Itachi Uchiha's death did not hinder the Empire's steady advance.
Only a select few were aware of this news—information that could have sent shockwaves through the young nation, which had been founded a mere three years ago. Without exception, these individuals were all pivotal figures within the Empire.
Under a somber, overcast sky, the high-ranking officials of the Empire, led by Kakashi, gathered in the cold and desolate cemetery.
It was Itachi Uchiha's funeral.
Dressed in black, Kakashi stepped forward and placed a white chrysanthemum before the headstone.
The Empire held the color white in high esteem; on formal occasions, the attire of the high command was primarily white and gold. Only during funerals would they don black.
At that moment, many of those present stole cautious glances at their young monarch.
As one of Kakashi's right-hand men, Itachi's death was a significant blow to the Emperor. However, seeing that Kakashi's expression remained unchanged—devoid of even a hint of grief and as calm as a placid lake—they felt a secret sense of relief.
Having suffered such a loss only three years after its founding, the Empire could have easily fallen into disarray if the situation were handled poorly. But seeing Kakashi in this state, their confidence in the Radiant Empire was reaffirmed.
After all, the Empire's greatest strength had never been the so-called Five Special-Grade Combatants or the holders of the Sage's Seals. It was Kakashi—the man capable of keeping all those powerful figures in line.
Yet, a chill simultaneously crept into their hearts.
A close confidant of nearly ten years had sacrificed himself, and yet there wasn't a trace of pain or sorrow in Kakashi's eyes...
His Majesty is truly a cold man.
"Your Majesty."
A young woman with black hair, her face tear-stained and bitter with grief, bowed to Kakashi. Her belly was slightly rounded with pregnancy. This was Izumi Uchiha, who had married Itachi not long ago.
Kakashi stopped her from completing the bow and spoke. "Itachi's sacrifice was for the Empire. If you have any needs in the future, you may come to me at any time."
Hearing this, Izumi nodded silently.
The others looked at her with envious eyes. With that single sentence from Kakashi, the Uchiha family was practically guaranteed safety and prosperity for the next hundred years, provided they did not commit treason.
After Kakashi, Might Guy, Tenzō, Hayama Shirakumo, Shizune, and the other high-ranking officials took turns offering flowers. These people were Itachi's comrades-in-arms; Shizune, in particular, had shared a deep bond with Itachi on the battlefield.
Following them were the members of the Council of Elders, representatives of the various clans, and the new generation led by Naruto.
Once the brief yet solemn funeral concluded, Might Guy, Tenzō, and Hayama Shirakumo immediately coordinated with the Imperial Intelligence Department to launch a full-scale search for Nagato's group and the location of Ryūchi Cave.
The Ancor Vantian units across the country were also placed on twenty-four-hour standby, ready to deploy at a moment's notice.
While Nagato and his companions could hide in the shadows, Ryūchi Cave was a fixed location. It took only three days for the site to be uncovered. Might Guy, Tenzō, and Hayama Shirakumo personally led the team to exterminate that nest of snakes that dared to oppose the Empire.
At the same time, Kakashi went to find Sasuke.
As the newly appointed head of the Uchiha clan, the sixteen-year-old Sasuke had to learn how to manage the family's affairs.
"Master."
Within the Uchiha compound, Sasuke looked at Kakashi with a haggard face.
"How is the situation with the Uchiha?" Kakashi asked, glancing at the cluttered documents on the desk.
"Everything is..." Sasuke started to say things were fine, but the piles of paperwork left him speechless.
"You can find someone within the clan who excels at administrative work to handle these things; you don't need to do it personally. What you need to do is stabilize the unrest caused by the former clan head's departure, not exhaust yourself here."
"Yes," Sasuke whispered, his expression darkening.
As expected... I am not as capable as my brother.
Kakashi seemed not to notice Sasuke's emotional shift. He picked up a document from the desk and spoke calmly.
"You've awakened them, haven't you?"
"The Mangekyō Sharingan."
Hearing Kakashi's certain tone, Sasuke nodded silently, revealing his newly birthed Mangekyō. It was a power born from his brother's death—a pair of eyes with a six-pointed star pattern.
Seeing the familiar pattern, Kakashi sighed inwardly. As expected, Sasuke was still the same Sasuke who chased after power.
Kakashi took a sealed glass container from his robe. Inside, two eyeballs floated in a pale yellow medicinal solution.
"Itachi's eyes were sealed by him before he died; they cannot be given to you. These are the eyes Fugaku left behind before his death. Consider this a return to their rightful owner. I hope that you, who inherits Itachi's will, do not disappoint me."
Placing Fugaku Uchiha's eyes on the desk, Kakashi turned and left without another word. Sasuke was still pursuing power; that much had never changed.
"My father's... eyes."
Sasuke stared in disbelief at the container. As the clan head, he already understood how the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was formed, but he hadn't expected his father to have been a wielder of the Mangekyō as well.
Sasuke no longer cared about what had happened in the past. At this moment, he only wanted power so he could avenge his brother.
"Thank you, Master," Sasuke said quietly to Kakashi's retreating back.
"Don't thank me. I am simply returning what belongs to you."
Kakashi left it at that. Now that Might Guy and the others had headed to Ryūchi Cave to crush one of the so-called Three Great Sage Regions, it was time for him to deal with Mōryō.
At that thought, Kakashi felt a pang of regret. If Itachi were still here, his genjutsu might have been a great help.
As Kakashi's figure disappeared, Sasuke shifted his gaze back to the Mangekyō Sharingan on the desk. He gently picked up his father's eyes, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the container.
He needed more power.
After leaving the Uchiha compound, Kakashi immediately went to find Shion at her home.
Shion had been living in Konoha for three years now. Aside from Taruho, who was always by her side, she spent her time at gatherings with Naruto, Sakura, and Karin. Thanks to Kakashi's intentional care, her life in Konoha had been peaceful.
Currently, Shion was tending to the flowers in her backyard. They were flowers Sakura had sent over recently, supposedly from the Yamanaka flower shop.
In these three years, Shion's ability to predict death had not activated once. It had almost made her forget she possessed such an ominous power.
But the moment Kakashi stepped into the backyard, Shion's pupils suddenly went hollow. The scene before her was no longer a sunlit garden, but a pitch-black world of purple and shadow.
The sea was surging, and countless disgusting, purple-black tentacles writhed and struggled in that dark ocean. She found herself wrapped in those tentacles, being dragged down into the abyss...
She was going to die.
Instinctively, Shion took a sharp step back.
Why?
Her pupils trembled, and she swallowed hard. With her intuition as a Priestess, she recognized it instantly. Those tentacles were a part of Mōryō, the demon the Priestesses had sealed for generations.
But... she was safe in Konoha. Why would Mōryō be here?
"What's wrong?"
A familiar yet distant voice came from behind her, making her jump and turn around.
"Your... Your Majesty?" Shion stammered. Her voice held a slight, hidden tremor. She seemed to realize why she had suddenly seen her own death.
"It seems your ability to predict death has been triggered," Kakashi noted. "Who died?"
Seeing her visibly shaken state, Kakashi had already guessed the cause. The moment he decided to turn Mōryō into a military asset and came to find Shion, she reacted this way. Clearly, her premonition had activated the moment he arrived.
"It's... it's me," Shion whispered, her face pale with fear.
"Is that so?"
Kakashi never believed in so-called prophecies. If he believed in fate, he wouldn't have reached his current position. Years ago, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku had given him a prophecy, and yet he had not let it stop him.
"It seems you already know why I'm here."
Whether Shion was willing or not, he was going to claim Mōryō. However, he would not allow Mōryō to take Shion's life in his presence.
"...Yes." Shion lowered her head despondently.
Her death, the emergence of Mōryō, and Kakashi showing up at her door—the connection was self-evident.
"I only hope that after I die, Your Majesty will take more care of the people of the former Land of Demons."
Shion could not resist Kakashi. She could only accept reality and hope that, in exchange for her sacrifice, the people of her homeland would be looked after. As the Priestess of the Land of Demons, this was the best she could do.
As for Kakashi's ultimate goal, she didn't want to think too much about it. It was clearly Mōryō. If Mōryō defeated Kakashi, the whole world would die with her. If Kakashi defeated Mōryō, she just hoped he would be a kind ruler to her people.
"Don't overthink it. As long as I am here, you will live," Kakashi said, looking at the girl.
She was only sixteen. A Priestess was not a ninja; she had been protected by the officials of the Land of Demons for the first twelve years of her life, and after he unified the shinobi world, she had been under his protection. It was only natural for her to be a bit naive.
Shion gave a muffled response, clearly not believing him. Her death predictions had never been wrong. To her, this time would be no different.
Ignoring her lack of faith, Kakashi led her out of the house without hesitation.
"Eh? Master?"
Two figures were walking toward them—Naruto and Sakura.
Sakura looked at Kakashi and the sulking Shion behind him, her expression surprised. "Lord Kakashi, why are you...?"
Naruto, now sixteen, blinked his blue eyes suspiciously as he looked between the two. He saw Shion's silent, somber face and the glint of tears in her eyes caused by fear.
While Naruto had matured significantly, the last three years of Jiraiya's "hands-on" guidance during his free time had inevitably rubbed off on him.
At this moment, Naruto's mind was constructing a melodramatic play of a powerful noble forcing a young woman into concubinage. He imagined Kakashi had taken a liking to Shion's beauty and wanted her for his harem, and despite her resistance, Shion was forced to submit to his authority.
"What are you thinking about, kid?" Kakashi asked, his brow furrowing as he saw Naruto's pensive, frowning face.
He had practically raised the boy and knew his personality inside out. Though he had improved, that innate flightiness couldn't be completely erased. Furthermore, Kakashi had been too busy with Imperial affairs lately, leaving the training of Team 7 to Hayama Shirakumo.
However, unlike Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto often received "pointers" from a bored Jiraiya. Consequently, that old streak of nonsense had resurfaced.
Kakashi realized with some resignation that out of the three, Sakura was actually the one who caused him the least worry.
"Hehe, nothing, nothing!" Naruto laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. He certainly wasn't going to voice his suicidal thoughts.
It was just a fleeting, ridiculous idea. He knew what kind of man Kakashi was. If Kakashi were truly that lustful, women from across the shinobi world would be lining up to be sent to him given his status; he wouldn't need to force Shion. Besides, while Shion was pretty, she wasn't as beautiful as Lady Terumī or Lady Kurenai.
"You two arrived just in time," Kakashi said. "You're coming with me."
Kakashi looked at Naruto and Sakura. While he dealt with Mōryō, they were the perfect candidates to protect Shion.
"Is it a mission, Master?" Sakura's expression turned serious.
With many of the Empire's top experts currently hunting Orochimaru and the others, the fact that the Emperor himself was taking Shion out meant the mission was likely as difficult as the one assigned to Master Hayama and the others.
"Yes. It's enough for the two of you to protect Shion. Leave everything else to me."
Both Sakura and Naruto now possessed the Sage's Seal and could enter Sage Mode. Sakura had not only mastered the Seal but also the Strength of a Hundred Technique, which shared a source with the Seal—making her essentially an enhanced version of Tsunade.
As for Naruto, while he had yet to master the Nine-Tails' power, he was naturally compatible with the Sage's Seal. Like Hayama Shirakumo, he had mastered the second stage of the Seal's release. Combined with Jiraiya's teachings, his actual combat power was nearly on par with the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode from the original timeline.
With these two protecting Shion, Kakashi wouldn't have to worry about her while facing Mōryō.
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