At 3 A.M., aboard the Asura Express shortly after arriving in the Land of Wind.
The Third Hokage, still awake, received a long-awaited phone call.
"All visible intruders eliminated. Definitely their people, plus some unidentified ones using Water Release techniques identical to Mist's."
The cold voice from the receiver made him understand immediately.
"It should be Shimogakure. They've always maintained close relations with Mist."
"So it's them, huh? That makes two against six then?" Shen offered a brief joke.
However, this joke brought no amusement to the Third Hokage.
"What were our casualties?"
"Two hundred thirty-seven enemy confirmed dead. We lost eight."
This result exceeded the Third Hokage's expectations dramatically.
He took a deep breath, calming his agitated emotions. "Well done!"
"At most another half year, right?"
"Yes." He understood precisely which half-year Shen referred to—the remaining time Konoha's peace could endure.
"Give me one year and I'll complete the tailed beasts' sealing technique first."
The Third Hokage's expression changed instantly.
Originally he'd merely wanted Shen to explore this casually.
"The situation isn't that urgent yet. Kumogakure will likely be the first to declare war."
"I understand, but one year from now—I personally will enter the battlefield."
Hearing those decisive words—more of a statement than a request—the Third Hokage's previously straight posture slumped slightly.
"Fine... old man agrees."
Shen quietly hung up after receiving this response.
Behind him, besides numerous dismembered corpses, lay eight relatively intact bodies and a large group of Konoha ninjas bowing their heads solemnly, grief evident on their faces.
The Third Hokage's expression grew complex after being hung up on.
He couldn't determine whether his bold decision—to invest every ounce of effort into this gamble—would eventually lead the future toward salvation or ruin.
It wasn't until the golden rays of sunrise illuminated his body that his previously unfocused eyes regained clarity.
"I only pray he won't turn into another Madara Uchiha..."
That man who had battled the Ninja God, Hashirama Senju—a legendary figure who helped establish peace in the shinobi world—left an indelible mark on all the youths of that era.
Legends remain legends because most witnesses have already passed away.
Twenty-some years ago, the Third Hokage had been about Shen's current age.
Though he'd never witnessed their battle in person, judging from the devastation they'd left behind alone, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha unquestionably represented the true legends of the shinobi world.
Now at twelve years old, already mastering numerous S-rank level ninjutsu, Shen might even surpass Madara's potential.
Yet subtle changes in Shen's character had made the Third Hokage feel increasingly uneasy—an unsettling sense of losing control over him.
"Have I truly fallen so far as to desire total control now?"
No one can control everything in this world unless you're a god!
This very thought of wanting to dominate Shen chilled the Third Hokage to his core.
"Let's seal away the Telescope Technique when we return," he decided beneath the gentle morning sunlight.
It was actually a decision Shen Uchiha had made many years ago.
Behind the Third Hokage's seat…
Danzo suddenly saw through something.
That explained why his childhood friend had brought so many high-level officials and clan leaders to attend this grand railway opening ceremony.
"It seems something must've happened in the village last night."
He had already noticed the subtle shifts in the village Kages' behavior from the previous day.
And after receiving a phone call this morning, the Third Hokage—who hadn't slept at all through the night—showed absolutely no sign of panic or anger.
[The *biggest schemer*, Danzo, didn't even need to think twice before realizing] someone must've plotted against Konoha last night while its defenses were down.
So who neutralized those threats?
With so many top leaders aboard the Asura Express—including three of the Third Hokage's direct apprentices—who on earth in Konoha could still handle such a situation?
Only one person—the Head of the Scientific Combat Division, who officially held the highest rank among all departments.
Therefore, the greatest hero must be Shen Uchiha!
"So Root is about to lose power..."
Root wasn't involved in such a significant incident at all, clearly showing that his childhood friend already had some level of distrust toward him.
Originally, the Scientific Combat Division enjoyed great privileges during wartime.
Regardless of how many invaders came last night or how severe Konoha's losses were, simply repelling them successfully alone earned widespread public support for the Scientific Combat Division.
The powers taken away from Root would naturally be transferred to the Scientific Combat Division!
After thinking for over an hour, Danzo suddenly shook his head hard.
He looked out the window at the scattered patches of greenery nestled within the desert.
[This must be the result of the Central Irrigation System.]
Water created using chakra [spiritual energy used by ninja] sprayed evenly across the land, gradually transforming the desert into muddy ground where plants requiring minimal water could survive. Thus, parts of the Land of Wind's desert had already been transformed into oases.
"The alliance between Sunagakure and Konoha..."
Looking at the numerous green patches in the desert, Danzo realized their alliance had become unshakable.
"Perhaps true peace may come, but you, Uchiha..." His heart was filled with internal conflict.
"Hmph." Moments later, Danzo's eyes regained determination, as if he had made a tough decision.
At the Uchiha Café, Shen—who had just finished wrapping up everything—and the troubled Nayou had already been sitting inside for more than half an hour.
They hadn't exchanged a single word since ordering their drinks upon arrival.
Nayou kept stirring her coffee with a spoon.
Shen, wearing a slightly cold expression, continuously brainstormed in his mind for ideas to develop a new Tailed Beast Sealing Technique.
Though seated directly across from each other, barely an arm's length apart, it felt as if an invisible wall stood between them.
"Hmph!" Suddenly exhaling, Shen picked up his cup and downed the entire drink in one go.
Just now, he had finally found a bit of inspiration for his development.
Inside a Jinchuriki's spiritual space, the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style was like a locked door—one that anyone from outside could potentially open.
If even the strongest Eight Trigrams Sealing Style was like this, then other seals were naturally even worse.
Shen's idea was to take inspiration from password locks from his previous life—replacing the traditional lock with a code-based mechanism, something only the Jinchuriki themselves knew how to slightly open.
And the complete password was better known by as few people as possible.
Shen turned to the server. "One more cup, please. Thanks."
Then, he fell back into deep thought. "A dynamic lock would be more secure, but this way, aside from me, no one else would be able to release Nine-Tails."
He believed there was no need for a dynamic lock on Konoha's Jinchuriki, but for those in other hidden villages, it was definitely necessary.
Especially for certain weaker Tailed Beasts who still acted arrogant and cocky.
This meant that even if someone plotting ill intentions managed to capture a Jinchuriki, they wouldn't be able to liberate or absorb the Beast's power.
They'd have no choice but to kill the Jinchuriki directly and wait—who knows how many years later—for the Tailed Beast to resurrect somewhere unknown.
Even Black Zetsu wouldn't stand a chance. And even the Sage of Six Paths—who could read minds—would probably end up just as lost.
Because Shen's brain had already been secured with multiple layers of password locks—it was simply impossible to enter his spiritual space.
Even if someone somehow succeeded in entering, what they saw would only be what Shen allowed them to see. Whether that information was true or false might not even be analyzable.
Unless someone wielded the complete Six Paths Power—the kind of power that could alter matter itself—no technique, not even Yin-Yang Release, could match the sheer complexity of Shen's mind.
How could one obtain the full Six Paths Power? Only by becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki.
And how did one become the Ten-Tails' host? By gathering all nine Tailed Beasts and summoning the Ten-Tails itself.
As for breaking past those password-protected Tailed Beasts? That too required nothing less than the full Six Paths Power.
Logically? There wasn't a single flaw in it. Aside from himself and the undivided Sage of Six Paths, there would hardly be any third party capable of forcibly breaking the seal.
"Has it already been two hours?" After switching his own mind to a dynamic lock system, Shen noticed the time was already past 9 A.M.
Looking at Nayou, who was still stirring her coffee, he gave the waiter a silent signal for another cup before starting to consider which persona he should use in the future.
The days when he could do whatever he wanted without a care in the world were over.
The true origin of the Second Great Ninja World War now revolved around him—an outsider who had crossed over—and it felt like a mountain crushing down on his still-fragile shoulders.
"Your coffee." The server quickly placed a new cup in front of Shen.
"Thank you."
Shen temporarily halted his earlier thoughts, pushing the cup across the table. "Nayou, drink this one."
A soft clink echoed as the spoon touched the coffee cup.
Nayou set aside the spoon she had been gripping tightly, giving her friend across the table a long, meaningful look.
Then she gazed at the cup of coffee she had stirred until it was already cold.
"Yeah…"
Nayou let out a quiet hum and placed her hand on another cup of hot coffee.
Shen remained expressionless as he picked up the small spoon and stirred the coffee again.
"Nayou, I'm sorry. I really don't know how to tell you this secret."
Hearing that, Nayou managed a bitter smile. "It's okay. If it's a secret, just tell me when you're ready."
"All right," Shen said, seeing the desolate look in her eyes, feeling a sudden surge of sorrow.
He knew his change might mean the beginning of their friendship turning from familiar to strange in her eyes.
The effect was undeniable. Just from her current absentmindedness, they already seemed somewhat distant, as if their friendship had begun to show signs of breaking.
"No, I'll tell you now." Shen activated his Sharingan and cast Genjutsu on Nayou for the first time.
He never wanted to end up like Madara — a lonely old man left with nothing.
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