A gentle breeze swept across the plains, and the crisp autumn night felt refreshing and pleasant.
The full moon hung high in the sky, casting silver light down upon a sprawling giant tree that stood tall and proud. Its vast shadow loomed over the ground like a protector of the earth, its branches spread wide enough to obscure the stars.
In the several thousand meters surrounding this giant tree, a lush sea of flowers bloomed, bathed in the pure white light of the moonlight, resembling a world of silver brilliance.
Uchiha Nian stood quietly in front of the massive tree, his gaze unfocused, with a half-full flask of strong liquor hanging at his waist.
Today marked the anniversary of Uchiha Kagami’s death.
According to Kamihane’s instructions, Nian visited this spot every year on this day to pay respects to his father, honoring his filial duty.
The night breeze blew gently, the flowers and foliage swayed lightly, and the petals danced in the wind, creating an endless sea of fragrant beauty that filled the air and refreshed the senses.
Nian stood silently for a long time before slowly walking to the base of the tree, leaning against the trunk and sitting down on the ground.
"Father, do you know? Recently, I... have fallen for a girl."
"Her name is Tsunade, the princess of the Senju clan."
He spoke softly, his clear voice echoing across the open land, imbued with a tranquility akin to autumn waters.
"I immediately shared this with my uncle and aunt, and they both offered their blessings. I was truly happy...
"Especially my uncle. Being as narrow-minded as I am, I had worried that he might oppose it."
"Oh, and I haven’t told Lord Madara yet. Last time he learned she was the granddaughter of Senju Hashirama, his expression was a bit inscrutable..."
"You must be wondering, after being away from Konoha for so long, how I could develop feelings for someone there?"
"But do you know? When my identity was exposed and the higher-ups of Konoha discovered I possessed Wood Release, I found myself trapped. It was she who, disregarding the dangers, came to seek me out alone, using her status to cover for me..."
"She was the only one that night, besides my uncle, who helped me..."
"She was the one who informed me of your situation and that I was your son..."
"She is truly special, the only one who cares about the truth..."
"I’ve always felt that if she were around, Konoha wouldn’t be beyond saving."
"If one day she truly becomes Hokage, what kind of presence should I show before her?"
"Father, can you tell me?"
A moment of profound silence.
The night wind fluttered, leaves rustling softly.
Nian unscrewed the flask, tilting it back to drink deeply, the liquor flowing down, quickly soaking his chest.
The strong liquor burnt brightly as it slid down his throat, swiftly erasing all the bitterness in his chest, leaving a hearty sensation behind.
"Father, I’ve never even met you."
He wiped his mouth, gazing out over the silvery sea of flowers, watching as those sprite-like blooms danced in the wind, lost in thought.
"For all these years, my uncle has taken good care of me."
"Whether in strength or as a person, I believe I’ve lived up to his expectations."
"As for me, I don’t have much ambition. I’m not like Lord Madara, who seeks to change the world, nor am I like my uncle, who would bet everything to grow stronger. I’m certainly not like Tsunade, who has her own ninja way and will..."
"I’m just content to maintain the status quo..."
"I’ve persevered in training, my sole motivation being the hope of earning my uncle’s approval. I can hardly imagine how devastating it would be if one day he looked at me with disappointment. I might just lose my mind..."
"Helping him to complete the ’Ritual of Infinity’ was the proudest achievement of my years..."
Nian suddenly let out a hiccup from the liquor; the cold wind blew against his face, and his gaze returned to clarity.
"I should be leaving now. I have plans with my brothers tonight to practice ’Steel Release.’ I won’t keep you company any longer, Father."
With that, he slowly stood up, stretching widely before stepping toward the flower sea.
Suddenly, Nian halted, turning back for one last glance at the towering giant tree.
A flicker of anger surprised him, surfacing momentarily in his gaze, as his dark eyes glimmered with a faint crimson hue, the tomoe in his pupils appearing and disappearing.
As an Uchiha, this was a sign of extreme emotional fluctuations.
"Father, I don’t hate you. But you should know that even paying respects to you is merely to please my uncle."
He raised the flask, slowly pouring its clear, transparent contents toward the massive tree, the liquid flowing onto the ground in the shape of an "I," disappearing into the earth.
His voice conveyed an icy indifference as he turned and left.
In the year 38 of Konoha, the war situation shifted dramatically.
On the western battlefield of the Rain Country, due to Hunter’s disappearance, Iwa’s surprise attack unit was left leaderless, and their strategy to take down the Rain Village fell apart.
With front-line battles intensifying, Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, encountered a strong enemy and nearly lost his life. Ōnoki had no choice but to recall him back to Iwagakure. After questioning him, he sent Rōshi back to the battlefield, dispatching his talented son, Kurotsuchi, to the front lines along with all available forces.
On the side of the Sand Ninja, due to the difficulty of breaking through the Rain Country frontline, the higher-ups of Sunagakure suggested deploying the One-Tail to support the southern front line.
However, this move met with fierce opposition from the Third Kazekage.
While deploying it was easy, retrieving it was not.
He believed that as the commander of a large force, Chiyo lacked the ability to subjugate the One-Tail; if the beast were to be contained again, it would require the Third Kazekage to personally intervene. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
Once he appeared in the Rain Country, Sunagakure would be left vulnerable. If enemies attacked at that time, the consequences would be unthinkable!
Ultimately, under the near-autocratic policies of the Third Kazekage, Sunagakure took a risky approach, dispatching an elite unit to bypass the Rain Country and launch a surprise attack on the Fire Country, cutting off Konoha’s supply lines to alleviate pressure on the frontline.
Leading this elite unit were the talented puppet masters, Akatsuki Goro and his wife, both elite Jonin and consider Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law.
This unit was composed of highly skilled individuals with a clear battle objective, adept at executing hit-and-run tactics, destroying strategic supplies before swiftly retreating, only participating in battle when necessary.
Konoha made several unsuccessful attempts to target them, with no choice but to recall Hatake Sakumo and Katō Dan from the Rain Country battlefield, to form a joint operation to intercept the attack of the Sand Ninja’s puppet masters.
Simultaneously, upon Danzo’s suggestion, Konoha mobilized a large number of Uchiha to reinforce the western battlefield of the Rain Country, led by the Uchiha police chief, Uchiha Fugaku, under the command of Jiraiya and Tsunade, to combat the Iwa forces.
The situation in the Fire Country had begun to take shape; both sides drew the line in the western forest of the Fire Country, one side faced starvation while the other faced assassination, commencing a long and drawn-out tug-of-war.
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