"My existence is like a windmill stuck in place… meaningless in this era."
Uchiha Hikari's voice was flat as she introduced herself. Her words sounded tragic, but her face remained calm and detached. Yuki Yoru frowned deeply at her demeanor.
A windmill stuck in place has no value unless the wind turns it.
Uchiha Hikari—a member of the Uchiha clan who didn't appear anywhere in the canon timeline up through Naruto Chapter 720—had crossed the vast river of time to arrive in this era. But the "wind" that could turn her had been lost to history. Obito had exploited that void, trying to turn her into his personal weapon.
The girl stood expressionless, like a puppet. She didn't seem to care what awaited her.
In the war-torn era from which she hailed, Hikari had witnessed horrors far more twisted. She had already steeled herself to face anything—words, threats, pain.
"As you've probably noticed," Yoru finally said after a brief silence, "I'm not big on lectures. I prefer power—and results."
"I don't care about your past. I don't care why you sided with Uchiha Obito. Right now, you're my prisoner. My spoils of war."
"You should have some intel on me from Obito. I don't know if you're the type to off yourself over a failed mission, but I suggest you don't try it."
"And if you insist on clinging to something like purpose or meaning… then I, your new master, will be your meaning."
"...You want to make me your weapon too?" Hikari raised her eyes.
"I don't lack power of your caliber," Yoru replied plainly. "So instead of treating you as a weapon, I have… other plans."
For the first time, her expression cracked. A ripple of confusion flickered in her eyes.
"That's right," Yuki Yoru said, calmly studying this girl who had crossed a century of time. "Just as you're thinking right now—rather than your strength, I'm far more interested in you."
Hikari Uchiha's dōjutsu was extremely special. The dōjutsu contained within those Mangekyō, named Yachihoko, possessed the potential to gather the strongest power in the world!
Chakra Transfer.
This unique dōjutsu could leave a mark on a target, allowing its user to transmit or receive chakra across any distance—linking and controlling another's chakra and spirit regardless of separation.
If Yoru could obtain this technique, his power would instantly reach new, unimaginable heights.
Ever since Yoru discovered that as long as he continuously applied and spread Reiatsu throughout this world, constantly promoting it among living beings and spiritual entities, his power would grow stronger and stronger.
This increase in power was like feedback from the rules to the creator, infinitely pushing Yoru's combat strength to its peak.
But this process was slow.
Yuki Yoru needed time to develop, time to improve, and to gradually fuse these feedback powers into himself.
But if Yoru possessed the Yachihoko, then Yoru's power would instantly rise to its true peak!
He did possess a technique with similar functionality through his system:
Sankt Altar—a jutsu that allowed Yoru to forcibly extract spiritual power from Quincy who had received his power.
Its fatal flaw: those drained by this technique would die instantly.
Although Yoru could revive them afterward, the conditions were strict, the process tedious, and the cost steep.
So naturally, a zero-side-effect power like Yachihoko was the better option.
As she felt Yoru's increasingly intense gaze on her, Hikari's pale face began to flush. Her scarlet Sharingan eyes flickered with a complex mixture of emotions—unease, nervousness, embarrassment—and instinctively shifted into Mangekyō form.
After a long inner struggle, the fidgeting girl seemed to reach a decision.
Though she found it hard to believe that someone as divine and powerful as Yoru would have that kind of interest… well, the world was full of strange fetishes. She'd seen weirder.
After some mental back-and-forth, Hikari bit her lip, untied her Uchiha sash, and revealed her smooth, slender body.
Yoru: "???"
Wait, girl—what the hell are you doing?!
"As your captive, I have no right to refuse you," Hikari said quietly, turning her head to the side. "Do as you please. I won't cooperate, but I won't resist."
"???"
"I mean, I know I've had a few rumors in the shinobi world, but I'm not that kind of guy," Yoru muttered with a twitching eyebrow, clearly realizing the misunderstanding.
His eyes flicked over her body with indifferent calm.
"If you're that eager to show off your body, I could take you to Yukiko. She's the top researcher on Kekkei Genkai in my forces."
At that, Hikari finally realized her mistake. In a flustered panic, she scrambled to put her clothes back on.
Once she'd smoothed the wrinkles in her uniform, she kept sneaking peeks at Yoru while ducking her head.
"So… what do you want from me, then?"
"I had a few good ideas," Yoru replied, "but now I think a little training would be wise first."
He pulled out a scroll and conjured a crystal formed of spiritual power, tossing both to her.
"The scroll contains basics on spiriual power and general intel on the village.
The crystal is a spiritual seed—just absorb it."
"Once you've mastered these… then you'll show your worth."
"Spiriual power…" Hikari murmured, taking both items and, without hesitation, absorbed the crystal in front of Yoru.
A blue-violet spiritual seal appeared at the corner of her left eye, almost like eyeshadow. On her palm, the standard Sternritter star cross emblem lit up.
Yoru nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Come with me—we're heading back to the village."
"...Just taking a captive back to the main base? Even with precautions, if the captive goes berserk, it could cause incalculable damage."
"The path of life is still very long. You're young. You still have so much to see, to feel, to understand. I don't believe you'd throw all that away over some meaningless mission from someone who doesn't matter anymore."
"Threats must be cut off at the root."
"That just means you don't have absolute faith in your own strength," Yoru said casually.
Hikari had no response. She lowered her head and silently followed Yoru. Occasionally, she peeked up to glance at his back.
She had no personal conflict with him—and no deep ties to this world.
Obito had unsealed her just a month ago. She hadn't even finished reading up on recent shinobi history with her Sharingan before being thrust into this mission against Yoru.
And the mission had failed.
Yes, she'd been drawn to Obito. They shared a similar fate. That's why she was willing to be his weapon.
But Yoru… Yuki Yoru offered something entirely different.
A path away from the past. A chance to start again. He had offered her a glimpse of the future—and that shook her more than anything.
With the mission half-complete and herself now a "captive," the balance in her heart had tipped.
By the time they returned to the Gold Sand Fortress, the structure had already been reduced to near ruin from Yoru's earlier battle with Nagato. The desert sands were littered with mangled corpses.
It wasn't just the Yoru–Nagato clash. The forces of Pain and the Akatsuki had also ravaged the fortress. Most ordinary shinobi and spectators had been wiped out—only a few elite ninja had survived.
"Yoru-sama!"
"Mizukage-sama!"
Several figures dashed through the sand toward them. A somewhat disheveled Uchiha Fugaku and the aged Ebizō arrived first. Upon seeing Yoru completely unharmed, both men drew in sharp breaths.
That level of combat… and not a scratch?! This is the true might of the strongest in the shinobi world?!
And that girl—
Fugaku's eyes landed on Hikari's Uchiha robes and face. Even though her Sharingan wasn't active, her aura screamed "Uchiha." He instantly recognized her as the girl who had unleashed a Complete Susanoo earlier.
Being a wise man, Fugaku said nothing about it. He instead delivered his report.
The spectators were nearly all dead—including the Daimyō of the Land of Wind. The Suna ninja had suffered catastrophic losses, nearly a hundred elites killed.
The other village teams didn't fare much better.
The minor villages had been completely wiped out. Among the Five Great Nations:
Suna's team: annihilated.
Konoha's Uchiha team: one dead, one missing.
Kumo and Kiri: teams intact.
Iwa: lost one Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai user.
"After your battle with the Akatsuki leader, the Fourth Kazekage's genjutsu was broken," Fugaku said grimly. "But all Akatsuki members escaped—we couldn't capture even one."
Honestly, that was the best outcome they could've hoped for.
If the Yoru–Nagato battle had caused just a little more collateral damage, many more lives would've been lost. Fugaku and Suna's top brass might not have made it out.
"We're deeply sorry, Mizukage-sama," Ebizō said, still visibly shaken. "We never imagined Rasa had been… controlled."
To have a Kage completely brainwashed in silence—there were few things more horrifying.
The most tragic part?
Suna had faithfully implemented the Blood Sand Policy, believing it would save the village… not knowing it had been a path of ruin planted by Yoru's enemies.
Countless young geniuses had died because of it. Their rising generation twisted by warped values.
While Rasa and the masked man bore most of the blame, Chiyo and Ebizō both felt their own guilt deeply.
"I understand," Yoru said softly. "Once, Kirigakure was just like Suna is now."
"But please believe, Lord Ebizō—every loss and hardship we face now is the price for a better future."
"Sometimes, without chaos, without failure… we'd never find the right path."
"I believe Suna will rise again—stronger than ever."
"Mizukage-sama…"
Ebizō's eyes welled with tears.
What a perfect leader.
What an extraordinary Kage!
No wonder Kirigakure, nearly erased from the Five Great Nations after the Third War, had become the strongest shinobi village in the world in just a few years.
With such leadership, how could they not rise?
"Mizukage-sama, I give you my word—nothing like this will ever happen again!"
An aged, exhausted voice chimed in. Chiyo stepped aside, and Rasa—now clear-eyed and deeply ashamed—stood before them.
The Fourth Kazekage, once possessed and manipulated, now bowed his head solemnly.
"I offer my deepest apologies," Rasa said. "I, Rasa, swear on my life—Sunagakure will always stand as an ally of Kirigakure and Konohagakure!"
Fugaku sneered inwardly. Suna was worse off now than after the Third War.
Their elite forces were crippled. The Daimyō of Wind Country was dead. Their position in the shinobi world was in freefall.
They would probably be denounced by other nations.
This Chūnin Exam had been a disaster. Each village had sent their finest to show off.
Now, half of them were dead.
Sure, they had signed "non-blame" agreements… but the other nations were definitely going to scapegoat Suna.
What good was it to ally with a village that was now crippled and likely to be attacked?
Might as well go home, regroup, and sweep Suna off the map.
Still, Fugaku kept those thoughts to himself. He glanced toward Yoru.
"You flatter me, Kazekage-sama."
Yoru smiled gently.
"We of Kirigakure empathize with your losses.
You can rest assured—our three-nation alliance remains strong."
"Once I return, I'll immediately issue a relief order.
We will aid Sunagakure through this dark time."
The moment he said that, Rasa and Chiyo's tense expressions finally relaxed. Relief and joy flooded their faces.
"Mizukage-sama is benevolent beyond compare!"