The old village chief let out an awkward sigh. "So… we went the wrong way, huh."
His granddaughter stood frozen, staring at the back of Uchiha Yu on top of the serpent's head, her thoughts lost for a long moment before she finally came to her senses.
The ground quivered again.
Countless trees were crushed beneath the serpent's massive body, sending up clouds of dust that rolled endlessly toward the west.
Atop Garaga's head—
Tsunade's anger had mostly faded. When she looked toward Uchiha Yu again, she noticed that he had taken out a pair of Sharingan.
"…"
Her expression shifted slightly as she narrowed her eyes, studying the pattern on the eyeballs in his hand.
From the design of the tomoe, she could tell—they were also a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
At that moment, Uchiha Yu was gazing at the pair of Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō Sharingan in his hand.
He had just taken them from a sealed container, preparing to absorb them after much personal research.
The hunger born from the ability Devour—which had plagued him before—had not resurfaced since he absorbed Itachi's eyes.
However, he could faintly sense that if he continued to overuse his ocular powers, that gnawing hunger would soon return.
Yu decided to absorb the Kotoamatsukami Mangekyō ahead of time. After all, his next pair was already secured—Itachi was keeping them safe for him.
With that thought, Yu released Yin Release chakra from his right palm, wrapping the Mangekyō in its energy.
In an instant, green flames ignited across the surface of the eyes.
Moments later, they dissolved into a purer current of Yin Release chakra, flowing directly into the chakra pathways in Yu's hand.
His pupils shifted, forming a shuriken-shaped Mangekyō pattern. The Yin chakra in his mind surged, and his ocular power intensified.
The lingering hunger from Devour completely vanished once again, entering a dormant state.
From now on, Uchiha Yu could freely switch between his three Mangekyō abilities—Yasakani, , Amaterasu & Tsukuyomi, and Kotoamatsukami—along with their corresponding three forms of Susanoo.
At the same time—
Tsunade felt the Yasakani seal imprinted on her spirit becoming even more entrenched.
If before the seal had merely touched the surface of her mind, now it was carved deep within her very soul.
As Yu's ocular power strengthened, it became even harder for anyone to break free from the mark.
Witnessing this, Tsunade's face turned grave. "In this entire world of shinobi, I doubt many could stand against you."
"My enemies," Yu replied calmly, "were never within this world."
He deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan, gazing into the distance before glancing sideways at Tsunade.
To challenge the Ōtsutsuki… he still had a long road ahead.
"Not in this world?" Tsunade asked, startled.
But Yu had no intention of delving deeper into the topic.
At this stage, even if he told Tsunade everything about the Ōtsutsuki, it would serve no purpose.
Above them, the clouds churned violently as fierce winds howled, dark layers of storm clouds gathering—
a sign of the tempest to come.
Yet Garaga continued onward at full speed.
…
…
Time passed since the end of the great Konoha war.
Over the past few days, the surviving Cloud shinobi who had fled Konoha finally returned to their village in a battered state.
Meanwhile, the remnants of Konoha's forces arrived at the capital city where the Daimyō resided. They took over the fortress, began restoring order, and deployed defensive units around the city.
The Daimyō's fortress was surrounded by towering, solid stone walls—its design completely different from that of the Hidden Leaf Village. To ordinary people, this structure offered a far greater sense of security.
Outside the city walls, a long line of refugees—civilians who had migrated from Konoha—waited to enter. These were the people who had followed the noble clans of the Leaf after its fall, seeking safety under the Fire Daimyō's rule.
Behind the massive walls stood countless homes, and a wide avenue led directly to the Daimyō's grand mansion. The compound was enclosed by another set of walls, no less imposing than a royal palace.
Atop those walls, within a lavish palanquin carried by eight attendants, sat the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. His eyes drooped wearily, his face lined with age. He wore a ceremonial fan-shaped crown—the symbol of the Fire Daimyō—and luxurious silk robes. His tired gaze swept across the city below, carrying both melancholy and authority.
Koharu Utatane spoke respectfully, bowing slightly.
"Your Excellency, as you can see, these citizens still choose to follow us. It's clear that those wicked Uchiha were never loved by the people. Once we locate Lady Tsunade and reinstate her as Hokage, we can rebuild the Hidden Leaf and ally with the other villages to oppose the Uchiha. In the end, victory will surely be ours."
She stood at the right side of the palanquin, her tone filled with determination.
The Daimyō pressed his lips together, his expression uneasy.
"This… was the plan of the First and Second Hokage, yes?"
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"You said they were responsible for the rear guard. Why haven't they returned yet?"
"They will, very soon."
"Fine," the Daimyō said with a weary sigh. "Then I'll leave this matter to you—for now. But if, within one year, I see no tangible results, then out of respect for old ties, I'll ask you to leave this place on your own."
He waved his hand dismissively. His attendants lifted the palanquin and carried him back toward the mansion.
To him, it made little difference whether Konoha was ruled by the Uchiha or by the old noble families. So long as the arrangement maintained stability and preserved the balance between the shinobi village and the nation, he had no preference.
Koharu watched the palanquin disappear down the avenue. Her face remained calm, but her right hand clenched into a tight fist.
Moments later, Homura Mitokado ascended the steps with Itachi at his side.
Koharu relaxed her hand, turned toward them, and sighed softly. "He's only giving us a year."
Homura's expression grew heavy.
To rebuild the entire Hidden Leaf in just one year—that was a near-impossible demand.
"Itachi," Koharu said helplessly, "the task of locating Lady Tsunade falls to you."
"Yes," Itachi replied quietly. His gaze was dim, lifeless.
Since arriving in the capital, he had become little more than a tool for the two aging advisors—every dirty, thankless task had been pushed onto him.
Just as he was about to leave and consider where to begin searching for Tsunade, the air in front of them began to twist.
From the distortion stepped a masked man—Obito.
"It seems," Obito said, his tone mocking, "that you've been given a new life."
"What are you doing here?" Itachi's voice was cold, his eyes narrowing.
He still resented Obito deeply for abandoning him back then.
Through the single eyehole of his mask, Obito met Itachi's sharp gaze and spoke seriously:
"I think… it's time for us to work together again."
…
…
Across the ninja world, rumors of another great war were spreading. The five great villages were moving restlessly, and even the smaller nations—though unaware of what truly happened in Konoha—could sense the coming storm and began making preparations for battle.
In the Land of Bears—
The entire country was blanketed in dense forest. The only reliable way to navigate was by following the rivers that ran through it. Most villages and towns were built along these waterways.
At the nation's center stood two great mountains. Legend said there had once been three, until a meteor crashed down over two centuries ago, obliterating the central peak and leaving behind a massive crater like a volcano's mouth.
But rather than becoming a forbidden zone, the site of the fallen star became home to a new shinobi village—Hoshigakure, the Village of the Star Ninja.
It was located barely ten kilometers from the infamous Valley of Hell.
°°°
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