Chapter 82 – The Appearance of Uchiha Han
"Huff… huff…"
The shadow clone of Nan stumbled backward, feigning exhaustion as Pakura pressed her relentless assault. His chest heaved with heavy breaths, sweat streaming down his face.
In truth, as the number of clones dwindled, Nan's chakra had begun condensing back into the few remaining ones. He wasn't nearly as drained as he appeared. But without further orders from the original, this clone faithfully carried out his last command—stall Pakura with every ounce of acting skill.
Glancing toward the battlefield where Jiraiya was faltering against Shukaku, the clone guessed that the moment had come. He cast a quick look at his true body, who gave the faintest nod. That was the signal. The clone nodded back: Understood.
A moment later, he deliberately left an opening. Pakura's strike pierced through, dispersing him into smoke. Now, only one "Nan" remained on the field.
This last one bore a grim, weary expression, his breaths ragged, body trembling.
Seeing this, Pakura's lips curved into a satisfied smile. After spending nearly half her chakra reserves, she was certain she had cornered the real Uchiha Nan at last.
"At your age to wield such power… truly, you're a genius among geniuses. Perhaps even your ancestor Uchiha Madara wasn't this strong when he was your age." Her eyes hardened. "But your story ends here."
Nan raised his head, eyes flashing with unwillingness, yet tinged with a fragile thread of hope. He scanned the battlefield desperately, as if clinging to any chance of survival.
Pakura sneered.
"Still hoping to struggle? Waiting for me to grow careless and reveal an opening? Forget it. Even if I did slip, what could you possibly do now with the little strength you have left?"
Nan didn't reply. His silence, his eyes, only deepened the illusion of despair.
"Or maybe you're still hoping for help? That's impossible." Pakura's tone sharpened. "The Third Hokage and Orochimaru are locked in battle with our village's elites. And with Shukaku unleashed, all attention is drawn there. No one will notice you. No one will save you. Give up—I'll grant you a quick death."
But Nan refused to yield. He let out a fierce shout, forcing his battered body to surge forward once more. Lightning sparked to life around him, his speed briefly spiking as he lunged.
Yet the burst was nothing compared to before. Pakura sidestepped easily.
In his desperation, Nan even attempted to close in directly. Pakura smirked, believing he had finally lost all composure.
"So, even now you plan to gamble everything on a genjutsu from your Sharingan? Too bad—I won't give you the chance."
With a cold laugh, she widened the distance again.
This time, Nan staggered, the fight draining from his body. The lightning chakra around him fizzled out. He dropped to one knee, supporting himself with a trembling hand, head bowed. Sweat dripped steadily onto the dirt below. He seemed too weak even to lift his gaze.
At last, Pakura relaxed her guard, shaking her head in mock regret.
"From a personal view, I admire you. But you're a ninja of an enemy nation. Allowing a talent like yours to grow would be a grave threat to Sunagakure. That's why… you must die here."
Her chakra flared, igniting into her kekkei genkai. She raised her hand, whispering almost softly:
"Mother and son reunited in death… fitting, isn't it? Goodbye, Uchiha Nan."
A small fireball—her searing Scorch Release—shot forward. If it struck, Nan's body would be desiccated instantly, leaving only a husk.
Nan watched the deadly sphere hurtle toward him. His eyes held no fear—only lingering attachment and regret.
The "attachment" was staged. The "regret," however, was genuine.
If not for my autism in my past life—if I'd been better at expressing emotion—why bother becoming a doctor? With this acting, I should've been an actor. Maybe even won a Golden Horse, a Golden Statue, or an Oscar…
The fireball closed in. Even if by miracle Nan regained chakra at that instant, it was already too late to evade.
The Third Hokage was pinned. Jiraiya and Orochimaru were occupied. No one could save him. In Pakura's eyes, his death was inevitable.
The fireball struck. A violent explosion roared, flames distorting the air.
When the smoke and heat haze cleared, Pakura's confident smile froze.
Nan stood unharmed. Encasing him was an ominous, skeletal hand—black chakra forming bones like a giant human palm. It had absorbed her scorching flames without leaving the boy a single burn.
The sinister chakra shimmered, then slowly dissipated, leaving both combatants staring at one another in shock.
Pakura's mind raced.
What was that technique? Did he unleash it in the final instant?
Nan, however, knew the truth.
It was the awakening of something far more terrifying.
---
But to her surprise, Pakura noticed that Nan's expression was equally puzzled — he too seemed unsure who had unleashed that jutsu.
Pakura quickly scanned the surroundings, searching for anyone approaching.
Before long, she spotted a figure slowly walking toward them. Wrapped entirely in a black cloak, their face was hidden in shadow.
Pakura was just about to demand who this person was, when the figure ignored her completely, brushed past her, and strode straight toward Nan. In a cold voice, he said:
"My foolish little brother… I had thought to see if, under such dire circumstances, you could awaken the true power of our Uchiha clan.
But it seems… it's still too soon for you."
Nan's clone widened his eyes, feigning sudden realization as he stared at the cloaked figure drawing nearer.
"You… you're Uchiha Han!"
At the mention of the name, the cloaked figure slowly pulled back his hood, revealing his face.
It was Nan himself — transformed into Uchiha Han using the unique metamorphosis ability granted by Formless Reincarnation.
With no one in Konoha capable of stopping Shukaku, Nan had decided he had no choice but to intervene personally. He could not allow the plotline to collapse, nor could he continue relying on foreknowledge alone. To face Shukaku, the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan was required — but he could not act openly as himself.
Instead, he chose to appear under the guise of Uchiha Han, who had long been considered missing. By leveraging the disguise ability of Formless Reincarnation, he could perfectly assume Han's appearance — leaving no one the wiser.
Together with his shadow clone, Nan staged a performance to create a believable pretext for Han's sudden reappearance.
To sell the deception further, the clone continued to act, his voice trembling as he pointed at Nan's true body with a look of mounting shock:
"Han… it really is you! But you've been missing all this time — how are you here? Did you come… to save me?"
The true body only sneered.
"Save you? Hmph, if that's how you want to see it. I simply won't allow the eyes that will one day be mine to be ruined by the hands of some worthless mortal."
The clone pressed further, frowning in confusion:
"Future eyes? What are you talking about? And what did you mean just now about the Uchiha's true power?"
Nan's true body gave no further explanation. Instead, he turned his gaze on Pakura.
"The reason I came here is simple. I heard that Sunagakure planned to unleash Shukaku on the battlefield. I intend to test my own strength against one of the greatest monsters this world has ever known.
And since the one who murdered my mother is also here, I may as well end you along the way.
Watch closely, Nan. This… is the true power of the Uchiha."
In his eyes, the three tomoe began to whirl and merge, reshaping into a complex triangular pinwheel — the pattern of Uchiha Han's Mangekyō Sharingan.