Due to the depletion of chakra metal, the Sword-Nurturing Art's cultivation of his bones had to be temporarily halted.
Uchiha Kirin opened his eyes and looked down at the pangolin clan, who appeared somewhat intimidated by his presence.
This particular summoning beast clan didn't seem to be doing well. Much like the ninja cat clan, as a small and relatively weak summoning beast tribe, their survival depended on clinging to stronger clans for protection.
In fact, the pangolin clan had it even worse than the ninja cats. Their clan leader wasn't even at Kage-level, and they didn't have a single so-called "sage" among them. The day the old toad put pressure on them, not a single pangolin was summoned to stand in support.
It was clear how difficult life must be for a summoning beast clan like this, struggling in the survival-of-the-fittest world of summoning beasts...
"Since that's the case, why don't you just follow me? Help me guard this place!"
To Uchiha Kirin, he didn't need impressive-looking clans with overwhelming combat power to make a show of force.
As one of the strongest beings in the shinobi world, what he truly needed were clans with special talents and unique abilities.
For instance, the ninja cats, skilled in trade and occasionally bringing him rare items.
And now, the pangolin clan—capable of refining metal and learning new crafts at a decent pace.
With their help, Uchiha Kirin could conserve considerable effort.
And he didn't mind offering significant benefits to these clans in return.
Just like now—he had decided to teach the pangolins Explosion Release, a Kekkei Genkai that would greatly benefit their future, whether for mining or for bolstering their strength and expanding their clan.
He had already scouted them in advance. Many pangolins possessed Fire, Lightning, and Earth Nature Affinities—likely a result of living underground for generations.
But before anything else, he had to master Explosion Release himself.
So, after a brief period of seclusion, Uchiha Kirin manipulated Lightning Release and Earth Release to fully grasp Explosion Release. Not only that—he improved upon it, designing a Sage Art version that even summoning beasts could use.
Its power even surpassed the original chakra-based version!
After demonstrating it to the entire pangolin clan, many of the younger pangolins grew excited and eagerly asked to be taught.
Only the clan leader and a few elderly pangolins remained visibly worried.
Receiving a benefit from a powerful being always came with a price. They didn't want their kin to take such a dangerous risk.
It wasn't until Uchiha Kirin summoned the black cat boss and explained his current identity in full that the pangolins finally realized who they were dealing with. One by one, they pledged their unwavering loyalty to him.
"You don't have to be so serious about it…"
"Boss, I want to learn Explosion Release too, nya!"
Uchiha Kirin helplessly peeled the black cat off his body and gave him a quick once-over. Shaking his head, he muttered—the cat didn't have the right Nature Affinities to learn Explosion Release.
So instead, he taught the cat a version combining Breathing Art of the Sage Path and Sage Art. After calming him down, he sent the black cat back.
Then, he began formally teaching the pangolin clan Explosion Release.
A few studious and gifted pangolins not only mastered Explosion Release, but under Uchiha Kirin's guidance, also learned Lava Release.
With those two Kekkei Genkai, they now had what it took to secure their place in this territory.
Thanks to Explosion Release and Lava Release, their mining and refining speed finally caught up with the consumption rate of resources.
Seeing the current state of the pangolin clan, Uchiha Kirin began forming new ideas on how to arm the tribes under his command. Once he was done having his fun outside, he'd return and use the same method to arm the ninja cats...
After re-establishing the barrier necessary for the Sword-Nurturing Art, he transformed into his dragon form and lay back down. Eyes closed, he relaxed as the pangolin clan carefully laid pieces of metal upon him like nourishing supplements.
These were absorbed into his body, merging with his bones and flesh, gradually transforming his entire body into a divine weapon.
The only downside of the Sword-Nurturing Art was that he couldn't move his body during the cultivation period—but that hardly mattered to him.
With nothing better to do, Uchiha Kirin began sharpening his mastery over the Ultimate Meaning of the sword. Now that his body had been transformed into a weapon, studying sword intent had become even easier.
In his free time, he also tried unlocking higher levels of the Battle Saint Scripture without leaking any aura.
Whenever his spirit grew fatigued, he cast Genjutsu on himself to simulate realistic battle environments and experiment with new Kekkei Genkai combinations.
After all, no one had ever created Kekkei Genkai from the Wind + Lightning or Lightning + Fire pairings.
As someone determined to master all elemental Kekkei Genkai and perfect the Uchiha bloodline, Uchiha Kirin couldn't tolerate that kind of limitation.
So even in his dreams, he worked tirelessly to improve himself.
...
In the blink of an eye, several years had passed.
Without Uchiha Kirin's interference, the shinobi world, under the combined influence of several sages, had all of its chaotic elements purged.
What remained was a fate steered back onto its intended track:
Naruto, Sasuke, and the new generation of ninja had all successfully graduated from the academy.
These two children favored by destiny—yet also seen as unstable elements in the village—were placed together by Kakashi, alongside a pink-haired civilian girl of questionable importance, forming Team 7.
And in their missions to come, they quickly made a name for themselves.
They stumbled into what was supposed to be a simple C-rank escort mission to the Land of Waves...
Only to get dragged into a larger conflict between the people of the Land of Waves and the tyrant Gato.
There, they encountered opponents far beyond their level: the Demon Zabuza, and Haku, who wielded Ice Release. Even Kakashi was injured during the fight from overusing his Sharingan.
As the reincarnations of Indra and Asura, Naruto and Sasuke both gained valuable combat experience from the ordeal—and forged bonds in the process.
In the end, Gato was killed, and Naruto and the others earned the trust and admiration of the people of the Land of Waves.
After completing many more missions, the Chūnin Exams were finally held.
Everything unfolded exactly as the sages had orchestrated, without a single hitch.
Naruto made his presence known during the first exam by shouting out his ninja way—turning from a dismissed nobody into a ninja recognized by many.
He continued to shine in the battles that followed, fighting all the way to the finals and stealing the spotlight. The only thing missing was a "green-leaf" foil named Neji to contrast his brilliance.
Still, Naruto faced another opponent who bemoaned the unfairness of fate and loudly declared that hard work could change destiny—successfully walking the path of the Hokage's son and the reincarnation of a god.
By then, it had been over five years since Neji had disappeared from Konoha.
And thanks to his luck and relentless training, Neji had finally—
From the very beginning—broken free from his predetermined path, forging a new road with his own strength.
He had severed ties with the Hyūga clan, with Konoha, and even with the entire shinobi world.
Relying on his mastery of Gentle Fist, his innate talent for taijutsu, and the Breathing Art partially gifted to him by Uchiha Kirin, he spent years developing his own unique sword style.
Eventually, he rose to become the strongest among the younger generation in his local sword dojo, catching the special attention of Mifune, the general of the Land of Iron...
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