At the exact moment Uratarō was beheaded by Kamui—triggering Urashiki's forced resurrection—
A lightning train sped from the Land of Fire back toward the Land of Lightning.
Inside one of the cabins, Yoroi stared out at the retreating nightscape, deep in thought.
Should I tell the Raikage about this strange mark…?
During the second round of the Chūnin Exams, he had been overwhelmingly defeated by Yuki. Exhausted, he'd fallen asleep on the rooftop.
When he woke up, the world had changed.
He had been selected as the next candidate for the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki—and the bull-head pendant Killer B had given him shattered.
It was his most treasured possession.
He had no idea how to explain it to his master.
Worse—there was now a strange blue diamond-shaped mark on his chest.
At first, he assumed it was some prank—someone drawing on him while he slept.
But it wouldn't wash off.
What truly unsettled him was the burning sensation around the mark whenever he used chakra.
It felt disturbingly similar to the resonance between a jinchūriki's seal and a tailed beast's chakra.
Which meant—
This mark was likely some kind of seal.
Anxiety churned in him.
But alongside it… excitement.
Yoroi loved fantasies.
What if—just what if—this mark is a gift from the Sage of Six Paths?
Or some similar legendary being?
What if I've been chosen?
Like the protagonist of a novel!
The delusion snowballed.
A catastrophe will soon strike the shinobi world!
A foe greater than Madara himself will appear!
The Sage foresaw this and urgently chose a successor!
He chose me! Talented, ambitious me!
Perhaps being just a jinchūriki would've wasted my potential—so he granted me Six Paths power directly!
Yes! My era as savior has begun!
"Ah!"
A searing pain from his chest shattered the fantasy.
He rushed into the restroom and lifted his shirt.
The blue mark was fading.
"No… my Six Paths power…!"
It vanished completely.
And so did his dream.
(For clarity: Yoroi had been Urashiki's backup vessel. When Uratarō died and forced resurrection activated, excess Kāma marks were automatically erased to prevent multiple personalities—this follows official Kāma mechanics.)
He stepped back into the cabin.
"Sigh… I guess I'll just inherit Gyūki's power the normal way…"
Lost in disappointment, he bumped into a towering figure.
The man was tall—Yoroi barely reached his waist.
Black robe. Silver half-mask. Long white hair.
A rectangular case in hand.
Under the mask, narrow black eyes regarded him coolly.
"Sleepwalking?"
"Ah—sorry! Sorry!"
Yoroi scurried back to his seat.
The white-haired man continued down the carriage.
He stopped beside a lone blue-haired man sitting by the window.
Set the case down beside him.
Then took the seat directly behind.
Without turning fully, the blue-haired man—his right eye covered by a black eyepatch—spoke.
"Kashin Koji… I didn't expect someone of your standing to appear in person."
Koji replied evenly.
"A situation arose that requires it."
"We've… lost something."
"I see. A major incident."
"The elders are panicking. They never understood how it worked in the first place."
The blue-haired man gave a dry chuckle.
"And what would you have me do? I'm merely a ghost who abandoned the shinobi path."
Koji smiled faintly.
"You're too modest, Ao."
"You flawlessly stole Katasuke's scientific ninja tool technology without raising suspicion."
"That's far beyond simple genjutsu manipulation."
"I hold you in high regard."
Ao glanced at the case.
"So what is the assignment? Retrieval of the 'vessel'?"
"No."
"That's for Inner members."
"This task is of equal importance."
Ao's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Equal to vessel retrieval?"
Koji folded his arms.
"A new figure has emerged in the shinobi world."
"Uchiha Akira."
"Officially, Momoshiki and Kinshiki were defeated by Naruto and Sasuke."
"But our intelligence says otherwise."
"The leader is very interested."
Koji produced a black eyepiece device.
"Amado's creation."
"Scientific Ninja Tool — Byakugan Amplifier."
"Enhanced field of vision."
"Wide-scale ninjutsu absorption."
"Built-in micro-camera."
"We'll receive real-time visual data."
Ao understood.
"You want me to find Uchiha Akira."
"And fight him."
Ao let out a breath.
"If he truly killed Momoshiki and Kinshiki…"
"Isn't this suicide?"
"Perhaps," Koji admitted.
"But if you survive and deliver valuable data…"
"You'll be promoted to Inner."
"And personally—I'd prefer you not die."
"The case beside you contains the most advanced weaponry available."
Ao tapped the box lightly.
"Where?"
"Cloud Gate Mountain, in the Land of Lightning."
"His residence is there."
Ah.
So that's why the rendezvous was on this train.
Ao replaced his old eyepatch with the scientific one.
"A home," he muttered. "For shinobi, that's optional."
"And if he doesn't show?"
"Consider it a vacation."
Ao snorted softly.
"I see. Thoroughly arranged."
Koji's expression grew serious.
"Your mission begins the moment you step off the train."
"Press the activation button."
"The recording is essential."
"For your Inner evaluation."
So this train ride—
My last moment of freedom.
"Koji. One question."
"Go on."
"How is there an Inner vacancy?"
"Victor is dead."
Ao blinked.
"That greedy old man who stuffed his dwarf body with cells seeking immortality?"
"Dead?"
"Perhaps ill-gotten gains come due," Koji replied.
Then his tone shifted.
"Another question, Ao."
"How did you survive the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb at the Allied HQ?"
"And what belief made you abandon the shinobi world… for Kara?"
Ao's face remained unreadable.
"Must I answer?"
"No. Personal curiosity."
A pause.
"My answer is… not now."
Koji smiled faintly.
"Very well."
Two fingers rose.
His form dissolved into dark crimson flame.
Gone.
Moments later, the announcement chimed:
"The Lightning Train is arriving at its final destination, the Land of Lightning…"
Ao retrieved a mechanical bird from his coat.
Bit his finger.
Wrote a short message in blood.
Inserted the scroll.
Released the bird into the stormy night.
The train stopped.
Ao stepped onto the platform.
Pressed the eyepiece activation button.
His right hand slipped into his coat pocket.
Mr. Akira.
The day has finally come.
Konoha — Rain-Soaked Alley
White mist dissipated.
Ōtsutsuki Urashiki stood fully restored.
Rage twisted his face.
"You cowardly insects!"
"Look what you've done!"
He glared up at Obito and kaze standing on the rooftop.
And in the next instant—
He made his move.
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