Uchiha Tatsumi woke up early, feeling the cold, hard ground beneath him.
Through the cave entrance, he could see the faint glow of the pre-dawn sky. Scarlet ripples stretched across the horizon, and the crisp morning air carried a deep chill. Everything was still and quiet.
On one side of Tatsumi was Mikoto, and on the other was Nawaki. Their slow, steady breathing was the only sound in the cave. The bonfire had long since burned out, leaving behind only cold ashes. Even so, Tatsumi couldn't fall back asleep.
His gaze drifted to the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling. Memories surfaced—meeting Yura and the others just days ago. It felt like a lifetime had passed.
What happens now?
Lying there, he thought about the Iwa-nin, the war, the Land of Rain, and the comrades who had died on the battlefield.
Suddenly, his Sharingan activated on its own, and his heart grew restless.
A cold, oppressive aura filled the cave. Without warning, Tatsumi felt a surge of resentment—toward the Iwa-nin, toward the enemies who had taken so much from him, even toward the Third Hokage, who had led them into this war.
His double tomoe Sharingan spun faster, his breathing grew heavy, and dark emotions began to swell.
Then, as quickly as it came, he snapped out of it.
Tatsumi sat up abruptly, clutching his eyes. The suffocating negativity faded like a retreating tide.
He gasped for air. The sudden flood of hatred had nearly consumed him.
As expected of the Sharingan, which reflects the heart.
The Second Hokage had once said that when an Uchiha loses what they love, a special chakra is produced in their brain, triggering the transformation of their eyes. The greater the hatred, the stronger the Sharingan.
Tatsumi stood up. He needed to do something—anything—to clear his mind. Moving carefully, he walked to the entrance of the cave.
Rain was still falling. Heavy dark clouds loomed overhead, but light peeked through the horizon, casting the distant mountains in a golden glow.
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.
The sound of footsteps approached from behind.
Nawaki patted him on the shoulder before sitting down next to him.
"Sorry, did I wake you up?" Tatsumi asked.
"It's fine. What happened just now? Did your injuries flare up again?" Nawaki asked, his tone much calmer than usual.
Tatsumi shook his head and turned to look at him.
His right Sharingan still had two tomoe, but his left had awakened a third.
Nawaki blinked in shock. "...Huh."
"Well, Tatsumi, I think your luck has been getting better ever since we met," Nawaki said, rubbing his chin.
"Look—when we first met, you stole my top spot in the entrance exams. Later, you stole the top spot again in my other exams. Then in our fifth year, we went on a mission together, and you unlocked your second tomoe. And now, on another mission with me, you've awakened a third!"
"Brother, are you serious right now?" Tatsumi asked, speechless.
"Since meeting you, my peaceful life has been in shambles," Tatsumi muttered.
Thinking about it carefully, it was terrifying.
In second grade, he was nearly beaten to death by Nawaki's sister, Tsunade. In fifth grade, he was sent on a supposedly simple C-rank mission, only to run into a Jonin.
Then came the gold mine incident, where he was nearly poisoned by a Sand ninja Jonin—and that event directly led to the start of the Second Ninja War!
And now, after graduating, he had been assigned a "safe" mission handpicked by Orochimaru himself. Yet somehow, this so-called safe mission had nearly gotten him blown to pieces by Iwa-nin. Of their entire squad, only three of them were still alive.
This is just like Tsunade's gambling curse.
Tsunade always lost when gambling.
And Nawaki?
Nawaki was the legendary disaster magnet—no matter the mission rank, the difficulty would always double, and bloodshed was inevitable.
Meanwhile, Minato's team never had accidents.
Tatsumi sighed and patted Nawaki's shoulder. "If anything, my luck has gotten way worse."
Nawaki nodded seriously. "Yeah… it really has."
After a pause, his expression darkened. "Tatsumi… do you think Yura-nee will be caught by the Iwa-nin?"
"Of course not," Tatsumi replied immediately. "She's different from us. She knows what happens if she gets captured."
"She's too smart to let that happen. She'll take her own life before that," Tatsumi said with a small, bitter laugh.
"Yeah… she wouldn't be caught," Nawaki murmured, forcing a laugh.
They both chuckled, but their laughter was hollow, tinged with sorrow.
---
Days Later
Time passed slowly. The overgrown weeds at the cave entrance were beginning to wither.
For the past few days, Iwa-nin had been scouting the area. Their headbands flashed under the dim light as they patrolled, searching tirelessly.
But they found nothing.
Occasionally, an Iwa-nin would stumble upon some traces and rush forward in excitement—only to be caught in a trap.
After losing several men this way, they eventually gave up.
---
That evening, it was Nawaki's turn to scout.
After making sure no one was following him, he carefully slipped into the cave.
The once-empty cave was now unrecognizable. Bags of stolen grain were piled in one corner, while pots and pans cluttered the floor. A wooden table sat in the middle, where Mikoto was preparing dinner. Tatsumi, meanwhile, was lying on the table, studying a map.
"How's the situation, Nawaki?" Tatsumi asked without looking up.
"There's a massive crater where we last saw Yura-nee. No other traces of battle."
Tatsumi nodded. That wasn't surprising. After two weeks, most evidence would have been erased by the elements.
He gestured for Nawaki to sit down and eat. Just then, his expression suddenly changed.
Nawaki noticed immediately and tensed. "Enemy?"
Tatsumi shook his head. "No."
A moment later, footsteps echoed from the cave entrance.
A ragged girl hesitantly stepped inside.
She stopped a short distance away, standing in the firelight's glow. The flames cast shadows over her features, hiding her face above the shoulders.
Her cheeks were stiff with nerves, and her lips pressed tightly together. She didn't move, only staring straight ahead.
Finally, after a long silence, she whispered, "Um… could you ninja-sama share some food with us?"
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