Naruto: Life as Kagami Uchiha

Tobirama Senju closed his eyes.

It looked like he had given up, but in reality, he hadn't.

Even in the face of death, he planned to take someone down with him. His fingers were tightly gripping the hand seals—not for any ordinary jutsu, but for the immensely powerful Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.

However...

At that critical moment—

Shing!

A flash of red streaked through the air.

Two approaching Kumogakure Jōnin, ready to strike Tobirama, suddenly clutched their throats and collapsed to the ground.

Standing before Tobirama, blade in hand, was Uchiha Kagami. His Sharingan spun, the three tomoe clearly visible.

"Kagami? What are you doing here?"

For the first time, a trace of concern appeared on Tobirama's otherwise cold face. "You're no match for them. Kinkaku and Ginkaku aren't ordinary shinobi—they also have the Six Paths Tools."

"I know."

Kagami's voice was calm.

Not only did he know about the Six Paths Tools, but he also knew something far worse—Kinkaku and Ginkaku had once attempted to capture the Nine-Tails. Though they were swallowed whole, they survived by devouring its flesh and gained the beast's chakra.

Many people underestimated the brothers.

They thought, If Darui could take them down, how could they have possibly killed the Second Hokage?

But few understood just how powerful Kinkaku and Ginkaku truly were.

Not only were they elders of Kumogakure, second in power only to the Second Raikage, but they also possessed the bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths. Their strength was at least Kage level.

And the Six Paths Tools?

Most overlooked how terrifying they truly were.

The Kōkinjō (Golden Canopy Rope), Shichiseiken (Seven Star Sword), and Benihisago (Crimson Gourd) formed a deadly set—tools that manipulated causality itself.

The Kohaku no Jōhei (Amber Purifying Pot) could seal even a rampaging Eight-Tails with ease, while the Bashōsen (Banana Palm Fan) could unleash all five chakra natures, making it incredibly destructive.

Tenten, with just the Bashōsen alone, had managed to defeat Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear technique—proving the sheer power of these legendary tools.

And on top of that, Kinkaku and Ginkaku possessed the Nine-Tails' chakra.

Together, their combat strength easily surpassed that of an average Kage.

Tobirama could have escaped using the Flying Thunder God Technique, but he had to ensure Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others could retreat safely. In his weakened state, he could only use the technique a few times before exhaustion caught up with him.

Losing to them wasn't surprising.

But could Kagami win?

He wasn't sure.

However, one thing was certain—he would not lose.

—

Kagami lifted his gaze to the enemies before him.

The elder brother had long golden hair, two horns protruding from his head, symmetrical whisker-like markings on his cheeks, and wore a white vest over a purple short-sleeved shirt.

On his arm was a tattoo of the kanji "Gold", and in his left hand, he wielded the Bashōsen. The Kohaku no Jōhei rested on his back.

His younger brother looked nearly identical except for his hair color. His outfit was the same, but he wore the Kōkinjō around his neck, held the Shichiseiken in his left hand, and gripped the Benihisago in his right.

The two radiated an ominous aura, their expressions filled with bloodlust.

"So, you're Uchiha Kagami."

Ginkaku sneered. "One of the Uchiha Clan's rising stars. I thought you'd be smart enough to run like the others, but you actually came to save the Second Hokage? What an idiot. You must be as brainless as the Senju."

"Less talking. Let's just kill him."

Kinkaku, impatient and short-tempered, didn't waste time with words.

He immediately swung the Bashōsen, unleashing a massive wave of flames.

"Bashōsen: Fire Release!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Kagami remained composed.

He quickly formed hand seals and breathed out a massive fireball of his own.

Boom!

The two fires collided, waves of heat radiating outward.

The air distorted from the intense temperature as the flames expanded, engulfing a radius of more than twenty meters.

"What?! He blocked it?!"

"No way! There's no way this guy is my equal!"

Kinkaku's eyes widened in disbelief.

He gritted his teeth and prepared to pour even more chakra into the attack—

But no matter how much he increased his output, Kagami's fire seemed endless, even beginning to push his own flames back.

"Ginkaku, stop standing around and help me!"

Hearing Kinkaku's call—

Ginkaku stepped forward, brandishing the Shichiseiken.

Seeing his brother join in, Kinkaku smirked.

With the two of us together, even an Uchiha won't stand a chance!

—

Schlkk!

The next moment—

Kinkaku's body jerked.

A sword pierced through his gut.

Ginkaku had stabbed him in the back.

"Kinkaku…?"

"You… betrayed me?"

"You bastard! I'll kill you!!"

Blood dripped from Kinkaku's mouth as he roared in fury.

In a blind rage, he swung the Bashōsen, releasing a storm of wind blades.

But before the attack could connect—

Ginkaku's body shattered into a flock of crows.

"Crows…? No. This is—"

"A Genjutsu?!"

Kinkaku finally realized the truth.

—

The crows reformed, revealing Kagami standing there, a faint smirk on his lips.

"The moment you looked into my eyes, you were already caught in my illusion."

Kagami's Sharingan glowed ominously. "It's a shame your brother was smarter than you. He shut his eyes immediately. Otherwise, this fight would've ended even sooner."

"Don't think Genjutsu alone can win this fight!"

"Ginkaku will snap me out of this, and once we unleash the Nine-Tails' chakra, you're dead!"

Kinkaku's voice was filled with malice.

But Kagami didn't respond.

Instead, he raised his hand—

And trapped Kinkaku in an illusionary pillar.

Then—

Shadow clones appeared, each wielding kunai.

One after another, they stabbed him.

Stomach.

Chest.

Throat.

Each wound bled profusely.

—

Outside the illusion—

Ginkaku, desperate, flooded his chakra to disrupt the Genjutsu.

"Dammit, we got played by the Sharingan… Kinkaku, use your full power! We'll tear him apart!"

"Yeah! Let's do it!"

Ginkaku roared, his chakra flaring. The ground cracked beneath him as the red aura of the Nine-Tails' chakra engulfed his body.

But—

Just as Kinkaku tried to activate his own chakra—

Blood erupted from his body.

Splurt!

Gashes tore open across his throat, stomach, legs, and chest.

Over a hundred wounds appeared in an instant.

For a brief moment, he was nothing more than a blood-drenched figure.

The injuries he sustained in the Genjutsu—

Had all materialized in reality.

Some he could regenerate from, but his shredded heart—

That was beyond saving.

"Gi… Ginkaku… run… his Genjutsu is… wrong…!"

Kinkaku's face twisted in terror.

For the first time—

He felt true fear.

With one final agonized scream, he collapsed.

Dead.

"Shit… what just happened…?!"

Ginkaku's body tensed.

From his perspective, his brother had merely looked into Kagami's eyes, fell into an illusion—

And then dropped dead.

What the hell is this nightmare…?!

Panic overtook him.

Without hesitation, he turned and fled, abandoning the Six Paths Tools.

"Sorry, Kinkaku, but I'm not dying today!"