With a team of Iwa-nin escorting you, you finally arrived at Iwagakure.
Along the way, you noticed that the scale of Iwagakure was nearly on par with Konoha. The entire village was covered by a massive barrier as well, though it seemed a bit more rudimentary in comparison. Still, it had the added function of warding off sandstorms.
While Iwagakure wasn't built directly inside the desert like Sunagakure, it wasn't far from one either. They had to carve out patches of arable land among the rocky, exposed hills to grow enough food to sustain themselves.
In that sense, Iwagakure's role as a military stronghold for the Land of Earth wasn't its only purpose—it also served as a defensive bulwark against sandstorms, preserving farmland in the rear for crop production.
Another thing you noticed was the biggest difference between Iwagakure and Konoha—there was no division of ninja clans. In Iwagakure, the concept of ninja clans didn't exist at all, so there were no tribal lands, nor any barriers between different families.
While the lack of Kekkei Genkai in their bloodlines meant it was difficult for them to produce elite fighters, their standardized ninja training system and collective childhood upbringing made their mid-tier forces even more well-rounded and numerous than Konoha's.
On top of that, thanks to the substantial legacy left behind by the Second Tsuchikage—including jutsu capable of flight and discarded bloodline techniques for study—Iwa-nin weren't lacking in top-tier power either. In fact, they might even surpass other villages in certain aspects.
...
Before long, your group was led into the Tsuchikage's office, a structure built into the mountain itself.
Naturally, you met the Tsuchikage—Ōnoki.
Ōnoki had one of his men bring out the charred corpse of the White Zetsu you had collected. After a round of questioning, Uchiha Setsuna offered a pre-cut chunk of White Zetsu's flesh along with a slightly redacted intelligence report on White Zetsu's abilities. It was a token of thanks for Iwagakure's protection these past few days.
When the topic of a fight with suspected Konoha pursuers came up, Ōnoki clearly wanted to test Uchiha Setsuna's strength. But Setsuna simply replied that he had just been through a major battle, that old age had caught up with him, and that his old wounds were flaring up again—he just didn't have it in him to fight.
Adding to the performance, Granny Yukina activated her Mangekyō Sharingan for a brief moment before deactivating it, showing off just enough power to make her point. With that, Ōnoki could only drop the matter.
What followed was essentially a nostalgic exchange between two old relics from the Warring States Period—Uchiha Setsuna and Ōnoki—reminiscing over the past...
In the end, the negotiations concluded as follows:
You were permitted to settle in Iwagakure with the same status as ordinary citizens.
Uchiha Setsuna and Granny Yukina were registered as retired jōnin and given honorary titles as elders of the Foreign Ninja Registration Office.
As for the two infants you brought along, they would be allowed to stay with the two elders until they turned three. After that, the village would assign caretakers to help raise them.
However, by age four, they would need to undergo the standard assessment and enroll in the Ninja Academy—just like all Iwa-nin children—to cultivate a sense of unity and teamwork through dorm life.
Upon graduation, they would officially become Iwa-nin.
...
As for you—Ōnoki hadn't quite figured out what to do yet.
First off, your background clearly suggested that you had undergone some level of training within the Uchiha clan and had already learned a number of ninjutsu.
You had also awakened self-awareness, making it unlikely you'd be easily molded to fully integrate into Iwa-nin culture.
And considering Danzo's existence in Konoha—a man without any moral bottom line—Ōnoki couldn't rule out the possibility that you had once received Root training.
Even though Uchiha Setsuna repeatedly declared his deep hatred for Konoha, Ōnoki, being a long-time political player with more control over the Land of Earth than even its daimyo, was not so easily convinced. His methods were deep and calculating.
Iwagakure had its own intelligence network—not as extensive as Root, but good enough to confirm one thing: Uchiha Sasuke was still alive.
And his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, had joined the Akatsuki. Whether this was all part of some elaborate scheme crafted by Danzo as a result of a shady deal remained unconfirmed.
Moreover, throughout the many Shinobi World Wars, the Uchiha clan and Iwagakure hadn't engaged in any massive direct conflict, but there had still been casualties on both sides. Some grudges lingered.
Setsuna, too, was a wily old fox. Ōnoki wasn't about to gamble the safety of Iwagakure on a boy who might one day recreate another "Uchiha Massacre" right under his nose—at least not without a reliable successor in place first.
However, your exceptional learning speed and your early awakening of the Three Tomoe Sharingan gave Ōnoki pause. Having seen Uchiha Madara's power firsthand, he was reluctant to completely throw away such a promising candidate.
And so, you were... left in a state of "temporary release."
...
〖Day 20〗
You moved into your new home.
The genin who had once been assigned to monitor you—though in truth, they had used the chance to secretly observe and learn from you—came by to congratulate you, along with the ninja squad that had escorted your group and been rewarded for it.
Your new neighbors didn't seem hostile toward you, even though you were outsiders.
Uchiha Setsuna was starting to think that a quiet life in Iwagakure, watching the three children grow up, didn't sound so bad after all.
...
〖Day 21〗
Finally settled in, and with no one watching, you decided to attempt the Bloodline Meditation Technique.
After giving it a try, you found that your bloodline, which had previously been fully tapped, had become vibrant and active again. There were still large portions waiting to be unlocked. Even with just a light attempt, your Ocular Power increased significantly.
It was clear now: the blood of Indra you had absorbed, combined with the bloodlines of two Uchiha prodigies—Izumi and Obito—had massively boosted your potential.
You passed the Bloodline Meditation Technique on to Uchiha Setsuna and Granny Yukina.
...
〖Day 22〗
You continued practicing the Bloodline Meditation Technique, further enhancing your Ocular Power and Spirit.
Under Uchiha Setsuna's guidance, you resumed your study of basic sealing techniques and had already absorbed most of the knowledge he could offer.
...
〖Day 23〗
You learned how to craft Explosive Tags.
Realizing that you would need to continue growing stronger—and that you'd eventually have to kill Uchiha Itachi—you decided it was time to start saving money.
Being only three years old, you could get away with some signs of genius: a Three Tomoe Sharingan, photographic memory, even outsmarting a jōnin—those were fine.
But if you showed Kage-level strength? That would make you a monster.
It would destroy the fragile trust you'd managed to build with Ōnoki. That meant no bounty missions, no side hustles exchanging strength for gold, and no robbing people for fast cash.
Instead, you decided to start earning your first pot of gold by selling Explosive Tags in Iwagakure. It would also be a way to get closer to the Iwa-nin and begin truly planting roots here.
...
〖Day 24〗
You spent the last of the money you brought from Konoha, walking through the streets and alleys of Iwagakure to gather the necessary materials for Explosive Tags. It also gave you a chance to get familiar with the local crowd.
Your investigation revealed that sealing techniques weren't Iwagakure's specialty, and Fire Release users were relatively rare here. As a result, Explosive Tags were consistently in short supply.
That came as a relief—at least you wouldn't be stepping on the toes of any local ninja tool dealers.
Thanks to your deep understanding of Fire Release and your solid foundation in sealing techniques, you were able to produce Explosive Tags far faster than most. In less than half a day, you completed over a hundred finished tags—without a single mistake.
...
〖Day 25〗
You spent half the day continuing your sealing technique studies with Uchiha Setsuna. The other half, you focused entirely on producing Explosive Tags.
At the same time, you began spreading the word that you were now selling Explosive Tags...
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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