moving at a speed far beyond that of ordinary Genin.

Shua!

Kazue suddenly hurled a barrage of kunai, each one expertly aimed, forcing her opponent to react. At the same time, she swiftly retreated, her left eye glinting ominously as she concentrated her chakra.

Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion.

A signature of the Sharingan. The moment their eyes met, her opponent stiffened.

"It's useless. I have a Sharingan, too. This kind of genjutsu won't—"

The words barely left his lips before his world twisted. The training ground vanished, replaced by a horrific sight—Uchiha bodies strewn across the battlefield, blood pooling beneath lifeless eyes. The oppressive silence of death gripped him.

"No… this isn't real—!"

The Genin attempted to break free, but it was too late. In the real world, his body barely had time to stagger before Kazue finished him off with a well-placed Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

"Alright, well done."

A deep, approving voice came from the side. Uchiha Setsuna, the wizened elder, leaned on his cane, his piercing three-tomoe Sharingan studying Kazue closely.

"I'm really sorry… Kazue-sama is too strong. Even when I was prepared, her eyes caught me off guard…"

The Genin knelt, despite his burns, offering his respect before stumbling away for medical treatment.

Kazue smiled faintly as she watched him go.

"You've exceeded my expectations, Kazue," Setsuna continued. "In just over a year, you've risen to the top among your peers. The clan is pleased."

"Thank you, Elder. It is my duty to bring honor to Uchiha," she replied, bowing slightly.

Setsuna remained silent for a moment, his old eyes scrutinizing her closely. Then, he spoke again, his voice softer.

"You are troubled."

Kazue stiffened almost imperceptibly.

"You hide it well, but not well enough. It isn't a quarrel with your companions. No, this is deeper—uncertainty about your own future."

His Sharingan gleamed, seeing beyond mere appearances.

"Kazue, your skin is pale, and you've lost weight. If my experience serves me right… it's the blood disease, isn't it?"

Kazue's breath hitched.

"Elder, you—"

"As I said, you cannot deceive my eyes."

His voice carried the weight of years. The so-called "blood disease"—a silent curse that haunted the gifted, whispering through Uchiha history like a ghost. It had claimed many prodigies, its cause unknown. The greater the talent, the closer one stood to this unseen precipice.

"The more one draws from their bloodline's depths, the faster this curse emerges."

Setsuna's eyes darkened.

"Kazue, is your condition truly self-inflicted? Or has something—someone—accelerated it?"

A name flickered in his mind.

"Shiranui Yuuji… A completely new Bloodline Limit. And you, a girl once deemed mediocre, now rivaling legends at ten years old. Fascinating… but at what cost?"

He examined her carefully, his gaze flickering to her Sharingan.

"Strange… a two-tomoe pattern, but different from any I've seen before."

Silence stretched between them before Setsuna finally spoke again.

"Can this affliction be cured?"

Kazue hesitated before replying.

"…Yes. Possibly."

Setsuna nodded.

"I may be old, but my knowledge remains. If you ever need guidance, come to me. The Uchiha will always stand behind you. Never forget that."

Without another word, the elder turned and left.

Kazue watched his retreating figure, then exhaled, turning back to her training.

Even if her time was limited, she still had much to accomplish.

---

Elsewhere…

Yuuji stepped out of Kazue's house, deep in thought.

"I need a private lab soon."

As he walked, a familiar voice called out.

"Hey, Yuuji! Want some dango?"

An elderly vendor waved at him.

"No thanks, Uncle Uruchi. Maybe next time."

This world's biological sciences barely scratched the surface of cellular research. If he wanted real progress, he needed proper equipment.

While contemplating this, Yuuji almost forgot something.

"Ah, right. Shadow Clone."

Bang!

Two identical copies of himself appeared.

"You know what to do."

The clones immediately sprinted off toward the Uchiha district.

---

At Obito's house…

"Obito's grandmother, we're here for shift duty again! We won't let anything happen to you!"

A faint, annoyed curse came from inside.

"…Damn brat."

Yuuji smirked but pretended not to hear. They were familiar enough to skip formalities.

Leaving the Uchiha district, he wandered through Konoha's bustling food market, enjoying the rare break. The streets were alive with laughter and chatter.

"It's nice, this liveliness… but how many of these people will still be here in twenty years?"

Peace was a fragile illusion. Even after four wars, even after the defeat of gods, it never lasted.

"Eternal peace… it's just a myth."

Still, Yuuji wasn't content to accept that. He had his own path to carve.

Suddenly—

"Eh?"

His gaze locked onto a pair of familiar faces.

A girl in a kimono, her purple hair tied up, finishing a stick of dango.

Next to her, a tall, pale man in an elegant robe.

Anko's eyes narrowed.

"Tch, bastard Yuuji! What are you doing here?"

But Yuuji was no longer paying attention to her. His focus had shifted entirely to the man standing beside her.

Orochimaru.

The Sannin's golden snake-like eyes gleamed with amusement.

"So, you're Yuuji-kun? What an interesting junior…"

His long tongue flicked out, curling around the last of Anko's dango before drawing it into his mouth.

His voice was a low, serpentine whisper.

"We finally meet."