Naruto: The Shadow of Uchiha

Back in the police force office, Yatsushiro remained puzzled. He could understand Uchiha Ryosuke being a genius with powerful Sharingan—the boy had just awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan, after all. But what he couldn't wrap his head around was Ryosuke's strength in taijutsu. That didn't add up.

"Why exactly did you lose to him in hand-to-hand combat?" he asked Inaho, who was a few years older and supposedly more experienced.

Inaho explained what had happened: initially, their taijutsu battle was evenly matched. Then he used the Fireball Jutsu (Hōsenka no Jutsu) as a distraction and secretly used a Shadow Clone to remain hidden while his real body prepared to take Ryosuke by surprise.

Ryosuke, as expected, engaged the clone, allowing Inaho's real body to attempt a sneak attack that should have secured victory.

Yatsushiro was impressed by the clever strategy—by all accounts, Inaho should have won.

But Inaho continued, confused. Just as he was about to land a finishing kick, Ryosuke's speed suddenly increased dramatically. His skin darkened, veins bulged from his forehead—signs of intense exertion—and he blocked the attack with ease.

"Elder Yatsushiro, do you know what kind of secret technique this is? It doesn't seem to be anything from our clan," Inaho asked.

Yatsushiro was thoughtful. The Uchiha had many fire and illusion techniques, but nothing that could explain such a dramatic power-up in physical speed and strength. It didn't match any Uchiha jutsu he knew.

There were other clans with physical-enhancement techniques, like the Akimichi Clan's expansion jutsu, but that wasn't what Inaho was describing.

Then Inaho mentioned Might Guy.

Recently, Ryosuke had been training with that eccentric taijutsu user from Konoha.

Yatsushiro's expression darkened.

"You're too young to remember, but Might Guy's father, Might Duy, was a true taijutsu genius. During the Third Great Ninja War, he fought all seven members of the Hidden Mist's Seven Ninja Swordsmen and defeated four of them. Only three escaped."

Inaho was stunned.

"How can someone that powerful not be famous?"

"Because he was only a genin," Yatsushiro replied. "No one paid attention to him despite his achievements."

"A genin defeated elite jonin-class enemies?" Inaho was incredulous.

Yatsushiro nodded.

"It was due to the Eight Gates technique. It's an extreme taijutsu method that grants immense power by forcibly opening the body's chakra limiters."

Inaho became excited. "Is that technique part of our clan's jutsu library?"

"Absolutely not," Yatsushiro said firmly. "And don't get any ideas. The Eight Gates are extremely dangerous. Training in them is harder than you think. No one in the village currently knows it fully. And activating all eight leads to certain death. Even opening the early gates causes internal damage without a strong enough body."

Inaho's enthusiasm quickly faded. Still, Yatsushiro guessed that Ryosuke may have inherited this training method from Might Guy, who was likely Duy's son.

That sudden increase in speed during battle? Most likely one of the Eight Gates.

Yatsushiro now saw Ryosuke not just as a genius with Sharingan, but also as a rare taijutsu prodigy.

"Bring him to me," he ordered. "Let's see if we can recruit him into our faction."

Despite the risks of the Eight Gates, having someone capable of wielding it would be a major advantage. Even if temporary, that kind of power could be decisive.

Inaho agreed and went to Ryosuke's house.

Meanwhile, Ryosuke had just left Kurenai's place. Her mother was about to come home, and sneaking around like this gave him a thrill, as if he were having an affair.

Back home, he was about to rest and continue training when Inaho knocked on the door.

"What are you doing here?" Ryosuke asked.

"Elder Yatsushiro wants to see you at the Police Force HQ," Inaho replied respectfully.

Ryosuke thought about that name. If he remembered correctly, Yatsushiro was one of the more radical members of the Uchiha clan, someone pushing for stronger opposition against the Konoha leadership.

His grandfather and even Uchiha Fugaku leaned toward neutrality, but Ryosuke was curious—what did this radical want from him?

As they walked to the office, something caught Ryosuke's eye: a blonde kid in an orange tracksuit walking down the street.

It was Naruto Uzumaki—the Child of Prophecy.

Ryosuke stopped in his tracks, watching curiously.

Inaho also paused, his face turning sour.

That child—he was the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. This fact had already spread among most adults in the village. Only younger children remained unaware.

Naruto walked into a shop, wanting to buy snacks.

But the shopkeeper immediately scowled when he saw him.

The boy was the demon fox incarnate—the Nine-Tails in human form. The same monster that had taken lives and caused destruction during the Nine-Tails' attack. The shop owner himself had lost family and suffered huge losses.

Even if Naruto had money, the man wasn't going to sell to him.

He came out from behind the counter and physically pushed Naruto out of the store.

The boy couldn't resist the adult's strength and was shoved out helplessly.

"Why, boss? I have money. I just want to buy something," Naruto said, confused.

"I don't care," the man spat. "I'm not doing business with you. Get out before you bring misfortune to my shop."

Naruto, saddened and confused, walked to another shop—only to be rejected again, this time with curses.

"Damn demon fox! Stay away from my store!"

Ryosuke watched in silence, stunned. So this was Naruto's childhood?

The son of a hero, treated like filth.

Even Ryosuke, who considered himself emotionally detached, felt shaken. What was wrong with Konoha's leadership?

Naruto eventually vanished down the street, having been driven out of every store.

Ryosuke clenched his fists. It was obvious these people knew about the Nine-Tails being sealed in Naruto. But they didn't blame the situation—they blamed the boy himself.

He was a child. The host, not the beast. And yet, the villagers vented all their hatred on him.

Even though there were ANBU guards watching over him from the shadows, they did nothing to stop the mental torment.

Inaho saw Ryosuke's expression and asked, "You pity the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?"

Ryosuke nodded.

"Of course I do. He's the son of a hero and yet treated worse than an animal. What is Konoha's leadership doing?"

Inaho sighed.

"He's a pitiful child. The Nine-Tails being sealed in him was never his choice. In my eyes, he's more of a hero than anyone."

"If the Uchiha had been allowed to help during the Nine-Tails attack, we might have repelled the beast, and the Fourth Hokage might have lived. Maybe Naruto wouldn't have become the jinchūriki at all."

"But there's nothing we can do now. Come on—Elder Yatsushiro is waiting."

As they left, Ryosuke glanced back at the villagers.

They knew Naruto was the Nine-Tails' host—but they acted like he was the beast itself.

It was irrational. Unforgivable.

He now had even less respect for the average Konoha citizen.

Soon, Inaho brought Ryosuke to Yatsushiro's office.

Yatsushiro dismissed Inaho, wanting to speak with Ryosuke alone.

He observed the young man—his physique, his presence, his composure. He was nothing like the lazy youth he had once known.

Ryosuke met his gaze and asked bluntly, "Elder, why did you call me here?"

Before extending the invitation to join the radicals, Yatsushiro wanted to gauge Ryosuke's views.

"What do you think of the current relationship between our clan and the Konoha leadership?"

Ryosuke answered calmly.

"It's terrible. And it's not our fault. It's theirs."

"We were even forced to move to the outskirts. It's not just an insult—it's an effort to push us completely out of Konoha's power structure. If this continues, we'll become nothing more than a fringe clan."

Yatsushiro was pleased. Ryosuke wasn't just powerful—he was perceptive and politically aware.

He might truly be radical.

Given the current situation, Konoha could no longer tolerate the Uchiha. It was the Council and Hokage's ostracization that was pushing them toward rebellion.

Smiling, Yatsushiro finally said it:

"You see things more clearly than most in our clan."

"The Konoha leadership is determined to cast us out. But we, the Uchiha, helped found this village alongside the Senju."

"We must take back what is rightfully ours. We must launch a coup and restore our clan's honor."

"Ryosuke, will you join us in the radical faction?"

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