"You mean to say... he's awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Uchiha Madara slowly lifted a steaming cup of tea, his voice calm and measured.
Ever since Kaien came into the picture, Madara had taken his pursuit of a long and healthy life even more seriously.
"Yes, Lord Madara," Black Zetsu replied without needing any prompting. "Kaien awakened the Mangekyō during his fight with Chiyo from Sunagakure. He triggered it in order to save his teammate."
"His dōjutsu is tied to Ice Release."
"Ice Release?" Madara's brows shifted slightly.
Awakening a kekkei genkai along with the Mangekyō… What an odd phenomenon.
"It's not just Ice Release, is it?"
For a Mangekyō ability, something like Ice Release seemed far too simple.
To Madara, Ice Release wasn't worth much. He doubted it could even withstand a single Fire Release jutsu from him.
"Kaien also gained the ability to fly. Based on preliminary analysis, the Ice Release is a byproduct of his own combination. The essence of his dōjutsu lies in wind and water."
With his vast experience, Black Zetsu had seen through the nature of Kaien's ocular power at a glance.
From the initial gusts of wind to the condensed water blades—he'd observed it all.
As for the Ice itself, Black Zetsu believed it was something Kaien synthesized on the spot, drawing from his natural trait.
"Is that so? Not bad. Honestly, I thought he'd awaken an illusion-based ability instead."
Given that brat's terrible attitude, Madara wouldn't have been surprised if he had ended up with a genjutsu-type dōjutsu.
But wind and water… that was unexpected.
It reminded him a bit of Izuna's power.
Madara couldn't help but get lost in thought, brushing a hand gently over the area where his eyes once were.
The Rinnegan was long gone. And now, these eyes...
His expression darkened.
...
"Uncle… uh… sir…"
The Kumogakure spy's expression twitched. Did he really look that old?
He was only twenty!
Still, now wasn't the time to dwell on minor details. Organizing his words carefully, the Kumo spy crouched and continued,
"Yes, little one, Uncle's talking to you. Do you like acrobatics?"
"I do."
Kaien nodded slightly. A bunch of strong guys doing tricks—definitely entertaining.
He even clapped a few times for their performance.
Seeing hope in his eyes, the lead Kumo spy eagerly pulled out another lollipop.
"What's your name, kid? Tell Uncle, and I'll give you one more!"
"Nope. You're too ugly, Uncle."
Kaien refused flatly. Then, without a change in expression, he slipped the lollipop he'd been holding into the spy's coat pocket—along with a carefully concealed explosive tag.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he strolled away.
The spy was left standing there, face twisted as if severely constipated.
You're too ugly, Uncle. Too ugly, Uncle… Ugly, Uncle…
Lies don't hurt people—truth does.
And so, the self-esteem of one proud Kumo shinobi took a critical hit.
He wouldn't bat an eye at a life-or-death taijutsu duel, or even a brutal beatdown. That wouldn't crush a Kumogakure ninja's will—it'd only fuel their drive.
But being insulted by a ten-year-old? That… that was hard to swallow.
Especially since Kaien had said it with such sincerity, like he truly believed it.
And well—he did.
Kaien wasn't here to get kidnapped today. Just showing his face a little.
These spies weren't going to make their move yet anyway.
If he was going to be abducted, it had to be a high-value abduction. There was no way a proud Uchiha would let himself get lured away with a lousy lollipop.
...
Night fell.
Only a few lampposts still glowed dimly in Konohagakure. Most of the village was already deep in slumber, save for a few individuals still active—some training in the mountains, others whispering conspiracies inside cheap inns.
"Big bro, that little Uchiha who watched our acrobatics today is the perfect target! If we manage to bring his bloodline back to Kumogakure, we'll be hailed as heroes!"
"Mm. You're right. Let's go over the target once more."
The squad leader—a Kumo jōnin—nodded approvingly. The Uchiha clan was famous across the entire shinobi world.
Their kekkei genkai, the Sharingan, was coveted by many.
But most didn't dare act on that greed. Regular organizations or smaller villages couldn't withstand the Uchiha clan's wrath.
Plus, when an outsider tried to use a stolen Sharingan without enough chakra, they often ended up completely drained.
Which was why Kumogakure never aimed to steal a single Sharingan eye. Their goal had always been to quietly kidnap the entire bloodline.
This jōnin knew far more than the average Kumo operative.
For instance—the Uchiha clan originally came from the Land of Lightning.
It was only after Hashirama Senju and Madara founded Konohagakure that the Uchiha migrated to the Land of Fire.
In other words, the Sharingan—rightfully belonged to Kumogakure.
Bam!
The jōnin slammed his fist on the table, voice filled with determination.
"We're doing it! We're taking that little Uchiha back to Kumogakure!"
He'd seen the kid himself—adorable, really. He hadn't seen such a cute child in all of Kumo. Clearly, this one was a treasure their village needed!
...
"Big bro, there's another one…"
One of the younger spies raised his hand hesitantly.
"Speak! Don't mumble!"
The jōnin was already imagining the glory—bringing back the Uchiha bloodline, being honored by the entire village, maybe even raising the child himself.
He'd always wanted a cute daughter.
There were some fair-skinned citizens in Kumo, sure, but most girls were bronze-skinned, fiery-tempered tomboys. Not his type.
He preferred gentle, sweet-tempered girls.
"Yes, sir!"
"There's also a red-haired girl we've been keeping an eye on for a while. She's another viable target!"
"Good. We'll take them both."
"We'll wait for the right opportunity and bring them back to Kumogakure."
It hadn't been long since the incident with Uzushiogakure.
Red hair… The jōnin knew exactly what that implied.
The Uzumaki clan.
A famous, long-lived clan with unparalleled skill in sealing techniques. Every bit as valuable as the Uchiha.
They'd make an excellent candidate for a Jinchūriki, too.
Kumogakure's Two-Tails still lacked a suitable host. If he could bring this one back and raise her under "Love the Village" education... he would go down in history as Kumogakure's greatest hero!
And receive personal guidance from the Raikage himself!
Kumo shinobi weren't known for being the brightest—but after years of robbing people, they'd accumulated a frightening amount of intel.
...
Not far away.
Kaien's spirit beast crouched silently atop a tree branch, listening in on the Kumo squad's conversation—and transmitting every word back to its master.
"So… Kumogakure has taken the bait already?"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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