Time slipped by.
In the blink of an eye, seven years had passed—
It was now Konoha Year 55.
Seven years wasn't long…
But the shinobi world had changed more than enough.
After Orochimaru defected and Jiraiya left the village, tension quietly returned to the borders. Friction between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, Land of Lightning, and Land of Earth kept increasing.
As for the Land of Water—
Because the Hidden Mist was still enforcing its Bloody Mist policy, it didn't openly turn against the Land of Fire.
And beyond the Five Great Nations, a new force had begun to surface: a mysterious organization whose members specialized in taking high-bounty missions. After completing several major contracts in a row, it started drawing attention across the shinobi world.
But the most important event of all—
In Konoha Year 53, Kumogakure signed a ceasefire agreement with Konoha.
The Land of Lightning sent envoys to negotiate.
But their real goal was never peace.
It was the Byakugan.
In the end, Hinata Hyūga was kidnapped.
Hiashi Hyūga killed the Kumogakure squad leader.
To "appease" Kumo's anger, the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi displayed the kind of leadership Konoha was famous for:
When something can't be endured… endure it anyway.
He forced Hizashi Hyūga—head of the Hyūga branch family—to take the blame and die, offering his corpse as an apology.
After that, even the Hyūga began to feel the pressure.
Ten years… at last
But for Uchiha Ren, these seven years were something else entirely.
Because this year marked the tenth year since he had set Konoha as his permanent sign-in location.
Next year—
He would finally be able to change it.
No longer trapped in one tiny corner of the world.
Back when he first set the permanent location, the System had made it crystal clear:
Once chosen, it could only be changed after ten years.
And now, the term was complete.
The dragon had endured long enough.
The Uchiha's decline
Konoha.
The Uchiha district.
Compared to seven years ago, the clan looked visibly weaker.
After the Military Police Force was pushed to the village's outskirts, their role degraded into something closer to "village enforcers." They were disliked by other factions… and resented by many civilians.
With ANBU and Root colluding in the shadows—tightening surveillance, tightening restrictions—the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha grew more explosive by the year.
On the surface, everything looked calm.
Underneath, it was already storm season.
Ren, meanwhile, kept doing what he always did:
Sign in. Train. Grow stronger.
Most days, he either trained Kurenai Yūhi and Yūgao Uzuki, or wandered off to quiet corners to scratch the local cats like nothing in the world mattered.
Seven years did change one thing—
Ren had grown to 193 cm, broad-shouldered and sharp-featured, with an oppressive presence that didn't need words.
The final 0.01%
In a courtyard, after finishing his daily training, Ren spoke calmly:
"System. Sign in—Uchiha district."
Ding!
Sign-in successful. Congratulations, User: obtained 1× Senzu Bean and 0.01% experience.
Ding!
Whitebeard Template is at 99.99%. With the additional 0.01%, it has reached 100%.
Ding!
Congratulations, User: you have fully fused the complete power of peak Whitebeard.
"…!"
Ren's eyes snapped open.
His breath came out long and heavy—half relief, half exhilaration.
It had taken seven years of grinding.
And the closer he got to completion, the stingier the System became.
In the end, it was handing him scraps—0.01% at a time.
But now?
Now it was done.
Whitebeard: 100%.
And during those seven years, it wasn't just Whitebeard.
Ren had also collected a ridiculous number of techniques through sign-ins—so many that even Hiruzen, the so-called "Professor," might not be able to match his total count anymore.
Mangekyō—without the curse
At some point, Ren's three-tomoe Sharingan had evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Not through trauma.
Not through loss.
Through a reward.
During a special-location sign-in, the System had given him a Three-Tomoe Evolution Card—a shortcut that bypassed the usual requirement of extreme emotional collapse and the "special chakra" born from it.
Ren used it without hesitation.
And just like that—
He awakened the Mangekyō.
The pattern was… surprisingly plain.
Not a fancy pinwheel. Not an intricate spiral.
Just a clean, minimal design—three tomoe, with the same stark simplicity as an ancient seal.
But the abilities?
They were anything but simple.
Left eye: Time AccelerationRight eye: Time Reversal
When he first sensed what he'd awakened, Ren was genuinely stunned.
Mangekyō abilities usually followed a kind of logic—reflecting the user's nature and specialty.
Shisui excelled at genjutsu → awakened Kotoamatsukami.
Itachi excelled at genjutsu and fire → awakened Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu.
Sasuke excelled at shape transformation → awakened Kagutsuchi.
So why did he get time itself?
It didn't make sense.
…Until he tested it.
And then he understood one thing very clearly:
It was disgusting.
It was terrifying.
And it consumed an equally disgusting amount of energy.
Even with a Sage Body, the backlash was heavy. The drain was obvious. The burden was real.
But still—
Ren could only think one thing.
Worth it.
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