Konoha, Year 48.
The Third Great Ninja War was finally drawing to a close.
The name of the "Yellow Flash" grew ever brighter—Minato Namikaze's legend spreading across every battlefield.
He alone could change the tides of war, even going head-to-head against the brothers A and B of the Hidden Cloud.
And alongside him, two newly risen heroes had appeared—two Sharingan users who shone just as brilliantly: Kakashi Hatake and Uchiha Obito, as well as the lightning-fast killer Shisui of the Body Flicker.
And, of course—Yamato, wielder of the Wood Release.
---
Yue had been in a deep coma for over a year before finally, his eyes fluttered open.
When he woke, his entire body felt unbearably weak—he couldn't even lift his hand.
He managed only to whisper softly toward Rina, who had fallen asleep beside his bed.
The moment Rina realized Yue had awakened, she burst into tears of joy, crying uncontrollably.
---
A month after Yue's awakening, the Third Great Ninja War officially came to an end.
"Wait, what? The war's over already?
I barely got to play background extra!"
Yue thought to himself, half complaining, half relieved.
Well… maybe that's for the best.
Just being an extra almost cost him his life. He honestly thought he'd never open his eyes again.
---
At the Konoha Memorial Cemetery,a sea of black-clad shinobi stood silently before rows of graves—
mourning the heroes who had fallen during the war.
Leaning on a crutch, Yue joined them, paying tribute to his fallen comrades, Oita and Shika.
Ever since waking up, Yue had been focusing on rehabilitation.
After lying in a coma for more than a year, he knew it was ridiculous to expect instant recovery.
Thankfully, his body showed no serious aftereffects.
As the ceremony ended and the crowd began to disperse, Yue noticed Orochimaru standing not far away—
watching him with that same eerie, half-smile.
A chill ran down Yue's spine.
He'd always hated snakes, even in his previous life.
Just the thought of Orochimaru's jutsu made his skin crawl—
body possession, swarms of serpents… one wrong move and you were finished.
But following Orochimaru's gaze, Yue realized he wasn't the target—
Orochimaru was watching Yamato.
That realization brought Yue a wave of relief.
Damn, what a good brother.
Still taking the blame for me even after all this.
When Yue learned that Yamato had become famous throughout the ninja world during his coma,
he had teased him endlessly about "carrying the pot" for him.
Even the calm, stoic Yamato would turn red and stammer when Yue brought it up.
Now, seeing Orochimaru's eyes fixed on Yamato, Yue felt a pang of guilt—and gratitude.
Guess I should be nicer to him from now on.
He silently swore to stop teasing Yamato altogether.
If he knew about this, he'd probably be moved to tears.
---
Truth be told, Orochimaru himself was astonished when he heard of Yamato's rise.
After all, he had helped design the very experiment that created Yamato.
To see the child not only survive but master Wood Release at the age of ten—
it meant Yamato had perfectly merged with the First Hokage's cells.
To Orochimaru, who was now researching his Reincarnation Jutsu,
a body like Yamato's was beyond tempting.
A perfect vessel infused with Hashirama's power?
How could he not covet it?
---
Not far away, Yue spotted a familiar figure—a four-year-old Itachi Uchiha,his eyes large and innocent, cheeks still soft with baby fat.
On impulse, Yue hobbled over on his crutch and reached out to pinch Itachi's cheek.
"So soft…" Yue thought with satisfaction.
"Who are you?"
The little Itachi frowned, annoyed that some stranger had just pinched his face.
Yue didn't reply. He was still marveling at the fact that he had just pinched Itachi Uchiha—
the boy who would one day become one of the most tragic figures in history.
He stared at him with a goofy grin, silently vowing:
Not this time.
With me here, you're not walking down that bloody path of betrayal and murder.
You're too damn cute for that.
Itachi, disturbed by the weird man's grin, quickly scurried away.
---
A month later, Yue's body had completely recovered, stronger than ever.
His chakra reserves had grown substantially too.
"So… you have to sacrifice your comrades and yourself to get stronger, huh?"
"Wait—did I just say again? Why did I add 'again'?!"
He sighed helplessly.
That's when he heard the news—
Minato had returned from his latest mission, but his student Rin had died in the field.
History, it seemed, remained on course.
Never disappointing in its cruelty.
Three years in this world, and Yue had changed nothing.
Well—maybe one thing:
He'd made Yamato famous across the entire ninja world.
---
Soon after, the Third Hokage publicly announced his resignation,taking responsibility for the war's losses.
Minato Namikaze was named the Fourth Hokage.
It was the will of the people.
In the grief-filled aftermath of war,Minato's appointment brought a glimmer of hope and warmth back to Konoha.
The Era of the Fourth Hokage had begun.
---
Yue threw himself back into training.
During his recovery, Minato had visited him often—along with his good friend Shisui.
Yue swore he'd repay that kindness someday.
When the Nine-Tails attack came in three years,he wanted to be strong enough to make a difference.
To keep Minato alive—because Minato's survival would be critical to Yue's entire plan.
Words meant nothing.
Only strength mattered.
After experiencing the pain of losing comrades, Yue trained harder than ever—
pushing himself to the brink day after day.
No magic system, no "cheat codes."
Just pure, unrelenting grind.
If fate had to be defied, he'd do it with his own two hands.
Since awakening his Wood Release anew,he'd gained better control—even using Deep Forest Emergence again wouldn't knock him out anymore.
It would just drain his chakra to the last drop.
---
"Yue, your technique hasn't really improved," Shisui teased after one sparring session.
"At this rate, I'll leave you in the dust."
"Oh, really?" Yue smirked.
"In that case, let me show you my true power!"
He decided it was time to stop hiding his Wood Release from Shisui.
No more secrets.
Yue clapped his hands together—
and unleashed a barrage of Wood Release techniques that forced Shisui into a frantic dance,
dodging and weaving as wooden tendrils erupted around him.
Bloodline techniques like Wood Release didn't need complex hand seals—
just will and control.
Shisui was both stunned and moved.
He knew the danger of exposing Wood Release—
after all, even Yamato had survived multiple assassination attempts already.
If not for constant ANBU protection, his grave would've been overgrown by now.
---
"In that case…" Shisui said seriously,
"Since you've shown me your real strength, I won't hold back either."
His Sharingan spun rapidly—three tomoe merging into the shape of a shuriken.
"Susanoo!"
A surge of green chakra exploded outward—
Shisui's Susanoo roared to life, easily smashing through Yue's wooden defenses.
"What the— You can summon a Gundam?!" Yue yelled in shock.
He hadn't expected Shisui to have awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan already—
and to think his Susanoo was green!
In his previous life, he'd never seen it.
Everyone only ever talked about Shisui's broken genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami—
but not this.
Shisui didn't understand Yue's strange words.
He simply charged forward, Susanoo's massive arm sweeping down, forcing Yue into a desperate retreat as his Wood Release shattered like paper.
"Don't think you're the only one who can summon mechs!"
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
A gigantic wooden figure—five meters tall—rose beneath Yue's feet,a coiling wooden dragon wrapping protectively around its body.
Standing on its shoulder, Yue met Shisui's Susanoo head-on—their colossal figures clashing in bursts of green light and splintering wood.
The ground shook beneath them.
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