Rising Shadows: Uchiha's Wrath

Tsunade fell silent for a moment.

Shizune behind Tsunade was not surprised at all.

She knew why Tsunade didn't speak.

The clearing was silent, save for the faint rustle of leaves in the evening breeze. Kaito stood before her, his gaze piercing, as if he could see through the walls she'd built around herself. His voice was low, deliberate, carrying the weight of unspoken truths.

"It seems you have the strength, yet you choose not to act."

Tsunade's jaw tightened. She could feel the weight of his words pressing against her chest, stirring memories she'd long buried. Her hands, clenched at her sides, trembled faintly—a tell she couldn't suppress.

"In that case, we are the same... both burdened with the same hatred for Konoha's leadership."

The words hung in the air, sharp and unrelenting. Tsunade's mind drifted to the past—Nawaki's lifeless body, Dan's blood staining her hands, the hollow promises of a village that had betrayed her time and again. A flicker of pain crossed her face, but she quickly masked it, her expression hardening.

Kaito watched her, his gaze unwavering. He didn't rush her, didn't push. He simply waited, his silence more unnerving than any words could be.

Finally, Tsunade exhaled sharply, her voice cutting through the tension. "Enough with the meaningless talk. Get to the point. Why are you here?"

Kaito's lips curved into a faint, mocking smile. But as he spoke, his tone shifted, becoming steady and deliberate. "I've come to you because I want you to help me destroy Konoha."

Tsunade's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. "Impossible!" she declared, her voice resolute. She met his gaze with unwavering determination, her fists clenched at her sides. "I am the granddaughter of the First Hokage. Konoha is my grandfather's legacy, my homeland. I will not aid you in its destruction."

Kaito remained calm, his expression unreadable. "Then tell me, what is Konoha to you?" he asked, his voice soft but laced with challenge. "Or rather, who truly owns Konoha? Is it the noble clans? The civilians? Or someone else entirely?"

Tsunade answered without hesitation. "Konoha belongs to all its people."

Kaito clapped slowly, the sound sharp and mocking. "Well said, granddaughter of the First Hokage." But then his tone darkened, his eyes narrowing. "Then explain something to me—why does Konoha feel more like Sarutobi Hiruzen's personal property?"

Tsunade fell silent, her chest tightening. She knew the truth, had known it for years. It was the very reason she had left the village, the reason she had turned her back on the title of Hokage.

Kaito sighed, his voice softening. "So you're not blind. You understand what Konoha has become."

Tsunade's resolve remained firm, though her voice wavered slightly. "No matter what you say, I will not help you destroy Konoha. It was my grandfather's dream. My home."

Kaito shook his head, a flicker of regret in his eyes. "Unfortunately... it was once my home too. But under Hiruzen's rule, it became something else entirely."

With that, Kaito lifted his hand and pulled out a kunai. The blade glinted in the fading light, cold and unyielding. Tsunade tensed, her muscles coiling as she prepared for an attack. But instead, Kaito made a swift cut across his left palm.

Hemophobia. The word hissed through her mind like a curse. Her vision swam, and the entire earth itself recoiled from the scarlet rivulets trailing down Kaito's wrist. Shizune's choked gasp faded into white noise as Tsunade's world narrowed to the pulse roaring in her ears—thud-thud-thud—a drumbeat marching her toward collapse.1

The metallic tang of blood filled the air, sharp and unmistakable. Bright red droplets splattered onto the ground, a few landing on Tsunade's face. She froze, her breath hitching as the familiar scent triggered a wave of nausea. Her vision blurred, the world tilting as her phobia took hold.

Shizune, standing behind her, instinctively moved to attack Kaito, but an overwhelming pressure paralyzed her. She could only watch in fear as Kaito stepped forward, his bloodied hand reaching for Tsunade's cheek.

Kaito stepped closer. The scent of iron and ozone clung to him as he dragged bloodied fingers down her face, smearing a crimson stripe from temple to jaw. His grip on her chin was vice-like, forcing her to meet eyes glowing with the eerie luminescence of a prima

"Look," he commanded.

The world dissolved.

***

Fire. Screams. The acrid stench of burning flesh.

Tsunade stumbled as the illusion seized her, grass crunching beneath phantom boots. Smoke stung her eyes; somewhere distant, a child wailed. Kaito's voice slithered through the chaos, calm as a serpent in sunlight.

"That man—he's from your Senju clan, isn't he?"

Her stomach lurched. Across the battlefield, a man with her grandfather's stubborn brow parried a blow, his green haori singed at the edges. She knew that stance—the same fluid grace Hashirama had drilled into every Senju child.

Clang! Steel met steel. The Senju warrior pivoted, driving his kodachi into an enemy's gut. For a heartbeat, triumph lit his face.

Then the blade erupted from his back.

Tsunade's scream died in her throat as he crumpled, revealing the Konoha headband glinting on his killer's arm.

"Orders from Danzo," the traitor spat, wiping his blade on a fallen comrade's cloak. "Every last Senju must be eliminated."

Bile rose in Tsunade's mouth. She whirled toward Kaito, but the scene shifted again—a muddy trench, rain slashing like needles. A woman with Tsunade's eyes gasped as her squad surrounded her, hands glowing with medical ninjutsu meant to save them moments before.

"Stop!" Tsunade rasped, but the plea dissolved into the illusion's howling wind.

Nawaki's laughter rang out, bright and reckless.

No.

Tsunade's knees buckled. Her little brother stood at the edge of a ravine, twelve years old and vibrating with the invincibility of youth. Orochimaru's silhouette loomed behind him, pallid as a corpse.

"No signs of danger ahead, sir!" a scout declared.

Orochimaru's smile made Tsunade's blood freeze. "Proceed."

"Wait—!" She lunged, but her hands passed through Nawaki's shoulder like mist.

The explosion tore the world apart.

Heat seared her face. She tasted ash, and felt phantom flames lick her skin as Nawaki's scream—her scream—echoed across the decades.

"Enough!" Tsunade clawed at Kaito's arm, her voice raw. "I can't— I won't—!"

He gripped her hair, forcing her to watch the fire consume Nawaki's silhouette. "This is Konoha's truth," he hissed. "A rot festering in your grandfather's dream. Will you let it devour what little remains?"

----

Back to reality, Tsunade wrenched free with a gasp. Her palms slammed against the ground, her breath coming in ragged bursts. Shizune's choked sob cut through the ringing silence.

Kaito leaned back, examining the blood drying on his fingers. "Well, Princess? Will you cling to ghosts... or burn the grave they've buried you in?"

The question hung in the air, sharp and unrelenting.

Tsunade lifted her head. When she met his gaze, her eyes were no longer those of a broken healer, but of the Slug Sage—ancient, furious, and alive.

"Tell me your plan."

***

Inside a secluded room at a tavern, the atmosphere was dimly lit by a single lantern hanging from the ceiling, casting flickering shadows along the wooden walls. The space was modest in size, just enough to accommodate a few people comfortably, with a sturdy wooden table standing between the two figures seated opposite each other. The faint scent of aged liquor lingered in the air, mixing with the distant murmur of patrons in the main hall, though the thick walls ensured their conversation would remain unheard.

After setting up a soundproof barrier, Kaito settled into his chair, his posture relaxed yet commanding. Across from him, Tsunade sat with a composed expression, though her sharp gaze betrayed her caution.

Shizune, on the other hand, had been placed in a hotel. What they were about to discuss was not something she needed to be part of.

Tsunade got straight to the point. "What exactly do you intend to do?"

Kaito leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping idly against the surface of the table. "I understand why you both love and resent Konoha. You hesitate because of the civilians within it."

"You see through the true nature of Konoha's ruling families, yet you refuse to bring war to those villagers."

"On that point, I do not disagree with you."

"As long as they don't stand against me, their survival isn't impossible."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "So, you're only seeking revenge on the ruling clans?"

"Revenge?"

Kaito scoffed, shaking his head slightly.

"You underestimate Konoha's elite. They're not even worth my effort to specifically target them."

"If I truly wanted to destroy them, with the power I've already demonstrated, who in Konoha could stop me?"

His words weren't mere arrogance—right now, the only one in Konoha who could somewhat challenge him was Might Guy. But at this point, Guy was still years away from fully mastering the Eighth Gate. Even his father, who had opened all eight gates, had only managed to defeat four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen while three escaped. Power wasn't just about technique; it depended on the user's skill and experience.

Tsunade frowned. "Then what is it that you truly want?"

Kaito smirked, the flickering lanternlight reflecting off his sharp gaze.

"The shinobi world is in chaos. Konoha and even the Land of Fire are just small pieces of the whole."

"I dislike disorder in my world. So, I intend to unify it."

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. "You're planning to destroy the Five Great Nations?!"

Kaito shrugged. "Not destroy—unify. Bring everything under one command."

"I have the strength to do this, so why wouldn't I?"

Tsunade took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm before sitting back down and folding her arms. "I won't deny your strength," she admitted, "but this would make you the enemy of the entire shinobi world."

"And?" Kaito tilted his head slightly.

"I can wipe out any great nation with ease."

"Even if they all united, it would take the combined efforts of at least three to even begin challenging me."

"As for the remaining two..."

Kaito sat back, his expression unwavering as he stated plainly, "I am the Fifth Mizukage of the Mist Village."