Early morning.
The team, having finished reorganizing, set off again and soon returned to Konoha.
The bustling village, with its ceaseless flow of people, seemed to have undergone new changes compared to a week ago.
Large numbers of transport vehicles laden with supplies were entering Konoha in an endless stream.
Uchiha Yo and Uchiha Tekka looked at the transport convoys with curiosity.
Kaito immediately realized that the Konoha higher-ups were making preparations to guard against the outbreak of the "Third Great Ninja War."
Recent shifts in the situation of the ninja world had seen the rise of pro-war factions in various countries. Ninja were constantly roving along the borders and even within the territories of different nations. Looking at the original timeline, in about a year or so, the Third Kazekage would be assassinated by Sasori.
The death of the Third Kazekage would be the flashpoint for the Third War, while the root cause was a continuation of the Second War.
Watching this scene, Kaito thought to himself that before the great war broke out, accumulating strength was the most important thing.
They made their way to the Hokage Building.
Inside the Hokage's office, they met directly with the Third Hokage.
"Lord Hokage."
The three of them greeted him.
The man before them, currently in the prime of his life and wearing the Hokage hat, was the leader of Konoha and stood at the apex of the nearly 100,000 violent professionals in the ninja world.
Seeing three Genin appear here instead of reporting to the Mission Desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately realized there was an issue.
The C-rank mission previously assigned to the squad required them to go to Roran for a supply trade.
Roran's sudden request for increased supplies had aroused suspicion among the higher-ups. Through this seemingly mundane transport mission, the squad had managed to uncover the conspiracy of Anrokuzan (Mukade).
Of course, Kaito took the greatest credit for this.
According to the original plot of the theatrical version, it would have taken several years for Mukade's identity to be exposed. However, relying on his advantage as a transmigrator, Kaito recognized the boss Mukade at a glance, directly triggering the subsequent events. Simply put...
The scene of Minato Namikaze and Naruto Uzumaki, father and son, traveling through time to meet was gone.
History... had been changed.
Uchiha Yo recounted the sequence of events. After hearing it, the Third Hokage frowned.
Soon, he stood up from his seat and turned to walk to the window behind him. Looking out at the view, the Third Hokage couldn't help but sigh.
A moment later, he turned back and first offered some words of comfort to the three Genin. Considering the matter of them losing their Jonin instructor, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to arrange for that later.
Perhaps having a Jonin from the Uchiha clan take direct responsibility for leading the three of them, and incidentally participating in the upcoming "Chunin Exams," would be a good choice.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Kaito, the Uchiha youth who was prettier than a girl.
Learning that Kaito had awakened his eyes, Hiruzen immediately realized that Kaito must have opened the Sharingan due to excessive grief over the death of his instructor...
As for why only one eye opened... that was something for the Uchiha clan to worry about.
Regardless, deep down, this child Kaito did not hate his Jonin instructor.
Hiruzen was referring to...
The fact that Kaito graduated the same year as Kakashi and possessed outstanding talent, yet for several years in a row, his instructor had refused to sign him up for the Chunin Exams.
Originally, he was worried the child would harbor resentment because of this. But looking at it now, the master-disciple relationship was harmonious...
Hiruzen's thoughts were entirely within Kaito's expectations.
99% of Uchiha awaken their eyes due to losing someone important.
The Third Hokage would inevitably think that the death of the instructor caused intense emotional fluctuations, stimulating the awakening of the bloodline power.
Besides... "A benevolent teacher and a filial disciple" is a Konoha tradition; one simply has to taste it.
Kaito, who had achieved success by backstabbing his teacher, naturally had to feign a posture of grief.
After all, even Orochimaru shed tears when he set out to put Hiruzen to death.
Sometimes, sadness doesn't require crying or a stern face. Showing a smile often produces a better effect.
"Lord Hokage, the instructor's sacrifice made me understand the true meaning of the Will of Fire."
Kaito looked at the "Professor of Shinobi," a melancholy smile appearing on his face.
"Protection... the so-called 'King'... the elders protecting the younger generation... where the leaves dance, the fire burns..."
"..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened slightly.
A moment later, he nodded with gratification.
"Good... good..."
His foolish son, Asuma Sarutobi, might not comprehend these things in half a lifetime, yet Kaito, who was the same age, understood them so quickly.
Seen this way, the instructor's sacrifice... was not necessarily meaningless.
From this moment on, Konoha had gained another ninja who truly possessed the Will of Fire. It was truly something to celebrate.
Hiruzen couldn't help but smile, and Kaito was smiling too.
The Hokage is happy, and I am happy too. We both have a bright future.
...
After leaving the Hokage Building, the squad was given a temporary break.
Further arrangements would be decided after Hiruzen consulted with Uchiha Fugaku.
Because of Kaito's awakening, Hiruzen didn't suspect for a moment that the human had backstabbed the human.
Kaito had perfectly deceived everyone, successfully continuing to play the role of an inheritor of the Will of Fire, just as before.
"I'll use this break to go back and train properly..."
Kaito made up his mind to raise the ceiling of his strength to the maximum capacity allowed after his awakening.
Then, he would find a way to open the "Right Eye".
The three quickly returned to the Uchiha clan compound.
Uchiha Yo didn't go directly home as she used to; she continued to walk alongside her two teammates.
Kaito turned his head slightly and asked, "Yo, do you have something to do?"
"Something?" Uchiha Yo looked over, her face blank.
Kaito: "I mean... you didn't choose to go home, you're walking with us."
"I am going home."
Uchiha Yo was even more confused.
"Kaito... could it be..."
Is he mentally confused from excessive grief?
Just as Uchiha Yo was thinking this, a gentle female voice rang out from ahead.
"Yo."
A beautiful married woman... yes, a beautiful married woman appeared at the end of the street.
She walked over slowly, wearing an old-fashioned, conservative long dress that couldn't hide her excellent figure.
That dignified posture and the temperament of a lady from a noble family showed she had a good upbringing.
Uchiha Mikoto.
But... the last time he saw her, she had a maidenly style. Now she had become a matronly woman.
Then, Kaito understood.
She had experienced the nourishment of love.
However, what happened next greatly exceeded Kaito's expectations.
"Mother." Uchiha Yo stepped forward quickly, greeting Uchiha Mikoto.
Kaito: "?!"
"Aunt Mikoto." Uchiha Tekka greeted her.
He saw Kaito standing motionless and felt it was a bit strange, as Kaito had always been polite in the past.
Just as Uchiha Tekka reached out to pat Kaito's shoulder to remind him...
Buzz!
Kaito's eyes suddenly widened.
A flood of new memories instantly surged into his mind, rapidly filling his originally vast memory bank.
"So that's it..."
Kaito looked up at the mother and daughter.
The Roran explosion blew the entire Dragon Vein sky-high. Uchiha Yo, who was affected by the space-time power... or perhaps this world itself, underwent some kind of distortion.
Some things had been changed.
Because the power of the Dragon Vein isn't simple Chakra; it is the power of Space-Time!
Combined with Uchiha Yo's wish to "have a family." So, by a strange combination of circumstances... she had become the daughter of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto. This was the reason why, in the span of a week, Uchiha Mikoto had changed from a maiden style to a matron style.
Heh, isn't this interesting?
See, can't the future be changed? Everything has started to develop in a new direction!
This is something that never happened in the countless futures I observed...!
I... have changed history again!
Facts have proved that releasing the self and taking the evil route really can reverse everything! The evil self is much more useful than the Will of Fire!
Staring at the beautiful woman before him, Kaito slowly revealed a brilliant smile: "Aunt Mikoto, we... are back."