Shadow Hidden Ninja Village

Of course, the thought of transplanting my brother's eyes to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan never even crossed Chen's mind.

Instead, Chen wanted to help his younger brother obtain those eyes.

As revenge neared its end, the pain Chen had suppressed within him was not relieved in the slightest. On the contrary, he foresaw that the regret over his parents' deaths and the violent fire in his heart would eventually devour the only important person left by his side. A feeling of disgust welled up from the depths of his heart.

But... this disgust was no longer the same as his disgust for the real world back then.

Chen deeply loved this ninja world. What he despised was himself!

Why had heaven given him a second chance at life, yet he failed to cherish it?

He felt he was unworthy of this beloved world!

The thought of death sprouted within him.

He could no longer protect his younger brother. Might as well let his brother use his elder brother's eyes to protect himself. At that time, Chen still naively thought this way...

At this point, Chen finally spoke again: "But... I never expected that Jin, that guy, seeing me 'dead,' would immediately try to take his own life to follow me. My foolish little brother!"

"And so my revenge was completed."

"I killed my parents in a moment of impulse, and spent three years paying for that moment of impulse."

"At thirteen, Naruto and Sasuke, born the same year, set the gears of fate in motion with 'Team Seven,' beginning their thriving journey as ninjas!"

"And I... also thirteen in body and mind, was like dregs about to be boiled dry, losing the drive to move forward... At that time, I thought I could no longer continue as a ninja."

"Fortunately, heaven never seals off all roads. At the most confused moment of my life, I met the Zen Master."

"He sat upright atop a large boulder, hands clasped together, his gaze calm and profound. At first glance, I knew he was a wise man, so I asked him about the meaning of life."

"I remember the Zen Master did something strange. He first stared at the empty sky, focusing for a long time, then shook his head. Afterward, he lowered his head and sighed, 'It's all fate.'"

Chen lowered his gaze and said thoughtfully, "To this day, I don't know what the Zen Master saw that day, nor what he meant by 'fate.'"

"Anyway... after hearing my story, the Zen Master, who had never taken a disciple in his life, decided to accept me as his student."

"He taught me the technique of focusing my mind on the present and returning to calm."

"I desperately needed such a technique to control the beast within my heart."

"Through the Zen Master's teachings and meditation practice, I finally tamed that beast completely. I found the peace I had longed for, and the passion to continue down my path."

"As if his mission was complete, the Zen Master's life reached its end. Before his death, he entrusted me with his young granddaughter and the key to opening the 'Gate of Taoyuan.'"

"That year, I was sixteen. Obito began manipulating the Akatsuki, launching the plan to hunt the tailed beasts. Naruto and Sasuke's generation of ninjas were also growing up..."

"..." Obito lowered his gaze, as if seeing the face of a swirling mask reflected in the puddle before him.

"Sixteen. That was also the year Hikari and I met. Well... let's set aside matters of the heart for now."

Saying this, Chen subconsciously touched his nose: "I discovered I had a new ability—to predict the 'future' through dreams."

"After I told my brother about the future, he resolved to support me fully. The two of us joined forces and began our actions. As for what exactly we did, you two should have a good idea by now, right?"

"My Dojutsu powers are [Utsuro-ryu] and [Haniyasu]. My brother's powers are [Toyomiketsunomikoto] and [Mizuha]. I couldn't have completed my current preliminary arrangements without my brother's contributions..."

As he spoke, Chen's words, along with his silhouette, paused for a moment.

"But seven years ago, my brother died. He died without explanation, leaving behind the young twin siblings 'Wind' and 'Flower,' and... the 'Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan,' which could bring light to my nearly blind eyes."

"..." At this, Madara lowered his head in gloom.

Chen's low voice rang out again. "My brother's death caused a series of subtle changes in my brain. I never had those future-predicting dreams again. My brother's unexplained death and the uncertain future forced me to make certain compromises with the current situation. Those compromises were reflected in my subsequent plans."

"I thought a lot. Perhaps one day I would follow in my brother's footsteps, but no matter what, I had to arrange a way out for the children first."

"..." At this, Hikari bit her lip tightly.

Chen said, "So, I decided to build a stable 'rear base.' I didn't have much time to waste, so I needed a way to make money. I had confiscated the money from the corrupt wealthy merchant Gato of the Land of Waves long ago, but I left it untouched. I used that money to start some gray-area businesses, and then invested all the profits into the construction of the Shadow Hidden Ninja Village in Taoyuan."

"Look, right before your eyes." Stopping on a cliff face resembling the Hokage Rock of Konoha, Chen paused. The sunlight filtering through the swaying tree shadows fell on his face, dispelling the gloom of the past.

In the Land of Lightning, at Chen and Hikari's home.

Sasuke stood by the window, his gaze low. "Chen's chakra suddenly disappeared. That's quite suspicious. I suspect he has Space-Time Ninjutsu."

Naruto didn't respond to Sasuke. He had been sitting at the dining table for half an hour, studying Chen's family photo.

Sasuke turned and asked curiously, "Is there something wrong with that photo?"

Naruto stroked the frame's protective film and said, "No. I was just thinking that this guy actually has a wife and kids too."

Sasuke said matter-of-factly, "Isn't that normal? According to intelligence, he was born the same year as us. Our children have already officially become ninjas."

Naruto shook his head. "That's not the issue. He has a wife and kids, yet he still engages in those shady dealings, spreading dangerous rumors to stir up chaos! He even got involved with someone like Madara, who once brought disaster to the ninja world!"

"Honestly... if he were alone, I'd let it slide. But now! I! Am! Furious! As a father, he has no regard for his family at all!"

Sasuke silently agreed with Naruto. He picked up Chen's chakra crystal and said, "This chakra crystal allowed us, far away in the Land of Fire, to vaguely sense him in the Land of Lightning. Now his chakra reaction has completely disappeared. He must have gone to a region even farther away than the Lands of Fire and Lightning. With that, we have a rough range. Let's investigate one by one, using my Rinnegan's Space-Time Ninjutsu!"

Naruto stood up and placed the photo frame back on the TV cabinet...

A village of towering buildings suddenly appeared before Madara and Obito's eyes!

It was a village that looked even more prosperous than Konoha!

On the streets and alleys of the village, busy figures could be seen everywhere.

At this moment, the most eye-catching sight was the massive white bird cruising at high speed through the sky.

"Huh? That flashy design..." Obito raised an eyebrow, his Sharingan straining to see as he made out the beautiful youth on the bird's back, golden ponytail flowing, using a miniature telescope in his left eye to survey the surroundings below.

"Deidara...?"

After recognizing the figure, Obito looked at Chen in shock. "What's the meaning of this?"

Deidara, along with the vast majority of Impure World Reincarnation summons, had been sealed by the Shinobi Alliance during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Later, when Itachi manipulated Kabuto Yakushi to undo the Impure World Reincarnation, his soul had ascended to the afterlife.

Chen said calmly, "Including former Akatsuki members, I collected the life matter of most named ninja in this world. After the war ended, I gradually re-summoned them through Impure World Reincarnation."

"Of course, those like 'Sasori' or 'Itachi,' who had fulfilled their long-cherished wishes and no longer held any attachment to the present world, are not included. Additionally, Nagato, who was sealed into the Totsuka Blade by Itachi, cannot be reincarnated either." (Itachi's soul did not ascend voluntarily—whether he had attachments or not is debated. In this work's setting, Itachi has no attachments left. Let the elder brother rest in peace; don't disturb him.)

Obito sighed deeply. "What a grand scheme. How did you make these dangerous individuals obey without question? It's not like the zombie talismans Orochimaru and Kabuto used to erase personalities, is it? From the lively expression on Deidara's face, I can tell his personality hasn't been taken away."

Madara's gaze also turned to Chen, eager to know the answer to this question.

Chen's eyes grew contemplative as he slowly uttered three words.

"Kotoamatsukami."