Chapter 286: Clouds Gather
Nightfall
A golden figure moved through the makeshift training ground carved out on Turtle Island, reveling in his newest reserves of power.
The golden shape blurred through the field like a streak of light, too fast to properly track.
"That idiot's been running around out there all day. Doesn't he ever think about resting?"
The red-haired girl crouched at the edge of the training ground, yawning, watching the dizzying golden blur.
"He needs to get comfortable with this power as fast as possible, right now."
"He's already come a long way from where he started."
Yuki sat beside Karin, calmly chewing on a ration bar.
Once this business was finished, she'd be confined back in Konoha again.
Not that it mattered much. There'd never been any way for her to stop Naruto from mastering the Nine-Tails' power in the first place. Even if she'd killed herself outright, Konoha would have found some way to dig the relevant knowledge on tailed-beast training out of her mind regardless.
Better to use something she couldn't have prevented anyway to squeeze a little advantage out of it for herself. Even if all she got out of it was a slightly wider leash back in Konoha — no longer confined to that cramped little Uzumaki annex tower.
Karin glanced at Yuki beside her and said nothing further.
She hadn't expected the Two-Tails jinchūriki from Kumo to be this cooperative.
Though with Naruto having already achieved Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Yuki's remaining leverage had dropped considerably anyway.
And besides, Karin was confident that even if the Two-Tails jinchūriki beside her went berserk, she could contain her without much trouble. The Adamantine Sealing Chains countered every tailed beast, after all — arguably even more reliably than the Sharingan itself.
...
Sakura, meanwhile, hadn't been idle either. She was operating on Sasuke.
An eye transplant.
Whether Itachi had held back deliberately in their fight, or been genuinely defeated by Sasuke's now-dramatically-strengthened abilities, his eyes had always been destined to end up in Sasuke's hands one way or another.
Looking through Sasuke's own Mangekyō — clouded now, showing real wear — Sakura could tell his eyes, which carried a fate-altering dōjutsu of their own, were nearly at their limit.
Clearly, in the fight against Itachi, he'd used Amatsukami and Kotoamatsukami more than once.
"Sakura, are we really doing this? Putting these eyes in?"
Inside the tent, lit only by a dim oil lamp, Sasuke stared at the pink-haired woman holding a specially preserved container with a pair of Sharingan eyes inside, and felt more than a little unsettled.
These were Itachi's eyes.
After defeating him, at Sakura's instruction — and per Itachi's own dying wish — Sasuke had taken his eyes, then buried the body himself, on the spot.
But the thought of actually putting his enemy's eyes into his own skull left Sasuke deeply uncomfortable, no matter how he looked at it.
"Once these eyes are in, there's an extremely important mission you'll need to carry out on your own."
"There's a good chance you'll need to use your dōjutsu for it."
"And by that point, I probably won't be able to break away and keep replenishing your eye strength with Yang Release."
"Which means you need the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. There's no way around it."
The pink-haired woman explained, cleaning her hands under the dim lamplight as she spoke.
"Right now, you're the only one in Konoha who can carry out this particular mission."
"Just think of it as a favor to me."
Sasuke didn't push back further. He simply gave a low grunt of acknowledgment.
He'd already resolved, three years ago, to become this woman's blade. There was no version of himself now that would refuse a request from her.
Even if it meant taking his enemy's eyes.
The one thing that stung, faintly, was knowing that once this was done, Sakura probably wouldn't need to keep topping off his eye strength with Yang Release anymore.
Once the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan took hold, he'd have — like Madara Uchiha before him — essentially limitless eye power.
An Eternal Mangekyō holder was no longer bound by the usual constraints of dōjutsu fatigue.
"Do you need anesthesia?"
Sakura held the container with Itachi's eyes and looked at Sasuke.
"...Yeah. Anesthesia would be good."
Sasuke fell silent for a beat. He sometimes genuinely couldn't understand why Sakura asked questions this strange.
An eye transplant obviously meant removing the original eyes and installing new ones. Without anesthesia, that would hurt. A lot.
He didn't consider himself the kind of masochist who enjoyed pain.
Was she expecting me to just swap them out like plug-and-play hardware?
Sakura felt a small twinge of disappointment. Some part of her had genuinely wondered whether Sasuke might handle it the way Madara supposedly had — gouging out and swapping his own eyes without so much as a wince, then getting straight back into a fight.
"So — are you ready?"
"I'm going to put you under now."
Sakura looked at him and said it plainly.
That left Sasuke faintly puzzled. If she was going to anesthetize him, why bother announcing it first?
"Ah, I'm read—"
Before he could finish the sentence, a sharp knife-hand chop, cutting through the air, landed clean on the back of his neck.
Caught completely off guard, Sasuke had no chance to react at all — his eyes rolled back, and he crumpled onto the bed, unconscious.
"Well. Physical anesthesia's still anesthesia."
"And it works faster, too."
Sakura looked at Sasuke, now fully out cold, with satisfaction.
She picked up Itachi's eyes and moved toward him.
Gold chakra flame kindled across her fingers, and under the dim light of the oil lamp, she reached toward his eyes...
...
Ten minutes later, the transplant was complete.
Sakura looked at Sasuke, bandages now wrapped around his eyes, and nodded with satisfaction.
Compared to the original story, this Sasuke had her own Yang Release to draw on, which would cut the time needed to fully develop the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan by more than half.
Forming the Eternal Mangekyō wasn't simply a matter of removing one set of eyes and putting in another. It required a fusion of Yin Release eye-power between blood relatives — a collision and merging of two separate Yin dōjutsu, distilling out something purer and stronger than either alone.
But with her own Yang Release now feeding directly into the process, it would move considerably faster.
Her hand, wreathed in gold flame, rested over the bandaged eyes, and she could clearly sense Itachi's dormant eye-power beginning to fuse with Sasuke's own Yin Release.
"How's it going?"
Hikaru, who'd been keeping watch outside the whole time, stepped in and asked, looking at the scene before her.
"Going well."
"By tomorrow morning, Sasuke should have a brand-new Mangekyō."
"At that point, you might not even be a match for him anymore."
Sakura teased, glancing at Hikaru.
"Tch. He's got another eight hundred years to go before he can beat me."
Hikaru clearly wasn't thrilled with that remark, and shot an irritated glance at the unconscious Sasuke on the bed.
"Speaking of which — Sasuke gets Itachi's eyes to complete his Eternal Mangekyō and escape the whole 'darkness curse' issue that comes with it."
Sakura, ignoring the edge in Hikaru's tone, kept her Yang Release flowing while turning to look at her.
"What about you? You awakened your Mangekyō centuries ago."
"You must have burned through it plenty of times back then, haven't you?"
Sakura still remembered — that gorge they'd found Hikaru's coffin sealed inside had clearly been cut clean through by a single, massive blade strike.
Obviously the work of Hikaru's fully-formed Susanoo.
And more recently — against Yomi, Hikaru had used her full Susanoo again. Three years ago, facing off with Itachi, she'd gone toe-to-toe with him using Tsukuyomi directly. At the Five Kage summit, she'd used both Amaterasu and Yachiho back to back.
No matter how vast Hikaru's reserve of eye-power was, by now it had to be running thin.
Hikaru said nothing at that, simply sitting down off to the side without a word.
Her dark, bright eyes glimmered like polished gems under the dim lamplight — though whether she could actually see clearly through them right now was something only Hikaru herself knew.
She glanced, as if by accident, toward the pink-haired woman not far off, an inner conflict brewing behind her expression.
This pink-haired brat...
Why isn't she saying anything...
Hikaru knew perfectly well that Sakura could replenish a Mangekyō holder's eye power. Bringing up the topic like this clearly meant she was considering offering exactly that.
But—
Why isn't she just saying it already?
Is she going to make me ask first?
Have I no pride left?
Ugh...
Should I... just ask her myself?
No, no — not "ask." "Request," politely...
"If you need it, I can help restore your eye power once we're back in Konoha."
As if in passing, Sakura's green eyes glanced over at Hikaru, a hint of amusement in them, watching her sit alone in the corner, visibly wrestling with herself.
"You said it yourself. I never asked—"
Hikaru jumped in immediately, as though afraid the pink-haired woman would take the offer back.
"Of course..."
"There are conditions attached."
I knew it. I KNEW this brat wasn't just being generous out of nowhere!
Hikaru wailed internally, and her thoughts drifted, unwillingly, back to whatever had happened in the Hokage's office before all this. She still felt conflicted about it.
Something about this woman isn't like a normal girl.
Or — maybe — she's a little... bent that way.
She'd forced herself to bury the memory of what had happened in that office, but the fact remained: it had happened, and there was no unmaking it now.
If... this woman... wants me...
What do I even do...
Should I refuse first, then let myself be talked into it...
I mean, she's not bad looking, honestly...
And we're both women, so there's no risk of children...
I'll just tell myself I got licked by a dog and move on.
Wait — she's a top-tier medical ninja. Who knows what she could pull off. There could actually BE a child, somehow!
Ugh...
If there is a child...
Would it be surname Haruno... or Uchiha?
Gah! This is so annoying!
Damn this pink-haired menace!
"It has to take my surname!"
"That's non-negotiable!"
As if steeling herself for some enormous decision, Hikaru's face went bright red in the dim lamplight, but her tone left absolutely no room for argument.
She'd already made up her mind. This condition would not, under any circumstances, be changed.
Otherwise — her family line would simply die out!
"...?!?!"
Sakura stared at Hikaru, utterly bewildered.
What surname? What is she even talking about?
I genuinely don't understand a single word of that.
I was just asking her not to refuse when Konoha needs her.
Does this woman actually want Konoha to take HER surname or something?
That's outrageous!
"Not happening. Whatever's mine stays mine."
"No one's taking it from me."
Sakura shook her head firmly.
WHAT?!
Hikaru stared at the pink-haired woman flatly refusing her, an expression of pure grief crossing her face.
This absolute bastard!
Not only does she want my body, she wants any kid to take HER name too?!
What does that make ME?!
Am I really the kind of woman who'd sell herself out for a little eye-power?!
Hikaru glared at Sakura, teeth grinding, the joints of her pale hand cracking audibly as her fist clenched.
This—
This—
This pink-haired menace isn't even HUMAN!
Dead pervert! Filthy dog! Damn pink-hair!
Her gaze suddenly drifted to the unconscious Sasuke, and her expression shifted rapidly through several stages of horror.
What if she uses this evil little Uchiha brat as leverage against me?!
Hikaru's face cycled through a dozen expressions in the span of a second.
She felt, right now, exactly like a cat being held by the scruff of its neck — utterly at someone else's mercy, no matter how she struggled.
"Fine. The kid takes your name. But you're not laying a hand on this brat."
The dark-haired, striking young woman bit down on her lip, eyes carrying a lingering trace of grief and despair, looking every bit the innocent maiden trapped in the clutches of some wealthy, sleazy old man.
"...?!?!"
"What are you even talking about?"
"I help restore your eye power, and in exchange you do a few things for me. What does any of that have to do with children?"
Sakura genuinely could not follow this woman's train of thought at all.
Figures — someone with a Mangekyō naturally comes with a screw loose somewhere.
Jesus. This one's actually unhinged.
Should I loop back around and treat her for it later?
"...?!?!"
"!!!"
Hikaru stared at Sakura blankly.
Wait — what did she just say?
Her expression cycled through several more shifts before she finally, slowly, understood what Sakura had actually meant.
So — she doesn't want me at all?
She wasn't even interested in my body?
!!!
Damn this pink-haired menace!
You weren't interested in me?! Then why was that whole thing in the office so — so — SUGGESTIVE?!
What was that even about?!
Was that just stringing me along for fun?!
Ugh! Ugh! UGH!
Heh...
I see how it is. Someone new caught your eye, huh.
That Yuki girl, right?
Makes sense — cool, distant, gorgeous, that whole untouchable ice-queen energy.
Exactly the type to reel in a dog like you.
You two disappeared together for a whole day just a couple days ago — off having a grand old time somewhere, weren't you?
"Heh, heh. Well, I suppose that's how it is, then."
"New love beats old love, after all~"
Hikaru's reaction left Sakura at a complete loss for words.
Is something actually wrong with this woman?
What is even happening right now?
Yep. Confirmed. Every Uchiha who unlocks the Mangekyō comes with some kind of mental defect.
I genuinely cannot follow how any of their brains work.
"Good, if you actually understand it now. This was getting exhausting on my end too."
Sakura decided to just let the topic go entirely.
Trading eye-power restoration for Hikaru's continued cooperation was a good deal regardless. Though she still didn't know exactly how strong Hikaru's Yin Release actually was, or how much Yang Release she'd need to pour in to fully refill it.
"Right. Heh. Well, that's how it is, then."
Hikaru shot Sakura a cold smile, then turned and walked straight out of the tent without another word.
Confirmed. Confirmed. This pink-haired menace is an absolute pervert.
Watching her go, Sakura only frowned further.
She's got it worse than I thought.
Might need to be a bit more aggressive with treatment for this one.
Extreme cases call for extreme measures, after all.
Hmm...
Electroshock therapy?
Worth a try.
Once Sasuke's free, maybe get him to cosplay as the Raikage's Lightning Release and give her a jolt.
A literal jolt. Physically.
Given how close Sasuke and Hikaru already are, he probably wouldn't say no.
And factoring in her combat ability — might want to bring Sister Tsunade in too, to help pin her down so she can't fight back.
Watching Hikaru storm off, Sakura had already resolved to give her the full "electroshock package" once things settled down.
Meanwhile, having just stepped outside, Hikaru shuddered involuntarily.
A chill crept up from the soles of her feet, straight to the top of her head.
Was that just my imagination?
A little night wind, and I'm shivering like this?
Ridiculous.
—
Land of Fire — Konoha
Long past normal working hours, the light in the Hokage's office was still burning.
"Lord Hokage."
"Another noble's arrived requesting an audience."
Anzu approached, holding out a gilt-edged letter to Tobirama.
Even Anzu — an unremarkable staff member at the Hokage Building on any normal day — had started to sense that something here was seriously wrong.
Barely two days had passed. And already, nobles from the Land of Water, the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, even a minor country like the Land of Waterfall — all had come calling on Konoha.
And every single one of them claimed some family connection to the current Land of Fire Daimyō.
Fiancées, uncles, cousins, brothers-in-law. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before Lord Musashi's third cousins twice removed started showing up too.
"Understood. Leave it here."
"Tell them the hour is late, and that the Daimyō has taken ill with a cold and isn't fit to receive visitors."
"They're welcome to stay a few days at a Konoha inn. Once the Daimyō's recovered, there'll be time enough to meet with him."
Tobirama said, calm.
By now, several gilt-edged letters had already accumulated on his desk.
Gilt paper was reserved exclusively for Daimyō correspondence. Which meant every single one of these nobles had been personally dispatched by their respective country's Daimyō.
"Understood."
Anzu withdrew, clearly weighed down by her own thoughts.
Tobirama looked at the stack of letters on his desk, brow furrowed, silent.
If it had just been the Land of Water alone, he could have kept stalling indefinitely, leveraging his authority as Hokage. But now, all four Great Nations' nobility seemed to be moving in near-perfect coordination, arriving together.
Even as Hokage, that kind of combined pressure wasn't something he could brush off entirely.
Konoha hadn't officially broken with any of these noble houses yet, after all — shinobi were still, by every convention this world held, expected to defer to nobility. That was simply the accepted order of things.
But continuing to stall until Sakura returned wasn't a good long-term solution either.
Tobirama tapped his index finger rhythmically against the desk, a quiet, steady clicking sound filling the room.
A habit of his whenever he was working through a problem.
Clearly, if this standoff dragged on much longer, it would only inflame the visiting nobility further.
After all — what kind of cold takes this long to run its course? Konoha's medical ninjutsu was widely regarded as the finest in the entire shinobi world.
An excuse like this only left two possible readings: either Konoha's vaunted medical skill was nothing but empty showmanship, or Konoha simply had no genuine interest in treating the Daimyō at all.
And the latter reading was, by far, the more obvious one.
It was practically an open declaration of disloyalty at this point.
As his finger came down for the final tap, Tobirama's narrow eyes opened fully.
Stalling to keep these nobles from meeting the Daimyō really only served two purposes.
One: buy time until the current Hokage returned.
The other: buy Konoha time to position its forces properly.
Either way, they'd already committed to breaking from the noble order eventually.
So why bother putting on a polite face for them now?
(End of chapter.)
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you