The man approached the three Shimura family members with calculated steps.
Suddenly, he halted, his gaze sharp with wariness.
In addition to the three Shimura family members ahead, he sensed the presence of others.
These new individuals were quite a distance away, trailing far behind the Shimura trio. The distance had placed them beyond his initial perception range, but now that he was closer, their suppressed chakra signatures had become apparent.
"There are fourteen of them in total. Their strength… hard to gauge," he murmured under his breath, his brows furrowing in thought.
Who were these people following the Shimura clan members?
A realization struck him like lightning.
"This is a trap!"
His mind pieced the situation together instantly.
The Shimura family and the Third Hokage's faction must have noticed the frequent deaths of Shimura clan members during missions in recent times. They likely suspected a hidden force targeting them and set this elaborate trap, using the three Shimura members as bait while deploying Anbu operatives to follow and ambush any aggressors.
"I underestimated them," he thought, his lips curling into a faint sneer.
Despite the subtlety of how previous Shimura members were killed, the Shimura family and the Third Hokage's faction had managed to discern the pattern and create this elaborate plan.
If anyone else had come here instead of him, they might have walked directly into this trap.
Without hesitation, the man silently retreated, his steps light and careful to avoid any sound that might alert the Anbu or the three Shimura members.
Once he reached a safe distance, he stopped to assess the situation.
This man, of course, was Uchiha Fugaku. His acute perception, honed through his Sharingan, had allowed him to detect the hidden Anbu operatives following the Shimura trio.
"If I wanted to, I could take them down by force. My strength is more than enough. But it's unnecessary," he reasoned.
From his observations, the fourteen individuals following the Shimura members did not include Uchiha Shisui, the Third Hokage, or any other Kage-level shinobi. They were most likely skilled Anbu ninjas, but not on his level.
Still, attacking them would only confirm their suspicions about a hidden force targeting the Shimura family. There was no need to expose himself or escalate the situation further.
"The Shimura family and the Third Hokage's faction have already raised their guard. I need to inform the others immediately and call off any further actions against the Shimura family for now."
Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a small notebook and quickly scribbled four identical messages in the Uchiha clan's secret code. He then retrieved four summoning scrolls, each bearing intricate black patterns. The scrolls had been pre-prepared for situations like this.
Channeling chakra into the scrolls, he activated the summoning technique without needing to add more blood.
With a puff of white smoke, four summoned beasts appeared: an eagle, a crow, and two pigeons.
These creatures were not his personal summons but belonged to Uchiha Atsuko and his three companions. The summoning scrolls had been pre-arranged among the group for swift communication.
Uchiha Fugaku attached the coded messages to each of the summoned creatures and sent them off. The four beasts flew into the sky, quickly disappearing into the distance.
…
The operation targeting the Shimura family was temporarily called off. Two days later, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Atsuko, Uchiha Huang, Uchiha Min, and Uchiha Yaowei returned to Konoha one after another.
Thanks to the spore clones' flawless ability to mimic their appearances, no one except the three elders of the Uchiha clan knew that they had ever left the village.
After absorbing the memories of his spore clone in the Police Force headquarters, Uchiha Fugaku returned to the Uchiha compound.
When he arrived at his residence, he found the house empty.
It wasn't until he reached the backyard that he saw Uchiha Mikoto.
She stood there, wearing an elegant, slim dress that accentuated her graceful figure. Her tied-up hair and radiant complexion gave her the charm of a mature woman, one that only grew with age. Her years of training as a kunoichi had left her with a perfectly toned and even skin tone. She looked like a vision of serenity.
Beside her was a child.
It wasn't Sasuke but a little girl.
The girl wore a white dress, paired with a delicate hairpin in her dark hair. Her fair skin and soft features made her look like a porcelain doll.
"Whose child is this?" Fugaku wondered, his mind racing for an answer. Then, the girl called out to him.
"Father."
Fugaku froze.
His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the girl. Her voice was unmistakably Sasuke's.
It didn't take him long to notice that the girl bore a striking resemblance to Sasuke.
"Is this Sasuke in… a dress?"
Before he could ask, the little girl disappeared with a puff of white smoke, revealing Sasuke in his usual appearance. His cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment.
Sasuke looked away, clearly mortified that his father had seen him like this.
"What's going on?" Fugaku asked, his bewildered gaze shifting to Mikoto.
He knew Sasuke didn't have a habit—or desire—to dress as a girl. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Mikoto was involved.
"Little Sasuke wanted to learn the transformation technique. I thought it would be fun to practice by transforming into a girl," Mikoto explained, her tone lighthearted and cheerful.
Her eyes sparkled with amusement. It was clear she had enjoyed the exercise far more than Sasuke had.
Fugaku sighed, glancing at his son with a mix of sympathy and amusement.
The future Six Paths-level warrior had just experienced an embarrassing—and likely scarring—moment in his childhood.
This memory was destined to be a dark stain in Sasuke's otherwise legendary life.
(End of this chapter)
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