Land of Tea, a secluded peninsula country on the edge of the ninja world.
The remote location and beautiful natural scenery made it an ideal place for seclusion. A small river flowed through the forest, quietly meandering past a wooden cabin.
In the clearing in front of the cabin:
“Naruto, serious-faced, formed the seals: Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram. Summoning Jutsu!” He pressed his palm to the ground, and with a “poof,” a cloud of white smoke appeared.
However, when the smoke cleared, Naruto was stunned to find that he had summoned nothing.
A dud.
“Ha,” Gaara, standing against a tree with his arms crossed, let out a cold laugh from not far away.
Fu covered her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter, then approached Naruto, patting him on the shoulder in consolation. “Don’t be discouraged, you’ll get it next time.”
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, grumbling, “It’s all because of that Nine-Tails. It keeps interfering with my chakra on purpose. Otherwise, I’d have mastered the Summoning Jutsu long ago.”
Ever since Naruto had the Rinnegan transplanted, the Nine-Tails inside him had become much more active, always disrupting his training, as if it didn’t want to see him grow stronger.
Teacher Konan said that the Nine-Tails were acting out of fear. After all, once Naruto mastered the power of the Rinnegan, he could easily control the Nine-Tails, forcing it to obey.
Naruto had tried to communicate with the Nine-Tails, hoping to establish a cooperative relationship, but it was too proud to pay him any attention.
In fact, Naruto was not alone. Gaara and Fu, also jinchuriki, faced similar issues.
Becoming an excellent jinchuriki was never easy, requiring a lot of time and effort.
“Naruto, take a break,” Karin jogged over, bringing a towel and water, shyly handing them to Naruto.
“Thank you, Karin,” Naruto smiled brightly, showing his white teeth. Then, he became serious again. “I need to quickly master the Six Paths techniques, become stronger, and then, on behalf of the Uzumaki clan, demand justice from Konoha!”
He glanced at the scars on Karin’s arm. Despite Konan’s meticulous treatment, the bite marks remained stark and unsettling.
After leaving Konoha, Naruto realized that he had been living in a web of lies, thanks to Teacher Konan revealing the truth to him.
In the past six months of running and hiding, experiencing many hardships, and seeing the harsh reality of the ninja world, Naruto finally began to understand Nagato and Akatsuki.
Konoha was undeniably responsible for the fall of the Uzumaki clan. As Konoha’s ally, the Uzumaki clan had always provided jinchuriki candidates for the Nine-Tails and shared many sealing techniques.
But Konoha, despite claiming the Uzumaki as their most important ally and even printing their symbol on Konoha ninja uniforms, did nothing when the Uzumaki clan was attacked by other ninja villages, allowing Uzushiogakure to be destroyed overnight.
Even if it was during the Second Shinobi War and Konoha was preoccupied, making it difficult to assist the Uzumaki clan, why did Konoha not send ninjas to search for and help the Uzumaki survivors after the war ended?
The fact is, Konoha only used and deceived the Uzumaki clan, exploiting them until they had nothing left.
Naruto himself, despite his parents’ sacrifices to save the village, lived a lonely and miserable life, manipulated by the Third Hokage;
Nagato’s parents fled to Amegakure only to be killed by Konoha ninjas during the war, leaving him orphaned. Later, after founding Akatsuki, he was manipulated by Danzo, losing his friend Yahiko and becoming crippled;
Karin and her mother wandered the ninja world, suffering countless humiliations and hardships.
This was the fate of the Uzumaki clan. Their so-called ally Konoha, not only caused their destruction but also ensured that any surviving members faced exploitation and death.
Given this, was Nagato wrong to want Konoha to feel pain?
Therefore, Naruto decided to inherit Nagato’s dream and rebuild Akatsuki, aiming to gain enough power to avenge Konoha.
With this resolve, young Naruto’s eyes burned with determination as he clenched his fists.
To the north, at the Mountain Graveyard.
This remote, secluded place was almost impossible for enemies to find. Half a year ago, during the battle of Uzushiogakure, Konan used 300 billion paper bombs to cause significant losses to the major ninja villages, forcing them to recover their strength and making them unable to attack the Uchiha clan.
Thus, the Uchiha clan had lived peacefully for six months, quietly accumulating power.
In a clearing halfway up the mountain, converted into a training ground, two figures—one large and one small—were practicing jutsu early in the morning. It was Kakashi and the recently turned seven-year-old Sasuke.
Swish swish.
Sasuke quickly formed seals, then crouched, grabbing his right wrist with his left hand to form a stable structure.
In the next second:
Chirp chirp chirp.
A sound like a thousand birds chirping filled the air as a large amount of Lightning Release chakra gathered in Sasuke’s palm, creating a high-intensity electric current that burst into dazzling lightning.
Then, with a swift motion, Sasuke dashed forward, a trail of white light and lightning following him, creating a spectacular display.
Boom.
He struck a training dummy, the Lightning Release chakra spreading over the dummy, charring its surface.
“Not concentrated enough. The attack range is also off,” Kakashi muttered to himself, instantly seeing the problem with Sasuke’s technique.
The jutsu Sasuke had just performed Lightning Release: Chidori, was a technique Kakashi had created in his youth. It combined the nature transformation and shape transformation of the chakra. Sasuke had managed the nature transformation but hadn’t controlled the shape transformation well, preventing the technique from reaching its full potential.
Otherwise, the dummy would have been shattered instead of merely charred.
Another weakness of Chidori was that it required a high-speed charge toward the enemy, leaving the user vulnerable to counterattacks if they couldn’t see the enemy clearly due to the speed.
To use this technique perfectly, the dynamic vision of the Sharingan was necessary. Unfortunately, Sasuke hadn’t awakened his Sharingan yet, likely due to his young age or lack of a triggering event.
In essence, Sasuke’s Chidori was flashy but impractical at this stage.
“Kakashi-sensei,” Sasuke eagerly ran over, excited to ask, “How did I do?”
Several months ago, a test revealed Sasuke’s exceptional talent for Lightning Release. Given that there were no exceptionally skilled Lightning Release users in the Uchiha clan and that Kakashi was renowned for his expertise in it, Fugaku had asked Kakashi to teach Sasuke.
Seeing Sasuke’s eager face, Kakashi didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm, so he smiled and praised him, “Sasuke, you’re a genius. Your fundamentals are solid, so you learn quickly. You’ve mastered Chidori in less than six months, much faster than I did.”
Anyone familiar with Kakashi would recognize his words as sarcastic. After all, Kakashi graduated from the academy at age five, became a chunin at six, and had already killed countless enemies on the battlefield by Sasuke’s age.
While Sasuke had some talent, he fell short compared to true geniuses like his brother Itachi or Kakashi.
Of course, naive Sasuke didn’t pick up on Kakashi’s subtle mockery; instead, he beams with pride and believes himself to be truly outstanding.
He silently vowed to surpass that annoying woman, Uchiha Izumi, and reclaim his brother from her.
An overwhelming pressure emanated from behind Sasuke, causing him to stiffen and his nerves to go taut as if a bloodthirsty beast were eyeing him.
Gulping, Sasuke turned stiffly and greeted, “Uncle.”
It was Uchiha Dan.
Not only Sasuke, but even Kakashi felt a sense of dread. Dan had kept a low profile for the past six months, reportedly training in mysterious sage arts. Despite not deliberately releasing his aura, the mere presence of his leaked energy was enough to make ordinary people shiver and tremble uncontrollably.
It was terrifying to imagine how powerful he had become.
“Is that you, Sasuke? So diligent,” Dan said, walking over and patting his nephew’s head.
Over the past year, the Uchiha clan has faced many hardships, but Sasuke has been well-protected, like a flower in a greenhouse. Unlike in the original timeline, Sasuke hasn’t experienced the Uchiha massacre, remaining innocent, cheerful, and optimistic.
Conversely, Naruto seemed to have darkened after following Konan.
In other words, at this age, Naruto and Sasuke’s personalities had completely swapped compared to the original timeline.
Interesting.
Dan estimated that Naruto’s current strength had likely far surpassed Sasuke’s, and the gap would only widen in the foreseeable future.
If they were to meet again one day, Sasuke would probably be no match for Naruto.
With this thought, Dan smiled mysteriously and said to Kakashi and Sasuke, “I’m just passing by. Don’t let me interrupt. Continue.”
He then drifted away, his steps light and his tall frame seemingly weightless, like a feather, devoid of any earthly aura.
After wandering around outside for a while, Dan leisurely returned
home.
Samui, heavily pregnant, was walking in the courtyard with Mikoto’s support. The two women were chatting and laughing.
Next month was her due date.
“Dan, congratulations on becoming a father,” Fugaku approached, offering his congratulations with a smile.
Dan and Samui’s child would be the first born to the Uchiha clan since leaving Konoha, carrying great significance for the entire clan. It was a joyful event worth celebrating.
Watching the two women’s happy faces, Dan calmly said, “Samui’s wish is for our child to live in a time of peace.”
Fugaku, catching the deeper meaning behind Dan’s words, asked, “Dan, what do you plan to do?”
“Brother-in-law, let’s declare war on the entire ninja world. It’s time to end this conflict,” Dan stated calmly as if merely discussing lunch plans.
“Dan, does that mean you’ve mastered Sage Mode…?” Fugaku asked, eyes wide with anticipation.
Dan’s reference to ending the war implied victory, not defeat, meaning he was ready.
“Yes, it’s time for the allied forces of the ninja world to witness the results of my training,” Dan smiled slightly.
“Understood,” Fugaku replied, eyes blazing with determination. The clan had been waiting for Dan’s command, ready to unleash their strength fully.
Fugaku left, excited to inform the clan.
As Samui and Mikoto greeted him with smiles, Dan approached them, crouching to place his cheek against Samui’s belly, listening intently.
The little one inside was quite active, seemingly eager to start training even in the womb.
A future fitness enthusiast, Dan thought with a content smile.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, in the Hokage’s office.
A remote video conference was being held with the leaders of various villages.
Over the past six months, to counter the common threats in the ninja world, such as the Uchiha clan, remnants of Akatsuki led by Konan, and Konoha’s exiled government, the other four major villages (excluding the neutral Kirigakure) had established an intelligence-sharing mechanism, spreading a vast network across the ninja world.
However, progress has been minimal so far. The enemies seem elusive, causing unease among the four village leaders.
Finally, “We’ve located the Uchiha clan,” Danzo announced, pointing to the northern wilderness on the map in front of him and marking it with a large red X.
“The Uchiha are hiding in the forests there.”
“What are we waiting for? Let’s seize the opportunity and gather our forces to surround the peninsula and wipe them out!” the Fourth Raikage, ever impulsive and eager for battle, urged.
The Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails was still in the hands of the Uchiha clan, making her rescue a top priority for the Raikage.
Chiyo frowned, hesitating, “What if the Uchiha employ guerrilla tactics again like last time?”
She hadn’t forgotten how the Uchiha had humiliated the allied forces previously, with Sunagakure suffering the most, leaving many Suna ninjas with severe psychological scars.
“If that happens again, Suna won’t be able to handle it,” she added.
“That’s a valid concern. We need a thorough plan and shouldn’t act hastily,” Onoki agreed, his tone grave.
At that moment, an Anbu operative rushed into the Hokage’s office, whispering something in Danzo’s ear, causing him to tremble and stand up in shock.
“What happened?” the other leaders asked, sensing a significant development.
Danzo took a deep breath and slowly announced, “The Uchiha clan has declared war on us.”
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