Crisis Approaches

On a sailing vessel in the waters of the Land of Water, the monk Jigen stood by the rail.

After a long journey, he had finally drawn close to the Otsutsuki's presence. At the same time, however, Jigen's body was becoming increasingly unable to bear the strain, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Isshiki's injuries were still severe. Unlike in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, he had not used a Vessel's Natural Energy to evolve his Karma. Most of the time, Isshiki's consciousness remained asleep, attempting to heal his injuries. Only the monk named Jigen, who had already been assimilated into his puppet, was left to move through the shinobi world on instinct.

After sensing Seiji's presence, Isshiki could no longer tolerate Jigen's frail body. He decided to find Seiji and use Seiji's body to complete his rebirth.

The timeline returned to the present.

Seiji, who had only just awakened the memories of his past life, had no idea that a deadly crisis was already approaching.

"Father, can you tell me about Hidden Mist Village and the Kaguya Clan?" Seiji asked Genji after returning home. Though he possessed some memories related to the world of Naruto from his past life, he truly knew very little about the Land of Water and Hidden Mist Village.

"Hidden Mist and the Kaguya Clan... that's quite an old story."

"The Kaguya Clan was a Kekkei Genkai powerhouse that had been passed down through the shinobi world for a thousand years. During the Warring States Period, we lived in the Land of Fire. Back then, we could stand on equal footing with clans such as the Senju and Uchiha. But near the end of the Warring States Period, two freaks emerged: Hashirama Senju, who would later be called the God of Shinobi, and Madara Uchiha, the Shinobi World Asura. Most ridiculous of all, those two supreme powerhouses ended up shaking hands and making peace. Those of us clans unwilling to join the Senju and Uchiha were driven out of the Land of Fire."

"Under Madara Uchiha's threat of force, we were driven toward the sea and had no choice but to settle in the Land of Water. At the time, the strongest shinobi of the Kaguya Clan was the Great Elder, who had just reached the level of clan head—what was now called Kage-level. Even in the Land of Water, he could only lead the clan in protecting itself. Later, under the coordination of Lord Byakuren, the First Mizukage, we joined with the Yuki Clan, which possessed Hyoton, and the Hozuki Clan, which had secret Water Release techniques, to establish Hidden Mist Village together."

"Because the Kaguya Clan revered strength and had a strong martial spirit, our clansmen were hot-tempered and often fought with the other shinobi within Hidden Mist Village. So not long after jointly founding the village, we moved out and settled nearby. Still, many clansmen held posts within Hidden Mist Village. Though Father was young then, his strength ranked among the best in the village. After Lord Byakuren, the First Mizukage, passed away, I became a member of Lord Gengetsu's guard, the Second Mizukage."

"In the twelfth year of Hidden Mist, the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, was confirmed dead. Having lost its strongest figure while possessing the most fertile land, the Land of Fire and Konoha became a prime target, and a great war that swept across the entire shinobi world erupted."

"Iwagakure, Hidden Mist, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure—the four great shinobi villages—joined forces to attack Konoha in the Land of Fire. But unexpectedly, even after losing the God of Shinobi, Konoha's strength still dominated the shinobi world. Left with no choice, the four nations could only cease hostilities after their defeat and form an alliance with Konoha."

"After more than a year of recuperation, the four Kage unanimously sought to avenge their humiliation, and war broke out again. The Raikage chose to attack Konoha first. After being defeated by Konoha, he chose to ally with it once more. But unexpectedly, during the alliance ceremony in Kumogakure, Kinkaku and Ginkaku launched a rebellion and actually killed both the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage!"

"Hidden Mist and Iwagakure saw an opportunity and attacked Konoha at the same time. Yet a dramatic scene unfolded: the two sides began fighting each other over the division of Konoha's spoils."

"Lord Gengetsu, the Second Mizukage, led the Shadow Guard and Anbu in an elite squad raid on the Land of Earth. Father was already captain of the Shadow Guard then. Who would have thought that the intelligence would leak? We were ambushed at the border of the Land of Earth by Mu, the Second Tsuchikage. The Mizukage and Tsuchikage fought until their tempers flared, and in the end, they perished together. Our Shadow Guard suffered heavy losses as well. In the end, only Father and seven other Anbu members returned to the village, all severely injured."

"The one who inherited the Mizukage title was Lord Haku, who had once served as Lord Byakuren's guard. Lord Haku came from the Yuki Clan and possessed the Kekkei Genkai known as Hyoton. If Father's injuries could recover, I should be able to continue serving as captain of Lord Haku's Shadow Guard."

"Your mother should have told you about what happened afterward. Father's recovery from those severe injuries was incomplete, and my strength declined. I lost most of my influence within the clan, and for the following three years, I was repeatedly suppressed by your uncle after he took power."

"In the nineteenth year of Hidden Mist, not long after you were born, the Sixth Elder—your maternal grandfather—went missing during a mission. Before our branch could wait for you to grow up, we lost our pillar. My Brother, who had long since secured the position of clan head, suddenly struck. He joined forces with most of the clan elders and expelled our family!" Remembering what had happened eight years ago, and then the death of his wife five years ago, Genji's eyes reddened and filled with tears.

"The excuse they used was so absurd. They claimed that you—my son, who inherited the bloodlines of Yukiko and me—had horns growing from your forehead and had suffered a bloodline mutation. At first, I also thought there really was a problem with your bloodline. After all, in the thousand-year inheritance of the Kaguya Clan, there had never been a case of someone growing horns from their forehead. But now that you've awakened the Shikotsumyaku, it's clear they were merely looking for an excuse to suppress us!"

What Genji had not realized was that Seiji's bloodline truly had mutated. It was simply an exceptionally rare, beneficial atavistic mutation. The pair of horns on his forehead were precisely the mark of the Otsutsuki, the origin of the Kaguya Clan's bloodline.

"We are being watched here now. That damned Kaguya Musashi actually sent two Jonin to guard a half-crippled man like me." Genji said bitterly, "With Father's current strength, I can only remain undefeated against one of them. Against two, I might not even last a minute. Only when your strength reaches the level of a Jonin will the two of us, father and son, be able to escape this place with the enhancement of the Shikotsumyaku."

"After all these years, Kaguya Musashi has also awakened the Shikotsumyaku. With the resources available to him as clan head, he most likely already possesses Kage-level strength. Father has no hope left. Revenge can only depend on you!" Genji let out a long sigh.

After listening to Genji's account, Seiji finally gained a preliminary understanding of the Land of Water and Hidden Mist Village, as well as a detailed grasp of the internal struggle within the Kaguya Clan.

"Leave it to me, Father. I'll train hard and avenge our family as soon as possible!" Seiji replied firmly.

After returning to his room, Seiji's emotions still churned like raging waves. His family had suffered far too much—so much that it was almost unbearable.

It took Seiji a long while to gradually calm down. He sat cross-legged and began refining Chakra.

The physical and spiritual energy produced by the one hundred thirty trillion cells in his body continuously mixed together. Seiji's Chakra slowly increased until it reached a certain threshold.

At the end of the twenty-seventh year of Hidden Mist, Seiji's Chakra reserves officially reached the level of a Jonin.

(The other four great shinobi villages were established one after another in the same year that Konoha was founded.)