After Fukashi's departure, the remaining clansmen quickly moved to recover the deceased and salvage whatever valuable equipment and resources remained on the field.
Noticing Naka's deeply frustrated expression, Arashi intercepted a chunin who was approaching the young warrior. He whispered to the scout, trading messages back and forth before sending him off. Arashi nodded, patting the chunin on the shoulder with a heavy solemnity.
"Naka... we lost a total of thirty-two chunin and nine jonin clansmen," Arashi said, forcing a reassuring smile as he slung his arm over Naka's shoulder. "If it wasn't for you, we might have been completely wiped out. It's all thanks to your eyes, Naka."
However, Arashi's comforting words did absolutely nothing to lift Naka's dark mood.
"Arashi..." Naka muttered despondently, staring at his blood-stained hands. "Is this truly going to be the eternal fate of our people? Living out our lives as the obedient dogs of the Senju and Konoha? Are we doomed to remain mere side characters in their story forever?"
Arashi pulled his arm back, turning to face him fully. "Are you seriously sulking over this again, Naka? Don't think too deeply about it. Let the elders wrestle with the politics and just focus on the task at hand here."
But Naka was insistent. "Look around us, Arashi! All of our elders, and even the clan leader himself, are spineless. They don't know how to speak up for the clan in front of the village council. They only know how to take a step back! Where will that leaves us in the next ten years? I might still be strong enough to maintain my self, but what about the rest of our colleagues? Our future generations? They will get accustomed to constantly giving in to the village's demands, always accepting a loss against them! We must do something about it! Our generation must!"
"Seriously, Naka? You heard exactly what Fukashi-sama said," Arashi countered, his tone hardening. "The clan needs a stable Konoha to survive. Escalating the conflict right now will do far more harm than good for us."
"You know exactly how Fukashi-sama is!" Naka argued fiercely. "He loathes politics. That's why he gave up his claim to the Clan Leader position in the first place! And what do you think he'll do now? He will just blindly follow the leader's decisions. Remember how he turned down the most opportune moment to reform the Police Force? All for the sake of his so-called 'bigger picture'!"
"Then we can simply wait for Shinichi-dono to grow and take the reins."
Naka shook his head, his teeth grinding. "By then, it will be far too late!"
"Then what the hell are you suggesting?!" Arashi erupted, his patience snapping. "A coup against Konoha? Overthrowing the clan leader? Starting an outright civil war? Cool your head, Naka! If you harbor any of those twisted ideas, you will have to go through me first!"
The two young Uchiha faced off, the air growing heavy as both of their Sharingans flared to life, glaring intensely at one another. Their heated interaction drew a crowd. Seeing the tension, other clansmen began to openly argue with each other, dividing along lines of aggression and caution.
Realizing things were rapidly spiraling out of control, Arashi broke eye contact first. He stepped back and loudly ordered the Second Division to depart immediately to scout their path, while commanding the Seventh Division to pack up the remaining gear and prepare to march back to the oasis fortress in the north—Konoha's Suna Front Headquarters.
Naka, however, stood frozen on the spot. Without anyone there to properly contain his rage or cool his thoughts, his mind began to dangerously churn. His Sharingan spun with frantic, erratic speed, the tomoe bleeding together until they locked into his distinct Mangekyō Sharingan pattern. Through a slightly blurred, degrading vision, he scanned the disappointed and frustrated faces of the Second Division as they began to march away.
'How much longer can we even maintain this level of strength?' Naka thought desperately. 'We have already lost Kagami. Fukashi-sama and Naori... how much longer will their vision last? Is this why Fukashi-sama is so hesitant to escalate the conflict? Because our eyes are in their twilight? We will only continue to go blind the more we use our dōjutsu. If we don't strike now, when will our clan ever possess a lineup this powerful again?'
"Arashi," Naka called out, closing the distance between them once more. "Our clan is at its most critical moment—"
"I told you, Naka," Arashi cut him off, an expression of annoyance crossing his face. "Let the elders and Fukashi-sama figure it out."
"We cannot afford to remain this passive, Arashi," Naka continued, his Mangekyō Sharingan wide open and exuding a heavy pressure into the air. "We must be active. We are the present and the future of the Uchiha. We—"
"NAKA! ENOUGH!" Arashi shouted, turning on him. "Who is actually going to listen to us in the clan, except for a handful of hotheads? We are still deep in enemy territory! We can discuss this later when we are back home!"
"So be it..." Naka whispered, his voice dropping into a chilling, hollow register. "If you are going to get in my way... your life was something I granted you anyway. Watch me from above as I restore the true glory of our clan. I will take control of the Uchiha myself, and lead us back to the peak. With these eyes and Kamimusubi, our ascension is a certainty!"
PUCHII!
"Na... Naka... y-you..."
Arashi stammered, his eyes widening in sheer, unadulterated shock. He weakly grasped at the cold steel blade protruding from the center of his chest. His knees buckled, and his body slid limply down the length of the sword, collapsing heavily into the sand.
"!!!"
"Arashi!"
"Naka, what have you done?!"
"DON'T GET IN MY WAY!!!" Naka roared.
BOOM!!!!
KUAAACK!!
A violent explosion of kinetic chakra erupted from his form. Before the surrounding clansmen could even react, four Uchiha jonin fell heavily to the desert floor, clutching their chests in agony, expressions of utter disbelief written all over their dying faces. Their hearts had been pierced wtih Kunais.
"Ahaha... AHAHAHAHAHA!" Naka burst into a manic, echoing laughter, his hands gripping his face as tears streamed down his cheeks. "This is what I should have done from the very beginning! I will rewrite the fate of our clan! I will lead the Uchiha to the apex once more!"
Just as the Seventh Division lost their words and froze in absolute horror at Naka's sudden outburst, Uchiha Naori materialized a short distance behind him. Right on her heels, the remaining Uchiha clansmen from the Suna frontline converged on the scene. Naori stood entirely paralyzed, her face draining of color as utter disbelief washed over her.
"Naori…" Naka muttered, his voice hollow as he sensed her presence. "Are you here to stop me too?"
Naori tried to find her voice, but seeing Arashi and their four other close friends lying completely lifeless in the sand beside Naka, she bit her lower lip with fierce determination. Forcing her emotions down, she barked a sharp command for the surrounding clansmen to fall back and retreat. In a single, fluid motion, she drew her tanto, holding the blade horizontally in front of her chest.
"If you plan to oppose me… then you leave me with no choice!" Naka warned, expecting the sharp hiss of a blade slicing toward him.
He spun around to meet her assault, but the strike he anticipated never came.
Clang~!!!
Naori closed her eyes, letting her grip loosen as her tanto slipped from her fingers, its blade embedding itself deeply into the desert sand. Extending her open hands, she opened her eyes once more and took a slow, deliberate step forward.
"Naka… it isn't too late to turn back," Naori pleaded, her voice trembling. "Don't fall any deeper into the darkness!"
"Naori…" Naka stared down at the discarded weapon before locking eyes with her.
Within her irises, her unique, flower-like Mangekyō Sharingan was spinning sluggishly. A heavy tear of blood began to pool at the corner of her eyelid and trail down her cheek.
"I… what have I done?!" Naka cried out, his mind fracturing under the sudden weight of his own atrocity.
Naori continued her slow, gentle approach, her hand stretched out in an offer of salvation. "Come, Naka. Let's resolve this mess together and go home. Let's return to our clan."
"Home… Clan… No! It's mine to decide!" Naka's eyes snapped wide.
Izanagi!
In an instant, Naka's physical form turned entirely illusory, vanishing into thin air just as Naori's hand was about to touch his shoulder. He materialized a split second later right beside her, his sword tracing a lethal arc as he ruthlessly slashed her down.
"You! You tried to use your dōjutsu to bind my mind!" Naka screamed, completely misinterpreting her intentions.
Naori collapsed heavily into the blood-soaked sand, her face twisted in profound sadness and physical agony. Crimson blood poured from her left eye, staining her pale skin. She looked up at Naka one final time. Closing her right eye, she snapped it open. The sclera immediately turned bloodshot as a fresh wave of chakra erupted from her form.
Minakanushi (first of 3 creation gods)
The world around them violently distorted. Time itself buckled.
Suddenly, the timeline folded back on itself. Naori found herself approaching Naka's figure from behind once more as he spun around to face her. Just like before, Naori purposely dropped her blade into the sand and extended an open hand.
"Naori… you!" Naka snarled, the severe sense of deja vu driving him mad. "Why are you also getting in my way?!"
"…Naka, it is not too late to go back," Naori said, her words echoing perfectly from the previous loop. "Come, let's resolve this in peace. We don't need to spill each other's blood."
"… THEN JUST FOLLOW ME!" Naka shouted, his voice cracking with manic desperation. "I can ensure that our clan never suffers under the Senju again! No more dying in pointless wars! We can become the rulers of this world! Imagine it, Naori! The entire world resting beneath the heel of the Uchiha clan! With my Izanagi and Kamimusubi, our clan is destined for greatness!"
Naori simply shook her head, expressing profound disappointment.
"Naka, remember what Fukashi and Sosuke-sama always warned us. Our dōjutsu is not invincible. Do not lose yourself to this power."
"You just don't understand! There is a clear path to victory right in front of us! Why won't you just stand with me?! Why can't you see this?! UAAHHHHHHH!"
Unleashing a furious and frustrated battle cry, Naka lunged forward, charging at Naori with unbridled rage.
Once again, Naori stood perfectly still, letting Naka's sword strike her down without offering a shred of resistance. Her right eye began to bleed profusely once more.
Minakanushi!
The universe reset. Naka spun around, the phantom feeling of slicing through her still lingering on his hands.
"Naori… this is a total waste of time," Naka breathed, his voice ragged. "Give up. Your time reversal… you are wasting your dōjutsu! You clearly cannot defeat me in combat! Save your strength for our true enemies!"
"I cannot do that," Naori replied softly, her posture unyielding.
"You stubborn fool!"
Naka's head dropped, a heavy shadow looming over his face. His chakra turned deeply sinister, a suffocating, malicious killing intent flooding the surrounding area.
"Once you exhaust your dōjutsu from these continuous time reversals, you won't be able to stop me anyway! I will just have to kill you here, and then I will revive you with Izanagi once I achieve my ultimate goal! Haarghhh!"
With completely unhinged brutality, Uchiha Naka struck Naori down yet again.
Minakanushi!
Once more, the two returned to their original position.
"Naka, it is still not too late."
"It's too late for me now!" Naka shrieked, his mind unraveling in the repeating temporal prison. "My hands are already soaked with the blood of our clansmen! Arashi's blood is on me!"
Puchiii.
Minakanushi!
"Naka—"
"Shut UP!"
Slash!!!
Minakanushi
"There is no need to continue."
"JUST GIVE UP ALREADY!!!"
Slash!!!
Minakanushi
"Naka"
Uzume!
Izanagi!
"I told you! your dojutsu won't work as long as I have Izanagi!"
Slash!
Minakanushi.
The temporal snapping finally stopped. Uchiha Naka slowly turned around, heavily panting as he pointed the trembling tip of his sword directly at Naori's throat. Because of Izanagi, his physical wounds had healed and his chakra had technically returned to its baseline pool.
Yet, his physical complexion had turned deathly pale. His eyes no longer held a spark of righteous resolve, and his breathing was anything but calm. He was a shell of a man, mentally suffocating within a nightmare he couldn't slash his way out of.