"This man… what does he want with Naruto?" the Third Hokage murmured, standing before the wide office window that offered him a clear view of the Hidden Leaf. His hands were clasped neatly behind his back, his posture calm, though his voice carried a trace of unease.
Kneeling behind him were Kakashi and several other ANBU, waiting silently for orders after reporting their clash with Dravak.
"Kakashi… what he said did hold some truth," the Third said at last, his gaze still fixed on the village below. "Well… his words were not completely wrong. Take some time to be close to Naruto."
Only then did he turn, his eyes settling on Kakashi.
Kakashi had lost almost everyone he had ever cared for. His father—driven to suicide. One teammate—dead, sacrificing himself to save Kakashi's life. Another teammate, whom he had promised to protect, threw herself in the path of his attack, dying. And then there were Naruto's parents—his father being Kakashi's own teacher—both killed on the day of Naruto's birth.
Kakashi was a cold introvert who kept to himself, someone who had never been able to make friends. Whether by choice or by habit, he had always walked alone. And so, he threw himself completely into his role as an ANBU, dedicating every waking moment to mission after mission.
It was the same as someone burying themselves in work to avoid facing reality—using the constant flow of assignments as a shield, a distraction from the things they didn't want to think about. For Kakashi, this had been his life for the past five years.
And now, after all that time, he was being told to face Naruto?
"…Understood," Kakashi said respectfully, his voice calm as he accepted the order without question.
He didn't want to do it—but a mission was still a mission. Whether it meant walking into death or, in this case, stepping into a role he wasn't ready for, the result was the same. He would do it.
Even if it meant confronting something far more difficult than death.
"As for that man… something about him isn't right. He looks far too perfect—like a being crafted by the gods themselves," the Third Hokage said lightly, his gaze distant as he recalled the sketch that had been handed to him of Dravak.
How could someone look that flawless? Unless the gods had taken the time to shape every inch of his form with care, such perfection should be impossible. And yet… Dravak carried himself with a presence that made it believable. He didn't just look like a man—he looked like a god walking among mortals.
"Who goes there?" In the still darkness, a lone man stepped into the forest. His scarlet-red eyes narrowed, locking onto the figure ahead—a white-haired man standing calmly beneath the silver glow of the moon.
That man's expression held no threat, no tension. Instead, a relaxed, soft smile rested effortlessly on his face, as if he belonged to the night itself.
"It's you… What do you want with the Uchiha clan?" Fugaku asked coldly, his voice low but edged with authority as his sharp gaze swept over Dravak. As clan head of the Uchiha clan, he had already been briefed about this man's sudden appearance within the Hidden Leaf—and the reports had been troubling.
"I came to give the Uchiha clan a chance at survival," Dravak replied with a faint, almost casual smile, his tone carrying a weight that made the words feel more like a promise than an offer.
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. The very air between them seemed to thicken, pressing down like an invisible storm. The pressure was suffocating—so intense that even a genin, the lowest rank of shinobi, would have collapsed lifeless to the ground under its weight.
"The Uchiha clan only has two options," Dravak began, his tone calm but carrying an edge of certainty. "The first is to keep pushing for peace with the Hidden Leaf… but let's be honest—both you and I know that's a dream. From the very formation of the village until now, the Uchiha have never truly been trusted."
With a casual motion, Dravak summoned two chairs from thin air. He sat down with relaxed ease, but the other remained empty as Fugaku ignored it, his dark eyes fixed entirely on the man before him.
"The second option," Dravak continued, "is the one we both know is inevitable—the Uchiha will be forced into a coup d'état. Yes, your clan has its powerhouses… you, Itachi, Shisui, and a handful of others. But deep down, you know the truth. Against clans like the Hyūga, the Aburame, and many more… and with the Hokage himself alongside the other village elites? Even if you inflicted heavy damage, the cost would be absolute. That cost would be the complete erasure of the Uchiha name."
Fugaku said nothing, standing firm. His silence made it clear—he was waiting for Dravak to get to the real point.
"Which brings me to my point… Itachi." Dravak's voice remained calm, but his words carried a weight too heavy to ignore. "He's a good kid—too good. Someone like him would never truly side with the Uchiha, not in this. Win or lose, a Uchiha attack would shatter the balance, and once that balance breaks… war follows. And let's face it—Itachi is exactly the type to choose the path that avoids war, no matter the cost."
Dravak's gaze sharpened, his tone taking a subtle edge. "Which is all your fault since you traumatized the kid when you brought him to the battlefield. He grew up with the mindset that pushed him to avoid war."
Fugaku's hands curled into tight fists, the motion small but telling.
With a snap of Dravak's fingers, a shimmering gate tore open behind him. At the same instant, another formed in the space directly behind Fugaku. The clan head reacted instantly, stepping sharply to the side, his eyes narrowing as he kept both glowing portals in his line of sight.
"I want to give the Uchiha clan a third option," Dravak said evenly, his voice carrying a confidence that made it sound less like an offer and more like a certainty. "Join me. I have the means to relocate your entire clan—quietly, efficiently, and all within a single night."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed slightly, the weight of the statement pulling his full attention onto Dravak. For several long seconds, he said nothing, simply studying the man before him as though searching for cracks in his calm exterior.
Finally, Fugaku spoke, his tone measured but edged with suspicion. "What do you want in return? I doubt you're extending this offer out of pure goodwill."
Dravak gave a faint nod, as if expecting the question from the very start.
"Create a shadow clone. I want to show you where I plan to relocate the Uchiha clan," Dravak said in a calm tone.
Fugaku hesitated for a moment, his dark eyes locked on Dravak as if weighing the request, before finally forming the necessary hand seals. In an instant, a shadow clone appeared beside him. The technique was more than simple duplication—it was a jutsu capable of giving the clone full independence, with every sensation, word, and detail it experienced transferred back to the original body once dispelled.
Dravak, satisfied, let the earlier Gate dissolve before summoning a new one—this one summoned by the Ring of Dravak itself.
Without another word, Dravak stepped through, his movements unhurried, while Fugaku followed close behind. The clan head's gaze lingered on the Gate's strange construction, silently committing every detail to memory, even as his original body—still standing back in the forest—remained equally vigilant, absorbing every possible clue.
What… is this?" Fugaku asked, his voice low but laced with unmistakable shock as his eyes swept across the land before him.
Stretching endlessly in every direction was a breathtaking expanse of green grass so vibrant and flawless it almost seemed painted into existence. Each blade swayed gently under a breeze that carried the crisp scent of life, its uniform perfection bordering on unnatural. A crystal-blue river wound gracefully through the fields, its waters glinting like liquid sapphire beneath the light. The trees that dotted the horizon stood in flawless alignment, each one spaced with such care it felt less like nature and more like an artist's masterpiece—an otherworldly symmetry that left no room for randomness.
Yet it wasn't the landscape alone that stole Fugaku's focus. His gaze shifted, drawn to a long procession of lifeforms unlike anything he had encountered before. The variety was staggering. At the forefront, a wave of goblins rushed towards them. Behind it came towering trolls, hulking giants, men and women of human build, and countless other beings of races Fugaku could not name. Each moved with purpose, and each seemed as much a part of this place as the air and earth themselves.
But what horrified him most wasn't their appearance—it was the sheer pressure they gave off. Every single one of these beings radiated an aura on par with a Kage. None of them were stronger than him individually, but the overwhelming number… thousands of lifeforms, each carrying that level of strength? The thought alone was terrifying. Sure, he was sure he could slaughter a few hundred of these monsters, but one doesn't become a kage-level existice without having the skillset to back it. Off the aura alone they gave, he was sure he could slaughter a few hundred of them before he got too tired, but if their skill set was worthy of a kage? Maybe even 10 of them could defeat him.
Yet what truly made his blood run cold wasn't their power—it was their reaction to Dravak. Without hesitation, without even a flicker of doubt, every single one of these monstrous beings dropped to one knee in perfect unison before him. The sound of it was like a single, heavy heartbeat echoing across the land.
"We greet the supreme one." The words rumbled in unison, deep and unwavering, shaking the air itself. Fugaku felt his pupils contract sharply, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.
"Who are you?" Fugaku asked, his once cold and strict demeanor breaking under the weight of the sight before him. There were simply too many Kage-level beings, and it didn't take much imagination to know that with an army like this at his command, Dravak could conquer the entire world with ease.
"I'm Dravak, and this is my world. We are no longer in the same dimension as the one you were in. If the shadow clone jutsu were to be canceled, no information would return to your main body." Dravak's words carried a calm certainty, but the weight behind them was enough to make Fugaku's eyes widen in surprise.
"For this reason, I will be honest with you. I need a floor guardian. A floor guardian's role is to govern, manage, and protect the floor. Their authority would rank as the third highest." Dravak spoke as though this was not a request but a matter-of-fact statement, his gaze steady and unreadable.
"Floors?" Fugaku repeated, his mind working quickly. From Dravak's phrasing, the implication was clear—this place they stood in now… might be one of those floors. The realization made him glance around again, taking in the strange perfection of the land with renewed suspicion.
"Yes, what you see now is one of the many floors," Dravak explained, his tone smooth. "Each floor requires someone to oversee it on my behalf. For this role, I aim to have the Uchiha clan take that responsibility… though, to be clear, I want Itachi Uchiha to serve as the floor guardian of this one." His words were calm, but they carried an authority that made Fugaku's frown deepen.
"With this arrangement," Dravak continued, "I can offer your clan what the Hidden Leaf never could—both a voice and a status worthy of the Uchiha name. And as the first clan to align with me, you would gain an advantage over all the others. This floor—the tenth floor—will become the site of my greatest city, the heart of my domain." His calm delivery only made the promise sound more certain, more inevitable.
"I give you the chance to make the Uchiha clan the most influential clan of all," Dravak said, his voice steady. The offer hung in the air, and Fugaku remained silent for a long moment. It was the kind of silence born from calculation, not hesitation. Truth be told, it would be a waste to turn this down—everything Dravak was offering was far too valuable to simply ignore.
"I will need to speak with the elders," Fugaku finally replied, his tone measured. Though he was the head of the clan, the reality was that the elders' voices carried significant weight. On major decisions, especially those that could change the clan's future, he was expected to run them through them. And in this case, he already suspected what their answer would be. Many among them would leap at the opportunity to leave the Hidden Leaf behind; they had grown tired of the treatment they had endured for far too long.
"Oh, before you go—this here is the Cup of Oaths," Dravak said, his tone casual yet edged with significance. He extended his hand into the empty space before him, and a swirling gate opened in response. Without hesitation, he reached inside and withdrew an object that seemed impossibly large to have come through—an ornate, human-sized fountain shaped like a massive chalice.
The surface shimmered faintly, as though liquid light ran through its veins, and an almost tangible sense of authority radiated from it.
"Any promise made with this cup must be honored," Dravak continued, his voice calm but firm. "You can even test it—make a small promise, something harmless, like holding your breath for a set amount of time. But know this… if you break that promise, both you and your main body will cease to exist. But you would sense the feeling of death before you could break the oath."
***
"That's everything," Fugaku said evenly, his voice steady despite the weight of what had just been revealed. He sat at the head of the long meeting table, the polished wood reflecting the dim light of the room. Around him, every elite member of the Uchiha clan was present, their expressions ranging from thoughtful to conflicted.
Itachi and Shisui were among them, both silent. Only moments ago, all of them had been under a powerful genjutsu, where they relived every detail the clone of Fugaku had experienced in Dravak's presence. The vision had been vivid enough to make them feel as though they themselves had stood before the man.
Now, the air in the meeting room felt unnaturally still, heavy with the unspoken weight of the offer they had witnessed. No one moved, no one spoke—each person lost in their own thoughts, struggling to find the right words after seeing something so far beyond the bounds of their world.
"What is there to even hesitate over? The oath he swore made it clear—whether we accept the offer or reject it, the Uchiha clan will not be targeted," one of the elders said firmly, his voice carrying a note of impatience. It was obvious he wanted to seize the opportunity without delay.
After all, they had all experienced the same genjutsu Fugaku shared, witnessing firsthand the terrifying and unique abilities Dravak possessed. Jutsu that could bypass any defense, ignoring durability entirely, and others that could manipulate time itself—slowing it, speeding it up, or halting it altogether. None of these techniques could be replicated by the Sharingan, which only made them more unsettling.
Was there fear that Dravak might go back on his word? Hardly. The oath had been crafted so that even attempting to undo it would result in his instant death. It was absolute. In that regard, Dravak's promise was ironclad—unless, of course, the oath had never been applied to him in the first place, but given what they had seen, that possibility felt slim.
"Are you truly willing to tarnish the Uchiha clan name? What would the people say?" an older man demanded, his voice sharp with disapproval at the younger elder's eagerness.
But another elder leaned forward, his expression a mix of bitterness and resignation. "The Uchiha clan name has already been dragged through the mud for years… What are we now but the clan accused of controlling the Nine-Tails to attack the Hidden Leaf? Our own village doesn't want us. Other villages fear us. Tell me—what real options do we have left?"
His words hung heavily in the air. Pride had always been the backbone of the Uchiha, one of the few things keeping them from lashing out despite the constant suspicion and disrespect.