Shinigami in the Ninja World

In the Hokage's office, Shikaku Nara sat across from Kakashi, with his son Shikamaru standing beside him. Shikaku frowned as he spoke, the weight of the situation evident in his voice.

"Hokage-sama, you're being a bit too aggressive," Shikaku said hesitantly, holding a document in his hand. "Are you sure you want to handle things this way?"

Kakashi's voice was calm and resolute. "The village and the ninja need to try making some changes."

"If we want to change... we need to start by retiring some of them."

Shikaku was silent for a moment, contemplating Kakashi's words. He understood what Kakashi was aiming for, but even with his experience and intellect, he couldn't fully grasp whether this move would be good or bad for the future of the ninja.

"I see," he finally said, nodding slowly. "If that's what you want to do."

Yet, despite his reservations, he couldn't help but feel compelled to give it a try.

Shikamaru looked up at his father, sensing the gravity of the conversation. He understood the implications, but as a young man still growing into his responsibilities, he found it difficult to fully comprehend the weight of these decisions.

Kakashi didn't say anything further. His gaze shifted to a photograph on the corner of his desk—a snapshot from another time. The image showed a gentle, blond man surrounded by his teammates: Kakashi himself, his deadpan expression as familiar as ever; a short-haired girl with two purple markings on her face; and a black-haired boy wearing goggles.

He was also the last of the Hatake clan.

After drifting aimlessly for over a decade, he had somehow ended up as Hokage. Now that he had taken this position and the responsibility that came with it, he could no longer afford to be the same as before.

Moreover... he didn't want to see the same tragedies happen again.

Did Naruto realize all of this when he was just twelve years old?

It's no wonder he's Sensei's son.

Just then, the space in the room began to warp, and an unusual chakra appeared, distorting the air like a ripple in a pond.

"Who's there?" Shikaku immediately sensed the disturbance, moving to stand protectively in front of Kakashi, his hands ready to form seals.

Shikamaru held his breath, instinctively taking a step back.

"It's that unidentified Uchiha Naruto issued a warrant for," Kakashi said, rising to his feet, his tone turning serious. "You've broken into Konoha. What do you want?"

"I'm here for something interesting, of course," the masked Uchiha said, his voice calm as he waved a hand dismissively. "Fifth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, your Sharingan... It needs to be returned to the Uchiha clan."

Kakashi lifted his hand and removed his hat, revealing his Sharingan. "You're after this eye?"

"Sorry, but this is something I can't give you."

The masked Uchiha extended his hand toward Kakashi. "Then I'll just have to take it myself."

As soon as he spoke, chakra surged from the shadows in the corner of the room.

Shikamaru, who had quietly retreated into the background, quickly clasped his hands together in a familiar seal.

"Shadow Imitation Technique."

Under the dim light, a long, black shadow stretched out, connecting him to the Uchiha.

"You broke into Konoha but only have this level of caution?" Shikamaru said lightly, with a hint of sarcasm. "It seems you don't think much of us."

Shikaku frowned. Was it really this simple? A sense of unease crept into his mind.

An enemy had broken into the Hokage's office—where were the Anbu? What about the alarm system? The entire building seemed sealed off.

"The Nara clan's secret technique," the Uchiha muttered, clicking his tongue in mild irritation. "Quite powerful indeed."

"But... did you know?"

"The Sharingan also contains the power of 'Yin Release.'"

"In front of these eyes, your secret technique has no effect."

Shikamaru smirked, his mind racing as he prepared to make his next move.

But before he could act, the Uchiha teleported in an instant, easily slipping free of the shadow's hold.

Shikaku immediately threw a kunai, aiming for the intruder.

The masked Uchiha didn't dodge, nor did he use any jutsu. The kunai passed through his body as if it weren't even there, embedding itself harmlessly in the wall behind him.

Shikaku's pupils dilated.

Just as Naruto had described in his report, this Uchiha could make his body intangible.

Physical attacks were ineffective, and even Yin Release techniques had no effect.

Then what about elemental ninjutsu?

"Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu."

Kakashi quickly formed seals and spat out a large fireball, its flames roaring through the room.

But the attack was futile.

The flames licked the walls and ceiling, charring useless documents to ashes, but the Uchiha remained unharmed.

The Uchiha teleported again, appearing right in front of Kakashi. He reached out, his hand aiming directly for Kakashi's left eye. "It's useless. Stop trying."

"These weak attacks... have no meaning in front of me."

Kakashi didn't resist, his hands forming seals as he stood his ground.

Just as the Uchiha's hand was about to touch Kakashi's Sharingan, his movements suddenly froze.

"As expected," Shikaku said, his hands clasped in a seal.

The distance between him and the Uchiha was short, allowing the shadow to reconnect seamlessly.

Shikamaru, who hadn't seen Naruto's warrant in detail, quickly caught on. "To physically interact with the world, he must deactivate that technique."

"Exactly," Shikaku nodded, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the intruder.

Kakashi completed his hand seals.

Lightning crackled in the air.

"Lightning Style: Chidori."

Kakashi hadn't been dazed or unwilling to fight back. He had simply been waiting for the right moment, armed with the knowledge they had on their enemy.

With less than a meter between them, the Chidori's lightning-filled chirping echoed loudly in the room.

The attack was about to pierce the Uchiha's body.

But at the last moment, the Uchiha reacted, turning his body intangible once more.

Shikaku's shadow technique lost its hold.

The Chidori passed through the Uchiha without causing any harm.

The masked Uchiha stepped back, creating some distance between them.

He reached out and grabbed Kakashi's shoulder. "The Nara clan is really a nuisance."

"So, I'll be taking this—"

The three tomoe in his right eye began to spin.

Kakashi turned his head, his gaze locking onto the Uchiha's eye.

He watched as the tomoe twisted and transformed into a pattern he recognized—a three-bladed Mangekyō Sharingan.

For a brief moment, Kakashi was lost in thought.

The space around them distorted, pulling the Uchiha's head into a vortex of nothingness.

Then his body followed, the vortex extending to Kakashi's shoulder.

In an instant, both of them were completely absorbed into the vortex and vanished.

"Hokage-sama!" Shikamaru exclaimed, rushing forward.

"It seems they were teleported using a space-time jutsu," Shikaku said, his frown deepening as he surveyed the wrecked room. "Let's figure out what's going on and get in touch with the others."

Shikamaru nodded, and they quickly called in reinforcements.

A few minutes later, the patrol team returned to the office.

"All the Anbu stationed outside are dead," Shikaku reported grimly. "Both the visible and hidden guards."

Shikamaru frowned, his young mind grappling with the implications. He was still just a chūnin, lacking the experience of seasoned jōnin, so he spoke his thoughts aloud: "That's impossible. Many of the guard posts are unknown even to you, Dad. How could an outsider achieve this?"

"And during all of this, he didn't trigger any alarms or get detected."

Shikaku shook his head. "Watch what you say."

Shikamaru fell silent, realizing the gravity of the situation.

"Let's focus on finding the Hokage first—" Shikaku began, but before he could finish his sentence...

The vortex reappeared, swirling into existence once more.

The masked Uchiha emerged from the distortion, dragging Kakashi with him.

"Hokage-sama!" Shikamaru cried out, rushing to Kakashi's side.

Kakashi looked battered, his body covered in wounds of varying severity. His left eye was missing, leaving behind a dark, empty socket that bled slightly.

Meanwhile, the masked Uchiha held Kakashi's removed Sharingan, now sealed in a small jar.

"The Hokage of Konoha is truly disappointing," the Uchiha sneered, his tone dripping with contempt. "I thought it would take more effort."

Kakashi was despondent, his spirit shattered, unable to find the words to speak.

Shikamaru began to form seals, ready to engage again.

"Well then, farewell, Nara clan," the Uchiha said, stepping back. His body began to fade, becoming intangible as he disappeared from view.

"Hokage-sama?" Shikaku didn't pursue the intruder. Instead, he knelt beside Kakashi, assessing his condition.

Kakashi had numerous injuries, but none were fatal. It seemed that, rather than physical wounds, Kakashi had suffered more from psychological trauma—something akin to what he had endured when subjected to Itachi's Tsukuyomi three years earlier.

Could that space-time jutsu have a similar effect?

"I..." Kakashi lifted his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "Shikaku, did Naruto's warrant mention that man's identity?"

Shikaku nodded, his brow furrowed with concern.

Kakashi murmured, "I think I know who he is."

Shikaku was taken aback. "Did you discover something during the battle that revealed his identity?"

Kakashi nodded weakly, struggling to form the words. "His Mangekyō Sharingan... it's identical to the one in my Sharingan."

Shikaku's eyes widened in shock. "Let's get you stabilized first, Hokage-sama. We can discuss this later when you've recovered."

Kakashi continued, his voice heavy with despair, ignoring Shikaku's suggestion. "My Sharingan also has the Mangekyō. I realized it after fighting Itachi. I started to explore its power."

"To my surprise, I quickly mastered it, as if it had been awakened long ago, but I only became aware of it then."

"The patterns are exactly the same."

"He has the right eye, and I have the left eye."

"The Mangekyō Sharingan's power that I awakened is also a space-time jutsu."

Shikaku fell silent, his mind racing to process what Kakashi was saying.

The origin of Kakashi's Sharingan was well known throughout Konoha.

Shikaku's gaze shifted to the desk.

During the battle, the photo on the desk had been knocked askew. Of the four people in the picture, three were obscured by the glare, leaving only the boy on the far left—black-haired, wearing goggles—clearly visible.

This was Kakashi's former teammate, Obito Uchiha.

In the battle of Kannabi Bridge during the Third Ninja War, Obito had been crushed by a boulder and had given Kakashi his remaining Sharingan before dying.

But when they recovered the battlefield, Obito's body was gone, his whereabouts unknown.

It wasn't unusual; the body of a ninja with a kekkei genkai was a valuable research specimen. Iwagakure or any other ninja village would have taken it if they had the chance.

Konoha had declared him dead and moved on.

But now it seemed...

Obito Uchiha hadn't died after all.

"Why did he become like this?" Kakashi's single eye was filled with confusion, his voice heavy with despair. "If it really is him..."

"Then he was the one who killed Sensei!"

"He's the one who tried to harm Sensei's child."