In the blink of an eye, an entire week passed.
The news of Ryujin defeating Hanzo—and erasing his summoned salamander—spread through the Konoha camp like wildfire. The normally disciplined encampment descended into restless chaos, filled with shock, disbelief, and barely restrained excitement.
A twenty-year-old… at Kage level?
No one wanted to believe it.
But no one could deny it either.
Eyewitnesses had seen everything. The destruction. The overwhelming presence. The moment Hanzo was forced into retreat. This wasn't rumor. This wasn't exaggeration.
It was reality.
And reality—
Was far more terrifying.
The intelligence division moved immediately, compiling detailed reports and transmitting them back to Konoha without delay. This was no ordinary battlefield update.
This was information capable of reshaping the balance of the entire war.
Soon, the report reached the Hidden Leaf.
Inside the Hokage's residence, Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the document in his hands, his expression shifting multiple times in rapid succession.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Then—
Concern.
"Another Kage-level…?"
His voice carried a rare hint of instability.
Not long ago, the rise of the White Fang had already secured Konoha's advantage on one front. That alone had been enough to ease the burden pressing down on him.
But now—
This?
A twenty-year-old shinobi.
Defeating Hanzo.
Erasing a summon of that level.
"…This is beyond reason."
Even Hiruzen could not remain calm.
Because Ryujin was from Konoha.
But at the same time—
He was Uchiha.
And the relationship between the village and the Uchiha clan was far from stable.
If something went wrong…
If that power ever turned against them—
The consequences would be catastrophic.
Before Hiruzen could finish processing the report, another message arrived.
From Jiraiya.
This one contained more than just battle results.
It described Ryujin's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Not merely powerful—
But abnormal.
Terrifying.
Beyond understanding.
Hiruzen's expression darkened further.
At the same time, Danzo Shimura was already on his way to the Hokage building.
He could no longer sit still.
An Uchiha…
At Kage level.
And one who had defeated Hanzo alone.
Why did that kind of power belong to the Uchiha?
Rage burned in his chest.
This was unacceptable.
"An Uchiha must not be allowed to rise unchecked…"
Danzo's eyes turned cold.
Action had to be taken.
Immediately.
Soon, representatives from Konoha's major clans gathered.
The Hokage building became a storm of discussion, tension filling the air as every voice circled around a single name.
Uchiha Ryujin.
And yet—
The man at the center of it all knew nothing.
Because at this very moment—
He was still unconscious.
For an entire week.
But this wasn't ordinary unconsciousness.
It was intentional.
Deep within his subconscious, Ryujin was undergoing something far more profound.
Something far more dangerous.
The golden threads—
Had not disappeared.
They had entered him.
Completely.
Only now—
Did he begin to understand what they truly were.
They were not simple lines.
They were not merely abstract constructs.
They were—
Origin Threads.
The fundamental framework of existence itself.
They connected everything.
From the smallest grain of dust—
To the tiniest insect—
To tailed beasts—
To the sun, the moon—
To the entire world.
Everything—
Was bound by them.
And somehow—
Ryujin had absorbed them.
Not a fragment.
Not a trace.
But the origin itself.
If it had been anyone else—
Even the Sage of Six Paths—
They wouldn't have been able to touch those threads.
Wouldn't even perceive them.
Because they were never meant to be seen.
Never meant to be touched.
Never meant to be possessed.
But Ryujin—
Was different.
He was a transmigrator.
An anomaly.
A variable that did not belong to this world.
And his Mangekyō Sharingan—
Had granted him the ability to perceive what should not exist.
His curiosity—
Had driven him to reach out.
And that single action—
Had nearly killed him.
But it had also given him everything.
If he had known the truth from the beginning, he would never have touched those threads so recklessly. At the very least, he would have prepared.
Because absorbing the origin of the world—
Was not something to be taken lightly.
It was equivalent to grasping the authority of creation itself.
A step toward becoming something beyond human.
If anyone else had tried—
They would have died instantly.
Their minds shattered by the overwhelming influx of information.
But Ryujin—
Survived.
Partly because of luck.
Mostly because of his own foundation.
Years of relentless training.
Countless battles.
Endless refinement.
All of it allowed him to endure.
Even so—
Luck played the decisive role.
Because that power could have crushed him in an instant.
"…Looks like this is ninety-nine percent luck… and one percent effort…"
Ryujin's voice echoed faintly within his consciousness.
But regardless—
Both had been necessary.
Now—
As the Origin Threads flowed within him—
He began to refine them.
Absorb them.
Transform them.
His body strengthened.
His Mangekyō evolved.
His power—
Expanded at an explosive rate.
And in that moment—
Ryujin felt only one thing.
Excitement.
Pure.
Unfiltered.
Excitement.
"Absorb it?"
A faint smile formed.
"Of course I will."
This kind of opportunity—
A once-in-eternity chance—
How could he let it slip away?
"Then let's see…"
"How far this power can take me."
Because this—
Was no ordinary gain.
This was not just strength.
Not just evolution.
This—
Was a gift from the world itself.
A step beyond destiny.
A power that defied the very laws of existence.
And Ryujin—
Had no intention of wasting it.
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