True Evil Ninja

After a period of uneasy calm… 

Uchiha Hayate and Uchiha Yamakaze patrolled the village, their usual vigilance tinged with boredom. 

Hayate: "Man, it's dull without Captain Senjuu around…" 

Yamakaze (side-eyeing him): "Weren't you the one always complaining he was 'too extreme'? Said he 'never considered the bigger picture' and 'caused trouble for the clan'?" 

Hayate broke into a cold sweat, clamping a hand over Yamakaze's mouth. 

Hayate (hissing): "Shut up! You want the captain to hear that?!" 

Yamakaze (prying his fingers off): "Tch. Like you're the only one who said it. Even I used to grumble." 

A pause. Then, quieter: 

Yamakaze: "But I was wrong. Captain's way… it's the right one." 

Hayate nodded, gaze drifting toward the Hokage Tower. "Wonder when he'll be back…" 

Neither finished the thought. 

Then—chaos erupted ahead. 

A group of five or six shinobi—faces unfamiliar, yet wearing Konoha headbands—brutally beat a kunoichi in the street. Her screams tore through the air. 

Hayate (instinct surging): "STOP!" 

He lunged forward. Yamakaze hesitated—something felt off—but followed. 

Hayate (furious): "Who the hell are you?!" 

One attacker sneered. "Uchiha cops? Mind your own damn business!" 

The kunoichi sobbed, bloodied fingers clawing at Hayate's sleeve. "P-please… help…" 

Hayate's vision went red. He hurled shuriken, forcing the assailants back, and shielded her— 

Yamakaze (roaring): "HAYATE, BEHIND—!"** 

Too late. 

A blade flashed. 

Yamakaze's arm hit the dirt. The knife kept going—plunging into Hayate's back. 

Blood sprayed. Hayate collapsed, choking on iron, as the "victim" leaned in, her smile a grotesque slash. 

Fake Kunoichi (giggling): "Thanks for playing the hero… idiot."* 

She vanished in a swirl of mist. 

The "Konoha shinobi" erupted in mock fury. 

"You Uchiha morons just let a* Kiri spy *escape! Was this your plan all along?!" 

Hayate and Yamakaze understood instantly. 

They'd been set up. 

Yamakaze dragged Hayate toward the hospital, his severed arm a forgotten ruin. Blood painted the road behind them. 

Hayate (weakly): "…Sorry. Should've… learned from the captain…" 

Yamakaze (gritting teeth): "Shut up and live." 

 Sarutobi Shinnosuke and his ANBU stormed the Uchiha Police HQ. 

Shinnosuke (smug): "Clan Leader Fugaku. Your men interfered with an ANBU op. Let a Kiri spy slip. Explain." 

Fugaku's fists shook. "What do you want?"* 

Shinnosuke's mask hid a grin. 

"Senjuu's squad is a liability. His 'methods' infected them—reckless, violent. We're disbanding it. And interrogating every member." 

The room exploded. 

Fugaku (chakra flaring): "You dare—?!"* 

Shinnosuke's voice dropped to a venomous whisper. 

"Or… is the Uchiha Clan finally showing its true colors?"* 

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