"The Uchiha clan has been in decline for far too long. In that case, it's better to get rid of the Uchiha altogether. To protect my ancestors' legacy as a fighting clan!"
The masked man spoke to Uchiha Cangqi, his tone flat, as if offering some twisted justification to the hiding Tom.
Tom nearly rolled his eyes in frustration. What a joke! He wanted to shout. This is clearly all about your own petty revenge! Now you're pretending it's for the honor of your clan? Obito, you're seriously the worst!
"Now... it's over," the masked man murmured.
With those words, he vanished and reappeared behind Uchiha Cangqi, thrusting a kunai ruthlessly into his back. There was no resistance. Uchiha Cangqi's body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.
The masked man then looked toward the shadows where Tom was hiding, smirking beneath his eerie mask.
"Heh... funny little guy. I hope you grow strong enough to stop me one day. That would be a good ending too, wouldn't it?"
And with that, he disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique, leaving the massacre behind.
Still hidden, Tom wiped imaginary sweat from his brow, whispering to himself, "Did Obito just spot me...? Man, that was terrifying!"
Just as Tom prepared to quietly retreat, a section of the Police Force building's wall collapsed from the aftermath of the battle. What was exposed beneath the broken wall was... strange. It was made of a different material than the surrounding structure.
There's something hidden here!
Tom crept closer and began to inspect the wall. His instincts had been right—there was a hidden chamber. Inside, he discovered a trove of forbidden knowledge:
"Wood Style Research Report"
"Lightning Style Forbidden Technique Research"
"Fire Style Forbidden Technique Research"
"Taijutsu Forbidden Technique Research"
"Flying Thunder God Technique Report (Incomplete)"
Tom's eyes widened in disbelief.
These are all forbidden techniques! No wonder the Uchiha clan planned a coup... They really were preparing for a revolution.
He didn't hesitate. He carefully packed away every document. These were too valuable to leave behind—priceless tools for survival and future strength.
Then, something else caught his attention.
There was a strange pull... a faint chakra signature, beckoning him deeper into the ruins. He followed the sensation and found what looked like a broken mask.
"A mask...? Wait a minute—is this Obito's mask?" Tom picked it up cautiously.
Something didn't add up.
Obito was just here and his mask was perfectly fine. How is this one broken...?
He turned it over in his hands, feeling a strange energy radiating from it.
The mask was not an ordinary object. It was crafted from a combination of Wood Release, Yin Release, and the power of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. That's why it could even resist the attack from the Fourth Hokage's Rasengan during the Reanimation War in the original timeline.
It's no ordinary face cover. A normal mask would've shattered already.
Tom pondered for a moment before stashing the broken mask in his bag with the research reports.
Time's almost up. The Root agents should be arriving soon. Better move.
Tom navigated back through the sewers and emerged at a concealed location outside the Police Force headquarters. After switching out his clothes with those of a dead Anbu operative, he donned a mask from Root's division. Then, using shadowy corners and rooftops, he silently escaped the vicinity.
Unbeknownst to him, another Anbu member had been observing.
"Huh... isn't that the kid who's always hanging around Naruto?" the agent murmured. He squinted in suspicion but didn't act. Instead, he retreated back into the shadows.
Moments later, several teams of Root's Anbu arrived at the Uchiha Police Station.
Their first task: recover the Uchiha bodies. And more specifically... extract their Sharingan.
One by one, eyes were gouged out and carefully sealed into scrolls or preserved in glass containers. The process was surgical. Ruthless.
Another squad scoured the building for intelligence. But...
"Captain, a large portion of the classified documents are missing," a Root operative reported.
"It must have been Uchiha Itachi," the captain replied coldly. "No matter. It's being handled."
He clearly didn't expect that someone else had broken through the security barrier and stolen the spoils.
After all, the enchantment wasn't something anyone could slip past without being noticed. But whoever had done it—whether Itachi or another—had accomplished the impossible.
---
The Next Day – Hokage's Office
"Hokage-sama, based on our summary, Iori Tom has demonstrated sufficient strength to graduate from the Ninja Academy."
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, removed the pipe from his lips and exhaled slowly, smoke curling upward in elegant wisps.
He glanced down at the document in his hand. It contained the compiled reports and history of the child known as Tom.
"Understood. You're dismissed," he said.
The Anbu bowed and exited the room in silence.
As the door closed behind him, Hiruzen spoke softly, "Kakashi... let's go to the rooftop."
From the shadows of the room, Hatake Kakashi emerged without a sound, as if he had been there all along. Even the Anbu from earlier hadn't noticed his presence.
"Understood, Hokage-sama," Kakashi responded.
Moments later, the two stood under the morning sun, wind gently rustling their hair on the Hokage office rooftop.
"Kakashi, I want your honest opinion about the child," Hiruzen said, exhaling a small smoke ring into the sky.
"Hokage-sama, according to the documents, this child is a member of the Uzumaki clan. His father and Kushina were war orphans who came to Konoha together. Their relationship was close, and the child was born here."
Kakashi's tone was mechanical, professional. No emotions.
"In other words," Hiruzen concluded, "he's not a spy."
Kakashi nodded. "There's a 0% chance of that."
Hiruzen smiled faintly. "I want him to join the Anbu. What do you think?"
Kakashi hesitated, finally showing a trace of emotion. "Isn't it too early, Lord Hokage? He's only ten. A mission failure due to lack of experience could have severe consequences."
"Hehe..." Hiruzen chuckled softly. "Kakashi, how long have you been with Anbu?"
"I've been with them since the Fourth Hokage's time. Nearly ten years now," Kakashi replied.
Hiruzen's expression turned nostalgic.
"Minato put you in Anbu to heal your heart. He wanted to keep you close."
"I understand," Kakashi said, his voice softening.
"But after Minato's death, I took over the Anbu under my reign. And I must admit... your heart hasn't healed. If anything, the darkness has only deepened."
Kakashi's eyes widened slightly.
Hiruzen looked at him with a fatherly gaze. "You've been wearing this mask for ten years. I relied on you too much, Kakashi. Starting today, I'm relieving you of your duties in Anbu."
There was a pause.
Kakashi reached up and removed his Anbu mask, revealing his familiar, tired face beneath.
"Understood."
"You are now to return as a regular jonin. Train the next generation. That's your new task," Hiruzen said, glancing at the monument of the Fourth Hokage carved into the Hokage Rock.
---
Meanwhile, at the Ninja Academy...
"Tom, congratulations!" Iruka-sensei called out with a big smile. He waved Tom into the staff office and handed him a shiny new forehead protector.
"You've officially graduated."
Tom stared at the headband in his hands, dumbfounded.
Is... is this really graduation?
His brain felt like it had turned into a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts. Everything had happened so quickly—sneaking into dangerous territory, watching Uchiha fall, stealing secret research... and now, graduation?
Tom's head was spinning.
But one thing was clear.
This was only the beginning.