The island was isolated far out at sea, and the Land of Lightning had used some sort of device to keep it shrouded in a perpetual fog. If a passing merchant ship were to stumble upon it, they would never suspect it wasn't a small island, but a turtle. Only by flying high above, as Uchiha Nagi had, could one see its full form and recognize it for what it was: a giant sea turtle.
Any lost ships that did find their way here were likely silenced by the Land of Lightning's ninja guards. The combat power of a civilian merchant ship was no match for shinobi from the Hidden Cloud. Moreover, the turtle was constantly on the move. Even if a passing ship recorded its coordinates on a nautical chart, the island would be gone by the time they returned.
What Nagi didn't understand was how they controlled such a massive creature. Given its appetite, it would have to feed on giant squid and whales to sustain its enormous body...
"Nagi-nii, why are we going down there?" Honoka asked curiously.
"There's a Waterfall of Truth here," Nagi explained, not bothering to hide anything. "It can be used to temper and cleanse a person's spiritual energy. For the Uchiha clan, it's an exceptionally good place, because our Sharingan is a manifestation of spiritual power." For someone as pure-hearted as Honoka, being direct was the best way to earn her trust. These weren't exactly state secrets, anyway.
"You can go in and train later, too," Nagi added. "I'll stand guard for you outside."
"Oh," the red-haired girl nodded, looking around with a mix of curiosity and shyness. It had been many years since she'd left the summoning beast island.
"You can go back for now. I'll summon you when I need you," Nagi said, turning to the giant eagle. The eagle nodded, and Nagi released the summoning jutsu, sending it back to its island.
Just then, the people on the island became aware of their intrusion. After all, the giant eagle's wingspan was no smaller than Gamabunta's. Anyone who wasn't blind would have seen it.
The handful of Land of Lightning ninja guarding the island sent out an alert signal and rushed towards their location, intending to eliminate the intruders.
"Take this kunai. If there's danger later, I can protect you," Nagi said, handing her a kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God formula.
Honoka nodded and took it. At that moment, several dark figures landed swiftly before them.
"Intruders! This is not a place you should be," a ninja with a Hidden Cloud forehead protector said, his expression grim as he looked at the man and woman.
Arriving on the Island Turtle by riding a giant eagle from the sky... these were clearly no ordinary visitors. If they were just lost merchants, he would have killed them without a second thought or a single word. But this unnervingly calm young man gave him a chilling feeling, as if the moment he made a move, he would be the one to die. Some ninja who survived the Great Wars had an exceptionally strong sixth sense.
It was like when Kakashi faced Orochimaru. Before he was injured, Orochimaru had been all smiles. But after, a single glare was enough to freeze Kakashi in place, his sixth sense screaming that if he moved, he would surely die.
"I'm taking this Island Turtle," Nagi stated flatly, his three-tomoe Sharingan flaring to life, making his identity clear. "On account of the Land of Lightning, I won't kill you. Leave on your own. Don't force my hand."
I'm taking your Island Turtle. What are you going to do about it?
"The Sharingan?! An Uchiha! Are you Uchiha Nagi or Uchiha Itachi?" the dark-skinned squad leader demanded, his voice low as he tried to use the Land of Lightning's name to intimidate him. "Do you have any idea what the consequences are for offending us?"
Because either Uchiha was a ruthless monster. One had massacred his own clan, the other had killed the Hokage's son. Both were bona fide S-rank rogue ninja. He was just a jonin; he knew without even thinking that he couldn't win.
"Uchiha Nagi. The one who killed Asuma. Well? Want to try me?" Nagi said calmly.
Hiss—
Uchiha Nagi? The one with the Flying Thunder God Technique? The Uchiha with the one-hundred-million-ryo bounty who killed Asuma.
The Kumo squad leader's headache intensified. How could he possibly fight someone who used space-time ninjutsu? But if he fled without even trying, the Fourth Raikage would never forgive him. He was dead if he fought, and dead if he didn't. What was he supposed to do?
"All of you, go back," the leader sighed, ordering his subordinates. "Report everything to the Raikage-sama. I'll stay behind."
"Captain!"
"Captain!?"
"Enough!" the squad leader shouted at his men. "You're no match for him. Go now, before he changes his mind!"
They had been guarding the Island Turtle for years. Because of its isolation and mobility, it was considered safe, and the guard detail was weak—just him, a jonin, and a few chunin...
Shhh—
The leader threw several kunai at Nagi, while his men, gritting their teeth, obeyed his order and fled.
Facing the incoming kunai, Nagi calmly threw a few of his own. Showing off your shurikenjutsu in front of me? You're not qualified.
Under the Sharingan's predictive calculations, the kunai collided in a shower of sparks. Several were deflected, changing course and flying back towards the squad leader.
Clang! The sound of metal on metal rang out. The squad leader had just knocked away the kunai when a bone-chilling sensation washed over him. A blade was already at his neck.
So fast... Is this the Flying Thunder God Technique?
In less than a hundredth of a second, his opponent had appeared behind him. But there hadn't been any of the three-pronged kunai marked with the Flying Thunder God formula... The leader glanced at the kunai that had fallen to the ground and understood. It was common knowledge in the Great War that Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God used his signature three-pronged kunai, but that didn't mean he couldn't use a regular kunai as a marker...
"I was too careless... Do it," he said, resigned.
But death didn't come. Instead, a pair of red eyes appeared before him, and he was plunged into a genjutsu, losing consciousness.
Just then, one of the Kumo ninja who had fled returned, bursting from the ground to attack Honoka, clearly intending to take her hostage.
But he had miscalculated. He didn't know that Honoka was an Uzumaki. Now that she no longer had to guard the ultimate summoning beast, her chakra had recovered. And even if she lacked a ninja's combat experience, anyone who could survive alone on the summoning beast island for years was far from weak.
A dozen chakra chains erupted from Honoka's body—the Adamantine Sealing Chains, an exclusive technique of the Uzumaki clan used to restrain enemies. The ambushing Kumo ninja was instantly bound tight, his chakra sealed by Honoka.
"Well done, Honoka. You did great." Nagi gave the red-haired girl a thumbs-up. He had been about to use the Flying Thunder God to rescue her, but she had handled it herself.
Honoka smiled, a little embarrassed. Dealing with the giant beasts on the summoning island was its own form of training. While animals weren't as cunning as humans, a certain level of strength was necessary to survive there.
"Are you going to kill them?" Honoka asked.
"Not for now. I still have some questions for them." Nagi's three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, and the two Kumo ninja were simultaneously trapped in a genjutsu.
Nagi began to interrogate them, asking for information on how to control and locate the Island Turtle. To his surprise, the squad leader said they didn't have a summoning contract with the turtle. One reason was that the turtle was simply too massive; no one had enough chakra to summon it. Another was that it was too slow; on land, it would be a sitting duck. So even the Raikage, who had the necessary chakra, wasn't willing to have such a creature as his summon.
Instead, because a Waterfall of Truth had naturally formed on its back over the centuries, the Land of Lightning had decided to keep it as a place for generations of their ninja to cleanse their hearts and strengthen their spiritual power.
In Taoist and Buddhist terms, it was a place where one could sever their inner demons. That was why the Hidden Cloud had produced almost no powerful rogue ninja over the years; they were all remarkably united.
"I see. They have a natural therapist, so the Hidden Cloud ninja don't have any psychological problems. Naturally, there are no rogue ninja..." Nagi concluded, speechless. The Waterfall of Truth, besides severing inner demons and enhancing spiritual power, also inadvertently served as a form of psychological counseling. Look at the other four great ninja villages; without therapists, the consequences were severe, with rogue ninja, many of them Kage-level, popping up one after another...
After some thought, Nagi decided to show some goodwill. He had already taken the Fourth Raikage's Island Turtle; he could spare these two insignificant pawns. And from them, he had learned everything the Hidden Cloud had done to the turtle's back. With a few modifications, the island would be his.
He casually summoned the giant eagle and ordered it to carry the two ninja back to their comrades, who were probably still nervously sailing away, not having gotten far. Nagi had no intention of silencing them. The Fourth Raikage had a vengeful personality; it was best not to provoke him if he could help it. He wasn't afraid, but it was better to have fewer enemies. He wouldn't be reckless.
Of course, if the Raikage didn't appreciate the gesture, then he shouldn't be blamed for digging up his ancestors' graves...
"Come on, let's go to the Waterfall of Truth." A trace of excitement in his voice, Nagi took Honoka's hand and led her away, paying no mind to the propriety of it.
The Waterfall of Truth... the place where Naruto had been able to sever his negative emotions, to defeat his inner demon. Nagi narrowed his eyes. For someone who had grown up in the village, enduring the scorn and bullying of the villagers, it was a wonder he had succeeded at all. Naruto's success was inseparable from Asura's chakra. Without it, the Dark Naruto born from a Naruto who was already close to a Sage's body... who knew how powerful he would have been.
And as for me...