The Fire Nation has also united with other countries, and other ninja villages are likely sending reinforcements here as well.
Then we can wipe them out in one fell swoop, saving me the trouble of running around.
The Second Shinobi World War should be nearing its end, and I need some time to settle things down.
Uchiha Madara still hasn't made a move… No matter. I'll just pretend he doesn't exist.
But those Rinnegan of his~
As he finished muttering, Uchiha Shin leaned back on his recliner, staring at the darkened sky.
He was tempted to take those Rinnegan for himself immediately and integrate their power fully.
But reason held him back. It wasn't worth the risk—not yet.
"I only recently awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and its power hasn't matured to its full potential. If I can't break through in one go, then I'll have to rely on time."
It would be better to approach the bottleneck of the Eternal Mangekyō, and when he felt stuck, use the power of the Rinnegan to propel himself forward.
Uchiha Shin understood the importance of timing. Uchiha Madara had been stuck in that stage for decades, nearly dying before his Rinnegan awakened.
He had the right conditions, but unlike Madara, he wasn't willing to endure a wait that long.
Thinking of this, he temporarily set aside the thought of taking Madara's eyes.
"For now, I should focus on Konoha's construction."
This would be the future heart of the Land of Fire, and he intended to build a palace here as well.
Summoning a shadow clone, he split his attention between reviewing documents and training atop Hokage Rock.
Despite having learned the Eight Gates through Reflection of Souls, mastering it was another matter entirely.
"My body is already strong, but it's not strong enough. Right now, I can only open up to the Fifth Gate before it starts damaging me."
In truth, his current limit was the Seventh Gate, but the toll it took on his body was immense—even with his regeneration ability mitigating the side effects.
Since the Eight Gates pushed the body beyond its natural limits, the damage it caused was inevitable. No matter how powerful the body, it could only reduce the damage but never fully negate it.
Even with Yin-Yang Release to heal his body after opening the Eighth Gate, it wouldn't erase the injuries sustained.
For now, Uchiha Shin planned to proceed step by step. His goal was to develop the Eight Gates fully, understand its side effects, and eventually eliminate them entirely. Only then would he be able to use the technique freely.
As he immersed himself in his structured routine, time passed quietly.
And then the Kushina incident happened.
Mikoto, naturally, found out.
And when she confronted Kushina, Kushina, in her panic, dragged Tsunade into it.
Mikoto was stunned. She never imagined that her mentor, Tsunade, had also betrayed her!
Tsunade wanted to protest, to argue that she had been "cheated on" too, but ultimately, she couldn't win against Mikoto's childhood sweetheart privilege.
When everyone turned their ire toward him, Uchiha Shin had only one solution—he worked them so hard they forgot to complain.
"Ugh!!!"
When Uchiha Shin woke up in a bed softer than clouds, a month had passed.
"Shin-kun~ Are you leaving already?"
A lazy, reluctant voice murmured beside him. This time, the one curled up next to him was Sasha, the current Queen of Roran.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Uchiha Shin frequently visited Loulan, though mostly for work.
Sasha stretched out her delicate body, pressing her soft frame against his back.
Feeling her warmth, Uchiha Shin chuckled, patting her hand.
"I'm not really leaving. Don't I come here every day?"
"Hmm~ You say that, but every time you're here, all you do is work."
Sasha pouted as she pressed herself closer.
Uchiha Shin knew she wasn't entirely wrong. He came, he worked, and he left. Last night was the rare occasion he actually stayed.
So now, as he was about to leave, she clung to him even more.
"When Konoha is finished, I'll have more time." He smiled, then traced his fingers along her smooth stomach. "And even if I'm not here, there'll be someone to keep you company soon."
His words made Sasha freeze for a second.
"Wait—are you serious?!"
Uchiha Shin smirked. "Do you think my genes are weak?"
Sasha's surprise turned into joy. She threw her arms around him, her face glowing.
Unlike Mikoto and the others, whose pregnancies he planned to delay for a couple of years, he hadn't taken any precautions with Sasha. And Tsunade… well, she had made it clear she wasn't interested in having kids.
After exchanging a few more words, he had a quick breakfast with Sasha before teleporting back to Konoha using Flying Thunder God.
In an instant, he appeared in the Hokage's office.
Tsunade barely blinked at his sudden arrival. She had long since gotten used to it.
But then she sniffed the air and narrowed her eyes.
"Hah~ This smell… That's Queen Sasha, isn't it?"
"…?"
Uchiha Shin stared at her, baffled. "How the hell is your nose better than a ninken's? And how do you even know Sasha?"
Tsunade slapped his hand away as he tried to pinch her nose and smirked.
"If you think I don't have sources, you underestimate me. I talk with Mikoto, Kanako, and the others, you know. I know their scents by now. This one's different, so it has to be Sasha."
Uchiha Shin gave her a deadpan look. "You seriously have nothing better to do?"
Tsunade only grinned.
"Fine, fine. I'll take you to Loulan next time." He waved her off before getting to business. "So, what happened while I was gone?"
At that, Tsunade's playful mood faded.
"You killed those messengers without telling me first."
She gave him an unimpressed look, recalling the moment she learned about it. It had taken her a second to process that they were just—gone.
Then she shook her head and got serious.
"The other nations won't directly intervene, but they've sent elite shinobi to assist the Land of Fire's military."
According to Anbu intelligence, nearly 3,000 elite shinobi had been deployed.
Tsunade's expression was grave.
"That number alone rivals what we deployed during the Konoha-Suna war. And they're all elite. Their overall strength is much higher than what we usually face on the battlefield."
And that didn't even count the tens of thousands of samurai and mercenaries backing them.
The war wasn't over yet, but it was clear—the real battle was just beginning.
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