Black Zetsu, who was searching among the Uchiha for the reincarnation of Indra's Chakra, suddenly felt an inexplicable chill. "What is this?" it muttered, scanning the surroundings without finding anything amiss, and could only suppress the feeling and turn its gaze back to the person in the distance.
It could sense that the Uchiha child, barely over ten years old, had already awakened the two tomoe Sharingan. That kind of talent, opening the eyes with just a bit of mental stimulation, was very similar to Madara Uchiha in his youth. "Is his name Itachi Uchiha?"
Looking at Itachi Uchiha sitting in the courtyard, then at the little one clinging to him and calling him brother, Black Zetsu felt a surge of surprise and delight. Was even the material for fusing an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan already prepared? And that child named Sasuke Uchiha looked astonishingly like Uchiha Izuna when he was young.
That settled it.
This Itachi Uchiha was, without a doubt, the next reincarnation of Indra's Chakra after Madara Uchiha.
"Still, something feels off about his birth year compared to when Madara died," Black Zetsu thought, a trace of doubt rising. It quickly brushed the thought aside. No matter what, Itachi Uchiha was the most likely candidate it had found in the entire Uchiha Clan.
"Come to think of it, Itachi Uchiha's younger brother's age fits better, and his birth is closer to Madara Uchiha's death," Black Zetsu mused. "But he is too young. Even if I wanted to do something, I could not."
In that case, whether Itachi Uchiha was the reincarnation or not, he needed to obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan first. That was better than doing nothing at all. Later, once it was clear which of the two was truly the reincarnation of Indra's Chakra, it would be easy enough to take the eyes and give them to the right one.
Fine rain fell like endless silver threads, silently soaking the forest at the border between Land of Fire and Land of Rain. Unlike the cold rain of Land of Rain, this place only had damp, lingering drizzle. The air felt thick and heavy, mixed with the smell of wet soil and mist.
A thin white fog hung through the woods like gauze that would not clear, limiting vision to a few dozen meters. Shadows shifted faintly all around, and the silence was broken only by rain tapping on leaves. Every sound felt close and muffled at the same time.
A patrol team made up of three Konoha Chunin and one Jonin moved along the boundary between Land of Fire and Land of Rain on routine duty. Because Amegakure was guarded by Hanzo and had no history of launching wars, the mission was considered low risk. The leader, Yamada the Jonin, looked relaxed as he smiled and chatted with the others about a newly opened Dango shop back in the village.
When they passed through a dense part of the forest, Yamada suddenly stopped and frowned, staring toward the shadow beneath a massive oak tree. "Captain, someone seems to be over there!" one Chunin whispered after sensing something strange.
Yamada immediately became alert and pressed his right hand to the Kunai pouch at his waist. The other two dropped their smiles and spread out into a loose half encirclement. The sound of rain hid their light steps as they moved closer.
As Yamada approached carefully, the figure in the shadows came into view. In a hollow formed by thick, twisted tree roots, a small figure was curled up tightly. The child trembled violently, not from cold but from something deeper and harder to control.
Torn, muddy clothes hung loosely on the thin body, the wrong size making the child look even smaller. "Why… why is it me…"
The child kept his head down, face buried between his knees, broken sobs passing through rain and fog. The sound was painfully clear in the quiet forest and filled the four with helpless sorrow. For a moment, it seemed like nothing more than a lost child.
Perhaps a refugee separated from his parents. People sometimes crossed from Land of Rain into the Land of Fire border forests, and Yamada relaxed slightly. Still, his training as a Jonin kept him cautious.
He signaled two teammates to watch the surroundings and stepped forward more gently. "Kid, why are you here alone? Where is your family, and which way did you come from?"
There was no answer, only heavier sobbing as the small shoulders shook harder. "Do not be afraid. We are Konoha Ninja, not bad people."
Yamada slowly crouched down and tried to see the child's face. "What is your name? Tell uncle, and I will help you find…"
He finally saw the child's soaked, messy dark red hair. Dark red. A strange sense of unease flickered through Yamada's mind.
As that uneasy thought surfaced, the crying child seemed to grow even more afraid and suddenly lifted his head. A tear soaked, childish face appeared under weak sunlight, eyes red from crying with deep dark circles around them. Most striking of all was a mark that could not be ignored.
On one side of the forehead was a red carved character. "Love."
A freezing chill surged up Yamada's spine and rushed into his head, draining the blood from his face. A single name exploded in his mind. Land of Wind Sunagakure, the One-Tail jinchuriki. Gaara.
"Fall back!"
The shout tore from his throat as his body reacted faster than his voice, throwing himself backward with all his strength. It was useless.
"Heh… hehehe…"
A low, hoarse laugh filled with malice scraped out of Gaara's throat like sand against metal. The sound drowned out Yamada's warning and froze the air itself. The empty sadness vanished from Gaara's eyes, replaced by savage, inhuman cruelty.
Boom.
Dense, overwhelming killing intent and violent Chakra exploded outward like a tidal wave. Rain, rotting leaves, and stones were blasted into the air. Thick yellow sand surged out and swallowed the three stunned Chunin in an instant.
"No!" "Help…"
They managed only half a scream before their bodies were crushed the moment they touched the sand. No blood had time to spread before it was wiped away, leaving not even bone fragments behind. The shockwave spread visibly, snapping trees and shredding branches.
Bang.
Even Yamada, who retreated at once, was slammed by the unstoppable force from behind. He was hurled like a leaf in a storm, blood spraying as broken bones groaned, and crashed into a muddy swamp tangled with thorns.
"Cough, cough!"
His ears rang violently as he forced himself to lift his head through the pain. What he saw next burned into his life forever, like the end of the world. Endless torrents of sand poured out, gathering and reshaping into a massive form like a growing hill.
True terror arrived. One-Tail Shukaku.
"Roar!"
Huge claws waved wildly as it threw its head back and roared, joy and brutality pouring out after being bound by a Sealing Technique for so long. "Hahaha! I am finally free!"
It greedily absorbed the rain and moisture around it as swirling sand formed its enormous head, cruel light flashing in its eyes. Its voice boomed like a bell. Its spotlight like eyes locked onto Yamada, lying in the mud with terror on his face.
"Not Sunagakure, but that fox's Konoha? Fine, it does not matter!"
"Stupid humans, welcome my arrival!"
Shukaku opened its mouth wide as invisible waves rippled through the air. Yin and yang Chakra surged from within, pale blue and dark purple particles mixing in a two to eight ratio. They compressed into a deep violet sphere before its jagged teeth.
In the next moment, it fired toward the densest gathering of people it sensed. Toward the Konoha outpost at the Land of Fire border.
Boom.
Afternoon sunlight passed through the window at the end of the hall and drew long bands of light across the clean floor. The corridor of Konoha Hospital Special Care Ward was unusually quiet, and the air carried the sharp smell of disinfectant. That calm was soon broken by low voices that tried to stay hushed but could not hide their unease.
"What is going on, what kind of flowers did you all bring?" one person whispered. "Obviously Carnation, there is no other choice," another replied. "The medical staff refused to let us in until the Third Hokage spoke up, so we finally got permission to visit Wang. Do not mess this up."
Soft footsteps stopped outside a ward, and the group quickly fell silent while straightening the baskets and bouquets in their hands. A light knock sounded on the door, followed by a gentle but weak voice from inside telling them to come in. The visitors pushed the door open with care and peered inside.
When they saw the figure in the room, several of them widened their eyes at the same time. For a moment, it felt as if time itself had slowed. The hospital bed stood by a bright window, half open to a clear blue sky where early spring trees swayed in the wind like rolling green waves.
A cool breeze lifted the sheer curtain and brushed into the room, stirring the hair of the young man on the bed. Ryuji Hyuga sat there quietly, looking out at the view beyond the window. Sunlight poured over his face and body, sharpening his features and turning his long lashes pale as they cast faint shadows.