Although the membership of the organization does not need to be overly secret, it's still inconvenient for me to disclose the full list now.
"You should already know about Tuishi and Majia, as well as their skills and strength," Uchiha Kiyo said calmly.
Yahiko, unable to hold back his curiosity, asked, "What about the leader? What's your identity or code name?"
Yahiko found it hard to believe that such a powerful ninja wouldn't have an alias known across the ninja world.
Uchiha Kiyo was momentarily stunned by the abrupt question.
Me? A codename?
"Blood Eyes Shura?" he thought briefly.
Such a tasteless and overbearing name had long been discarded.
Suddenly, as if an idea struck him, the corner of his lips curled into a mysterious smile.
"Me? I am the Immortal Organization's—Dao Ancestor."
"Dao Ancestor?" Yahiko repeated inwardly, confused.
What kind of name was that? What did it even mean?
To someone unfamiliar with the concept of "Dao" or universal laws, Yahiko couldn't comprehend the depth behind the title. But that didn't stop him from understanding the weight it carried.
Because the moment Uchiha Kiyo uttered that name, the world responded.
Dark clouds surged in the sky. Lightning flashed, thunder cracked ominously, fierce winds howled around them, and even the sea churned in turmoil—as though it had been stirred to wrath. The air itself grew thick and heavy with pressure.
It felt as if the heavens themselves had been provoked by that title.
Then, without warning, a thunderbolt ripped through the sky, crackling with divine fury, and plummeted toward Uchiha Kiyo like judgment from the heavens.
Yahiko's instincts screamed that this was divine punishment—retribution from the world itself.
But Uchiha Kiyo didn't panic.
Natural energy converged rapidly around him, and a shimmering azure spear formed in his grasp. As the thunderbolt approached, Kiyo thrust the spear upward with unwavering focus.
The tip of the spear erupted with overwhelming energy—combining water, fire, earth, wind, and lightning chakra. The five elements swirled together in perfect harmony, focused and compressed into a single devastating point.
Explode!
A brilliant light burst forth. The explosive force of the five elements met the divine thunder head-on. The two forces collided and canceled each other out, disappearing into silence.
There was no widespread destruction, but Yahiko instinctively understood the magnitude of what had occurred.
In that instant, space itself had trembled. He had witnessed space distort.
Uchiha Kiyo stood firm, spear in hand, eyes lifted toward the heavens.
"What? Even the heavens can't tolerate me as Dao Ancestor?" he muttered mockingly.
As if responding to his defiance, the clouds slowly dispersed, the wind calmed, and the waves subsided.
The entire world returned to stillness within moments. No one outside Qingzhidao noticed what had transpired, brushing it off as a sudden weather anomaly.
But Yahiko, standing there, understood differently.
"So powerful..." he whispered in awe.
This... was this even a ninja?
Yahiko marveled at Uchiha Kiyo's sheer might while his mind reeled, questioning everything he thought he knew about ninjas.
Uchiha Kiyo appeared unshaken on the surface, but deep inside, he was unsettled.
"Was that... a heavenly tribulation?"
A thunderbolt born of the ninja world itself—targeting him just for claiming the title of Dao Ancestor?
"If just that was enough to provoke such a response, what happens if I really ascend to the Jindan stage? Am I going to get struck down then?"
The thought chilled him.
The power behind that thunderstrike had been immense. It had taken everything he had—his strongest technique—to neutralize it. If a real tribulation came, and multiple such bolts descended together...
Even surviving seven or eight of them would be doubtful.
"No... This isn't something I can ignore anymore."
Until now, Uchiha Kiyo had focused solely on pursuing longevity, refining and expanding the Immortal Cultivation System without consideration for tribulations.
But this incident shattered that illusion.
There was a price for walking the path of defying heaven.
In Immortal Cultivation, the flaw in the pursuit of eternal life was placed in the form of tribulations. Pass it, and the road ahead opened wide.
"So I'm still far from Jindan..." he admitted silently.
The divine lightning was too strong. Still, could there be value in understanding it better?
"Could I comprehend the power of that lightning? Improve my Thunder Techniques from it?"
"Thunder Tribulation Body Forging"—he'd read that concept somewhere. But now, after experiencing the might of true divine lightning, he was hesitant.
"My body may be strong," he considered, "but even I can't withstand that kind of force. A single mistake and I could be obliterated before rebirth has a chance."
No, direct forging with tribulation lightning was too dangerous.
But the principle made sense.
If he couldn't use tribulation lightning to strengthen his body, then at the very least, he needed to prepare his body to endure it.
"Tribulation intensity is uncertain," he reasoned. "If it can't be evaded, or if it's a tracking lightning… I need to be able to take a hit."
The thunder from earlier wasn't ordinary lightning. There was a power within it—a law of nature, something Kiyo had yet to master.
"Perhaps... that was the rule. The heavenly law."
Kiyo fell into deep thought.
Yahiko, seeing Uchiha Kiyo lost in contemplation, didn't disturb him. Instead, he walked aside and began recovering his strength quietly.
"I'll have to visit the Holy Land sometime," Kiyo resolved inwardly. "At least learn what level of strength attracts heavenly punishment. Or what methods of cultivation invoke the tribulation. Since it exists in this world, it must've happened before—maybe a thousand years ago, or longer."
With that resolution, Uchiha Kiyo vowed to investigate deeper into history and the true rules governing longevity.
---
Under Uchiha's persuasion, Yahiko temporarily abandoned thoughts of returning to the outside world and remained on the island to cultivate in secret.
As a result, Yahiko's resurrection remained hidden.
At the same time, Yahiko's "death," Akatsuki's transformation, and the fall of Amegakure—all of it remained shrouded, carefully concealed by Uchiha Madara, Yun, and Konan.
Yet the members of Akatsuki believed Konoha already knew.
Or at least certain people in Konoha.
And those individuals—they would be the targets of vengeance.
No, not just those few people.
All of Konoha.
They would all be held accountable.
Just wait. When Akatsuki rises to its full strength, no one in Konoha will be spared.
---
Later that day, Heishui finally located Yun.
"Yun! I'm glad you're safe. Your chakra signature was fading fast—I feared the worst."
Seeing Yun uninjured brought a genuine look of relief to Heishui's face.
The two had been comrades since Akatsuki's founding. Heishui had no desire to lose Yun now.
"I broke through. My Chongtong evolved, and I used it to evade pursuit," Yun replied simply.
Heishui nodded. No reason to doubt it.
Kekkei Genkai, especially ones involving body mutation, could possess all sorts of unique traits. And Yun's twin pupils were known for stealth and evasion.
Outrageous, sure—but plausible.
But then, memories from the previous night surged up in Heishui's mind.
His face paled.
"The one I fought... had powerful Fire Release and extremely refined taijutsu. There were hints of Konoha-style movement in his techniques."
No surprise.
After all, Uchiha Madara's taijutsu carried remnants of Konoha's traditional combat.
Just as naturally, both Yun and Uchiha Madara placed the blame on Konoha.
And Konoha had no choice but to bear it.
With its long record—especially under Danzo's Root—the assumption wasn't far-fetched.
There's an old saying:
"Once a dog, always a dog."
"Better to assume guilt than innocence."
"Better to wrong a thousand than let one go."
---
This shared sentiment wasn't coincidence.
Weakening Konoha was a goal shared by both Madara and Kiyo.
To achieve true peace, the strongest hidden village had to be brought down. Otherwise, even overwhelming personal strength could be overwhelmed by numbers.
Uchiha Kiyo, meanwhile, had another motive.
The Uchiha Clan.
"When poor, tend your own house. When rich, govern the world."
Uchiha Kiyo embodied this belief.
Before, he lacked the power and the means. Now, things were different.
Rescuing the Uchiha Clan was his next mission.
Changing history—starting with Itachi.
But it couldn't stop there.
If Konoha's power dwindled while the Uchiha remained untouched, then when the power balance evened out, the threat of annihilation would fade.
At that point, the Uchiha Clan could declare independence entirely.
To create a new order, someone had to enforce it.
The Uchiha had decades of experience as Konoha's police force. They were more than qualified.
---
Once Heishui confirmed Yun was truly unharmed, the two made their way back to Amegakure.
In the ruined tower of the village, Nagato held Yahiko's lifeless body and ascended to its highest floor. Placing Yahiko down, he stood still in solemn reflection.
But the strain from summoning the Demonic Statue had been too great.
His body, already overtaxed, gave out. He collapsed where he stood.
Konan entered quietly, lifted Nagato into a resting place, and began instructing Akatsuki's remaining jonin to dismiss the Gedo Statue and clean up what remained of Amegakure…
the completed book is available on Patreon.
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