"It has nothing to do with us. Go back. Today's patrol is about to start."
The less attention the Third Hokage gave to them, the better. If the village's leadership remained distracted, especially by mounting issues like Naruto and external pressures, the Uchiha clan would be left to its own devices—safe in the shadows of neglect. A distracted Hokage was a blessing in disguise.
Naruto's antics, combined with outside pressures, kept the old man on edge. Honestly, it was satisfying to watch from the sidelines.
But Naruto had come to him on his own—it couldn't be interpreted as him intentionally getting close to the Jinchūriki, right?
Hopefully.
Otherwise, Yan might have to continue stirring the pot—forcing the Third Hokage to focus elsewhere. Danzo still had plenty of skeletons in his closet, and Yan wasn't shy about unearthing them.
If necessary, he'd remind Hiruzen Sarutobi just how terrifying a time traveler could be—especially one who worked from the shadows and played games with people's minds.
"What? Naruto threw a hornet's nest at the breakfast shop?!"
The Third Hokage sprang from his chair, visibly shocked. What kind of absurd delinquency was this? Where did the brat even find a hornet's nest?
His face twitched as his subordinate stood before him, sweat on his brow and head lowered in shame.
"Lord Hokage, Naruto showed up early at the academy and deliberately frightened the other students. I tried to scold him, but he leapt over the wall and vanished. A while later, he hurled a hornet's nest—probably found in the woods—into the breakfast shop. Many villagers are now hospitalized. Their injuries... are serious."
The Third Hokage was speechless.
Did the boy believe the old man's life was too peaceful? That he needed even more stress?
Just yesterday, Naruto had gone to a hot spring inn, peeped, and ended up getting beaten by a group of furious women—who reported the incident directly to the Hokage's office.
The day before that, he'd tried to steal adult books from a local store and got caught.
And before that…
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed in exhaustion. He was constantly left to clean up after Naruto's mischief. Enough was enough.
He needed to speak with the boy—seriously.
The Third Hokage couldn't afford more headaches. Whether Naruto had bonded with Hiko or not, it didn't matter now. He needed the Jinchūriki to settle down.
Elsewhere, inside the bathroom of his office, Yan stared at himself in the mirror and wiped the blood from the corners of his eyes with a towel. His attempt to evolve the Sharingan had failed again.
Maybe he wasn't emotionally stimulated enough.
Still, his eyes had clearly changed over time. His mental strength had improved, genjutsu was sharper, and the strain of using the Sharingan had lessened. He could use it longer without tiring.
But overusing the three-tomoe Sharingan could still lead to severe depletion—not blindness, but dangerously low reserves of mental and ocular energy.
His evolving Sharingan now had more staying power. Genjutsu became stronger, perceptive capabilities sharper. His insight increased. The cost of usage had gone down. That much was clear.
As for copying jutsu… he didn't care.
Aside from Kakashi's legendary "fifty-fifty" replication, Uchiha weren't really known for copying techniques. That was more Konoha propaganda to elevate Kakashi's status.
Truth be told, Kakashi's raw ability didn't match Shisui's, even with the village's backing.
"It's a good thing we're Uchiha. If it were other clans bleeding from their eyes so frequently, they'd terrify civilians," Yan murmured with a self-deprecating smile.
Though disappointed, he quickly adjusted his mindset. He preferred evolving at his own pace rather than relying on trauma.
He had a golden finger—he had no excuse to fail. If others could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, then so could he. If he couldn't, what was the point of being a reincarnator?
Just as he sat down in the office, the door burst open.
"Captain!"
Feng entered hurriedly, holding a miniaturized encrypted scroll used for secure transmission. He handed it to Yan.
"Captain, should I prepare a reply?"
"No need."
Yan opened the scroll and gestured for Feng to leave.
"Oh, and—don't kill the crow."
Aside from Quan, most of his squad disliked Shisui. And knowing his team, he wouldn't put it past them to slaughter a messenger crow just for spite.
The scroll had clearly come from Shisui—he always used crows.
Yan genuinely feared one of these guys would gut the poor bird.
Shisui was kind and selfless. You could mock or insult him all you liked—but touch his crows? You'd better run.
Just like a berserk assassin who lost his beloved dog, Shisui losing a crow could snap.
"...Really?"
Feng paused, giving Yan a look. "Captain, what kind of guy do you think I am?"
He huffed and muttered something about not being like that idiot Zhi Yan.
Yan laughed. "Hahaha…"
After teasing Feng, Yan unrolled the scroll and began reading.
It had been a while since Shisui left for the Land of Fire's capital to serve at the Daimyō's mansion. All communications went through Yan directly, bypassing both the Third Hokage and Uchiha Fugaku.
Shisui only reported to Yan now—a clear sign the transformation into a loyal wage earner was progressing smoothly.
Sooner or later, Shisui would stop looking to the Third Hokage altogether.
"Tch. Clever."
Yan smirked at the scroll's contents.
The Daimyō wanted to recruit Shisui directly—offering lucrative deals, even suggesting a political marriage.
But the Daimyō miscalculated.
If he thought Yan feared Shisui getting poached, why would he send him there in the first place?
Still… the conditions were tempting.
The Daimyō hadn't used his daughter but proposed a niece—still significant enough to show his sincerity.
Unfortunately, he didn't know Shisui wasn't into women. Crows and Itachi were the only ones that ever had his heart.
Beyond that, the scroll contained trivial gossip: jealous ninjas targeting Shisui after failing to woo the Daimyō. Pathetic.
Should he kill them?
No—Shisui wouldn't approve. Let them jump around like clowns. They posed no real threat.
Yan folded the scroll and moved on.
Should he report it to Fugaku? He'd pass.
The Uchiha Police Department was already a mess. A recent disciplinary meeting turned into a circus, with elders annoying Fugaku to no end.
Yan was glad he hadn't attended. He might've committed a crime just to shut them up.
Night descended on Konoha.
The lively business district remained brightly lit and crowded. But in the older quarters—the ancestral lands of the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka—things were much quieter. Dim streetlights barely lit the streets.
"It's good… it's good…"
An enormous man with slicked-back hair and a thick beard devoured meat with wild abandon. Grease dripped from his fingers as he tore through barbecue like a man possessed.
Across from him, the Third Hokage watched with dismay. Originally, the scent of grilled meat had made him hungry. But now—after watching this—it was gone.
"Not eating, Hiruzen?"
Tokkaze grinned, eyes narrowing from the motion of his cheeks.
The Hokage remained silent.
"Well, more for me."
With a chuckle, Tokkaze reached over and stole meat from the Hokage's plate, hands still dripping with oil and seasoning.
Even with enough food to feed several men, Tokkaze was only halfway full.
"Buuurp~"
With a contented sigh, he leaned back…