Fugaku has gone mad; he's going to create a new Uchiha clan in Kirigakure.

The corrections are indicated in the author's notes.

---

East Coast Market, a seaside residence.

Several salt-tolerant dwarf pines were planted in the courtyard, and the sea breeze, carrying a slightly fishy smell, passed through the corridor, making the paper doors creak softly.

Kakashi Hatake was led to the front of the main house by a member of the Uchiha clan.

"Lord Fugaku is waiting for you inside."

The clansmen bowed and withdrew.

Kakashi took a deep breath, raised his hand, and gently pulled open the paper door in front of him. Fugaku Uchiha was sitting behind his desk, looking down at some document.

When Kakashi saw the clan leader again, he felt as if he had lived through another world. He was completely different from the towering figure on the battlefield that day, who stood like a god and devoured the barrier and the explosion. He had not activated his Sharingan, nor did he have that suffocating chakra pressure. He looked like an ordinary ninja clan leader.

"Lord Fugaku, you wanted to see me."

Kakashi entered the room, stood in front of the desk, and bowed slightly.

"Um."

Fugaku Uchiha responded without looking up. He wrote a few more lines with his brush before placing it on the inkstone. He then picked up a damp cloth and wiped his hands before looking up at Kakashi.

"I called you here for two things."

"Please speak."

"First thing, are you interested in joining our Mist Village?"

Kakashi's pupils contracted slightly.

"It wasn't coercion."

Fugaku seemed to sense his wariness and added.

"It's just a simple inquiry. After all, your father's situation is there. If you don't have any good feelings towards Konoha, you're welcome here. As far as I know, you should have no ties to Konoha except for a grave and a memorial stone."

Kakashi remained silent for a few seconds, neither directly agreeing nor disagreeing, but instead asked a question.

"As my elder, I'd like to ask you, what is your impression of my father?"

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Kakashi to ask such a question.

Do you want to hear the truth, or a lie?

Kakashi scratched his signature silver hair.

"Let's listen to the lies first."

"He's an idiot."

"He was being used without realizing it. He believed in the Will of Fire, but those who fawned over him did not; they were just using him as an ATM."

...

Kakashi sighed.

"And what about the truth?"

"He's an idiot."

"Huh?"

Kakashi was completely stunned, looking up at Fugaku with a puzzled expression.

"A respectable fool."

Fugaku Uchiha added.

"He is willing to believe in and fight for good things, but ironically, the person who utters the words 'Will of Fire' may not even believe it himself."

The room fell silent, with only the soft rustling of pine needles in the sea breeze as it passed through the courtyard. After a long while, Kakashi took a deep breath.

"I see. So, what Lord Mitomon said is wrong. He said my father was acting out of spite, but actually, my father still loves this village. So, please forgive my refusal, Lord Fugaku. Konoha has something he once protected. I may be disappointed in it, but I haven't gone so far as to abandon it."

Fugaku Uchiha looked at him quietly, and after a few seconds, he nodded.

I respect your opinion.

"So, what's the second thing?"

Kakashi asked again.

"If you refuse the first thing, there won't be a second."

"Um...so."

Kakashi asked tentatively.

"What kind of mission do you want me to perform?"

"Haha, it's a secret."

Fugaku Uchiha smiled and glanced at Kakashi, or rather, at his Sharingan.

He didn't have any particular thoughts about the Kamui. A single Kamui eye wouldn't be very useful, and most importantly, although Obito Uchiha was a beast, he never got the eye back until his death. In other words, having this thing with Kakashi was actually a kind of seal on Obito.

Then, his smile faded, his gaze shifted to the small pond in the corner of the courtyard, and his voice rose slightly, tinged with a hint of mockery.

"Lord Jiraiya, you still love to peep. After watching for so long, aren't you going to come out and say hello?"

By the pond, an inconspicuous little green toad, perched on a rock, suddenly opened its mouth wide.

"cough!"

An awkward dry cough came from the toad's mouth, and then a white figure appeared as if it had been spat out. White hair, an oil-colored headband, and red facial markings—who else could it be but Jiraiya?

"Lord Jiraiya."

Kakashi immediately knelt down on one knee to pay his respects.

"Haha, good boy."

Jiraiya strode over and patted Kakashi's shoulder hard, so hard that Kakashi staggered. Then, he turned to Fugaku Uchiha.

"It's a pity, Fugaku."

Jiraiya grinned.

"You didn't succeed."

Fugaku Uchiha simply chuckled twice, offering no comment, but his gaze seemed to inadvertently glance at the ground beneath his feet.

Almost unnoticed, a tiny wisp of silt, its color nearly blending into the ground, silently slid into the ground through a crack in the floor, like a living shadow, and vanished in an instant.

---Divider line

Fangshi Hospital, Medical Room.

The smell of disinfectant was still strong, and the instruments emitted a monotonous beeping sound. On the hospital bed, Mitokazuya lay as if asleep, her face ashen, and her breathing so weak that her chest was barely rising and falling.

Yakushi Nonou stood quietly by the bed, her emerald green eyes calm and still, simply waiting.

"Pfft."

A soft yet clear thud, the sound of flesh being pierced by a sharp object.

On the hospital bed, a small bump suddenly appeared on the chest of Mito Menyan's mangled body. Then, a black, non-metallic, non-iron blade tip, with what appeared to be a viscous liquid slowly flowing on its surface, pierced through his hospital gown and skin, protruding from his body.

It is the Blade of the Underworld!

"It seems that Lord Fugaku has confirmed Jiraiya's exact location."

Before he came, Fugaku Uchiha told him that there were many frogs in the market, and those should all be Jiraiya's eyes. He only knew that the other party had a secret technique that could teleport through the mouths of frogs, but he was not sure which frog's mouth it was in, so he used a diversionary tactic.

Thinking this to himself, Yakushi Nono slowly stretched out his hand. Right now, Mitomon Homura was pierced by the Blade of the Underworld. In that instant, all the chakra in his body, the dense and complex soul seals and restrictions protecting the memory area of ​​his brain, all became completely ineffective. This is the domineering nature of this divine weapon!

Then, she slowly raised her fingers and gently pressed them against Mitokado Yan's cold forehead.

The next moment, something unexpected happened!

The skin around the edges of her palms began to become transparent and soften, like melted wax or a living gel. Her five fingers, like five nimble little snakes, easily "penetrated" into Mitokado's scalp and skull without causing any physical damage, as if the solid bones were just an illusion to her.

Her hand actually "reached" inside the other person's skull.

Then, her eyes narrowed, and she suddenly exerted force with her wrist, pulling upwards!

"Pop~"

A faint, almost inaudible sound, like a bubble bursting.

A hazy ball of light, emitting a faint azure glow and constantly shifting between blurry faces and scenes, was forcibly "pulled" from the top of Mitokado Homura's head. Yakushi Nonou looked at the struggling ball of soul light in her hand, stuck out her tongue, gently licked her somewhat dry lips, and then, without hesitation, brought the ball of light to her lips.

"Gurgle~ Gurgle~"

She opened her mouth, and the ball of soul light seemed to have met its nemesis, easily "absorbed" into it. The sounds of chewing and swallowing were exceptionally clear and eerie in the silent medical room.

As the last bit of blue light entered her lips, she let out a long, satisfied sigh. Then she gently tapped the hilt of the [Blade of the Underworld], which was still embedded in Mitokado Homura's chest.

"Lord Fugaku, that's enough."

As if in response to her words, the dark blade trembled slightly.

The next moment, countless viscous sludges gushed out from the wound where the knife had pierced her body, quickly enveloping Mitokado Yan's entire body like a black cocoon. Then, the sludges, along with the body inside, silently sank under the hospital bed and disappeared without a trace, leaving not even a trace of blood.

The hospital bed was empty.

Yakushi Nonou walked to the bedside, lay down, closed her eyes, and her body began to undergo amazing changes.

Her skin, muscles, and bones began to soften, as if they had turned into putty. In just a few breaths, the person lying on the hospital bed was no longer Yakushi Nono, but Mitokazu, who had lost both legs!

Flesh Release: Formless Technique.

This is Yakushi Nonou's ninjutsu, a secret technique she fully awakened after obtaining intense and boundless life energy from Lord Fugaku.

In Fugaku's words, her bloodline limit awakening was not perfect.

This was because her own life energy was insufficient to support such a powerful secret involving a fundamental change in the physical body. Only after receiving his terrifying life energy infusion and nourishment was the dormant bloodline within her body fully activated, reaching its complete form.

Her body not only possesses the ability to perfectly transform into other people's appearances, but it can also extract and devour other people's souls, thereby gaining their memories and perfectly simulating their chakra.

Of course, it can't compare to the so-called Human Path. It requires the opponent to completely lose their self-awareness before it can be used. Even if there is a sealing technique in the opponent's soul, she will not be able to break it. Therefore, she needs Lord Fugaku's divine weapon to pave the way for her.

"call..."

Slowly exhaling, [Mitokado Homura] gently closed her eyes...

---Divider line

Inside the main house of the mansion.

Jiraiya took three sealing scrolls out of his pocket and placed them on Fugaku Uchiha's desk.

"Fugaku, these are chakra metal, gold, and banknotes issued by the Bank of Fire, totaling about seven billion, as well as food, weapons, medicine, cloth, and other supplies worth about 1.5 billion. They are being transported by cargo ships and will eventually dock at the port of the East Coast City."

Finally, he unfurled a finely crafted leather scroll bearing the Hokage's seal and the Daimyo's seal.

"This is the contract, which includes clauses such as Konoha officially withdrawing the arrest warrant for the Uchiha clan and recognizing the Uchiha clan's legal status in Kirigakure (the Land of Water). You can take a closer look."

Fugaku Uchiha casually picked up the leather contract, glanced at it a few times, and then tossed it into the corner of his desk as if it were trash.

"That's unnecessary."

His voice carried an undisguised sarcasm.

"The five great nations have broken more contracts than I've used toilet paper. I'll take the money and supplies, and you can take everyone with you. However, let me make this clear: once that old man Mitomon leaves the medical room, I will not be responsible for any accidents that happen to him."

"We also have our own medical ninja team, which will be responsible for follow-up treatment."

Jiraiya pointed to the scroll on the table.

"Aren't you going to check it carefully?"

"No need."

Fugaku Uchiha looked up at Jiraiya.

"Although we are now on different sides and even harbor irreconcilable hatred, the reputation of Jiraiya, the hero of Konoha, can still be trusted."

"Ha ha."

Jiraiya laughed a few times, but after laughing, his expression slowly turned serious.

"Thank you, Fugaku, thank you for your...restraint."

"No need to thank me. People should admit defeat when they need to. I know my own strength. If Konoha were to learn from Iwagakure and really abandon everything, even the balance with other major powers, and mobilize all its forces to besiege me, I would still not survive. Moreover, I would still get paid."

"Oh."

Jiraiya smiled and shook his head.

"But anyway, thank you. I hope that we will have the opportunity to end our hatred in the future."

"You're still so naive. Just like the child of prophecy you've been searching for for so many years, which almost cost Konoha its life and caused our Uchiha clan to completely lose our last chance in Konoha."

"I know that was a mistake I made, and I can't defend myself, but I believe that one day we will understand each other. There should not be eternal hatred between people and between villages."

Seeing that Fugaku Uchiha didn't want to talk to him anymore, Jiraiya rubbed his nose and stopped explaining. Most people in the world wouldn't understand his dream.

"Um, one last thing, could I see Xiaonan?"

"If she's willing to see you, I have no objection. After all, you're her teacher, and this is your private matter."

...

The backyard of the mansion.

In a small bamboo grove, a stream of fresh water was drawn to create a simple "deer-startling" device. The bamboo tube tilted as it filled with water, striking a stone with a crisp "tap" sound, before returning to its original position, repeating the cycle endlessly.

Konan sat on the edge of the veranda under the eaves. She had taken off her Akatsuki red cloud robe and was wearing the light-colored women's home clothes commonly seen in Uchiha clan areas. Her long purple hair was not tied up as usual, but was softly draped over her shoulders.

She placed her hands on her knees and watched quietly as the startled deer was filled with water, tilted, tapped, and reset time and time again. Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting shimmering spots of light on her, making her profile appear somewhat hazy.

No longer an angel, no longer protecting Nagato at all times, she seems... to have nothing left to do.

The backyard door was pushed open.

Xiao Nan turned her head when she heard the sound.

"Fugaku".

She moved her lips and called out.

Then, she saw the person who walked in behind Fugaku.

White hair, a tall figure, a familiar headband, and that face that always carried a slightly frivolous smile, but now was filled with a complex expression.

Xiao Nan was stunned, her pupils dilating slightly.

"Jiraiya-sensei?"

Jiraiya looked at Konan in front of him. She looked well and showed no signs of injury or lethargy from being imprisoned. This relieved him. After all, what could he, as her teacher, do if Konan was not doing well?

Would he fight Fugaku Uchiha? To put it bluntly, he might not be able to win unless he could solve his biggest problem: the preparation time for entering Sage Mode.

"Your teacher wants to talk to you about things that happened between you two."

Fugaku Uchiha stepped aside to let Jiraiya go in.

"I promised Nagato that as long as he doesn't provoke the Land of Water, I won't be his enemy. Although I know some information about him, I won't tell anyone. So, you and your master can talk slowly."

...

"despair."

The deer startler sounded again, its clear sound particularly distinct in the suddenly quiet courtyard.

Jiraiya walked to the edge of the corridor, looked at Konan, his eyes filled with emotion, guilt, and deep confusion. After a long while, he sighed.

"What happened, Minami?"