The Year of the Divine Absence

When Uchiha Mikoto returned to the Capital of the Land of Fire with Sasuke and Karin, it had already been twelve days since their departure.

Autumn rain drizzled down, striking the bluestone pavement and splashing into fine, dense droplets. The streets of the capital were colder than when they had left—no, not just cold, but desolate.

Several shops along the road had sealing tags pasted over their doors; the white paper on the door panels was soaked through by the rain, the characters on them blurred into a smear. A beggar huddled under the eaves, clutching a filthy bundle to his chest, calling out "have mercy" in a weak, listless voice. No one stopped to look at him.

The three of them entered the noble residence through a side gate, passed through several corridors, and arrived at the courtyard where Naro resided.

Naro was sitting under the veranda, drinking tea.

He wore a grey kimono, his hair tied loosely behind his head, and he held a white porcelain teacup in his hand. He looked like an idle young master from somewhere, not a figure capable of stirring the winds and clouds of the ninja world. Shisui knelt behind him, his expression calm, hands resting on his knees like a statue.

"You've returned?" Naro set down his teacup and glanced at Mikoto.

Mikoto walked over, knelt on one knee under the veranda, and lowered her head.

"My Lord, the mission failed. The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was not in Takigakure; they had been moved in advance. I failed to bring the target back. Please punish me, My Lord."

Sasuke and Karin stood behind Mikoto, also lowering their heads. Sasuke's fists were clenched tight—he felt he bore responsibility as well. If he had performed better in Takigakure, perhaps he could have found clues about the Jinchuriki, and perhaps they wouldn't have returned empty-handed.

Naro looked at Mikoto, silent for two seconds, and then smiled.

"Rise. I already knew Takigakure had moved the Jinchuriki." He picked up his teacup and took a sip. "This was not your fault."

Mikoto looked up, stunned. "My Lord... you already knew?"

"I learned of it from other sources. Besides, while Takigakure is a small village, they are not fools." Naro did not blame Mikoto. "When the news I released regarding the path to godhood spread throughout the ninja world, they would have guessed their own Tailed Beast would be targeted. With such a large village and such a large target, how could they not make preparations in advance?"

Mikoto fell silent. She had assumed it was a failure of her own judgment; it turned out that from the very beginning, the Lord had never expected her to bring the person back.

"However, you did well this time." Naro looked at Sasuke and Karin, his gaze sweeping over them. "Sasuke, how did your genjutsu and Fire Style coordinate?"

Sasuke looked up, surprised that Naro would ask him this. He thought for a moment and said, "Genjutsu to control the field, Fire Style for offense, and kunai to finish... Mother taught me, and it felt very natural to use."

"And Karin?"

Karin took half a step forward, a hint of excitement in her emerald eyes: "Taijutsu is more useful than ninjutsu; it's faster in a fight. I used medical ninjutsu too, but I didn't encounter any serious injuries, so I just practiced chakra control for the Mystical Palm Technique."

"Hmm." Naro nodded. "Mikoto taught them well."

Mikoto lowered her head: "It was the Lord who gave them the opportunity."

"Opportunities are earned by oneself." Naro stood up and walked from the veranda into the courtyard. The rain fell onto his shoulders, soaking his grey kimono into a dark patch, but he paid it no mind. The autumn rain was light, as fine as ox hair, falling onto the osmanthus tree and knocking a few golden petals to the ground.

"During your time out, did you notice that the ninja world is not peaceful?" he asked.

Sasuke thought for a moment and said, "We met many people on the road. Rogue ninjas, bandits, scouts sent by other villages... more than before."

"There were several groups of 'mantises stalking the cicada' lurking outside Takigakure," Karin added. "Everyone was waiting for others to finish fighting so they could pick up the scraps."

Naro nodded, agreeing with their observations. "That is the status quo of the ninja world. You have only been gone for ten days, and what you saw is merely the tip of the iceberg."

"For over fifty years, the ninja world has been at war for half the time. Big battles and small skirmishes have never ceased; fighting this village today, fighting that village tomorrow. In the end, it is the common people who die, while the noble lords and the high-ranking officials of the ninja villages profit."

He turned around and looked at them. "Therefore, you need to grow as quickly as possible."

Mikoto understood the meaning behind Naro's words. He had sent Sasuke and Karin out to train not to capture the Jinchuriki, but to help them adapt to the cruelty of the ninja world. Now that they had returned and adapted, the next step was about to begin.

"My Lord, what are your arrangements?"

Naro did not answer directly; instead, he walked back to the veranda and picked up two scrolls from beside his cushion. The scrolls were not large—a palm's width and a foot long—tied with red cords and sealed with Sealing Tags. The patterns on the tags were strange, not the common sealing styles of the ninja world, but rather... something much more ancient.

He placed the scrolls on the wooden floor of the veranda, producing a dull "thud." The sound was not loud, but it was heavy, as if he hadn't placed down two small scrolls, but two mountains.

"I have prepared two gifts for you."

Mikoto looked at the two scrolls, her pupils constricting sharply.

The aura emanating from the scrolls made her feel uneasy. It was not chakra, nor natural energy, but something more primitive and violent, like a beast locked in a cage; she could feel its danger even through the seal.

"This is..." Mikoto's voice tightened.

Naro reached out and tore the Sealing Tag off the first scroll. Instantly, a violent aura surged out from within.

Blue light shone from the scroll, a light so cold it resembled the layer of ice that forms on a river during the coldest part of winter. Something within the light was struggling and twisting, like a fish caught in a net, trying to break free from its bonds.

Then, a massive figure appeared in the courtyard—it was a giant demon cat wreathed in blue flames.

Its size was larger than an adult ox, its entire body covered in blue-black fur. It had two tails, held high, with eerie blue flames dancing at the tips. Its eyes were amber, the pupils vertical slits like a cat's, but fiercer and more dangerous than any feline.

The Two-Tails, Matatabi.

Mikoto subconsciously took a step back. She recognized this Tailed Beast—the Two-Tails, possessing astonishing speed, formidable taijutsu, and the ability to attack with blue flames.

Sasuke's Sharingan activated instantly, the Three Tomoe slowly rotating within his blood-red eyes. His body leaned slightly forward, his right hand pressing against the kunai at his waist, ready to respond to any potential attack at any moment.

Karin formed hand seals with both hands, crouching slightly, also prepared for battle.

But Naro merely stood there, looking calmly at the giant demon cat.

"Quiet," he said, his tone light, as if he were speaking to a disobedient house cat.

Matatabi lowered its head, staring at Naro with those amber eyes. A low, rumbling purr emanated from its throat, as if in warning, or perhaps in confusion.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was tense to the breaking point. The rain fell onto Matatabi's blue flames, hissing and evaporating into white steam.

It stared at Naro for several moments. Then, it sat down. It was as if it had been suppressed by something, forced to submit.

Mikoto's breath hitched for a moment. That was a Tailed Beast—a creature that every ninja village had to exhaust all its strength just to barely contain. Yet, in front of this Master, it acted like a mere house cat.

Naro reached out and tapped Matatabi on the forehead. The touch was light, like a caress. Matatabi let out a hum, transformed into a streak of blue light, and shrank back into the scroll.

Naro reapplied the Sealing Tag and picked up the second scroll.

Mikoto's heart tightened once more.

Naro tore off the Sealing Tag. This time, it was a white radiance—white steam surged from the scroll, permeating the entire courtyard.

The sound of hooves echoed through the mist; it wasn't just one horse, but the thunderous sound of a thousand galloping steeds. The ground vibrated slightly. Sasuke felt the stone slabs beneath his feet trembling, as if something massive were about to burst forth from the earth.

A colossal figure emerged from the white fog.

It was a magnificent white horse, larger even than Matatabi. Its body was covered in white fur, while its mane and tail were a pale gold, shimmering in the curtain of rain. Its eyes were red—not the red of a Sharingan, but the red of flames, like two burning embers.

The Five-Tails, Kokuō.

Its four hooves struck the ground, leaving behind steaming prints with every step. Steam puffed from its nostrils, forming clusters of white clouds in the air. Its presence was steady and heavy, like a moving mountain.

Sasuke's Sharingan spun faster. He could feel the terrifying power contained within this Tailed Beast—it felt heavier and more oppressive than the cat from moments ago.

Karin's emerald eyes were fixed on the Five-Tails, her body coiled like a bowstring.

The Five-Tails lowered its head, its red eyes sweeping over the people in the courtyard. Its gaze lingered on Mikoto for a moment, then on Sasuke, then on Karin, before finally settling on Naro's face.

It stared at Naro for several heartbeats, then similarly quieted down and bowed its head.

Naro patted its forehead and sealed it back into the scroll.

The mist in the courtyard slowly dissipated, and the rain began to fall again, hitting the stone floor with a rhythmic "pitter-patter." The water stains that had been dried by the steam were refilled by the rain, as if nothing had happened at all.

Mikoto stood where she was, motionless for a long time.

"Master... this is..." Her voice trembled. She knew the Master was powerful, but she hadn't expected him to be to this extent: two Tailed Beasts, treated like pets, casually sealed into scrolls and remaining perfectly docile in his presence.

"The Two-Tails, Matatabi, and the Five-Tails, Kokuō." Naro picked up the two scrolls and weighed them in his hands. "A gift for Sasuke and Karin."

Mikoto was stunned.

Sasuke was stunned.

Karin was stunned as well.

For them?

"Master, are you intending to make them Jinchuriki?" Mikoto's voice tightened. She knew the life a Jinchuriki led—treated as a monster, feared by others, and exploited by everyone.

She did not want Sasuke to walk that path, burdened from childhood with the curse of a Tailed Beast, treated as a human weapon.

Naro looked at her and smiled. He knew what she was thinking; regardless of anything else, she was Sasuke's mother and would certainly not want her child to become a Jinchuriki.

"Not Jinchuriki. A Jinchuriki seals a Tailed Beast within their body, enduring the erosion of the beast's chakra and facing the constant risk of losing control. They are treated as outcasts by the village and the public, used as weapons while simultaneously being feared and shunned. That is not the path I want them to take."

He looked at the two scrolls, at the mottled runes upon them. "I want them to become Beast Tamers."

"Beast Tamers?" Mikoto had never heard this term before. It wasn't just her; ninety-nine percent of the ninja world had never heard of it either.

Sasuke and Karin looked equally bewildered. Beast Tamers? What kind of Beast Tamers? Was it the same as Summoning animals?

"Beast Tamers are different from Summoners or Jinchuriki," Naro explained, as if reading their minds. "Summoning is a contractual relationship; you summon them, and they help you fight. In essence, they remain independent individuals, merely cooperating temporarily."

"A 'Beast Tamer' is different. You will establish a deep connection with the Tailed Beast—not the sealing-and-contained relationship of a Jinchuriki, nor a relationship of exploitation. It is a partnership of mutual growth. The Tailed Beast will be by your side, fighting with you, training with you, and growing with you. Your chakra will be shared, and your hearts will be linked."

He paused. "When you are strong, they are strong. When they are strong, you are strong."

Mikoto fell silent for a long time after hearing this.

Beast Tamer... not a Jinchuriki, not a sealing, not suppression. It was a relationship of equal partnership.

She had never imagined that Tailed Beasts could be treated this way. For hundreds of years in the ninja world, the practice had been to treat them either as weapons or as calamities. No one had ever thought of being friends with a Tailed Beast.

"Master, is this... really possible?" Mikoto's voice was uncertain. "Tailed Beasts are aggregates of chakra; they have their own consciousness, their own thoughts. Everyone knows that Tailed Beasts are evil."

"In what way are they evil?"

"They... they..." Mikoto was stumped by Naro's question. Indeed, in what way were they evil? She began to ponder this.

She wanted to say, "They kill wantonly whenever they are released!" But she had already guessed Naro's answer. Before the Tailed Beasts were captured and sealed, they were merely legends; there were no real incidents of Tailed Beasts wiping out clans. On the contrary, it was the ninjas who...

"When the Sage of Six Paths separated them, it was for them to exist independently. They were originally living quietly in the ninja world. It was the ninjas who insisted on dragging them out and forcing them to participate in the wars of men."

Naro looked at Uchiha Mikoto and remained silent for two seconds.

"Mikoto, the ninja world is about to undergo a transformation." He didn't continue the previous topic but brought up something else. "I cannot fully predict the scale of this transformation or how deep its influence will reach."

"But one thing I am certain of—in this transformation, strength is everything. Only those who are strong can survive; only those who are strong can protect the people they wish to protect; only those who are strong can change the things they wish to change."

He looked at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, do you wish for revenge?"

"I do." Sasuke's Sharingan swirled. His voice was not loud, but it was firm, as if squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Then you need power." Naro pointed to the sealing scroll of the Two-Tails. "Power greater than Uchiha Itachi. Power greater than that 'Masked Man.' Power greater than anyone else. With your own training alone, you might not catch up even in eight or ten years. But with the help of a Tailed Beast, that time can be shortened to a year or two."

He turned his gaze to Karin. Ever since this red-haired girl had come to his side, she had been trying to prove her worth in the most diligent way possible.

"Karin, do you want the Uzumaki Clan to stand tall once again?"

Karin's eyes turned slightly red. To let her stand up again... did it mean letting her be respected and acknowledged like her grandparents? Or did it mean being exploited, bullied, and eventually thrown into a mass grave like her mother? She desperately wanted to say "I want to," but she feared being laughed at if she spoke it aloud.

"I want to." She said it anyway. Her voice was quieter than Sasuke's, but equally firm.

"Then you also need power." Naro nodded in agreement. "The sealing arts of the Uzumaki Clan are formidable, but you cannot protect anyone with sealing arts alone. You need a stronger physique, stronger ninjutsu, and stronger... partners."

He placed two scrolls in front of Sasuke and Karin.

"I will not make the decision for you. Think it through yourselves. Becoming a Beast Tamer means you must shoulder more responsibilities and face greater dangers. Tailed Beasts are not pets; they have their own pride. It will not be an easy task to win their acknowledgment."

Sasuke looked at the scroll before him and reached out, but did not touch it. He remembered the corpses he had seen in Takigakure, the people who had died in battle, and the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki who had been hunted by the ninjas of various nations—a girl he heard was about his own age.

She must have lived such a weary life, hadn't she? Chased, captured, and passed around like an object.

He did not want to become like that; he did not want to be treated like an object. He wanted to be someone with the power to choose.

"I can do it." Sasuke's voice was calm. "I can become a Beast Tamer."

He reached out and picked up the scroll. It was heavy, far heavier than it looked.

Karin watched him, then reached out and picked up the other scroll.

"I can do it too." Her emerald eyes met Naro's gaze without a hint of hesitation. "I want to become strong—strong enough that no one can bully me, strong enough that no one can bully the Uzumaki Clan."

The child held it to her chest as if she were clutching a precious treasure.

Mikoto looked at the two children, opening her mouth as if to say something. She wanted to say, "You are still too young," or "This is too dangerous," or "Let me think about it more." But as the words reached her lips, she saw the blood-red Three Tomoe Sharingan in Sasuke's eyes and swallowed them back.

Sasuke was no ordinary child. He had experienced far too many things that a child should never have to endure—watching his own brother lead others to slaughter their entire clan, seeing children younger than him fall in pools of blood, and witnessing the home where he had lived for six years turn into ruins.

His gaze was no longer that of a six-year-old; it held hatred, pain, and a resolve that transcended his age.

She thought of Fugaku. She thought of the man who, on the night of the clan's destruction, had used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to seal Danzo's hands and eyes before he died.

Fugaku's final look was very similar to the one Sasuke wore now. It was not despair or anger, but a calm that said, "I am prepared."

She thought of the Indra residing deep within Sasuke's soul. The eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths, the progenitor of the Uchiha Clan. From the moment Sasuke was born, that ancient power had been lurking in the depths of his soul, waiting for the right moment to awaken.

She could stop Sasuke from becoming a Beast Tamer, but she could not stop Indra.

Mikoto took a deep breath and looked at Naro. "My Lord, I will follow your lead."

"Rest assured, I will not let them get hurt." Naro looked at her and nodded. He crouched down to face Sasuke and Karin.

"From today on, you are apprentice Beast Tamers. I will teach you how to communicate with the Tailed Beasts, how to establish a bond with them, and how to fight alongside them. This path is not easy, but I will only guide you through the entrance; as for how you walk it afterward, that is up to you."

Sasuke held the scroll tighter. His fingers traced the surface, feeling the dormant power within. It was not violent or terrifying, but rather... silent. Like a sleeping beast waiting for something.

"Lord Naro," Karin looked up, "what must I do to make Kokuō acknowledge me?"

"I will teach you a technique." Naro stood up and tapped Sasuke and Karin on the forehead. "I have already spoken with Matatabi and Kokuō. They will first establish an equal contract with you through this technique. They will help you, but only to an extent."

"In this process, they will observe you and test you to see if you are worth following. The better your relationship, the more you will grow together."

Sasuke and Karin nodded thoughtfully, bowed with their scrolls, and left to learn the new technique.

Mikoto watched the two children depart, her heart aching with tenderness. She turned and headed to the kitchen, intending to prepare a delicious meal to reward them that evening.

The rain gradually stopped. The clouds parted, and sunlight leaked through the gaps, shining into the courtyard and onto Naro.

His shadow stretched long across the wet stone floor, disappearing into the shade beneath the veranda. Raindrops still clung to the branches of the sweet osmanthus tree; illuminated by the sun, they looked like golden beads. Anyone who saw it would have to sigh at the beautiful, tranquil scene. If only one could remove the dark, ominous Shisui from the side...