In his eyes lay ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers. Why should he fear a little autumn chill?
Outside Konoha Village, in the shrine located in the desolate lands of Nanga.
Originally, there had been two prisoners hanging from the rafters and only two Uchiha standing below, staring blankly into space.
Now, however, there were three prisoners hanging from the rafters, while the number of dazed young men below had also increased to three.
The three people above were silent because there was nothing to say.
The three below were equally speechless because there was nothing to ask.
The moment Blood Wind understood that Uchiha Itachi was going to be hung from the rafters as well, he finally realized something.
Whatever he could think of, Uchiha Gen’nosuke and Uchiha Koshiro could think of too. The only difference was that they simply did not want to know the answer.
The three young men stood side by side, not knowing what they were thinking about, nor what they should say.
After a long while, Gen’nosuke finally nudged Koshiro.
That single movement made Kotetsu Hagane, who was hanging from the rafters, even more nervous.
They aren’t really going to kill us, are they?!
But all that came was a single question from Gen’nosuke:
"What should we eat for lunch?"
Koshiro shook his head expressionlessly and answered,
"I don’t feel like eating."
And so, the staring contest continued.
That was what a turbulent life was like—one moment you were at rock bottom, and the next you were being sent on an emotional roller coaster by a single sentence. Kotetsu had just experienced the entire ride from beginning to end.
After saying that, the three people on the ground continued to stare blankly into space. Their apparent idleness was, in itself, proof that they had already figured out quite a lot.
Seeing that the young people were unreliable, the old man Taku had little to say. After all, he was merely an old veteran who had retired to the second line. If he kept interfering in important matters, people would only find him annoying.
So the old fellow could only move over a huge boulder and begin carving a statue of Uchiha Kei, stroke by painstaking stroke.
Blood Wind, bored out of his mind, watched the old man for a while before asking in confusion,
"Old Man Taku! What are you doing?"
The old man rolled his eyes at him.
"Obviously, I’m carving a divine statue for our lord!"
The answer seemed to imply that Blood Wind was an idiot.
But don’t misunderstand. The old man wasn’t singling Blood Wind out.
He thought all three of them were idiots.
Yet the idiot Blood Wind remained oblivious and continued asking,
"I know that. But why go through all this trouble? Couldn’t you just wave your hand and make it with Ninjutsu?"
The old man became even more impatient. He turned away in disgust, leaving behind only a single sentence.
"Doing it this way shows my sincerity."
Indeed.
Most of life was simply the act of forcibly assigning meaning to things that had no inherent meaning.
It was like people who could use transportation yet insisted on walking all the way to the Potala Palace.
The old man could create a divine statue with a wave of his hand, yet he insisted on carving it stroke by stroke.
Because it was an act of devotion.
In this meaningless world, perhaps these seemingly meaningless actions were capable of bringing nothing more than a little healing to the heart.
The old man simply wanted to find something to entrust his heart to.
This entire exchange had taken place without any attempt to conceal it from the three people hanging from the rafters.
Two shinobi from Konoha’s Torture and Interrogation Force, along with a certain "genius," could only feel a complicated mixture of emotions toward the frivolous Uchiha inside the shrine.
Just how little regard do they have for Konoha to behave like this?
Unfortunately, no matter how insulted they felt, it was meaningless.
Their chakra had been sealed, leaving them with no means of resistance. All they could do was gather as much intelligence as possible.
They were even counting on death to allow them to carry that intelligence back to the Konoha they loved.
Hopefully, these Uchiha didn’t know that the Yamanaka Clan possessed secret techniques capable of extracting information from the minds of the dead.
As long as they stayed alive a little longer, they would be able to see what these Uchiha meant by their "lord."
Itachi trusted the skills of shinobi.
Especially the old man’s skill with a blade.
For Konoha, which was currently completely bewildered by the situation, this information was extremely important.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Koshiro thought for a long time before finally managing to say something resembling actual human speech.
"Why don’t we just kill them? There’s really nothing I want to ask them."
Koshiro said it without the slightest hesitation.
Blood Wind nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
Only Gen’nosuke tried to stop them.
"Why don’t we wait a little longer? If we really kill them, we’ll have to go back to work."
As he spoke, Gen’nosuke pointed toward the window.
Outside, the Uchiha of Nanga had already begun working diligently.
Although this was not their homeland, they couldn’t bear to see land bearing the name Nanga left in such a dilapidated state.
Gen’nosuke had brought a large quantity of supplies on this trip. They had originally been intended to buy the favor of the Land of Wind, but diverting them toward Nanga was hardly a problem.
The industrious people of Nanga stood in stark contrast to the shinobi who did nothing but sit around.
The three spoiled young masters inside the shrine were the perfect example. Compared with the workers outside, their behavior looked positively degenerate.
Three people doing absolutely nothing had actually used "interrogating prisoners" as an excuse to slack off.
It was genuinely shameful.
They were all shinobi, yet some believed that everything had to be accomplished through their own hands, while others believed that everything could be accomplished through taking from others.
Perhaps this was what a clash of ideals looked like.
The three Konoha shinobi hanging from the rafters had realized this as well.
They exchanged glances.
In the end, Itachi, the one who was also an Uchiha, was the first to speak.
"Enough. Humiliation will not make a shinobi submit. Respecting your opponent is also respecting yourself."
Unfortunately, Itachi’s anger received absolutely no response.
Konoha was always preaching lofty-sounding slogans and spouting half-baked philosophies. The people of Nanga had long since grown accustomed to it.
The three spoiled young men seriously began discussing what they should have for lunch.
Seeing that the three of them had no reaction whatsoever, Kotetsu cautiously opened his mouth.
"Perhaps we could talk things out peacefully. After all, you haven’t really done anything to Konoha..."
He hoped that a peaceful solution might change their current predicament.
His words immediately earned hostile looks from his two companions.
Shizune? No—神月出雲 was particularly agitated. He looked at his companion, then at his own missing arm, his expression practically screaming:
You call this ’not really doing anything’?! What exactly counts as doing something, then?!
Yet the three people on the ground remained completely indifferent to Kotetsu’s words.
Just then, a cloud of smoke suddenly appeared.
"Reverse Summoning Technique!"
When the smoke cleared, two cats and a toad appeared.
They were the Uchiha Clan’s contracted ninja cats.
They did indeed have the ability to bypass Nanga’s sealing techniques and enter this place. After all, Gen’nosuke and the others had only recently arrived. They had merely reactivated the sealing array that had been abandoned in Nanga for so long and had not yet had time to establish a new one.
This had given the long-abandoned ninja-cat clans of the Empty District an opportunity to slip through the cracks.
But seeing them arrive together with a toad from Mount Myōboku was rather unpleasant.
The cat that had arrived was the overly familiar Neko Hina, and the moment she opened her mouth, she was already being rather rude.
"You little—"
Unfortunately, she never finished the sentence.
Someone had already grabbed her by the head.
"You bunch of spoiled, self-important ingrates. You actually dare swagger around like this in Nanga? Who exactly spoiled you into behaving this way?"
Koshiro had attacked the moment they met.
He had been holding back a ball of anger in his heart for quite some time.
His words also made Itachi’s face redden slightly.
The Uchiha who couldn’t make money depended on the ninja-cat-run weapons shops to support themselves. Living under someone else’s roof naturally made it easy to develop bad habits.
The ninja cats had simply forgotten one thing.
The Uchiha they supported were the Uchiha of Konoha—not these Uchiha from who-knows-where.
They had tried to show off, only to get thoroughly humbled instead.
Koshiro’s actions frightened the remaining ninja cat, Denka, so badly that it trembled and didn’t dare say another word.
It had never imagined that the Uchiha Clan with whom they had contracts could be so merciless.
The Hina being held in Koshiro’s hand also realized how serious the situation had become.
Her chakra had been completely locked down. She couldn’t even perform the Reverse Summoning Technique anymore.
Looking at those Mangekyō Sharingan revolving like pinwheels, the Toad Sage Fukasaku also understood that arriving uninvited had been rather reckless.
"Young Uchiha, we mean you no harm—"
Before Fukasaku could finish, Gen’nosuke picked up the conversation.
"I know, I know. Mount Myōboku never has any ill intentions toward people it can’t beat!"
The teasing tone made Fukasaku extremely uncomfortable.
But this was not the time to argue.
Fukasaku had no choice but to invoke the authority of his leader and forcefully explain,
"The Great Toad Sage foresaw your arrival..."
Unfortunately, today seemed determined not to let Fukasaku finish a single sentence.
Before he could continue, a voice came from the space outside.
"Sorry to interrupt. May I come in?"
Fukasaku was very familiar with that voice.
It belonged to Tagorihime of Ryūchi Cave, one of the higher-ranking figures there and a trusted elder of the White Snake Sage.
She was also one of the Snake Sages.
Why had she come to join the commotion as well?
Fukasaku swallowed the words he had only managed to get halfway out and decided to see what his old rival intended to do.
"Come in."
As the host, Gen’nosuke gave Ryūchi Cave some face.
After all, his wife’s contracted summon, Dalyūen, was also a high-ranking figure of Ryūchi Cave. He could at least show them that much courtesy.
A moment later, smoke filled the room, and Tagorihime appeared in this world for the first time.
The moment she appeared, she spoke politely.
"The White Snake Sage heard of your arrival and sent me here to see whether there is anything we can do to help."
In the eyes of Fukasaku, who was himself a Sage, that degree of courtesy was already bordering on flattery.
Ever since becoming a Sage, he had never seen another Sage lower themselves so much.
Just who are these Uchiha?
Why had they never appeared in the Great Toad Sage’s prophecies?
And yet the White Snake Sage was treating them with such extraordinary deference.
As the heir of the most prestigious clan in the shinobi world, Itachi had naturally seen and heard a great deal.
"W-why...?"
These were Sages of one of the Three Great Sage Regions.
There were countless legends about them throughout the shinobi world. The famed Sannin were their contracted shinobi.
The Three Great Sage Regions were vastly more renowned and powerful than the ninja cats of the Empty District.
If the Uchiha could obtain their recognition, their current awkward position could be alleviated immediately.
Mount Myōboku in particular was enough to make a tremendous difference.
If the Uchiha signed a contract with them, they could potentially become one of the Sannin and allies of Jiraiya.
Then the Uchiha could finally secure a stable position within Konoha.
Everyone in Konoha understood that, among the candidates to inherit the Third Hokage’s position, Jiraiya was the most likely.
That wasn’t even the most important part.
Given Mount Myōboku’s standing throughout the shinobi world, receiving its support was itself a symbol of status.
Its contracted shinobi had supposedly saved the world several times.
Being a contracted shinobi of Mount Myōboku was practically synonymous with being a hero.
Even if Mount Myōboku wasn’t an option, Ryūchi Cave would be excellent as well.
The status associated with being a contracted shinobi of one of the Three Great Sage Regions could bring countless positive changes to the Uchiha.
Unfortunately, the Sages of the Three Great Sage Regions rarely appeared in the shinobi world.
When they did appear, it was usually because some powerful figure had emerged.
Yet today, two had appeared at once—and one of them was being extraordinarily polite.
Just what kind of background do these Uchiha have?
What frightened Itachi most was that these unknown Uchiha behaved completely naturally in the presence of Tagorihime.
They acted as though her deference were only natural.
Blood Wind happily bounced over to Tagorihime.
"Then tell us what major events have happened in the shinobi world from Year 48 of Konoha until now!"
His manner was completely unrestrained and even friendly.
It was as though chatting with a Snake Sage was something he did every day.
The young Uchiha even casually draped an arm over Tagorihime’s shoulder, completely unconcerned by the fact that she was female.
A very beautiful female snake, at that.
There was nothing strange about it.
Blood Wind was quite familiar with Tagitsuhime, another of the Snake Sages.
The Genjutsu he had used to subdue Itachi had been developed through a combination of Uchiha Genjutsu, Kurama Clan Genjutsu, and the abilities of the Snake Sage Tagitsuhime.
It was a Genjutsu that fused illusion and reality, known as Sumeru Illusory Realm.
The more thoughts a person had in their mind, the harder it became for them to distinguish reality.
Once trapped within the Sumeru Illusory Realm, they would see the illusions they most wanted to see—only to be mercilessly beaten down by the truth.
Nanga and the Divine Realm of Tōten had many collaborations like this.
Their friendship had already become unbreakable.
Naturally, such bonds influenced people.
Even when one knew that these were not their original friends, but merely the same snakes from different worlds, the familiarity still instinctively produced goodwill.
It was the same reason Blood Wind wanted to beat Itachi up the moment he saw him, yet wanted to hug a Snake Sage the moment he saw one.
Tagorihime had always been rather aloof. At this moment, she forced herself to act friendly, and Blood Wind’s enthusiasm made her somewhat uncomfortable.
Nevertheless, she politely replied,
"All right."
Even cold-blooded creatures could distinguish friend from foe.
The goodwill shown by these people who had suddenly appeared in the shinobi world was obvious enough. Combined with the White Snake Sage’s attitude, it was only natural that Tagorihime would respond in kind.
But that goodwill was not meant for Mount Myōboku.
"No!"
Seeing how closely they were cooperating, Fukasaku stepped forward to stop them.
"Tagorihime, you can’t help these people of unknown origin! Don’t you understand? You could bring an unknown danger to this world!"
The Toad Sage’s patience had finally snapped.
The most loyal companion of the world’s prophesied savior had lost his temper.
Gen’nosuke looked at the battle-ready Toad Sage with a grin.
He finally understood the headache Uchiha Kei must have felt whenever he looked at him.
"Some people really are that self-important. They always think they’re more important than they actually are. They think the world can’t keep turning without them and spend every day wanting the world to operate according to their wishes."
His smile widened.
"But they never consider that whether they’re here or not, the world will keep turning just the same."
Those words were aimed at the Toad Sage.
But they were also a warning to Gen’nosuke himself.
People who believed themselves to be chosen by fate often developed a peculiar sense of moral responsibility.
These blunt words completely pushed Mount Myōboku onto the opposing side of Nanga.
The atmosphere grew oppressive.
Fukasaku had grown accustomed to being treated as a teacher wherever he went in the shinobi world.
But the pair of Sharingan now turning before him had never appeared in the shinobi world before.
Those eyes reminded him of the terrifying Straight-Tomoe Sharingan.
The Sage of Six Paths, ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, had been the first known wielder of such eyes.
With the assistance of Mount Myōboku, he had even managed to kill ōtsutsuki Hamura, who possessed the foreign Tenseigan.
An ominous thought suddenly occurred to Fukasaku.
Fortunately, just as it seemed that a confrontation was about to erupt, Taku finally completed the divine statue.
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