After wrapping up the Uchiha clan meeting, Kadoya sat in silence outside his home, eyes fixed on the moon hanging high above.
The Uchiha had fallen into his hands far sooner than expected.
Originally, he intended to challenge Fugaku for the title of Clan Head years from now, publicly. A battle to settle scores and prove dominance. He was even looking forward to beating him up.
But fate, or perhaps manipulation, moved faster than his plans.
Now, the title of Clan Head was his.
Unexpected? Yes. Unwelcome? Not at all.
Kadoya leaned back, his expression unreadable. He would simply adjust. He always did.
He already had strategies prepared to elevate the clan's power, just at a slower pace. Now, those plans would need acceleration. The foundation was laid: the Uchiha elders bowed to him, and most of the high-ranking shinobi swore loyalty.
Control and trust. Two things Kadoya now possessed.
They wouldn't trouble him anymore. Not if they knew what was good for them.
His gaze then shifted downward, eyes locking onto the glowing panel of his system reward, the prize for securing loyalty from the clan's inner circle.
Something worth his attention.
Congratulations! Title Unlocked: [Spirit of The Uchiha]
Reward: + 1 Famous Uchiha Spirit Link
Kadoya looked at his reward with an amused gaze. Reading into it, he saw the item could summon a famous spirit from the Uchiha Clan, one recognized for their achievements and legacy.
The spirit could be equipped in one of his accessory slots and be directly linked with him. Invisible to others, only Kadoya would be able to see and interact with them, allowing him to learn and talk with them.
He also noticed that there will be a bond level indicator. As the bond grew stronger, so would the connection. If the bond reached a certain threshold, he could use his chakra to summon the spirit into the physical world.
"A famous spirit from the Uchiha Clan..." Kadoya murmurs with a smirk, just think about a famous spirit of the Uchiha Clan, the names that came to Kadoya's mind was Madara Uchiha, and Izuna Uchiha.
But Madara isn't dead, which leaves Izuna, Madara's younger brother.
Kadoya suddenly finds it hard to stop himself from chuckling, the thought of fighting Madara then suddenly pulls Izuna out and says, "Madara! Your brother is in my hands! If you don't want to see him die a second time, hand over the Rinnegan!"
Wasting no time, Kadoya activated his reward.
A soft glow emerged, rapidly intensifying as it began to take shape, a humanoid silhouette forming in midair. Then, unexpectedly, the light shifted, curves emerging, followed by a distinctly feminine outline.
"...Heh!?"
The glow solidified into a woman with pale skin and long, wavy purple hair. Cropped bangs framed her forehead, and a serene expression sat on her face. She wore a flowing white kimono that fluttered gently in the breeze of residual chakra.
The woman blinked, disoriented. Her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings before settling on the boy in front of her.
"Uh… hi. I'm Naori Uchiha," she said with a hint of confusion. "Can you explain why I'm not dead?"
Kadoya: "..."
A long pause.
"…Damn it. Wrong Uchiha," he muttered, his deadpan expression doing nothing to hide his disappointment.
How the hell was he supposed to threaten Madara with a woman? The man who only has eyes for another man, who actually comprehends the phrase "Women can only slow down the speed of my hand seals".
Hearing his words, Naori looked a bit annoyed at him.
This little punk... You dragged me out of the Pure Land, and now you complain it was a mistake?
It's like someone dug up your grave, used the Edo Tensei to bring you back to life, only to look at you and say, "Wrong grave."
It felt insulting.
"Oi! Brat! You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Naori snapped, reaching out with her ghostly hand to grab his head. All she managed, though, was to ruffle his hair, and even then, his stubborn ahoge popped right back up the moment she let go.
"Alright, kid, talk." She crossed her arms, Mangekyou Sharingan spinning slightly in her eyes as she looked at him with sudden seriousness. "Why am I back in the world of the living?"
Kadoya flinched, not from fear, but awe. Those eyes… the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan. Eyes he very much wanted.
Come on, he had already considered how to steal the Rinnegan. Did she really think he wouldn't be tempted by a pair of Mangekyou?
Naori noticed the look in his eyes, mesmerized, almost entranced, and tilted her head in confusion. She hadn't used any genjutsu. She'd only activated her Mangekyou to scare him a little. Why was he looking at her like that?
Then she spotted his hand reaching for her face.
Smack!
"What the hell are you doing!?" she barked, batting his hand away.
"You're already dead! You don't need those anymore, just give 'em to me!" Kadoya lunged at her, hands aiming for her eyes like a greedy kid in a candy store.
"Like hell I will!" Naori shouted, struggling to hold him back. Unfortunately for her, being dead meant she had no chakra and very little strength, just enough to keep her ethereal eyeballs intact.
"You don't need them anymore!" he argued, still trying to pluck them.
"They're still mine! Dead or not!"
What followed was a ridiculous tug-of-war: one boy determined to claim her eyes, one spirit equally determined to keep them. After a few moments of childish squabbling, both finally relented.
Kadoya slumped back, sighing in disappointment. "Damn it. Should've known ghost Mangekyou wouldn't work."
Naori smacked his head again, more out of exasperation than anger. "Damn brat! Is this how you greet a woman you just met? By trying to gouge her eyes out!?"
"Don't overthink it. Most women don't have eyes as beautiful as yours," Kadoya said with a completely straight face.
Naori clicked her tongue and glared. "Tch. So that's all I am to you? Just a pair of eyes?"
"If only they were real…" he muttered under his breath.
Smack.
"Brat! Show some damn respect!" Naori groaned, rubbing her temple. "With that attitude, you will never be able to get a wife."
Kadoya didn't even hesitate to let out a remark while he was still thinking of a way to "borrow" Madara's Rinnegan.
"Women can only slow down the speed of my hand seals."
Naori: "..."
...
"So this is what Konoha looks like now, huh…" Naori murmured, her voice soft with wonder as she gazed down at the village's glowing night market.
"Yeah," Kadoya replied, sitting casually atop the carved head of the Second Hokage. Naori floated beside him, her pale form faintly illuminated by the moonlight.
The wind whispered through the night, rustling Kadoya's long scarf and brushing their hair gently as they watched the village below.
After a moment of silence, Kadoya tilted his head. "So, how'd you kick the bucket?"
Naori's eye twitched. Without hesitation, she lightly smacked the back of his head. The gesture held no force, just exasperation.
"Couldn't you have asked that a little more delicately?" she grumbled, then sighed. "Nothing dramatic. After I went blind from using Izanami, I just… retired. Lived out the rest of my days in peace."
Kadoya raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Huh. And here I thought the legendary creator of Izanami went out in some epic battle."
Naori let out a soft chuckle. "Disappointed?"
"Maybe a little," he teased.
"How did a kid like you even know about Izanami?" She asks.
He simply shrugged. "Izanami and Izanagi are forbidden jutsu in our clan. As Clan Head, of course, I know about them."
Naori blinked, her expression shifting. "Wait. You're the current Uchiha Clan Head?"
Kadoya grinned smugly, placing a hand on his chest with exaggerated pride. "Let me reintroduce myself. Kadoya Uchiha, current Clan Head of both the Uchiha and the Uzumaki."
Naori stared, stunned for a few beats. "Hold on… Uzumaki too? Are you mixed blood or something?"
"Not sure," Kadoya said, smirking as his eyes flashed with the three-tomoe Sharingan before settling back to normal. "But I'm definitely an Uchiha."
Naori gave a low whistle, nodding in approval. "Three tomoe, and you're only nine? Not bad, kid."
"At this rate, I'll unlock the Mangekyou in no time," he quipped.
She laughed. "Confident, aren't you?"
"Or…" he added, tilting his head playfully, "you could just give me your beautiful eyes and save me the trouble."
Naori's smile vanished. "Get lost."
...
In the Hyuga Compound.
"What do you want?" Saiguu asked coldly, her sharp gaze fixed on Hiroto, who stood in her way.
"My dear Saiguu~" Hiroto said, a smug grin spreading across his face.
He took slow, deliberate steps toward her, the girl he'd long harbored feelings for. But now, branded with the Caged Bird Seal, she was now part of the Branch House. And as a member of the Main House, he believed he finally held power over her.
"How does it feel," he sneered, "knowing your life is now in my hands?"
The arrogance in his tone dripped like poison. Ever since Kadoya humiliated him, Hiroto had been consumed by resentment and bitterness. But every time he looked Kadoya in the eyes, that same fear would paralyze him, the trauma etched into his mind.
So now, in his twisted logic, if he couldn't get revenge on Kadoya… he'd take it out on Saiguu instead.
He wasn't stronger than Kadoya. He wasn't even stronger than Saiguu. But now, with the cursed seal in place, he believed she would have no choice but to obey.
The idea of her, his Saiguu, kneeling before him, obeying his every word, made something twisted stir in him.
"Now, Saiguu," he said with glee, "I command you to-"
But Saiguu brushed past him without a glance.
Ever since the betrayal, branded with the Caged Bird Seal while she slept, Saiguu had fully embraced Orochimaru's teachings of trust no one. Not in the Hyuga Clan. Not anymore.
Now, she merely tolerated them while she prepared. Quietly planning multiple methods to sever ties with the Hyuga completely.
Hiroto, angered by her indifference, reached out to grab her wrist.
In a flash, Saiguu judo-threw him with such force that his body slammed into a wall, leaving a massive dent.
Groaning, Hiroto pushed himself up, eyes burning with hatred.
"You damn woman!" he spat. Then, forming hand signs, he snarled, "Fine! I'll make you regret that!"
He activated her Caged Bird Seal. Saiguu's eyes clenched in pain, her body stumbling as she gritted her teeth, holding her head as veins bulged around her eyes.
Hiroto laughed until, suddenly, he collapsed to his knees, screaming in agony. Veins bulged around his eyes, identical to Saiguu's.
The hall erupted in chaos. Members of both the Main and Branch Houses rushed in, alarmed at the sight of Hiroto writhing in pain.
Hiroto's father knelt beside his son, bewildered. Hiroto wasn't branded with the Caged Bird Seal. How could this be happening?
Then they noticed Saiguu. Though clearly in pain, she wasn't crying out. Instead… there was a small, knowing smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.
Realization dawned.
Hiroto had activated the seal, but something had gone horribly wrong.
Acting quickly, Hiroto's father struck his son's chakra points, cutting off the flow.
The pain stopped. The veins receded. Hiroto collapsed, unconscious.
"Pathetic," Saiguu muttered, casting one last glance at the fallen boy.
The others stared at her in stunned silence, not sure what to make of what they had just witnessed.
Saiguu said nothing more.
She simply turned and walked away.
This was the seal Kadoya had placed on her. Since he couldn't break the Caged Bird Cursed Seal outright, he created something else in its place.
Counter Seal: Nightmare Pain.
A unique seal designed to retaliate against pain inflicted on its bearer. When Saiguu suffers any form of damage caused by another, the seal's effect would activate, redirecting the same pain back to the one who inflicted it.
She has told Kadoya about the Caged Bird Cursed Seal before. And during one of his experimental breakthroughs, Kadoya managed to weave this specialized fūinjutsu, capable of reflecting sensory pain back to the attacker, turning the victim's suffering into the aggressor's torment.
Of course, there was still weakness.
The seal's effectiveness depended entirely on the user's endurance and pain tolerance. If the user passed out or lost consciousness, the seal would shut down and become useless.
Furthermore, the seal didn't stop the user from being killed, it just reflected the damage back in a phantom pain. If the user got stabbed and bled out, the attacker would only feel the feeling of being stabbed and bleeding out, but would not actually die from blood loss like the user.
Kadoya had no plans to use it himself; after all, he didn't intend to get hit in the first place.
He figured Minato might benefit from the seal… but only in a fight against someone like him.
Which left Saiguu, the perfect candidate.
Now branded with the Caged Bird, Saiguu had a way to fight back. Should any Hyuga attempt to activate her cursed seal, she would simply trigger the Nightmare Pain seal in response.
If they dared to make her suffer, then they would suffer with her.