When a mortal's desire reaches its absolute peak,
The gaze of the divine descends from the heavens—
And the Divine Eye reveals itself.
"I just don't want to die!!"
Koeda Kyoichi sat atop the thatched roof of a hut, murmuring to himself as he held aloft a bright yellow, square-shaped gemstone. Its surface bore interlocking rhombus patterns—like an unbreakable oath etched into stone.
This was a Divine Eye, aligned with the element of Earth.
This treasure—
Had come into his hands just a month ago,
During the siege that ultimately brought down the Third Raikage.
Amidst that battle, where the Third Raikage cut through ten thousand troops like a force of nature, comrades around him fell like sheaves of wheat during harvest.
Human lives were weightless—no heavier than feathers drifting in the wind.
It was there,
That Kyoichi truly felt the suffocating fear of death for the first time.
Especially when he saw that jet-black streak of lightning tear through his layered earth defenses like wet paper—
Racing straight for him.
It was as if Death had seized his heart in its icy grip. His desire to live surged to its absolute limit.
He couldn't accept dying so soon—not after finally earning a second chance at life.
And in that desperate moment—
The Divine Eye appeared, silently and without warning,
Nestled in the front pocket of his flak jacket.
It took the brunt of the Third Raikage's mightiest spear—
And stopped it.
Though,
The force of the blow still shattered his Earth Hardening Technique, fractured three ribs, and sent shockwaves through his internal organs.
He spent half a month laid up in the infirmary.
But compared to being run clean through the heart?
Half a month in bed was a gift from the gods.
Or perhaps,
A blessing from the Emperor himself?
Even bedridden, Kyoichi hadn't wasted time.
There was little entertainment to be found in a military camp anyway, so he poured himself wholly into researching the Divine Eye.
And after weeks of observation, he finally made a breakthrough.
Aside from its absurd toughness—which had tanked the Third Raikage's ultimate strike without so much as a scratch—
The greatest boon it granted was an immense affinity and control over Earth Elemental chakra.
In other words—
His Earth Release techniques had seen a quantum leap.
What once required tenfold effort could now be done with seven.
What used to be impossible now glimmered with possibility.
For example—
A high-level Earth jutsu he had studied for ages without mastering suddenly clicked into place over the past two days. It felt as natural as breathing.
And that made him wonder:
Had he obtained the Divine Eye earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have had to wait until his fifteenth birthday to finally be promoted to jōnin.
Fifteen and a jōnin—
A decent achievement, sure, but not impressive by shinobi standards.
At least on the battlefield, he wasn't fodder anymore.
But when compared to those freakish prodigies who made jōnin at twelve or thirteen?
Well... not much to brag about.
Still—
"It's not too late."
Kyoichi whispered the words aloud.
If anything, receiving the Divine Eye now was a miracle when he needed it most.
In this world teetering on the brink of ruin, power was all that mattered.
The Divine Eye didn't just elevate his strength—it gave him a future brimming with possibility.
A future filled with hope.
"Kyoichi."
A voice cut through his thoughts.
"Yūsuke?"
Kyoichi lowered his arm and turned toward the boy who'd just leapt onto the roof—his younger cousin, Koeda Yūsuke.
Just fourteen, Yūsuke had a head of stiff black hair that stuck up like a hedgehog. His face was perpetually stern, his height slightly below average. He wore the crimson standard-issue uniform of Iwagakure with a brown flak vest.
Unlike most Iwa shinobi, however, his right arm was fully covered.
"What's wrong?" Kyoichi asked, frowning as he caught the redness in his cousin's eyes.
"The Clan Head summoned us."
"The Clan Head… does that mean a decision's been made?"
"We just received word… Tsugumi was killed in action."
There was a quiver in his voice.
Though often cold and expressionless—earning the nickname "Iceface" since childhood—those who knew Yūsuke understood the truth:
Behind that icy calm was a deep reservoir of feeling.
Kyoichi froze.
Koeda Tsugumi…
He was their older cousin, easily a decade their senior.
He always played the part of the gentle big brother, protective and patient.
"I see... even Tsugumi's gone."
Kyoichi exhaled slowly, suppressing the storm churning in his chest.
He clipped the Divine Eye to his belt and stood up.
"Come on, Yūsuke. Let's go. We can't keep the Clan Head waiting.
Tsugumi's burden is now ours to bear.
This isn't the time to mourn."
—
They were in the northern reaches of the Land of Grass—
A once-forgotten village now repurposed as an Iwagakure forward base.
In one of the dilapidated homes tucked in the corner of the village, the last surviving jōnin of the Koeda Clan had been summoned.
All four of them.
Including the Clan Head himself—Koeda Dazen.
Once a prestigious bloodline in Iwagakure, the Koeda Clan was now a shadow of its former self.
"We've truly hit rock bottom..."
Dazen thought bitterly, surveying the desolate room.
Just a year ago, back when his elder brother still led the clan, they had eleven jōnin.
Meetings filled six full tatami rooms wall to wall.
But fate is fickle.
Thanks to the poor decisions of the previous Clan Head—his brother Koeda Daiman—the clan had been dragged to the brink of ruin.
Daiman died a traitor's death, and the rest of the clan followed him into calamity.
Of the original eleven jōnin, only two remained.
And if you excluded newly promoted Kyoichi and Yūsuke,
Just Dazen and Koeda Seinosuke were left.
"You've all heard about Tsugumu's death, yes?" Dazen finally spoke, his voice weary.
"With his loss, the clan has only four jōnin left. The ranks of chūnin and genin have been devastated. If this continues, the Koeda Clan will be erased from Iwagakure before the war is even over."
He paused, sighing deeply—his breath rattling under unseen weight.
His frame was gaunt, more crane than man, but there was no grace in it—only exhaustion.
Still, he sat upright, back straight as if a rod were tied to his spine. He carried the dignity of a leader despite the burdens crushing him.
Drawing in a slow breath, he said, with resolve:
"Due to Daiman's failures, Iwagakure has become a deathtrap for us. After much deliberation, I've decided—we're leaving. The Koeda Clan will migrate from Iwagakure.
A tree dies when it's rooted too long in poisoned soil.
But a man, when he moves, might find life anew."
A thunderclap.
The room fell silent. Kyoichi and Yūsuke looked dumbstruck.
Leave Iwagakure? Migrate the whole clan?
That wasn't just moving—
That was defection.
"Didn't you say last week that you'd petition the Tsuchikage to let us return to the village and rest?" Yūsuke asked, stunned.
"—Tch!!"
Seinosuke spat sharply.
"If that big-nosed bastard had agreed, would we even be here right now?
Use your brain, Yūsuke. That thing on your neck isn't a rock—stop acting like it is!"
He turned to Dazen, complaining,
"I told you there's no need to ask these kids. Maybe they've got decent strength, but their heads are full of flowers.
Still clinging to hope that that pompous fool would help us? That man wants us dead, all of us, in this war."
His words slithered like poison.
Seinosuke's tongue was infamous in Iwagakure.
He insulted everyone—from elders to stray dogs barking in alleys.
But his medical ninjutsu skills were top five in the whole village, so people tolerated it.
His outfit stood out too.
Unlike the standard combat uniform, Seinosuke wore a dark blue kimono beneath a white medical coat.
Jōnin were allowed such freedom, provided they didn't harm the village's image.
Kyoichi, for instance, wore a black combat suit with a purple-black flak vest.
He found the standard red-and-brown combination unbearable.
"That's enough, Seinosuke," Dazen scolded.
"If the Tsuchikage heard you bad-mouthing him like that, you'd be on the front lines tomorrow—even if you are a medic."
"Tch. I set up the barrier myself. No one's listening."
Still, he quieted down.
And now Kyoichi and Yūsuke understood—this was real.
Their clan stood at a crossroads,
And their future in the shinobi world hung in the balance.
"Clan Head," Kyoichi said, steady, "If we're truly leaving, where would we even go? I don't believe the village will simply let us walk away. They'll send the ANBU after us—there'll be no end to the bloodshed."
"To stand against a Great Nation,
One must turn to another Great Nation," Dazen replied.
"Then… have you already chosen our new home?
Kumogakure? Sunagakure? Kirigakure… or Konoha?"
Kyoichi asked, eyes narrowing.
"Decades ago, the Koeda Clan lived on the seas," Dazen said.
"We followed the First Tsuchikage inland—but the five great villages have only existed for forty-odd years. Old bonds haven't all withered away.
Out on the ocean... we still have allies."
So it was to Kirigakure.
Not an ideal place.
Especially now, with Madara Uchiha likely already casting his shadow there...
Kyoichi's brow furrowed.
"This place, Kyoichi—what, you think Kirigakure isn't good enough?" Dazen had noticed the change in Kyoichi's expression.
"Yes. I don't think Kirigakure is a suitable place to settle."
"Can you explain why?"
Dazen sat calmly, his voice cool and composed.
"It's too far!!!"
Kyoichi refrained from bringing up Uchiha Madara—that "dead man." He had no concrete evidence to prove that Madara was still alive, let alone that he was secretly manipulating the Kiri shinobi behind the scenes... Saying it aloud would only make people question whether he'd lost his mind.
Fortunately,
Even without that unspoken reason, there were still valid excuses he could lean on.
"Distance, huh?"
Dazen slowly nodded.
It was undeniable—this was a serious logistical concern.
"Being hunted by ANBU across a thousand miles… If it were just a handful of us jōnin, we might have a fighting chance at surviving the escape. But the rest of the clan—especially the women and children still in the village—what about them? Clan Leader, are you prepared to abandon them?"
Kyoichi suddenly realized the implication.
"I know this decision is cruel, but… for the survival of the clan, we have no other choice!" Dazen took a deep breath, burying his guilt, sorrow, and fury deep within. His eyes gleamed with a glacial resolve—cold as frost, hard as steel.
He continued:
"In fact, I've already made contact with Kirigakure. Thanks to the unpleasant history between the Kiri and the Iwa, and some old acquaintances from back in the day… the Kiri shinobi are willing to accept our surrender. Both Master Genin and the newly appointed Fourth Mizukage have given their word—they'll send people to escort us."
Finally,
Dazen added, "The rendezvous point is in the Land of Rivers."
"Does it have to be the Kiri Village? What about Kumogakure? Sunagakure? Konoha…? Are none of them options?" Kyoichi frowned deeply, instinctively listing off the other major villages.
"Of course they're options!"
Before Dazen could respond, Seinosuke cut in with a smirk—then, right on cue, his tone flipped into a sharp rebuke:
"Kyoichi, let's not even talk about that dump Sunagakure for now. Sure, Kumo and Konoha sound like better choices, but here's the real question: why would they take in a bunch of old, sick, and weak nobodies like us?"
"Tell me, what value does the Koeda Clan even offer—enough that Kumogakure would risk triggering a new war with Iwagakure just to give us shelter? Those Kumo shinobi are still busy licking their wounds!"
"And as for Konoha… do you think that so-called Hero of the Leaf runs a charity? He's the kind who'll devour you whole and spit out the bones. Even if we made it to Konoha, we'd still just be cannon fodder. And the way they're fighting on all four fronts right now, I wouldn't be surprised if the Koeda Clan gets wiped from the shinobi world within days!"
After that,
Seinosuke paused—his throat dry—and picked up a teacup, sipping slowly to moisten his voice before continuing:
"Lastly, about Sunagakure… I mean, come on! Kyoichi, do you actually want to go eat sand in the desert? That godforsaken place isn't even as good as Iwagakure if you ask me! Plus, the Suna shinobi just got thrashed by Konoha, and they haven't even settled on a new Fourth Kazekage yet. You think they'd risk provoking Iwagakure for our sake? It's just—"
At that point,
Seinosuke couldn't even be bothered to go on. He simply stared at Kyoichi with an expression of bitter disappointment, like a teacher watching a dull student fail a basic question.
"..."
Kyoichi was stunned into silence.
Damn it.
He'd said one sentence, and Seinosuke had fired back ten.
Still—
In fairness, Seinosuke wasn't wrong. Kyoichi had only been fixated on the risk of being targeted by that immortal bastard Madara if they went to Kirigakure. He'd forgotten—this wasn't some trip to the market where you could pick out your favorite cabbage at leisure.
Even at the market, a petty vendor might not let you take your time browsing.
When it came down to it—
The Koeda Clan
really didn't have the luxury of choice.