Jiraiya

The former site of Uzushiogakure.

In recent days, the Uchiha clansmen had cleared away the ruins and erected simple wooden huts.

In the open space, giant Ninja Cats were helping to transport timber.

Jialuo, a blue cat with a bandage wrapped around his forehead and a paintbrush hanging from his ear, looked down at the blueprints from time to time and shouted, "Orange, it's the right side! You've got it backward!"

"It's one thing to not know north from south, but can you really not tell left from right?!"

The orange cat, who was carrying a massive log, actually let go of the wood and held his paws up in front of his face.

"The right paw is for eating dried fish, the left is for drinking juice... Meow!!"

Thud!

The giant log pinned the orange cat underneath it, and Jialuo shook his head helplessly.

Working with this bunch of stupid cats was truly exhausting!

"Thank you for your hard work, Jialuo."

Fugaku approached with his family. His wife, Mikoto, wore an expression of lingering sorrow, while Uchiha Itachi held his younger brother, Sasuke, who was looking around with curiosity.

"It's just business, no need to talk about hard work." Jialuo made a few marks on the blueprint and turned his head. "Leader Fugaku, do you know where Sora went?"

After the Uchiha clan settled here, Fugaku had a long talk with Uchiha Sora.

Fugaku felt that Uchiha Sora was better suited to lead the Uchiha clan. Although he was still young, the Uchiha was a clan that valued strength above all else; as a leader, one did not need seniority or the like.

Uchiha Sora had no intention of seizing power from Fugaku, at least not for the time being.

As the clan head, Fugaku might not always see the big picture, but he could handle daily affairs well and held considerable prestige among the clansmen.

According to Uchiha Sora's plan, he would succeed as the Uchiha clan head only after he truly awakened his Mangekyō.

As for whether he would awaken the Mangekyō...

Uchiha Sora never doubted his own talent.

For now, letting Fugaku manage internal affairs while he focused on external expansion was a reasonable arrangement.

Just as Jialuo's question faded, Uchiha Itachi spoke up as well.

"Father, is Shisui with Brother Sora?"

Shisui usually guided Itachi often, and he hadn't seen him for a long time.

Surrounded by those close to him, Fugaku saw no reason to hide it and said, "They are going to open up trade routes and recruit some smaller clans."

As he spoke, a smile appeared on his face.

"According to Sora, we didn't come here to live a life of hardship; we are going to build a village that belongs to the Uchiha!"

Without the infighting and political maneuvering of the village elders, Fugaku's state of mind had improved recently; at least the mental pressure was not as heavy.

It was just Mikoto...

She had a close relationship with Kushina and had not yet emerged from her grief, constantly worrying about Kushina's child.

"A Ninja Village..."

Jialuo's eyes lit up. "Have you thought of a name for the village? How about Cat Hidden Village!"

Fugaku smiled, a rare sight for him. "That's an interesting idea, but we have already decided..."

"Once we have accumulated enough strength, we will announce ourselves to the ninja world under the name of the Flame Hidden Village!"

Hotter than fire—there was no name more fitting than the Flame Hidden Village!

Uchiha Itachi frowned slightly. Although he was only six, he was precocious, having been taken to the battlefield at age four by that irresponsible old man, Fugaku.

"Father... is it really the right choice to build our own ninja village?"

"After all, this is no longer the Warring States period, and our strength is in a very awkward position..."

"We are stronger than many small countries, but we lack the power to make the Great Nations fear us."

Fugaku shook his head and said calmly, "You are mistaken, Itachi."

"We possess the power to make the Great Nations fear us."

He crossed his arms, his voice low and confident. "I have the Mangekyō Sharingan, and Sora has a summoning beast comparable to a Tailed Beast. Even if we were to clash head-on right now, we would not fear the Great Nations!"

"By the time your and Sasuke's generation grows up, it is not impossible for us to become the sixth Great Nation of the ninja world!"

Once the thought was planted, the world suddenly felt vast.

When Fugaku stopped obsessing over the position of Hokage, a greater ambition began to sprout.

He might be able to achieve what even Madara Uchiha could not: establish a great nation that belonged to the Uchiha!

Uchiha Itachi remained silent.

He had never seen such a spirited expression on his father's face before.

He lowered his head and smiled faintly.

Perhaps this was also the ideal of Shisui...

Father... Shisui...

He looked at Sasuke in his arms and made a silent vow.

No matter what, I will definitely make sure you grow up safe and sound, Sasuke!

--

--

Nighttime.

By the river in the forest.

Uchiha Sora and Shisui lit a campfire and roasted the large fish they had caught.

Normally, two ten-year-old kids wouldn't dare to do something like this in the wild, as it might attract bandits or thieves.

But they were two Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan; if anyone with eyes dared to come knocking, they would simply be delivering themselves as prey.

The bandits didn't come, but a tall, white-haired middle-aged man did.

The sound of wooden sandals clacking against the ground rang out, followed immediately by a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha, that grilled fish smells delicious. Could you spare me a bite?"

Clang!

Shisui gripped his blade and stood up, a crimson flash in his eyes as he activated his Sharingan.

The voice was so close, yet he hadn't detected the man's approach at all!

He was a powerhouse!

An incredibly strong one!

Uchiha Sora also activated his Sharingan, three tomoe spinning within his eye sockets.

Dōjutsu was a form of chakra, and since he already possessed excellent chakra control, he quickly adapted to the power of the Three Tomoe now that it had been amplified.

He had first awakened his eyes on the day his mother passed away, at the tender age of two.

This was perhaps related to his naturally powerful spiritual energy.

As time passed, he had naturally awakened the two tomoe, and after the great war, he had advanced once more.

In his view, awakening the Sharingan too early was not a good thing.

The two reincarnations of Indra, Uchiha Sasuke and Madara Uchiha, had both awakened their Three Tomoe and even their Mangekyō relatively late.

This might be a protective mechanism: the body must reach a certain level before the dōjutsu can keep up.

For those like Uchiha Itachi and Shisui, awakening too early would severely drag down the body.

Uchiha Itachi had suffered from a bloodline disease, and while Shisui died too young for the aftereffects to manifest, there was another similar example.

Kimimaro.

That guy also had a bloodline ability that was too powerful, leading to a debilitating illness.

In short, the Sharingan was like highly sophisticated software; it occupied too much memory, and running this program on the "host" of the body was too strenuous.

However...

Facing the person before him, Uchiha Sora could not afford to worry about the toll.

When he saw who it was, Shisui could not help but grow tense; Uchiha Sora, while able to remain calm, was prepared to push himself to the limit.

"It has been a long time... no, this should be our first time meeting, Lord Jiraiya."

The legendary Sannin, mentor to the Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya!

Jiraiya sat down by the fire with his tall frame, an invisible pressure radiating from him.

He smiled and said calmly, "Don't misunderstand. I have no intention of fighting you; it would cause too much of a commotion."

"Uchiha Sora, I only wish to inquire about some intelligence. Please, tell me..."

"Who exactly is the mysterious person that killed the Fourth Hokage!"