Chapter 88: The Rogue Uchiha of Konoha
Orochimaru froze. Just moments ago, he had been overwhelmed by the terrifying power Nan displayed when he sliced through Shukaku.
He suspected that this power must be tied to Nan's strange Sharingan. And seeing how weak Nan now appeared, Orochimaru had acted on impulse, trying to seize that power for himself.
But after being instantly defeated, he calmed down. Reflecting on it, his earlier actions had indeed been reckless.
They had barely exchanged words, and before anything was made clear, he had rashly attacked. It was no wonder Hiruzen's eyes now carried a hint of disapproval.
Nan's disdainful gaze only deepened the sense of mockery, and Orochimaru could only grit his teeth as he pressed on:
"Uchiha Han… you were reported missing long ago. Why are you here now? If you didn't die, why didn't you return to the village earlier? Do you intend to betray Konoha?"
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. Indeed, all of Konoha's shinobi had passed before his eyes, but Uchiha Han had been away on missions for years, rarely returning. His absence had been so long, and his performance so unremarkable in the past, that even the Hokage had nearly forgotten his name.
Now that Han had returned after a year of silence, it was difficult to ignore.
Orochimaru pressed further, his tone sharp:
"You disappeared for an entire year. Where have you been? Explain yourself.
If you cannot, then don't blame us for treating you as a rogue ninja and striking you down together."
It was true—Uchiha Han had vanished for a full year. No matter how much the village might desire the power of someone capable of battling a tailed beast head-on, a man shrouded in secrets could never be fully trusted. To Konoha, such a person was more of a threat than an asset.
In Orochimaru's eyes, Han clearly harbored treacherous intentions. Even if wounded, no recovery should take a full year. There was no way he could explain it away.
Of course, Han was already dead, and Nan—posing as him—had no intention of telling the truth. Instead, he swept the three Sannin with a contemptuous glance and said coolly:
"Why should I explain myself to you? With a single glance, I could erase all three of you. Think whatever you wish."
The way Nan carried himself as Uchiha Han—arrogant, untouchable, brimming with dark confidence—was just like Sasuke after first awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan: a dangerous aura of pride that refused to bow to anyone.
Hiruzen tried once more, voice steady but tinged with urgency:
"Do you truly intend to betray Konoha? Remember, your family still lives within the village.
Return now, and no matter where you've been this past year—so long as you've not harmed the village—we can overlook it."
Even knowing how unlikely it was, the Third still attempted to persuade him. The Mangekyō Sharingan was too dangerous. If they could not control him, at the very least he needed to remain under surveillance.
As for Han's missing year… once back in Konoha, the truth would inevitably be uncovered.
If not for their wariness of his strange power, Hiruzen and his two disciples would have already struck.
Nan's lips curled into a cold smile:
"The village… the clan… they're nothing but gatherings of the weak, huddling together for scraps of power.
But I—" his eyes flickered toward Shukaku's fallen form "—I already wield the power of a god. I am no longer of the same species as you. Such ties are meaningless to me.
If you wish to test me, then by all means, attack. I will crush you three like insects beneath my heel."
It was blatant bravado. After all, Hiruzen and his two students were not ordinary shinobi—they were among the strongest of the Kage level.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru had been swiftly defeated by Itachi's Mangekyō illusion only because he was unprepared. Likewise, Nan had subdued Orochimaru earlier because Hiruzen and Jiraiya hadn't reacted in time.
But in a true three-on-one battle, Nan's illusions would lose much of their effectiveness. The Mangekyō was formidable, but not invincible. If Jiraiya entered Sage Mode again, its heightened perception would almost certainly pierce through such tricks.
Measured honestly, the power Nan displayed as "Uchiha Han" was far from enough to overwhelm all three.
But posturing was posturing—and the higher the bluff, the better.
And indeed, the three before him hesitated, their expressions tightening, their vigilance deepening under the weight of his words.
The earlier scene where Nan effortlessly crushed Shukaku had left such an oppressive impression on the three that even now, they still hesitated.
Yet had they calmed down and thought carefully, they would have realized—there was no such thing as an invincible power in this world.
Seeing the vigilance flicker in their eyes, Nan deliberately acted as though he were gathering his strength once again.
The Mangekyō patterns in his eyes spun slowly, giving the impression that he was seconds away from unleashing a battle against them all.
But according to the eternal "rule of posturing"—style rarely lasts more than three seconds. Just like Sasuke in the original story, every dramatic flourish inevitably ended in a humiliating reversal.
Of course, Nan had no intention of truly fighting them head-on.
Suddenly, a look of pain twisted across his face. A streak of blood-red tears slid from his eyes. He clutched his face, collapsing to one knee, and let out a pained cry. His breathing, which had calmed earlier, now grew ragged once more.
"Looks like… I can't keep this up. My eyes… my chakra… both nearly spent. To take on the Hokage—the strongest of Hokage—and two of the Sannin… that battle will have to wait for another time."
With a faint trace of unwillingness, he glanced at the three before him—Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—clearly entertaining thoughts of retreat.
"Don't even think of running."
Orochimaru's voice dropped to a hiss. Seeing Nan falter, all three realized this was their chance—he was reaching his limit.
They moved as one, closing in to seize him.
But just as they were about to lay hands on him, Nan vanished into a swirl of smoke.
Their sharp instincts recognized it at once.
"Reverse Summoning…" Hiruzen muttered grimly.
"Who summoned him away? Could he have an accomplice?" Jiraiya asked, doubt written on his face.
In truth, Nan hadn't used the Flying Thunder God at all. That technique wasn't yet perfected to the level where he could instantaneously trigger it while under attack. More importantly, Uchiha Han—his current persona—shouldn't have access to the Flying Thunder God at all. To reveal it would destroy the disguise.
Instead, he had relied on the peculiar properties of his phantom avatar. Nan had discovered that his constructs shared a trait with tailed beasts: they could form a summoning contract with him, just as Kurama had with Madara in the past.
Ordinarily, he could summon his phantoms to him at will. But when the phantom performed a summoning of its own, it could instead reverse-summon Nan's true body to its side. A loophole in the summoning arts—ingenious, and absurdly convenient.
The range of summoning was vast, beyond comprehension. Hiruzen and the others assumed Han had been teleported to some distant point far from the Wind Country's battlefield. Pursuing him now seemed futile, so they abandoned the thought.
What they did not realize was that "Uchiha Han" had not gone far at all. In fact, Nan had already dispelled the disguise, reverted to his true self, and was lying low nearby.
His shadow clone produced yet another clone, putting on a convincing show of treating "Han's injuries."
The new clone applied meaningless medical ninjutsu, its hands glowing faintly, before both clones dispersed together in a puff of smoke.
In that moment, Nan's real body slipped seamlessly into place with Flying Thunder God, hidden within the haze of dispersal—switching positions without anyone noticing.
Appearing once more, he now bore the look of someone only slightly recovered from his ordeal. He ran forward hurriedly, voice filled with feigned concern:
"Are you all right, Lord Third? Lord Orochimaru, Lord Jiraiya? Just now, I saw you clashing with Uchiha Han!"
Turning quickly to Orochimaru, he pressed further, his tone sharp with urgency:
"Teacher Orochimaru… didn't you say Han had already fallen in battle? How could he suddenly reappear here, and even fight against you?"