"According to the agreement, I'll be taking this child with me."
On a small island in the Land of Water, a middle-aged man in a suit tugged along a blue-haired boy. Stroking the little mustache on his lip, he was practically giddy with excitement, imagining just how much profit this boy might bring him.
After all, these people from small places didn't even recognize Typhoon Release, and instead treated it like some kind of calamity.
But the man also felt lucky they were from such a backwater. On many larger islands, Kirigakure officials had already stepped in to rescue those persecuted for their Kekkei Genkai.
The defeat in the Third Great Ninja War seemed to have made the newly appointed Mizukage realize the danger of talent loss.
"Hm."
Hearing the man's words, Fūshin's parents remained cold and indifferent. Without so much as a glance at their own son, they focused solely on counting the money handed over to them.
Numb to despair, Fūshin simply let the man drag him toward the large ship waiting in the distance.
"Huh? Where are the greeters, all dead already?"
At the dock, the man frowned at the empty gangplank. Normally, a carpet would have been laid out for his arrival.
Shouting angrily, he resolved to teach his useless subordinates a harsh lesson.
But before he could finish, a flash of cold light appeared. A slender senbon pierced directly into his throat. Feeling the pain at the wound, the man clutched at his neck and collapsed unwillingly.
Even in death, he never knew who had attacked him.
"Disgusting. So the senbon you always bite down on has already stabbed people before?"
"Of course. I always clean them afterward."
With the senbon between his teeth, Shiranui Genma strolled out lazily, plucked the bloody needle from the corpse's throat, and tucked it back into his pouch.
Beside them, Namiashi Raidō, whose face bore strange scars, didn't bother joining their chatter. Instead, he walked straight toward Fūshin.
The man's death hardly stirred the boy. He just raised his empty gaze, noted the Konoha forehead protector carved on Raidō's brow, then lowered his head again.
"Fūshin, right? I heard you possess Typhoon Release?"
Raidō softened his voice as much as possible, crouching in front of him.
"Maybe. I don't really know what it's called. I just know that every time a typhoon hit the village, everyone—including my parents—blamed it on me."
"Then it's settled."
Raidō nodded toward Genma. Exchanging glances, the group gathered up Fūshin and the corpse, then boarded the ship again.
...
Meanwhile, in Valley of Hell.
This harsh valley had been home to the Chinoike clan, exiled here since the Warring States period.
They possessed the Kekkei Genkai known as the Ketsuryūgan. To keep them in check, the Land of Lightning once dispatched the Uchiha clan to watch over them.
Until just before the Third Great Ninja War, the Uchiha still loyally upheld that old pact.
But after Hatake Sakumo became the Fourth Hokage, the shortage of manpower in the Police Force led him to terminate the contract and recall all Uchiha.
Since then, the Chinoike clan had lived without supervision.
During Kumogakure's rampages, the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning remembered them. Large numbers of their clan were hastily conscripted and sent to the frontlines to fight against Kumogakure.
Close quarters and forced camaraderie often bred conflict. Years of relying on each other in battle gradually built up friction, which eventually turned into hatred—culminating in bloody feuds.
En Oyashiro knew this well.
The war had only accelerated the process. His wife had been dragged into it too. Though no major problems had surfaced yet, he knew that with time...
Staring at his wife, who was close to giving birth, En Oyashiro didn't know what choice he should make.
"Ever thought of leaving this place?"
A voice suddenly rang out in the house. To En Oyashiro, it was utterly unfamiliar.
"Who's there?"
He looked sharply toward the sound, his eyes filling with a dim crimson glow.
A young man with a large nose stepped out. His blood-red eyes, each with tomoe etched within, revealed his identity.
"Uchiha Obito."
Obito introduced himself plainly, then stated his purpose: "By order of the Fifth Hokage, I've come to invite you to join Konoha."
On one side was the Chinoike clan, simmering with conflicts ready to explode. On the other was Konoha, thriving and surging into a golden era of power.
The choice seemed obvious.
...
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
In a clearing, Yamato pressed his palms together, shouting as he unleashed chakra—far more than he had ever wielded before.
"Wow, that's way bigger in scale than last time!"
Many researchers scribbled frantically on their papers, while the ever-meticulous Hiruko pulled out a tape measure. Under everyone's gaze, he carefully measured the width of the trees.
After half an hour of fussing, Hiruko finally put away the tape measure. His whole body visibly relaxed, and for once his tone carried a hint of warmth.
"Not bad. We can consider giving it to the next test subject."
Yamato had proven the serum's viability. Next, they only needed a Uchiha scapegoat for trials.
And who would that scapegoat be?
"Achoo!"
Summoned to the Research Division by Takeshi, Obito suddenly sneezed.
"Strange... don't tell me I caught a chill walking Rin home last night?"
Rubbing his nose, Obito shook his head, his thoughts drifting back to last night's conversation with Rin.
"Hehehe..."
Recalling it, a goofy grin spread across his face.
Takeshi had grown sick of Obito's dithering, so yesterday he deliberately leaked a hint—that Rin would be working late and needed someone to walk her home.
Given such an obvious signal, Obito finally acted. Hesitant but determined, he waited at the Medical Division's doors, debating whether to go in, when he happened to catch Rin just as she was leaving with her colleagues.
"At this rate, within ten years I'll be able to confess to her..."
The silly smile hadn't left Obito's face since he walked in. He didn't hear a single word the researchers spoke.
After signing his name on a sheet of paper, he followed them into a dim chamber. Only then did it occur to him to ask.
"What is this place? And what exactly did I just sign?"
The researcher gave him a strange look. Opening the laboratory door, he revealed Hiruko, who had been waiting all along. Hiruko answered Obito's question with a faint smile:
"A liability waiver."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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