At some point, Namikaze Minato had already walked up to Uchiha Kaien, holding out a carefully wrapped gift with both hands.
"Go on, open it, Kaien. I think you'll really like it."
Even as he spoke, Minato was secretly gathering chakra, prepared to use Flying Thunder God at a moment's notice to make a tactical retreat.
If Kaien figured out what was going on, things might not end well for him.
But as long as he could retreat into the crowd, this whole crisis could be defused before it even started.
Kakashi, I'm counting on you to take the hit for me this time!
"All your assets are under my control. What kind of gift could you possibly give me?"
Kaien eyed Minato with open suspicion.
He even knew Minato only had a million ryo left in his savings. After finally scraping together enough funds to custom-order a set of Flying Thunder God kunai, Minato's little savings had taken a major hit.
Could it be one of those kunai?
Not impossible.
Kaien narrowed his eyes in thought.
"It'll definitely be something beyond your expectations!" Minato smiled even more brightly, his chakra growing more refined and compressed by the second.
Just give him a sliver of a chance and he could activate the Flying Thunder God and be gone.
"Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it."
Kaien took the gift. He still had no idea what was inside, but the wrapping alone was pretty impressive.
As Kaien began to untie the silk cords, Minato's nerves were stretched to their limit. He swallowed hard, ready to disappear the second things went south.
Soon, the wrapping was undone.
A brand new light-blue kimono was revealed.
It was identical to the one Kaien had worn when he was eight years old—Minato had seen him wearing it once in his courtyard—but this one was made for an adult.
For a long moment, Kaien said nothing. He simply stared at the kimono in silence, his expression unreadable. The air around him grew unstable, and his chakra began to stir violently.
Minato instinctively took a step back, terrified Kaien might use Flying Thunder God to lock on to him.
"Thanks, Minato. I'm surprised you still remembered this."
Just as Kaien's expression was about to darken, it suddenly softened into a warm, dazzling smile. He looked straight at Minato without blinking.
"I really do like it. Once the party's over, I'll show you how it looks on me in private. How's that sound?"
"?!"
That caught Minato completely off guard. His focused chakra instantly scattered, and his mind blanked for a second.
Faced with Kaien's earnest gaze, even someone like him couldn't help but blush.
Was he... being serious?
Then tonight...
Minato's brain short-circuited. Kaien, now seventeen, hadn't changed much in appearance but had matured into a refined, impossibly beautiful young man.
And now, his closest friend just promised to wear that kimono for him alone—an undeniably pretty boy in women's clothing. What was he supposed to do with that?
Minato suddenly felt lost. Maybe... maybe he should turn down Kushina tonight...
Unfortunately, before he could even nod, Kaien's fist was already in his face.
BAM!
Minato went flying.
"You were actually thinking about that?"
Kaien's next punch landed even harder.
Ever since Minato mastered the Nine-Tails' chakra, his body had become incredibly durable, almost unnaturally so. Kaien wasn't worried in the slightest that this would hospitalize him.
And besides, he knew medical ninjutsu. He'd make sure Minato was presentable for the rest of the party.
"Kaien... please... keep your promise..."
Minato, now flat on the ground, lay there like a broken toy, utterly resigned to his fate.
He'd already been punched—if he didn't get to see it after all that, he'd definitely lose sleep tonight.
Kaien was about to pounce again when a familiar voice called out from afar.
"Minato? Where are you? You're supposed to meet Kaien in the main hall..."
It was Kushina!
...
Land of Water
Mizukage's Office
"It's time to see Madara-sama."
A strange figure—half black, half white, looking more plant than human—emerged from the shadows. His mismatched eyes locked on the androgynous youth sitting in the Mizukage's chair.
It was Uchiha Kaien once again. But this Kaien was only a phantom beast in disguise.
His real body was still at the birthday party, easily holding up his end of social interaction while devoting most of his energy to this clone.
Today wasn't just his birthday—it was also a turning point.
Uchiha Madara had finally decided to return to the Pure Land and hand everything over to Kaien.
"Alright then, let's send Grandpa Madara off."
Kaien struck a solemn tone and vanished in a flash, his chakra dispersing mid-air.
"Flying Thunder God really is so handy..." White Zetsu muttered enviously. Kaien could flit around the world like a bird, while he and Black Zetsu were stuck digging through dirt.
"...Hmm." Black Zetsu's expression darkened.
Kaien's mastery of Flying Thunder God made him increasingly difficult to control. Worse, when Black Zetsu had proposed placing a seal on him, Madara had flat-out refused—and even seemed to suspect something.
Madara was becoming harder to manipulate. Kaien, who had inherited his will, was proving just as unruly.
But there was no choice. The Eye of the Moon Plan still needed the two of them.
Once the Ten-Tails was revived and Infinite Tsukuyomi was cast, Black Zetsu would regain the upper hand.
With that thought, Black Zetsu said nothing more and sank back underground.
...
"You're really heading for the Pure Land, Grandpa Madara?"
"Yes."
"It's about time. We have full control over Nagato, and the Akatsuki are already based in the Land of Rain. Give him a few more years, and he'll have enough chakra to revive you."
"Find a way to push Nagato into darkness," Madara said, sipping the last of his tea and setting the cup down slowly.
"That's easy. Just have Tsuki die in front of him."
Over the last five years, while Kaien's main body remained in Konoha, his phantom beasts had been preparing countless contingencies.
He'd strung Sasori of the Red Sand along for three years, then infiltrated the Akatsuki to bide his time. Right now, Tsuki was just another average Akatsuki member.
No one besides Nagato knew her true identity. Everyone else believed she was a girl Nagato had saved and taken under his wing.
Though even Nagato wasn't exactly a central figure in the Akatsuki...
"With your Mangekyō Sharingan and Tobirama's sinister Flying Thunder God, it's unlikely anyone in the ninja world can pin you down."
Madara had no doubts about Kaien's power. After all, he'd trained this successor himself. Though still inexperienced in his eyes, Kaien was unquestionably strong.
"Go on, then. I leave it all to you... Grandpa Madara."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (156 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)