Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou

Credits: Kenwood Jones

The sound of drizzling rain filled the air as the mud-covered ground of the small town's mountainside bore witness to a ninja's corpse lying in a pool of blood. In the distance, a red-haired boy stood trembling, his face pale with fear as he stared at the scene before him.

"Nagato, Lord Shirou is here!"

Konan's panicked voice pulled the paralyzed Nagato back to reality. His eyes were filled with endless terror and confusion as he gasped for breath.

"Remnants of the ninja forces..."

When Shirou and Mikoto arrived, they were greeted by this grim sight. Initially, Mikoto assumed it was the work of the remnant forces in the Land of Rain. But her pupils suddenly contracted as her gaze sharpened.

"Shirou! It's a Konoha ninja!"

Mikoto's face turned ashen. The corpse lying in the pool of blood bore a Konoha forehead protector.

Hearing this, Konan frantically tried to explain, her voice trembling with panic.

"No! Sister Mikoto, Lord Shirou, it's not what you think! This ninja suddenly appeared and tried to attack us. He even... And then Nagato, to protect me, had no choice but to..."

Konan's sobs, her disheveled clothing, and the chaotic scene before them painted a clear picture.

A Konoha ninja, driven by the brutality of war, had attempted to harm civilians from another country. In the end, Nagato had killed him in defense.

Upon seeing this, Shirou's expression darkened. A Konoha ninja... and this scene!

Uchiha Madara!

This was just like in the original story—using a crisis to awaken Nagato's power. However, this time, it was a Konoha ninja involved, ensuring Nagato couldn't be persuaded to return to Konoha.

And perhaps... it was also a test.

"Shirou! Nagato's eyes!"

Mikoto's voice was low, her expression tense as she pointed out something unusual. Shirou's gaze fell on Nagato, who was still trembling in fear. Nagato's eyes, partly revealed, displayed a strange pattern: concentric ripples of purple, radiating an eerie and powerful aura.

Even Mikoto, with her Sharingan activated, could feel the overwhelming power emanating from those eyes.

"An unknown dojutsu?!"

Mikoto had never encountered the Rinnegan before, so her first reaction was to assume it was an unknown kekkei genkai.

But Shirou feigned shock, exclaiming:

"These eyes... Could it be? The legends are true!"

Shirou's exaggerated reaction surprised Mikoto even more. She had never seen him lose his composure like this—not even when facing Hanzō of the Salamander.

Sensing the presence of someone in the shadows, Shirou suppressed his emotions and muttered in a low voice:

"It's unbelievable... The legendary Three Great Dojutsu is real."

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Shirou was aware of the ancient records that mentioned the Three Great Dojutsu, so his shock wasn't entirely feigned.

"The Three Great Dojutsu?!"

Mikoto, though unfamiliar with the records, had heard the rumors in the ninja world: the Byakugan, the Sharingan, and the legendary Rinnegan.

"Impossible!"

Mikoto's shock deepened as she connected the dots.

Meanwhile, Shirou quickly regained his composure and began analyzing the situation.

"Konan, how did this ninja appear?"

"Lord Shirou, he..."

Konan, still supporting the trembling Nagato, recounted the events in a panicked tone. Her fear was palpable—killing a Konoha ninja was a grave crime. Would Lord Shirou forgive them?

"No, something's off!"

Shirou seemed to notice something. After carefully inspecting the scene under the rain, he approached the corpse with a grim expression.

"The victim suffered a sudden, immense force. This type of injury is strange—it's as if they were crushed by an omnidirectional pressure, similar to an advanced Wind Release technique. Their internal organs are completely shattered..."

Mikoto analyzed the gruesome injuries with her Sharingan, quickly deducing the cause of death.

But Shirou knew the truth in his heart.

This is the power of Rinnegan's Deva Path.

Still, his expression darkened as he reached for the corpse's mouth, using a senbon to pry it open.

Mikoto's pupils contracted sharply as she exclaimed in shock:

"A Root anbu!"

Shirou nodded calmly.

"The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. This curse mark is only used on members of Konoha's Root division. I've heard of it before, but I didn't expect to see it today."

The Uchiha clan naturally harbored a dislike for Root, not only because of their animosity toward Danzo Shimura but also due to Root's twisted methods.

"A Root anbu appearing here, attacking two children... What could their objective be?"

Shirou muttered as he completed his inspection of the corpse. Internally, he couldn't help but admire Madara's meticulous planning. The Konoha ninja before them was, in fact, a White Zetsu clone.

Madara's scheme wasn't just about forcing Nagato to awaken his Rinnegan powers or sowing distrust between him and Konoha. This elaborate setup hinted at deeper motives.

"This is..."

Shirou retrieved a sealed scroll from the corpse, his expression shifting as realization dawned.

"Shirou, that's an encrypted Root intelligence scroll. It won't be easy to decipher, and given the current situation..."

Though Mikoto harbored a dislike for Root, she reminded Shirou of the delicate situation. Root was still part of Konoha, whereas Nagato and Konan were outsiders.

Shirou stood up slowly, his gaze falling on the terrified Nagato and Konan.

"No. Why would Root anbus appear here..."

As Shirou spoke, he subtly signaled Mikoto with his eyes. At the same time, he discreetly made hand signs toward Nagato and Konan.

"This...!"

Nagato, frozen in fear, failed to notice, but the observant Konan caught Shirou's gestures. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly tugged at Nagato's sleeve to alert him.

Suddenly, the sound of something slicing through the air broke the tension.

Mikoto instantly activated the seals on her wrist, unleashing a barrage of shuriken toward the trees. Simultaneously, Shirou dashed forward like a streak of lightning.

"Damn it! We've been discovered!"

Two masked figures emerged from the forest, their Root uniforms unmistakable. But instead of panicking, they coldly declared:

"The Uchiha clan conspiring with Rain ninjas to harm Konoha anbu. You are hereby—"

Before they could finish their sentence, blood sprayed in all directions. Their eyes widened in disbelief as their vision blurred.

From a distance, Konan and Nagato watched in shock as the two Root anbus suddenly turned on each other, stabbing each other with their blades.

"Sha... Sharingan... How is this possible?!"

"From the very beginning, you were caught in a genjutsu."

At some point, a cold and distant figure of Shirou appeared, standing on a large tree. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun within his eye sockets as he stared unrelentingly at the two Root anbu.

From the very start, he had sensed someone in the forest. His true body had entered the woods, while the Shirou inspecting the body was nothing more than a shadow clone.

Because they were lurking in the forest and letting their mental guard down, the two had unknowingly fallen prey to his Sharingan's genjutsu.

When they rushed out, thinking that the Uchiha who turned into lightning was their target, they drew their ninja swords and stabbed. At the same time, the genjutsu broke.

What came into their view was their comrades.

"How... how is this possible... We didn't even look at your eyes..."

The two Roots, who had stabbed each other, were filled with unwillingness. However, Shirou, standing coldly on the tree trunk, sneered.

"Are you sure you avoided my Sharingan!?"

As his cold voice echoed, the bodies of the two Root anbu collapsed. In that instant, their eyes widened in shock as they noticed the falling raindrops and the puddles around them.

All of these raindrops and puddles reflected the blood-red, three-tomoe Sharingan. In their final moments, they understood everything.

They indeed hadn't looked directly into the Sharingan, but the Sharingan, through the omnipresent reflections in the rainwater, had still managed to cast a genjutsu on them.

"How... how could the Sharingan... be this powerful..."

The two Root Anbu's bodies fell with a splashing noise, collapsing into the mud and water.

"Shirou! Your Sharingan has already reached this level?!"

Mikoto was stunned. Such ocular prowess had already surpassed her grandfather, Elder Setsuna.

Though all three-tomoe Sharingan were generally similar, only a few exceptionally strong Uchiha possessed extraordinary power. These individuals gave off the impression that their three-tomoe Sharingan could completely overwhelm ordinary ones.

"From the beginning, the Root had planned to use Konan and Nagato to lure us here, but they didn't expect Nagato to turn the situation on its head and kill them instead..."

As Shirou analyzed, he also deactivated the explosive tags hidden in the surroundings, confirming that this place was indeed a trap.

"Mikoto, take Konan and Nagato back to the town first! I'll handle things here."

Seeing the situation, Shirou realized there was something peculiar going on. The Root's actions were targeted at them.

"Understood!"

Without hesitation, Mikoto quickly left the forested mountain with the frightened Konan and Nagato. After carefully examining the surroundings, Shirou began searching the three corpses for useful information.

Forbidden Technique: Chimera Jutsu!

In the shadows, Shirou quietly activated the technique. A diamond-shaped mark appeared on his palm as he began absorbing the three corpses, which had been transformed by White Zetsu.

When there was no further information to extract, Shirou used a fire release technique to burn away any traces before leaving.

Under the gentle rain, the forested mountain was left with no trace of what had occurred. From the tree trunk Shirou had stood on earlier, a pale, ghastly face slowly emerged.

"Madara-sama's descendant is truly remarkable. What sharp instincts."

White Zetsu's strange voice echoed. A moment later, he revealed a peculiar smile and pulled three forehead protectors and some other traces of evidence from his body.

"Hehe, these aren't fake, you know. I just added a little... extra fire."

As the voice grew fainter, White Zetsu's figure disappeared, leaving behind the three Root forehead protectors and some scattered remnants.

...

Konoha, the Hidden Root Headquarters

"The war is over, and Mito-sama's body is growing weaker by the day. Konoha's ultimate weapon must not have any connection to the accursed Uchiha!"

In a dimly lit room, Shimura Danzo spoke angrily. In front of him stood Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

"Yes, Danzo is right. If the ultimate weapon is divided into two, can it still be considered an ultimate weapon? Can it still intimidate other nations?"

Utatane Koharu nodded in agreement, expressing great dissatisfaction with the decision to split the Nine-Tails' chakra into two halves.

Now that the war was over, they were turning their attention to the village's future.

"Danzo, your actions are too reckless. You must remember that Tsunade has been closely guarding the frontlines. Besides, you should report this to Hiruzen before making any decisions."

Although Mitokado Homura agreed in part, he frowned, worried about Danzo's unilateral actions.

However, Danzo simply scoffed at the two of them.

"If Hiruzen disagrees, can the Root even step outside Konoha's gates? The Root exists to handle the darkness for the village. As for danger—since the day we became ninjas, we've been destined to live in danger for the rest of our lives!"

Danzo snorted coldly, looking down on the two advisors, who seemed unwilling to bear any responsibility—just like Hiruzen Sarutobi.

When it came to Konoha's dark deeds, Hiruzen Sarutobi always turned a blind eye. If anything went wrong, the blame fell solely on the Root.

Seeing the arrival of Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, Danzo realized they were here on Hiruzen's behalf, warning him not to go too far.

"Don't worry. The Land of Rain is already in chaos. All I did was leak some information about an outsider from the Uzumaki clan to a few ambitious individuals."

"Also, I've already instructed the Root to prepare a plan to lure Tsunade away. There won't be any issues."

Hearing Danzo's well-thought-out plan, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, as village advisors, they still spoke sternly:

"Danzo, although the war is over, the other three great ninja villages are still restless. The Root must continue handling certain matters."

Danzo snorted dismissively at their words. "The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki can only be one person. No one should think about weakening the village's strongest weapon."

In the dark Root headquarters, the three discussed with determination.

During the war, Konoha relied on the combined strength of the Senju and Uchiha. Now that the war had ended, it was time to focus on the village's internal development.

If they could make Uzumaki Kushina, an outsider, disappear in the chaos of the Land of Rain, then the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would naturally belong solely to Konoha.

After all, from beginning to end, they were only dealing with an outsider.