"—Teach you ninjutsu?"
Uchiha Tatsumi's rhetorical question echoed in Yahiko's ears.
The black-haired boy didn't seem surprised at all, nor was there any mockery in his tone.
Looking at Uchiha Tatsumi's calm and composed demeanor, Yahiko was momentarily stunned.
The water droplets on the grass beside the cave slipped down one after another, creating beautiful ripples in the puddles on the ground.
A sudden impulse surged in Yahiko's heart—the urge to convey his feelings to someone, an emotion he had never experienced before.
Mustered by an unseen force, Yahiko blurted out his thoughts.
"I have a great dream, and that is to conquer the world!"
"…I know this dream is unrealistic," he continued. "But if I can stand at the top, I won't have to suffer like this anymore. I'll be able to protect my friends and ensure that no one has to endure this kind of hardship ever again."
As he spoke, embarrassment crept onto his face, and he hastily added, "Of course, I know I'm still weak."
Yahiko lowered his head, his face burning red.
Without receiving an immediate response, he only heard Uchiha Tatsumi's steady breathing.
Feeling uneasy, Yahiko looked up, and his eyes met Uchiha Tatsumi's.
The boy remained silent.
"So… if possible," Yahiko pressed on, gathering his courage, "please teach us ninjutsu."
His words seemed to blend with the rain, as if they were being carried away by the wind.
Yahiko's heart pounded as his chest grew hot.
He later reflected on this moment, realizing that he had likely been affected by the bleak, rainy atmosphere of the Land of Rain. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have voiced such an embarrassing request to a young man he barely knew.
Yahiko regretted his outburst.
But at the same time, there was a sense of pride in his honesty.
If Uchiha Tatsumi had responded with, Oh, you're so ambitious or Go for it, Yahiko would have felt utterly humiliated—perhaps even regretful or angry. In that sense, he was somewhat relieved that the boy wasn't the type to say such things.
Because instead, Uchiha Tatsumi rejected him.
Coldly.
Ruthlessly.
---
The torrential rain poured relentlessly, the sound of raindrops striking leaves and stones filling the air. The sharp clanging of shurikens hitting wooden targets added another layer of noise to the surroundings.
In a small corner of the cave, a simple wooden chair barely took up any space.
Uchiha Tatsumi and Senju Nawaki sat side by side, watching Yahiko and Nagato practice their throwing techniques.
Surprisingly, despite the repetitive metallic clangs, Uchiha Tatsumi's mood remained undisturbed.
He calmly sipped his tea.
"Any news from Orochimaru-sensei?" Nawaki asked.
"Yes.
Sensei has sent intelligence."
"And?"
"Gari from Iwagakure's Explosion Corps is stationed in Amegakure."
"For what purpose?"
"Unknown for now."
"What's Orochimaru-sensei's take on it?"
Uchiha Tatsumi took another sip of his tea before answering.
"He said the situation is becoming increasingly complex.
With Konoha at war with Iwagakure, we could take this opportunity to launch a surprise attack."
Nawaki nodded, a smirk forming on his lips.
"Sounds like a good night for some killing."
Then, as if remembering something, he turned to Uchiha Tatsumi with a sly grin.
"By the way… why did you take them in?
Don't tell me you've got your eye on Konan. She's only six years old, you pervert."
"Idiot," Uchiha Tatsumi hissed, glancing at Uchiha Mikoto and Konan, who were busy preparing dinner. "Keep your voice down—Mikoto might hear you."
Then, lowering his voice, he asked, "Haven't you noticed Nagato's hair color?"
Nawaki blinked, then frowned. "Now that you mention it… red. Wait, you mean—he's from the Uzumaki Clan?"
Uchiha Tatsumi nodded. "That's right."
Of course, this was a convenient lie.
He couldn't exactly tell Nawaki that Nagato was nothing more than Madara Uchiha's plaything—an experiment to pass the time during his long, lonely nights.
"Then why not take them back to Konoha? If they really are Uzumaki orphans, wouldn't it make sense? Look at Kushina—"
Uchiha Tatsumi shook his head.
"They're war orphans from the Land of Rain.
They grew up here, in a country that views Konoha as the enemy.
Bringing them back to the village would be a huge risk. The higher-ups would never allow it."
"So that's why you don't want to teach them ninjutsu?"
Uchiha Tatsumi nodded again.
Of course, that wasn't the real reason.
The truth was—there was simply no point.
Ninjutsu wasn't some product you could just hand over, promising results in a week or a money-back guarantee.
Unlike Jiraiya, Uchiha Tatsumi had no intention of wandering the world for years just to train some orphans.
And even if he did, Konoha would label him a missing-nin in an instant.
As for forming bonds to benefit him in the future? That was nonsense.
Jiraiya trained Nagato, and look what happened—Nagato still killed him.
Konoha's tradition of disciples proving themselves by killing their mentors was not something Uchiha Tatsumi planned to participate in.
It was better to leave this responsibility to Jiraiya.
As for shuriken throwing? That was just something Yahiko and the others wanted to try.
Uchiha Tatsumi had merely corrected their posture—it wasn't real training.
---
"Ah!" Yahiko suddenly yelped.
His shuriken flew off course, bouncing against a rock before landing near Uchiha Tatsumi's feet.
"Here." Uchiha Tatsumi picked it up and handed it to him.
Yahiko quickly stood up, bowing his head. "Ah, I'm sorry!"
The boy's nervous, childish voice was unexpectedly pleasant to hear.
Yahiko really was likable.
At least, his personality wasn't annoying.
It was just a shame that he wasn't the protagonist of this world.
A shame that, despite his grand ambitions, he would ultimately fall to someone else's power.
After dinner, Uchiha Tatsumi and the others silently began packing their belongings.
"We'll be leaving soon," he said.
Even inside the cave, Konan and the others felt a chilling sense of finality in those words.
"Ah… then, what about this place?" Konan finally managed to ask.
"This will be your secret base from now on."
Uchiha Tatsumi glanced at the cave's interior one last time.
"We've stayed here too long. We have a mission to complete… Sorry."
He patted Konan's head gently.
Konan crouched down, hugging her knees, struggling to find the words to respond.
Yahiko and Nagato also stood still, heads lowered, lips trembling as they tried to hold back their tears.
"Take these." Uchiha Tatsumi pulled out three kunai and placed them in front of the children.
"Then… farewell."
With that, he stepped into the rain, Mikoto and Nawaki following closely behind.
Uchiha Tatsumi could feel the tearful gazes of the three children behind him.
But he did not turn back.
As they walked forward, the rain became the only thing left in the sky.
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