Chapter 553: Reports Before the Operation (Patreon)

Kenway Compound — Main Residence — Konohagakure

Dinner did not end quickly merely because Izuna now had a pair of eyes waiting for him.

Kushina made certain of that.

Alaric had already learned that attempting to rush through a meal after she had specifically ordered him to eat usually created a longer argument than simply finishing the food, so he remained seated while the others gradually emptied their plates. Izuna ate more slowly because of his blindness, relying upon the spatial map he had built around the table, while Madara remained beside him with the patience of someone who had spent most of his life waiting for battles rather than medical procedures.

The sterile container holding the Mangekyō Sharingan had returned to the seal on Alaric's shoulder, although everyone at the table remained conscious of its presence.

Madara especially.

His Rinnegan occasionally shifted toward Alaric, not with the suspicion that had dominated their earliest conversations, but with the deliberate attention of someone waiting for the next part of an agreement to be fulfilled.

Alaric noticed every glance but did not comment on them.

Once Kushina appeared satisfied that nobody was going to abandon half a meal in pursuit of Uchiha ocular surgery, the table gradually emptied.

Izuna rose first with one palm touching the table for orientation. A faint pulse of chakra traveled through the room and returned to him, after which he turned toward the hallway without asking for assistance.

Madara stood beside him.

"Haku," Alaric pushed his chair back and looked toward Haku. "Come with us."

Haku immediately nodded. "Of course, Sensei."

Madara glanced toward the young Yuki but said nothing.

Alaric noticed the look.

After learning what had happened during his absence, he would understand why Madara's attention toward Haku had changed so noticeably.

They moved through the compound toward a smaller medical room located beyond the primary residential corridors. Alaric had designed the space for injuries too complicated to handle comfortably in an ordinary bedroom but not severe enough to justify moving someone to Konoha Hospital.

The room possessed a raised medical bed, cabinets containing conventional supplies, a basin with running water, sterilization seals, and several layers of fūinjutsu worked discreetly into the walls and floor.

By the time the others reached it, Izuna had already entered, so Madara followed him inside.

Haku stopped near the doorway while Alaric remained in the corridor with Minato and Itachi for a moment longer.

Inside, Madara helped Izuna determine the bed's position without physically guiding him unless necessary. Izuna sat on its edge, then gradually lay back while another sensory pulse mapped the room.

Alaric looked toward Haku. "Stay with them."

"Yes, Sensei."

"I want you watching what I do later."

Haku's attention sharpened immediately. "Medical ninjutsu?"

"That, and the seals," Alaric glanced toward Izuna through the open doorway. "You already understand chakra pathways well enough to disrupt them. I want you learning more about restoring them instead of only interfering with them."

"Oh," Haku inclined his head. "I understand."

Madara heard the exchange from inside.

His expression remained unreadable, although Haku now understood enough about Madara to recognize that the legendary Uchiha was listening carefully whenever Alaric taught something.

"Before I start," Alaric turned back toward Minato. "What happened while I was gone?"

Minato smiled faintly. "How much time do you have?"

Alaric looked through the doorway toward Izuna. "Enough for the important parts."

"Hmm..." Minato folded his arms loosely. "Surprisingly little happened that required intervention."

Alaric raised an eyebrow.

"With Madara living here?"

From inside the room, Madara's voice reached them without any difficulty. "I can hear you."

Alaric looked toward the doorway. "I assumed so."

Madara scoffed quietly but made no further comment.

Minato's smile widened for only a moment before he continued.

"Izuna adapted quickly. You already noticed the chakra pulses."

Alaric nodded.

"He has been refining them every day. Madara has been helping him reduce the amount of wasted chakra."

Alaric glanced toward the room. "That makes sense."

Minato continued, "Izuna also spoke with Itachi privately."

Alaric's gaze moved toward Itachi.

Itachi stood several steps away with his usual composed posture, though his expression became slightly more serious when the conversation turned toward the garden.

"He asked me to tell him what happened to the Uchiha Clan," Itachi explained.

"Everything?"

"Everything relevant to how I became involved in the massacre."

Alaric studied him.

"And?"

Itachi understood the question.

"He did not absolve me."

Alaric's expression remained calm.

"Good."

Itachi's eyes shifted toward him.

Alaric continued, "You didn't need absolution from Izuna. You needed him to understand what happened."

"That was also his conclusion," Itachi paused. "He wants to speak with Sasuke eventually."

Sasuke was no longer standing near them, having remained farther inside the residence with Naruto and Kushina, but Alaric understood why Izuna would want that conversation.

"One story from both sides."

"Yes," Itachi nodded. "He specifically said he wanted to understand what my choices felt like from Sasuke's side."

Alaric exhaled quietly.

"That conversation might be worse for him."

"For Izuna?"

"For everyone."

"..." Itachi did not disagree.

With that settled, Alaric's attention returned to Minato. "What else?"

Minato glanced toward Haku. "Haku can explain that one."

Alaric looked toward his disciple.

Haku remained near the medical-room entrance.

"Madara asked about my training."

Alaric's eyebrow rose.

Madara's expression inside the room became faintly irritated, although he made no effort to deny it.

"He noticed my movement when I arrived on the roof," Haku continued. "He wanted to understand how it worked."

"Zero Friction?"

"Yes."

"And you told him?"

"The principle."

Alaric nodded approvingly. "That's fine."

Haku continued, "He also asked about my reaction training, Ice Release, fūinjutsu, Kusanagi, the opponents I have fought, and how you trained me during our journey."

Alaric's expression became more thoughtful. "How much did you tell him?"

"My own history..." Haku paused. "Not yours."

Alaric understood the distinction immediately. "Good."

"You have a good student," Madara spoke from inside the medical room. "He is very disciplined with your secrets."

Alaric looked toward him. "That is one reason I trust him with them."

Madara's Rinnegan remained on Alaric. "What was more interesting was discovering that you taught him my taijutsu."

Minato looked toward Alaric.

Itachi's eyes sharpened slightly.

Haku remained quiet.

Alaric blinked. "Oh."

Madara's expression hardened fractionally. "Oh?"

Alaric scratched his cheek. "I forgot that might come up."

"You forgot that you taught a shinobi born generations after my supposed death a modified version of my personal fighting style."

"When you phrase it that way, it sounds more suspicious."

Madara stared at him.

Alaric met the gaze for several seconds before giving a small shrug. "I know a lot of things."

"That is not an answer."

"It is an answer, and it is the answer you're getting."

Madara's mouth tightened.

There was no hostility in the exchange, though Madara clearly stored the matter away for later.

Haku continued before the question became another interrogation. "He also asked what your greatest lesson was."

Alaric looked toward him.

That interested him more than the taijutsu.

"What did you say?"

Haku's expression softened.

"That becoming useful to another person is not the same as possessing a reason to live."

Hearing that, Alaric became quiet.

Haku continued, "And that a disciple should eventually become capable of making decisions without the master standing behind him."

For a moment, Alaric simply looked at him... then he nodded. "Good."

Nothing more was needed.

Madara watched the exchange from the medical room with the same interest he had shown when Haku originally explained it.

Minato let the silence settle before adding, "There were also several less important developments."

Alaric looked toward him.

"Such as?"

Minato's mouth threatened a smile. "Madara discovered the plumbing."

Alaric stared at him.

From inside the medical room came immediate silence.

Alaric slowly turned his head.

Madara was sitting near Izuna's bed.

His expression warned everyone present that some matters were better left unexamined.

Alaric looked back toward Minato. "The plumbing."

Minato nodded. "And the shower."

Haku's gaze lowered.

Itachi's expression remained controlled only through long practice.

Alaric's mouth curved slightly. "I see."

Madara's voice came from inside. "You have designed an unnecessarily luxurious bathing system."

Alaric looked toward him. "Running water?"

"Heated running water."

"Yes."

"That appears immediately."

"Yes."

Madara stared...

Alaric maintained a respectful expression. "I am glad you found it useful."

Madara narrowed his Rinnegan as though expecting sarcasm, but none came.

After two days of living in the house, Madara had become capable of recognizing that Alaric's casual manner rarely meant the man considered him insignificant. Alaric simply possessed almost no reverence for reputation when dealing with someone directly.

Madara eventually nodded. "The shower is efficient."

"I'll let whoever built it know Madara Uchiha approves." Alaric accepted this judgment with appropriate seriousness. 'Me...'

A soft exhale came from Izuna's bed.

It might have been amusement.

Madara ignored him.

Alaric looked back toward Minato.

"So nobody tried to destroy Konoha, no assassinations, and no one attacked Madara."

"Not successfully."

Alaric raised a brow.

Minato clarified, "No one tried."

"Alright," Alaric nodded his head before his tone became more serious. "What about outside the compound?"

This time, Itachi answered.

"The situation has remained stable, although the villages are preparing for war."

Alaric turned toward him.

Itachi continued, "The five major villages remain united under the understanding established before you left."

Alaric nodded slowly.

"Konoha, Suna, Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa?"

"Yes."

"No fractures?"

"Nothing significant enough to threaten cooperation."

Itachi folded his hands behind his back.

"They are gathering supplies, repositioning shinobi, strengthening communication routes, and preparing contingencies for another large-scale engagement."

Alaric's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Against whom?"

Itachi looked toward the medical room.

"Madara Uchiha."

Inside, Madara chuckled.

The sound carried quietly into the corridor.

Alaric turned his head.

Madara had leaned back in his chair with one arm resting along its side, the faintest trace of amusement appearing across his face.

The world was apparently mobilizing against a man currently sitting beside his resurrected brother while waiting for eye surgery.

Alaric rested one shoulder against the doorframe.

"See that, Madara?"

Madara looked toward him.

"Your name caused so much terror in the world already," Alaric said, his expression carrying more reflection than mockery. "You should reflect a little bit."

Madara scoffed.

"They are preparing for a version of me that no longer exists."

"Which is still your fault."

Madara's eyes narrowed.

Alaric continued before the statement sounded dismissive.

"You spent decades making sure your name meant catastrophe. You cannot really complain when the world responds accordingly."

Madara was silent for a moment.

Then his gaze shifted toward Izuna.

"I am not complaining."

Alaric nodded.

That was fair.

Itachi continued his report.

"The villages still believe Madara remains connected to the Ten-Tails crisis. Only a limited number of people understand the circumstances have changed."

"That's probably better for now," Alaric said.

Minato nodded.

"Revealing that Madara is alive, no longer pursuing Infinite Tsukuyomi, and currently staying inside your compound would require explanations nobody is prepared to give."

Alaric imagined the Five Kage receiving that report.

He sighed.

"Definitely."

Madara looked toward the corridor.

"They would not believe it."

"No," Alaric replied. "They would assume you were manipulating us."

"A reasonable assumption."

Alaric nodded.

"At least you know."

Minato's expression became faintly amused.

"There is one fortunate part of the last two days."

Alaric looked toward him.

"Sandaime-sama has not been coming to the compound."

"Hiruzen?"

"Yes."

Minato smiled.

"He has been occupied advising Tsunade and helping coordinate the village's preparations."

Alaric immediately understood.

"Oh."

Minato glanced toward Madara.

"I think that may be fortunate."

Madara raised a brow.

Minato continued, "If Sandaime-sama walked through the door without warning and saw Madara Uchiha sitting at Kushina's dinner table, I'm not certain the old man's heart would survive the surprise."

Alaric stared at him.

Then chuckled.

He covered part of his mouth with one hand before looking inside the medical room at Madara.

"That would be a terrible way for Hiruzen to die after surviving Orochimaru, war, Danzō, and retirement."

"Yeah," Minato smiled. "That is what I was thinking."

Madara gave both men an unimpressed look. "I have not killed him."

"Not yet," Alaric said before immediately clarifying in a more serious tone, "and you're not going to."

Madara's gaze remained on him. "I know the terms of our agreement."

Alaric nodded.

He did not need to repeat them.

Five years.

No attacks on Konoha, Infinite Tsukuyomi, civilization-destroying organizations, Ten-Tails, genjutsu coercion.

Madara's word had mattered enough for Alaric to leave him inside the compound for two days.

So far, Madara had honored it... well it had only been two days.

Alaric straightened from the doorframe and exhaled. "Alright."

He looked toward Itachi.

"Keep monitoring the Five Villages. If they move from preparation into an actual mobilization against a confirmed location, tell me."

Itachi inclined his head. "Understood."

Alaric looked toward Minato. "If Hiruzen decides to visit…"

Minato smiled.

"I will intercept him."

"Please do. I don't want to test Shinsei Tensei on him just because Madara scared him to death."

Inside the room, Izuna's mouth curved faintly.

Madara simply shook his head.

Alaric finally stepped through the doorway while Haku followed before the medical room sealed behind them.

Kenway Compound — Medical Room

Only four people remained inside.

Alaric.

Madara.

Izuna.

Haku.

The layered seals in the walls activated as soon as Alaric touched the control formula beside the door. A soft pulse of chakra spread across the room before the barrier closed around them, isolating sound, stabilizing the environment, and preventing unwanted chakra disturbances from entering during the procedure.

Haku moved toward one side of the room where he could observe without interfering.

Madara remained close to Izuna.

The younger Uchiha was already lying on the elevated medical bed, his head supported by a padded rest while the empty sockets beneath his closed eyelids remained angled toward the ceiling.

Alaric washed his hands first.

Not because he required ordinary sanitation after everything his chakra could accomplish, but because good habits remained useful when teaching someone else.

Haku definitely noticed.

Alaric dried his hands and moved toward the bed.

He touched the storage tattoo on his shoulder, and a faint seal pattern spread beneath the fabric causing Madara's entire attention to sharpen.

Alaric did not release the eyes yet.

Instead, he looked down at Izuna.

The legendary Uchiha's breathing remained steady.

No fear... just anticipation controlled through years of discipline.

Alaric folded his arms.

"So…"

Izuna turned his head slightly toward his voice.

Alaric gave a faint smile.

"Let's start?"

Kenway Keep — Private Family Wing — Philadelphia

Across the boundary between worlds, the evening had settled more gently over Philadelphia.

Kenway Keep remained active despite the late hour. Servants moved through distant corridors, guards rotated along the grounds, and clerks attached to the household administration continued carrying reports between the sections of the estate that never completely slept during wartime.

Two men entered the private family wing from opposite directions at nearly the same time.

Reuben stopped first.

Thulani emerged from another corridor a few moments later, having only recently left the private suite reserved for himself and his family whenever they returned to Kenway Keep.

Both men wore travel clothing rather than formal Vanguard equipment, though neither had been home long enough to completely lose the appearance of the sea.

Reuben's hair still carried the slight disorder created by salt wind, while the heavier coat over one arm showed signs of days spent aboard ship. Thulani appeared cleaner, though even his controlled posture could not disguise the fatigue of long deployment.

They noticed one another almost simultaneously.

Thulani raised a brow.

"It seems you've arrived."

Reuben nodded as they closed the remaining distance between them. "Yeah. Saw your ship coming in."

Thulani adjusted one cuff. "How's the south?"

Reuben exhaled through his nose. "Boring."

Thulani's eyebrow rose higher.

Reuben noticed. "That sounds worse than I meant it."

"You have been fighting Spanish and French ships."

"That's why it became boring."

Thulani studied him.

Reuben continued as they began walking together.

"We find them, they form up, we cut off their retreat, then either the Vanguard ships or the Pennmerian squadrons tear the formation apart. Half the captains surrender earlier now because they know what happens if they keep fighting."

His expression carried no excitement.

"Spanish ships, French ships, privateers attached to both, occasionally some merchant convoy carrying war material. It has been the same pattern repeatedly."

Thulani nodded slowly.

"That is not necessarily a problem."

"I know," Reuben adjusted the coat over his arm. "Winning is better than being entertained."

Thulani gave him a measured look. "I am relieved you understand that."

Reuben looked toward him.

"I'm not Edward."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Thulani's mouth. "...No, you are not."

They continued farther into the private wing.

Reuben glanced toward him. "How's north?"

"Stable."

"Meaning?"

"Cold, organized, and increasingly unpleasant for anyone trying to move hostile shipping where we can reach it."

Reuben nodded his head. "Sounds about right."

Thulani continued, "I have several reports for Lady Kassandra. Naval activity, coastal surveillance, personnel rotations, and recommendations concerning how many Vanguard operatives we can afford to move toward the land front."

Reuben's expression became more serious. "That's where I'm going too."

"The southern report?"

"And the fleet readiness numbers."

They moved through another corridor.

Kassandra's office lay unusually far from the areas used by most visitors and administrative staff. It had originally been Alaric's private office, positioned near the residential section where he could work without being surrounded by petitioners whenever he wanted solitude.

Over time, it had become theirs.

Kassandra used it often enough that nobody in the household thought of the room as belonging only to Alaric anymore.

The office sat near the private corridor leading toward Alaric and Kassandra's bedroom, separated from the busier parts of Kenway Keep by enough distance that conversations inside rarely traveled beyond those meant to hear them.

Reuben and Thulani continued in silence for part of the walk.

Neither needed to fill it.

They had spent enough time serving together that silence never implied discomfort.

When they finally reached the office, light remained visible beneath the door.

Thulani stopped first, then he raised one hand and knocked.

Several seconds passed.

Then Kassandra's voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Hearing the approval for access, Thulani opened the door.

The two men entered.

Kassandra sat behind the large desk beneath the warm light of several lamps.

She wore her black Vanguard uniform, its fitted structure and gold trim lending her the unmistakable appearance of the organization's Vice Leader even inside the quietest wing of her own home. The dark coat framed her shoulders while ornate gold details caught the lamplight whenever she moved.

Several maps covered one section of the desk.

Reports occupied another.

The Staff of Hermes rested nearby.

Kassandra looked up as they approached.

Her expression softened immediately when she recognized them.

Reuben and Thulani stopped several steps from the desk.

Almost simultaneously, both men brought a closed fist to the center of their chest.

The Vanguard salute.

It was not theatrical.

Neither man required ceremony to prove loyalty, but the gesture represented the organization they had built beside Alaric and Kassandra, as well as the authority Kassandra carried whenever Alaric was absent.

Kassandra smiled.

"Good evening to both of you."

Reuben and Thulani lowered their fists.

"Lady Kassandra," Thulani greeted respectfully.

Reuben inclined his head. "Good evening."

Kassandra looked from one man to the other.

She noticed the exhaustion.

The salt still clinging faintly to Reuben's clothing.

The controlled stiffness in Thulani's shoulders.

The reports they were carrying.

They had clearly come directly from long assignments and intended to immediately bury themselves in another hour of military accounting.

Kassandra leaned back slightly in her chair.

"Before either of you gives me a report…"

Both men waited.

Her smile changed.

It became sharper and... familiar.

The expression of the Spartan warrior beneath the administrator.

Kassandra rose from her chair. "How about a spar?"