To reach your goal, no matter the means. That was Uchiha Shiken at this moment.
In a way, he had shed that traditional Uchiha arrogance, becoming more like an actual ninja. Steal if you can, never fight openly. More shameless than the shameless. That was a ninja.
Too bad his plans, however meticulous, were still within the realm of the ordinary. The moment he reached his target location, two parties noticed him immediately. One was Qianyu. The other was a group of White Zetsu.
Fortunately, after confirming the newcomer was Shiken, Qianyu—wanting to gauge his intent—dealt with those White Zetsu first. Otherwise, Shiken's location would've been compromised instantly. From Shiken's movements and the White Zetsu's reaction, Qianyu already suspected their objectives weren't aligned.
Sure enough, once Qianyu took control of the Zetsu, a message arrived from Black Zetsu not long after, inquiring about Uchiha Shiken's whereabouts.
"No sign of him. All clear here."
The Zetsu under Qianyu's control—however unwillingly—sent back the reply. Regular genjutsu didn't work on White Zetsu, but Qianyu had been a premium "White Zetsu-Man" before, and was now an ancestral-level "Divine Tree-Man."
More importantly, he'd studied White Zetsu extensively. Controlling them now was child's play.
"Keep a close watch. Report immediately if anything changes."
Black Zetsu's reply came quickly. The words were stern, but the tone… it sounded relieved.
Qianyu's micromanagement had bought Shiken some time.
Shiken could easily identify the Rinnegan bearer. Yet, faced with the immense temptation of resurrecting his family, he held his ground. He knew he was no match for the tall, white-haired ninja and decided to wait for him to leave.
He didn't even get too close, completely avoiding the various traps laid around the area.
Say what you will, Uchiha Shiken knew his limits. Theoretically, he really wasn't a match for an enhanced version of Jiraiya.
Let's put it this way: even if Konoha got "Konoha-crashed," this shop would still be standing.
He left Shiken with the ramen chef. This little shop was arguably the safest place in the world.
"Chef. Got you a premium apprentice…"
Since Shiken cared so deeply for Shichimi, Qianyu, in return, would treat him well.
Back in the village, Qianyu headed straight for the ramen shop.
He took Shiken and returned directly to Konoha.
With that business concluded, Qianyu didn't bother with Tajima's Mangekyō further. Finding Shiken was the goal here. Mission accomplished.
He was still disgusted by the eyes. Calling them trash wasn't wrong. To him, they held zero value.
"Hmm. At least the Mangekyō functions remain… Still trash, though."
When Qianyu channeled chakra through it, two Mangekyō Sharingan manifested on the slender blade, swirling eerily within their carved "sockets."
The severed arm, held in his grip, began to narrow and stretch, transforming into a wooden sword.
"Alright. Don't waste it. Let's make a 'Divine Flesh Sword.'"
Qianyu actually formed hand seals—a rare sight—and cast a protective technique before picking it up.
And the severed limb?
But for the Divine Tree-Man, losing an arm was nothing. The stump didn't even bleed. A new arm regrew in moments.
It even cost him a chunk of chakra.
Years later, he was still that ruthless. Compared to letting Shichimi's eyes get "tainted," he'd rather lose an arm. That trash wanted to become part of him? Like he said, he wasn't a junk collector.
His left arm fell. Sever the connection, see if you can merge now.
Whoosh!
This was the last thing he wanted. In that split second, he thought of the fastest, most effective solution. His right hand formed a blade. Without a shred of hesitation, he sliced through his own left arm!
"Shit!"
The speed at which Qianyu could incubate a Rinnegan was at least ten thousand times faster than Madara's.
His Divine Tree body and pure Yin-Yang Release energy acted as a catalyst. The Mangekyō began moving uncontrollably toward Shichimi's Sharingan, threatening to merge.
But the moment he held the eyes in his palm, something changed.
Qianyu didn't want a second Rinnegan. If he ever sought another, he'd nurture Shichimi's own Mangekyō to that stage. Using Tajima's eyes was out of the question. He had his standards—a bit of a mental hang-up—and instinctively rejected them.
"Sigh. I'm not a junk collector. What use do I have for these Mangekyō?"
His left hand covered Shiken's eyes. He plucked out Tajima's Mangekyō Sharingan and, using Yin-Yang Release, crafted a new pair of ordinary eyes for Shiken.
"This should be enough," Qianyu mused. "Your mother didn't want you to be a ninja. She wanted you to live an ordinary life. What choice did you have but to agree? A mama's boy should act like one."
In the new memories, Shiken never met Madara. Both elder brothers died around the time Konoha was founded. His knowledge aligned with the public's.
He also "informed" Shiken of Madara's atrocities during the Warring States period. The Uchiha's fate wasn't entirely their fault—their leader was just that terrible. Qianyu was, without a doubt, souring their brotherly bond, diminishing Madara and Izuna in Shiken's heart.
Qianyu wove fragments of his own and Shichimi's shared memories from a thousand years ago into Shiken's mind. He made him understand Shichimi had lived a full, regret-free life.
Upon arriving in this new era, Qianyu was the one who greeted him.
After some time together, Shichimi, despairing of the endless warring era, sent him to a "war-free" future to protect him. She told him to live well. And Shiken, being a good son, obeyed.
In the new memories, Shiken wasn't hidden in a spatial portal immediately. Shichimi saved him. He stayed by her side, within The Fireflies organization.
Qianyu erased Shiken's memories from the Battle of Kikyō Castle onward. Then he weaved new ones.
Then his gaze inadvertently met Qianyu's eyes. He froze. Even though both possessed the same level of Mangekyō, the difference in ocular power was like heaven and earth.
Shiken shot to his feet. A fight was inevitable.
"You—"
This wasn't a negotiation. It was a statement.
"Three. Those Mangekyō Sharingan are too dangerous in your hands. I'm taking them back."
"Two. I have my own plans for the future. You're not taking the Rinnegan."
"One. Your intentions are good, but I won't allow you to disturb Shichimi's rest."
Qianyu raised two fingers, cutting him off.
Shiken didn't want conflict now. Even if Qianyu wouldn't help, he couldn't let him interfere.
"So, why bring me here? My time is limited…"
Shiken wanted the Rinnegan to resurrect Shichimi. In Qianyu's book, that was a perfect pass. A good heart. A mama's boy's devotion, clear as day.
Compared to Madara, Shiken's desire—while disrespectful to the boundary between life and death—was a normal, human wish.
"You're smarter than your brother."
You pass.Qianyu nodded.
"I'm not interested in their so-called plan. I just want to bring Shichimi and Izuna back… Those vague ideals, the future my elder brother painted? They mean nothing to me."
"If you accepted these eyes, shouldn't you have joined their plan? Why try to steal the Rinnegan? This has to be your own idea."
It had to be Black Zetsu. Those eyes were stolen by it back then.
"I got Father's Mangekyō from a dark, shadowy creature."
Uchiha Shiken thought for a moment, then sat across the fire. After another moment's thought, he saw no point in lying.
Even without knowing Qianyu's current power, a bit of logical thinking beyond elementary school level made the answer obvious. One, the Nine-Tails was a walking catastrophe. Two, this man treated it like a house cat.
Second, look at the man casually leaning against the Nine-Tails. What sane person would start a fight?
First, that organization wasn't just Qianyu's. It was Shichimi's too. Fighting them was never his intention.
But theory was just theory.
For Shiken, the war with Qianyu's organization was only two years ago. They were enemies. In theory, he should be leaping into battle right now.
"Have a seat. This should be our first proper conversation… That Mangekyō Sharingan. It belonged to Tajima Uchiha, didn't it? How did you get it?"
Qianyu didn't answer immediately. He leaned back against the Nine-Tails' orange fur and sat down, then lit a campfire in front of him like they were on a camping trip.
Wait, what? Was my trip forty years into the future just a dream?Shiken recognized Qianyu, but the youthful appearance threw his mind into chaos.
"I know you… Why are you still so young?"
Qianyu's appearance sent another shock through Shiken, but it also eased the tension of facing the Tailed Beast alone.
Just then, a figure emerged from the shadows behind the beast, leaning casually against its muzzle.
Honestly, even with the Mangekyō Sharingan, Shiken had never imagined fighting a Tailed Beast. He simply lacked that kind of confidence. That sheer audacity.
Why was it here? Shiken had no answer. All he knew was that even under the passive chakra pressure of a slumbering Tailed Beast, his heart hammered against his ribs.
A massive, sleeping monster. The Nine-Tails.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Shiken, who had launched his surprise attack, found himself in a pocket dimension. And what he saw left him utterly speechless.
Nagato said nothing. Only silence.
Nagato…
"No way. Sensei might be unreliable sometimes, but he'd never joke about this," Konan refuted immediately. Any ninja with half a brain wouldn't cry wolf with a defensive barrier.
"Was… was that just Sensei messing with us?" Yahiko asked.
But outside was… empty. The "alarm" seemed like a false trigger. Their excitement and battle fervor evaporated instantly.
They wanted to test their new skills.
it? That was different.useShiken's movement triggered Jiraiya's barrier. The sleeping trio jolted awake, rushing outside in excitement. Learning ninjutsu was boring. A chance to actually
The next moment, he vanished.
The sudden move surprised Qianyu slightly, but it didn't stop him. Shiken's quick turn was impressive. Too bad he ran straight into another portal.
"Huh? That predictive ability feels familiar…"
Qianyu opened a spatial portal right in Shiken's path. Faced with such a sudden, efficient trap, Shiken twisted his body mid-sprint, dodging it.
"Man, I feel more like the mastermind than the actual mastermind."
Therefore, Qianyu couldn't let Shiken fight the Rinnegan bearer. Knowing Shiken's capabilities, he was afraid the guy would get himself killed.
"So it's not to protect the Rinnegan, but to steal it?" Qianyu, hidden in the shadows, confirmed Shiken's goal. This meant Shiken wasn't collaborating with Madara. There was still hope for him.
One dark and windy night, Uchiha Shiken charged through the darkness toward the trio.
After a while, Jiraiya finally left. The three children were now unprotected fledglings.
Point is, against someone on the same level, Susano'o's "absolute defense" sounded like a bad joke.
Jiraiya was versatile. Facing a Susano'o? He had options. Summon an army of toads for a gang fight. Fuse with the Two Great Sage Toads and break it in Sage Mode. Summon the Toad Stomach to melt it all away.
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