Sitting on the Hokage Rock and looking down at the bustling village from below, Kadoya's gaze stared into the distant horizon. It has been a week since he revealed his strength and began seriously training his older sister, Natsumi.
Which did wonder to improve her strength, her Fire and Wind Release improved slightly, her Body Flicker and Kenjutsu strengthened, she even began diving into one-handed seals, just to try and keep up with him.
But their relationship...
It grew colder... even somewhat distant.
She didn't smile and talk to him much like before; their conversation usually short, now became even shorter, she doesn't even sneak into his room to cuddle up beside him like before anymore.
Honestly, Kadoya didn't know if this was a good thing or not, but he didn't care.
"Might control everything... without it. You can't protect anyone, let alone yourself." He murmurs the words he told her that night.
If we go by the logic of this ninja world, what he said wasn't wrong at all. In a world where strength is supreme, if you don't have the power to protect yourself, you won't be able to protect anyone.
Orange leaves flew by, and his body disappeared from the head of the Second Hokage Rock.
...
Back in the Ninja Academy, as Mayabi-sensei was calling out the names of her students, doing the usual roll-call.
"Kadoya Uchiha!" She called, but again, no answer. She looks around for a moment before sighing and crossing out his name once again.
After returning from the early mission, many of the students have been having some time adjusting to the harshness of the ninja world.
After all, their view of the world was still innocent and naive before being thrust into killing living, breathing people. Not every student was trained to kill early on, like those in the major ninja clan.
So, of course, many need time to adjust to the new changes.
"Hey, Minato, look for that idiot." Saiguu said in annoyance to Minato.
The Uchiha Clan has always been somewhat unstable in the eyes of others, despite knowing Kadoya well, they still don't know whether he is still mentally sane or not.
"Sorry, he said he doesn't want to be disturbed right now." Minato said with an apologetic smile, after all, as Kadoya's light, he would always be able to locate his shadow.
It wasn't that Minato didn't try to look for his best friend; it was that Minato had tried, and Kadoya said to leave him alone for some time.
He needs to clear his mind.
...
As for the war, it had already begun. Once Konoha's war machine started running, nothing could stop it. Konoha's ninjas had already begun heading to the Land of Rain.
According to Konoha, the ninjas from the Land of Rain had invaded first. But according to the Land of Rain, Konoha had provoked the war.
However, the one with the bigger fist held the greater truth. Everyone understood this principle.
For a time, tensions spread throughout the ninja world. The great nations flexed their muscles, preparing for an inevitable showdown.
Although the war had begun, Tsunade and the others had yet to depart.
Despite the gag order, Kushina tearfully told Kadoya that Lady Mito couldn't hold on much longer.
For her to reveal even this much, she must have acted on her own. Such news would undoubtedly be classified as top secret by the higher-ups.
Kadoya understood that she was reaching her limit.
And he, the current head of the Uzumaki, knows what is going to happen next once she passes away.
Lady Mito has even made Kadoya promise to bring that poor Uzumaki, who is suffering from madness, back to Konoha. Kadoya simply agrees, not wanting to argue with her that bringing a crazy person back would cause more harm than good.
According to the report, the crazed Uzumaki is good at Fire Release, unlocked the Uzumaki's Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Lady Mito knew Kadoya was strong in both Water and Fire Release, combined with his strength in Fūinjutsu, so she was hoping that he could help bring this poor Uzumaki back and help revitalize the clan.
Still, Kadoya felt like he was forgetting something important here.
...
Despite the ongoing Second Ninja War, Konoha itself remained largely peaceful. The battle had yet to reach the Land of Fire, it was still Konoha invading other nations.
But ninjas were strategic resources.
With most of them sent to the battlefield, Konoha inevitably suffered a shortage of personnel. This was evident in the reduced number of teachers at the academy.
Having spent days skipping classes and helping his sister unlock the three-tomoe Sharingan, Kadoya finally returned to the academy.
The moment he stepped into class, all eyes turned to him, and it didn't take long for other students to begin to attack him.
"What the fuck!?"
"Tch! Damn bastard! You dare to use his face, huh!?" Tsume Inuzuka growled at him, being the one who led the group of angry fourth-year students.
"Heh!?" Kadoya was confused.
"That bastard has been skipping classes for days, you think going to school using his face could make you feel like a big shot, huh!?" Tsume said.
Kadoya: "..."
Oh. He understands now, classes have started back a while ago, but he has been skipping them a lot lately to the point that even Natsumi said that Ms. Mayabi came to their house to search for him, but by that time, he was called by Lady Mito so he doesn't meet his homeroom teacher.
Exhaling sharply, yellow lightning crackled around Kadoya's body, the air filling with the sharp screech of a thousand birds.
Without even weaving a single hand seal, the Chidori flared to life in his hand, humming with deadly energy.
"If you want to dance," he said coolly, his voice calm yet brimming with menace, "then come. I'll take you all on myself."
At the sight of the unmistakable Chidori, all the students immediately realized: this wasn't some impostor. This was Kadoya Uchiha.
The group that had been so confident only moments ago now stumbled back in fear. The leader, Tsume, raised her hands hurriedly, panic written all over her face.
"W-wait, Kadoya! We didn't mean anything by it!" She stammered. "We just thought, we thought someone was pretending to be you!"
Their fear wasn't unfounded.
Everyone here remembered the last time they witnessed Kadoya unleash his Chidori, the devastating clash with Minato. Flesh torn, bones exposed, and yet the "Little Sun" hadn't even flinched through the agony.
That memory alone had inflicted a sense of fear toward the other student, making them fear Kadoya even more. But this also let Minato earn the respect of the others.
"Rasengan!"
A loud voice rang out behind him.
Kadoya didn't even glance. Instinctively, he spun on his heel, his Chidori still alive in his hand.
"Chidori!"
The two jutsu collided with a deafening roar, the shockwave blasting desks apart and shattering the classroom windows.
Dust and debris filled the room, a chaotic mess in the wake of their clash.
As the dust cleared, Kadoya and Minato stood face to face, their hands slightly smoking from the impact, minor burns and scrapes visible.
Neither said a word.
They simply stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. Then, as if on cue, both grinned.
This had become their tradition.
Where normal people exchanged greetings with words or a handshake, where most ninja traded a few kunai as a show of strength, Kadoya and Minato greeted each other with A-Rank jutsu.
The other students hurriedly backed off, giving room for these two to flex.
"Glad to see you're back." Minato said with a smile, drawing out a short sword.
"Oh? Training with Sakumo-san huh? Not bad." Kadoya complimented, pulling out his water blade
The two didn't need to exchange any words, as they charged toward each other.
After some time, some of the teachers came and managed to break off the fight between the two of them. Mayabi-sensei, although both annoyed and frustrated, still felt happy that her students were growing strong and well.
So she didn't give them any harsh punishment, knowing too well that Kadoya would just skip it and leave poor Minato to take the punishment alone. If this continues, then it won't be long before Minato follows Kadoya.
Before lessons started, there was always an opening ceremony.
In reality, it was just the Hokage reinforcing the Will of Fire among the students.
It was a way to instill loyalty to Konoha, and with the war underway, it served an additional purpose.
As the Third Hokage, Hiruzen valued ideological education immensely.
One could see that from how frequently he visited the widows of fallen ninjas.
As Kadoya and Minato chatted idly, the Third Hokage finally appeared on the training ground.
His presence immediately silenced the crowd.
Thousands of students stood below, gazing at the Hokage on the platform.
He coughed lightly before beginning his speech, sharing words of wisdom as an elder.
"I believe you all know by now, some time ago, ninjas from the Land of Rain invaded Konoha."
"That's right. They illegally invaded Konoha!" Hiruzen immediately framed the narrative.
Of course, such claims were baseless, no Rain ninjas had been found in Konoha at all.
However, there were corpses of Sunagakure ninjas.
But he conveniently omitted that part.
And did Konoha even need evidence?
What a joke, the most powerful country's word was the evidence.
As Kadoya zoned out below, the Hokage continued his speech.
"Yes, war has begun. It began the moment I announced it. War brings death, and I hate death."
"Because when someone dies, everything about them, their past, their present, vanishes. Many people perish on missions and in war, their lives snuffed out in an instant. Is their sacrifice worth it?"
"I believe it is!"
"Because everyone has people who matter to them, parents, siblings, lovers, friends. People they cherish."
"We are born into this world only once. We don't have to choose a path we dislike. It doesn't matter if we live freely or die without restraint. But no matter what path we take, we must never forget to protect the ones we love."
"This is not some grand philosophy. Those who form deep bonds will be willing to sacrifice themselves for others, because those people are worth cherishing."
"For me, you are the people I want to protect and cherish… I want you to live peacefully in this village. That is my dream."
"Your fathers are now fighting for that dream. Please, do not hate me."
Then, the Third Hokage bowed.
Applause erupted across the training ground. Kadoya is starting to regret returning to the Ninja Academy today; he probably should have skipped another day.
...
Heading toward the location of the Senju Compound, Kadoya stared blankly at the doorway, and after a moment of hesitation, he stepped forward and entered.
"Grandma Mito." Kadoya greeted, approaching the old woman lying in bed with a tired expression.
"Kadoya, it's good to see you, my boy." She said with a slow and steady voice.
"Should we begin?" He asked, and she didn't say anything, expecting to give him a simple nod.
His eyes turn crimson, using his pupil power to enter her inner world.
The next instant, Kadoya found himself in a large forest filled with lush green trees, blue skies, and tall mountains. A distance away, Kadoya saw a massive Nine-Tailed Fox glaring at him from a distance.
Kadoya has revealed to Mito about his Sharingan, and she also has requested him to use his pupils' power to help Kushina control the Nine-Tailed, so that Konoha can be protected by the power of the tailed beast and usher in peace.
At that moment, the Nine-Tails was plunged into hatred and fury.
In front of it, Kadoya stood beside Mito, looking at the Nine-Tailed Fox curiously.
"Grandma Mito, is this thing tied up like a package, the Nine-Tailed Fox?" Kadoya looked the Nine-Tailed Fox up and down, and said softly.
"It doesn't look very good..." Mito laughed and touched Kadoya's head, his ahoge stood up again.
Although the Nine-Tailed Fox did look extremely embarrassed at the moment, the Adamantine Sealing Chains tied up the whole fox tightly, and even hung it in the air, which looked like some strange game.
Kushina saw the Nine-Tailed Fox here for the first time, and her face turned pale instantly.
'Strange... why is he so indifferent to it?' She thought, seeing Kadoya's indifferent reaction, Mito sighed in her mind.
That was the strength of a shinobi with a dojutsu, the superiority of the Uchiha Clan.
With a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan, he is confident, even when facing the tailed beasts, he has special cheat qualities. Seeing the most powerful tailed beast, the Nine-Tails, he has no reaction.
"Kadoya, try to control it with your dojutsu..."
"I know, Grandma Mito!" The sealed Nine-Tails is at its weakest resistance to dojutsu...
Mito looked at Kadoya expectantly.
The tomoe in Kadoya's eyes slowly rotated, controlling the output of his eye power.
The Nine-Tails' body became stiff and gradually stopped struggling, but the corners of its mouth were grinning!
Although Kadoya's dojutsu managed to contain the sealed Nine-Tails...
But for the Nine-Tails, Kadoya's ocular power was far from that of the Mangekyou.
"Little brat, I overestimated you!" Although the Nine-Tails was restricted by the dojutsu, it still got excited; it had seen how Kadoya had been learning under Mito for some time, and originally, it had gotten a bit worried about Kadoya.
"In the end, you're just an ordinary Uchiha." It laughed mockingly.
But Mito was already very satisfied, however, Kadoya just gave the Nine-Tails a sinister smirk.
"Is that so?" He asks, and suddenly, golden chains erupted from his body, shocking both Mito and the Nine-Tails.
Enkidu bound themselves to the Nine-Tails Fox, wrapping around it tightly to the point it started to feel suffocated by the amount of chains holding it.
Enkidu, the Chains of Heaven, a weapon made from clay that can only be broken by the hand of man.