Another year passed quietly.
The Second Great Ninja War had fully erupted. The Five Great Villages were now locked in battles on multiple fronts.
Kirigakure had unexpectedly gone into full isolation. Even the Root agents sent by Shimura Danzō had come back empty-handed—and at great cost. The message was clear: Kirigakure had no intention of joining the conflict. They were playing their own game.
Due to the difficult terrain of the Land of Water, the other villages weren't exactly eager to engage Kirigakure anyway. The place was crawling with bloodthirsty ninja clans. If they fought and didn't gain anything tangible, it just wouldn't be worth the bloodshed.
Iwagakure had originally intended to move on Kirigakure, but things went sideways. On the march, they ran into forces from Kumogakure and clashed before they even caught a glimpse of the Hidden Mist. Soon, Kirigakure was the last thing on their minds.
As for why Iwagakure's move on Kirigakure led them into a scuffle with Kumogakure... well, that's a bit of a story.
Geographically, the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning are separated by several neutral nations, including the Land of Iron. Because of this buffer, Iwagakure and Kumogakure rarely crossed paths.
But this time, Iwagakure didn't want to get entangled in the mess happening in the Land of Rain. Instead, they opted to take the long route—marching through the Lands of Waterfalls, Sound, and Hot Springs—to get to Kirigakure.
Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, was still holding a grudge over what had happened between their Second Tsuchikage and the Second Mizukage, who had killed each other on the battlefield. That man was his mentor—the one who had personally taught him Dust Release.
That blood debt had to be paid.
Ōnoki didn't want to fight Konoha head-on, so he planned this detour through neutral lands to attack Kirigakure.
But what he didn't expect was to run into Kumogakure's border forces.
The proud, muscle-bound warriors of Kumogakure looked down on Iwagakure's bulky types who fattened themselves up to store chakra and execute coordinated jutsu.
What began as a small skirmish quickly escalated.
Even though Ōnoki wanted to end it swiftly, the Third Raikage—A—wasn't exactly the diplomatic type.
"You think you can march across my land without paying the toll?"
Yeah, that wasn't going to fly.
So the Third Raikage personally marched to the frontlines and challenged Ōnoki to a duel.
Left with no choice, Ōnoki met him head-on in a direct confrontation.
And from that moment on... the musclehead wouldn't leave him alone.
The Third Raikage was especially fixated on Ōnoki's flying technique—the Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Jutsu.
But that technique was a closely guarded secret of Iwagakure. There was no way Ōnoki would give it up.
Iwagakure wasn't some small-time village that Kumogakure could just push around.
The fact that Kumogakure was now eyeing their unique jutsu—and mocking their ninja to boot—pushed Ōnoki over the edge.
Revenge could wait. First, he needed to settle this.
And so, Iwagakure and Kumogakure officially began to clash.
Behind the scenes, Ōnoki was already plotting a powerful combo jutsu specifically to deal with the Third Raikage. He swore that next time they met, he'd make sure the man wouldn't be able to escape.
...
As for Kirigakure's sudden self-imposed isolation, most had no clue what was going on.
But Uchiha Kaien knew exactly why.
The village had been taken over by Madara.
From Kaien's perspective, the Third Mizukage didn't even last a second against him. With chakra left behind in the Rinnegan, Madara had managed to evolve his transplanted Sharingan into a Mangekyō.
And with his naturally immense spiritual energy boosting it, even though it wasn't his original Mangekyō, Madara could still wield it on the level of an Eternal Mangekyō.
The Third Mizukage never even got to speak—he was instantly controlled by a genjutsu.
Kaien had watched the whole thing unfold and couldn't help but click his tongue in disbelief. No wonder the old man never treated him like a threat.
If even a Kage could be brainwashed in an instant... if Kaien hadn't possessed [Illusion Immunity], he probably would've been turned into a puppet long ago.
After Kaien awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan, Madara never tried casting genjutsu on him again—partly out of caution, partly because he no longer needed to.
In his eyes, Kaien had been fully "infused" with his ideals. He was already a worthy heir.
Well... except for his twisted personality. But Madara chalked that up to long-term genjutsu guidance—a minor side effect.
"Hey, you washed-up geezer, this batch of Kaguya clan rejects you gave me is falling apart with one swing."
Kaien casually sliced through the last of the Kaguya clan shinobi and tossed the insult toward Madara.
"Hmph. Inherited my will, sure—but not an ounce of my dignity," Madara muttered, his brow twitching and veins popping.
That kid's mouth was getting worse by the day. Breathe. Breathe. I raised this child myself. I will not lose my temper...
"Really, your eyesight must be going. These guys are all trash. Blegh~"
Kaien even stuck out his tongue as he continued jabbing at Madara, clearly enjoying himself.
Not that the Kaguya shinobi were weak, really.
The two he just tore down were both Jonin-level. In a smaller country, they'd be enough to take out a whole nation.
Only Madara could casually brainwash such powerhouses and hand them over as Kaien's sparring dummies.
The problem was Kaien had improved a lot over the past year.
Even though he didn't yet have any trump card jutsu that could serve as a finishing blow worthy of a Kage, his combat power was already far above the average elite Jonin.
...
"Aww, I'm just teasing. Really, Grandpa Madara, I'm super grateful you got me such great targets to train on!"
Kaien noticed the fury rising in Madara's eyes and immediately shifted gears, lowering his head and fawning over the old man.
Compared to a year ago, Kaien had grown noticeably more refined and graceful. When Madara saw his pitiful little expression—fake though it was—his anger began to ebb.
Forget it. He's still my kid. I can't bring myself to scold him for real.
Still, Madara snorted coldly, keeping up his stern façade. He couldn't let the brat keep pushing his limits.
"Still mad? Grandpa Madara, let me give you a shoulder massage..."
Kaien skipped over, all smiles, and began kneading Madara's shoulders with expert precision.
His long, pale legs bounced with energy—youthful and full of life.
"How's the pressure? Is it just right, Madara-sama~?"
With his Sharingan's precise perception, Kaien could hit every acupoint dead-on.
Madara let out a quiet groan of contentment despite himself.
"Hmm... not bad."
Yeah, the kid was still filial. Just had a mouth on him. Calling him "washed-up old man" was becoming way too natural. Madara figured he might as well get used to it.
[Affection from Uchiha Madara +2]
With the affection points locked in, Kaien knew he was in the clear—no beatdown today.
If Madara ever seriously came after him, Kaien had already decided: he'd just flop to the ground and forfeit.
...
"Your strength has reached the required level. It's time you headed to the battlefield. Only in the heat of real war can you truly bloom..."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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