I, Uchiha: Split Konoha

Chapter 313 The sea doesn't welcome me, but I come anyway.

Water Release: Exploding Water Wave

The towering waves of the sea, large enough to form a lake, are now boiling on this scorching land, sending up plumes of steam.

The flowing lava was extinguished by the sea, and a mist rose from the area.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

As the hurricane howled and dispersed the water vapor, the scarred face of the earth was finally revealed.

"Master Ye."

Kakashi Hatake and Kisame Hoshigaki arrived here and saw Yoru Uchiha.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Uchiha Yoru frowned and said, "Announce the news of the Fire Temple's treason, and at the same time, the Fire Temple will not be allowed to exist within the Land of Fire."

"yes!"

"Night!" Kakashi Hatake sighed with some shame, "This time my command failed, and Shikamaru Nara was killed in battle."

Upon seeing this, Kisame Hoshigaki snorted coldly and said, "In my opinion, it's because you, Kakashi, have spoiled Naruto Uzumaki too much. The Fourth Hokage may be great, but that's not a reason for him to act recklessly."

With Kisame Hoshigaki's explanation, Yoru Uchiha finally understood what it meant and immediately showed a look of realization.

Was it because of his own existence that the protagonist's aura weakened, and he even caused the death of his companion due to impulsiveness?

But what does this have to do with him?

Naruto, caught in self-doubt?

Uchiha Yoru smiled calmly. "Kakashi, don't worry about it. This is an experience every ninja needs. Perhaps you protected him too well before, or perhaps Naruto Uzumaki is simply not suited to be a ninja."

What Naruto Uzumaki has become has nothing to do with him. To put it bluntly, he needs to utilize the other party's power.

After all, there is the terrifying Otsutsuki clan in the future.

"Kakashi, pass down the order: report any encounters with Akatsuki members immediately. Do not act rashly. Every member of this organization is a powerful individual comparable to a Kage."

"yes!"

……

The Akatsuki members had just escaped from the Land of Fire when they entered a forest.

Pain coldly stared at everyone, while all the Akatsuki members focused their attention on Kakuzu and Hidan.

Facing the piercing gazes of the crowd, Hidan, still paralyzed on one side, weakly shifted the blame, saying, "It was Kakuzu who insisted on making money; it has nothing to do with me."

With each sharp, intermittent throbbing pain, Hidan finally began to feel the agony.

Facing the crowd, Kakuzu lowered his head and said hoarsely, "I miscalculated. I was hoping to earn some funds for the organization, since the monk Jiraiya is still worth 30 million."

Beneath his emerald green eyes, Kakuzu revealed unprecedented pain as he slowly pulled out two leather suitcases, as if he had chopped off his own hands.

With a determined look, he handed over the two suitcases containing a full 30 million in cash to Xiao Nan. At this moment, Kakuzu truly made a bold decision.

Seeing this, Pain coldly said, "No one is allowed to provoke Uchiha Yoru before the plan is completed!"

"I don't think I need to say more about Uchiha Yoru's strength!" Under Pain's cold gaze through his Rinnegan, everyone couldn't help but show a hint of fear.

Even the usually carefree Deidara couldn't help but pat his chest in lingering fear, saying, "Boss, that fire jutsu was terrifying! My art didn't even have time to explode before it was burned to ashes."

Sasori coldly added, "Let alone whether my puppet can withstand it, the chakra threads controlling it were directly burned and melted by that fire jutsu. This person's fire jutsu has reached the point of being able to suppress puppets."

Even Obito with his mask on couldn't help but show a solemn expression, and said to everyone in a deep voice: "We have no need to provoke Uchiha Yoru's strength now, and we may even cooperate with him in the future."

"Everyone, immediately begin the plan to capture the tailed beasts."

At this moment, Pain coldly looked at everyone, "I didn't know that the Uchiha Yagami would retaliate like this, but now we have obtained the chakra of the One-Tail and the Nine-Tail, and the Three-Tail and the Six-Tail are in our Akatsuki organization."

"The Two-Tails and the strongest Eight-Tails Jinchuriki besides the Nine-Tails are in the Land of Lightning. Asuma, Tobi, Kakuzu, and Hidan, go and capture the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

"The Four-Tails and Five-Tails will be handled by me and Konan, while the Seven-Tails will be captured by Sasori and Deidara."

In an instant, Pain issued the mission to capture the tailed beasts all at once, and stared at everyone with a warning look.

"Don't cause any unnecessary trouble. Take advantage of the Cloud Village and the Iwa Village's unpreparedness, capture the Jinchuriki, and retreat immediately."

"yes!"

Originally, Obito with the mask wanted to say something, but faced with Pain's indifferent gaze, he could only hold back in the end.

He had originally planned to have Pain fight the Eight-Tails to the death, since after all these years, he wanted to know exactly how strong Pain had become. It seems that he won't have the chance this time, but!

Obito, behind the mask, curled his lips into a cold smile. "After I've captured all the tailed beasts, I'll give you a surprise."

This time, Kakuzu's accident unexpectedly became Pain's excuse, and he immediately ordered a full-scale operation to capture the Tailed Beasts.

This is to collect all the tailed beasts of the ninja world in one go before the ninjas can react.

Of course, nobody mentions the One-Tailed and Nine-Tailed anymore; even Obito with his mask doesn't say a word about them.

Go to Konoha to capture the Nine-Tails and the One-Tail? Do you really think Uchiha Yoru is just a figurehead?

Moreover, Konoha has accumulated a terrifying number of Kage-level fighters in recent years, which is enough to make one's scalp tingle. Even the Akatsuki organization does not want to provoke them.

Especially Uchiha Yoru, after the battle in the Chunin Exams, all the Kage-level shinobi in the ninja world knew one thing: in terms of strength, they were simply not on the same level as their opponent.

Going there would be suicide. Since we already possess the chakra of the One-Tailed Beast and the Nine-Tailed Beast, it seems that the final weapon, having lost two tailed beasts, will at most be less powerful.

……

Leaf.

Under a hazy sky, a light rain was falling, and Naruto Uzumaki sat listlessly in front of the memorial stone.

"Naruto, don't be like this. You didn't mean it, and Shikamaru doesn't want to see you like this either..."

Seeing Naruto's state, Sakura Haruno couldn't help but try to persuade him. Even Sasuke came over and calmly advised, "Naruto, this is the ninja world. A slight mistake can lead to death."

However, Naruto's gaze was vacant at this moment, and he was completely consumed by self-blame.

Shikamaru was killed by his impulsiveness.

If he hadn't been so impulsive and willful, and had rejected Konohamaru from the beginning, then Konohamaru wouldn't have followed him, and the initial battle plan wouldn't have been ruined.

Perhaps Shikamaru wouldn't have died.

No! I was too impulsive. I didn't observe and analyze the battlefield before angrily unleashing my strongest ninjutsu, which resulted in Shikamaru's death.

Naruto was consumed by self-blame and filled with pain. This incident also seemed to make him realize that he was just an ordinary person.

He didn't have the power to change everything.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Just then, Kakashi Hatake, holding an umbrella, appeared in front of the memorial stone. He glanced calmly at Naruto and then placed a bouquet of white chrysanthemums on the ground.

"Naruto, I was just like you back then, I caused the deaths of my teammates..."

Kakashi recounted his past experiences with great composure, describing how he resorted to unethical means to achieve his missions, even disregarding the casualties of his teammates, ultimately leading to a situation where no one wanted to team up with him.

"Naruto, given that your impulsiveness led to the mission's failure, the higher-ups have decided to issue you a serious warning. Additionally, your mastery of the S-rank ninjutsu, Wind Release: Rasengan Shuriken, will be revoked."

At this point, Kakashi Hatake calmly took out a green scroll from his pocket, on which the character "封" (seal) was clearly written.

"The upgraded version of the Rasengan, an S-rank wind-style ninjutsu, was already developed by Lord Yoru. Your ninjutsu is still not perfect without it. This is what Lord Yoru has given you."

"I hope you will be more thoughtful and cautious in the future, and at the same time master this powerful ninjutsu so that you can contribute more to the village in the future."

After Kakashi finished speaking, tears welled up in Naruto's eyes, and he murmured, "Why! Why!"

He would feel better if he received a severe punishment, but it was just a verbal warning. What does that even mean?

When Sakura Haruno saw this, she breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, she guessed the reason.

Because of Naruto's current immense strength, everything will be handled leniently.

But the more this happened, the more Naruto felt guilty.

Seeing Naruto in pain, Kakashi Hatake sighed. This is something only he can get through; no one can do it for him.

"Naruto, remember to destroy the scroll after you write down this ninjutsu. Also, Jiraiya-sama has vouched for you, and you will even need to risk your life to investigate the Akatsuki organization."

With a long sigh, Kakashi Hatake stepped forward and gently patted Naruto's shoulder, saying in a deep voice, "As the son of a hero, I hope you can bear this name, instead of being willful and disgracing your father."

After patting it twice heavily, Kakashi Hatake lowered his head and walked dejectedly towards the cemetery. In front of a tombstone, he stared blankly at the photo and began to brood alone.

This scene caused Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno to show complicated expressions, indicating that Kakashi-sensei and Naruto both had an unforgettable experience.

After Shikamaru's death, his former classmates came to pay their respects one by one, for death is like a lamp going out.

Only Naruto Uzumaki was unable to get over it for a while, and he couldn't let it go until Jiraiya arrived and everyone dispersed.

"Naruto, do you regret it?"

Naruto looked up at Jiraiya's face, and his eyes immediately welled up with tears. At that moment, he felt as if he had found family.

"Perverted Sage, sob sob~ I regret it, I really regret it so much. I shouldn't have been so willful, and I shouldn't have indulged Konohamaru, I shouldn't have..."

With a heart-wrenching sob, Naruto poured out all the pain in his heart, while Jiraiya kindly comforted his disciple.

"Naruto, I actually regret it too."

Before the memorial stone, Jiraiya, with a melancholy expression, began to recount his past.

"There are too many regrets on the path of a ninja, and these are irreversible. I regret not persuading the old man back then and choosing to run away myself. I regret even more that if I had supported Orochimaru instead of your father Minato, perhaps the situation would have been very different."

"Perhaps, if Orochimaru had been in the village back then, your father and mother wouldn't have been in this situation. I regret it..."

Jiraiya calmly recounted the regrets and disappointments he experienced during his ninja career, but his face revealed a sense of relief.

"Naruto, everyone has to move forward, but along the way, you'll encounter forks in the road. Everyone will take detours and make mistakes; this is unavoidable, not just for ninjas, but for ordinary people as well."

"What you need to do now is recognize your mistakes and correct them! Make sure this doesn't happen again."

With Jiraiya's comfort, Naruto Uzumaki seemed to have found his safe haven, quietly listening to the perverted sage's story.

"Thank you, you lecherous immortal."

Finally, Naruto Uzumaki hoarsely said "thank you," and Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh as he ruffled Naruto's blond hair, "You brat, no need to thank me."

After this experience, Naruto seemed to have grown. He looked up at Jiraiya and said with a guilty expression, "Perverted Sage, Kakashi-sensei told me that you vouched for me and that I still need to carry out a dangerous mission."

"Haha, kid, don't get cocky. How could I, the Toad Sage, possibly do this for you!"

Jiraiya laughed heartily, gazing at the beautiful sunset, and said, "Even without your incident, I, Jiraiya, should still have done something for the village, after all, I've been busy taking you on a tour of the ninja world all these years."

"What is this to me, the Toad Sage, compared to the mere Akatsuki?"

The more Jiraiya acted this way, the more Naruto felt guilty and remorseful, all because of himself!

"Jiraiya-sensei, I'm going to find the Hokage!"

With a determined look, Naruto Uzumaki felt an urge not to let Jiraiya take the risk because of him, but Jiraiya grabbed him back.

Turning around, he saw Jiraiya smiling calmly. "If I don't go, other ninjas will. Do you think I'm special?"

"The Akatsuki is a den of dragons and tigers, but I, Jiraiya, am not someone who is spoiled. Someone will definitely carry out the mission of investigating the Akatsuki. If I don't go, someone else will. Maybe it's Kakashi, maybe it's Zabuza, or maybe it's Maki and the others."

"Naruto, do you think they're comrades? If you had to choose now, who do you think should go on this mission?"

Upon hearing Jiraiya's words, Naruto Uzumaki instinctively exclaimed, "Holy crap!"

However, the next moment, Jiraiya's face showed disappointment, and he shook his head.

"You're going? When you get there, tell me the worst-case scenario: the village has not only lost the descendant of a hero, a young ninja with unlimited potential, but also the Nine-Tails."

"Naruto, don't say it's okay! You may be okay, but what about Kurama?"

Faced with Jiraiya's words, Naruto opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, and finally lowered his head in disappointment.

"The village that has lost the Nine-Tails will be furious, and there will still be people to carry out this mission. But the Akatsuki has already obtained the Nine-Tails and is even more powerful. There will be even more people who die."

"So! Naruto, you really need to calm down, and you need to think more about things when you encounter them. Success achieved through impulsiveness is just luck. Yes, you might get lucky, but if you're unlucky once, Shikamaru's experience will be the result."

"Do you want something like this to happen again? Or do you think you'll be lucky your whole life?"

Faced with Jiraiya's unwavering gaze, Naruto Uzumaki was speechless and nodded dejectedly, saying, "Perverted Sage, I'm sorry."

"Haha, Naruto, don't feel guilty. This time, I'm not doing this for you, but for the peace of the ninja world."

As the sun set, Jiraiya laughed heartily, and under Naruto's complex gaze, he waved casually and walked out of the village.

Ahem, I have something to do today and can only update once. I'll resume updating tomorrow. Sorry.

(End of this chapter)