Could Nagato Still Carry the Rice Without the Rinnegan?

Early the next morning, Uchiha Chonhua and the others arrived at the gates of the Land of Whirlpools' capital.

By the time they arrived, Hatake Sakumo had already led the main force off to give Cloud Village and Mist Village trouble.

Some Konoha Ninja remained behind, watching their surroundings with expressionless faces and eagle-sharp eyes.

"You're here."

The Uzumaki Clan Head hadn't gone to deal with Cloud Village and Mist Village. He had stayed in the capital with the Uzumaki Clan's elite to guard against the enemy trying to create a diversion and lure them away.

It was always better to be safe.

Besides, he wanted to take one last look at the Uzumaki Clan members who were about to leave.

The Uzumaki Clan Head looked wistfully at his anxious, fearful clansmen. Most of them were women, children, or the elderly.

"I'm entrusting these fifty people to you."

The Uzumaki Clan Head made his request solemnly. Ono, a Jonin, nodded gravely. "I'll complete the mission without fail. I won't leave a single person behind. I'll get everyone to Konoha safely!"

The Uzumaki Clan Head nodded, then turned to address the clansmen gathered there. "Everyone, when you reach Konoha, don't forget that this place is our home! Once things are safe, please come back to the ancestral shrine during the holidays so we can catch up."

"I'll always be here!"

"Clan Head..."

Tears streamed down the Uzumaki clansmen's faces. They took one last look at the place where they had lived, then followed Uchiha Chonhua and the others away with tear-filled eyes.

Ono, a Jonin, led the way. Uchiha Chonhua and Mikoto Uchiha guarded both sides of the group, while Hizashi Hyuga brought up the rear, keeping his Byakugan active and on the lookout.

They couldn't move quickly. Most of the fifty people weren't ninja, and those who were had grown old and lost the stamina they'd once had.

On this tiny island country, their pace was now slower than a tortoise's.

Hizashi Hyuga, at the rear of the group, was intensely alert. Veins bulged around his temples as he stared ahead with his Byakugan.

He kept everything happening around them in sight.

However, because the Caged Bird was marked on his forehead, Hizashi Hyuga also turned to look behind him from time to time, making sure he was watching every angle.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he signaled with his right hand.

The other three scanned their surroundings, keeping Hizashi Hyuga in the corners of their eyes.

At his signal, their expressions turned grim, and they immediately raised their Kunai in preparation.

The Uzumaki clansmen began to stir at the sight. They were all nervous and flustered, but no one cried out.

The ninja protecting them had taken a defensive stance. That meant there were enemies!

"Hidden Mist Technique again!"

Ono, a Jonin, stayed on guard for a moment. Then mist suddenly swirled around them, blocking their view.

They had only seen this happen yesterday. The attackers were Mist Village ninja again.

"Senpai, I'm going in."

Uchiha Chonhua called out. The next moment, Ono, a Jonin, answered.

"Chonhua, be careful."

Uchiha Chonhua glanced at the Uzumaki clansmen beside him. "Wait here for a moment."

"Hey, wait..."

The Uzumaki clansmen were already on edge, and now their previously clear view was blocked. They could see only about half a meter around them, and had no idea what was happening to the others.

Thankfully, the young Uchiha ninja was still beside them, which gave them a little comfort.

But to their surprise, the next moment, the Uchiha boy charged straight into the mist and disappeared.

They were terrified. Without ninja to protect them, how could women and children like them withstand the enemy's blades?

"Mom, where did the ninja big brother go?"

Hearing her child's voice, the mother quickly pulled him close and reassured him. "It's okay, it's okay. The ninja big brother went to fight the enemy. We'll be fine."

Long hair fell across the child's eyes. Peering through the strands, the Uzumaki boy gazed into the distance, his small face scrunched up.

"Ugh... I can't see."

"Hm? Mom, there's lightning over there!"

The Uzumaki boy seemed to spot something and cried out excitedly.

He hurriedly pointed toward the lightning to show his mother, but she was too nervous, clutching him and muttering to herself. She didn't notice what he was doing.

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Waaaaaaah!"

A piercing scream suddenly came from the mist. The already tense Uzumaki clansmen lost their nerve and began to scream one after another.

"All right, all right, everyone, stop shouting."

A booming voice drowned out the commotion, followed by a gust of wind.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

The gust ruffled their hair and swept away the hazy mist.

Ono, a Jonin, didn't let his guard down. He looked toward Hizashi Hyuga.

Hizashi Hyuga watched for a moment, then said, "There are no enemies for now."

Only then did Ono, a Jonin, relax a little and look toward Uchiha Chonhua.

Two Mist Village ninja lay at his feet, terror on their faces. A hole had been torn through each of their chests, and blood poured out.

Ono, a Jonin, froze for a moment. What kind of technique was that? It had punched holes straight through their chests. Was it connected to the lightning from before?

Blue light flashed like lightning, but there was no sound—only light.

In the blink of an eye, both Mist Village ninja were dead.

"So Mist Village's signature Hidden Mist Technique can't hide you from his senses at all, Chonhua."

Watching Uchiha Chonhua walk back, Ono, a Jonin, exclaimed, "You're a terrifying young man. Mist Village's Hidden Mist Technique is useless against you."

The mist was made from highly concentrated chakra, and even Hizashi Hyuga's Byakugan had trouble seeing through it. Yet it was no match for Uchiha Chonhua's perception.

Mist Village had simply been unlucky enough to run into someone who countered them perfectly.

That was Uchiha Chonhua's excuse. The truth was that he was even better at using the Hidden Mist Technique than the Mist Village ninja, and his mastery completely outclassed theirs.

Still, Mist Village really was unlucky. Why had he gotten a random Mist Village nobody? He couldn't help it. He would have much rather drawn a famous character from the original story.

"We'll keep moving. Watch out for enemy squads roaming around."

The main force was made up of several ninja squads. Hatake Sakumo and the others had taken on the enemy's main force, but some enemy squads might still be wandering around on their own, looking for a chance to strike and acting on their own initiative.

At heart, Uchiha Chonhua's squad was no different from theirs.

The two Mist Village ninja were left behind as fertilizer, while Uchiha Chonhua and the others continued on their way.

"Big brother, what was that lightning just now?"

As soon as he returned to the left side of the group, he heard a child's voice beside him.

Uchiha Chonhua turned and saw a woman looking at him anxiously and apologetically. The child in her arms had spoken.

The woman patted the child, signaling him to be quiet.

Uchiha Chonhua studied the boy. He looked familiar.

More importantly, the long curtain of hair obscured the boy's eyes.

...That looked even more familiar.

Uchiha Chonhua asked casually, "What's your name?"

He really had only asked on a whim. But the boy's answer made his gaze sharpen at once.

"You're asking me, big brother? My name is Nagato Uzumaki."

Chapter 36: Could Nagato Still Carry the Rice Without the Rinnegan?

"...Are there any other people in the Uzumaki Clan named Nagato?"

Little Nagato blinked and looked at Uchiha Chonhua in confusion, then shook his head. "No. My name's pretty rare in the clan."

So this really was Nagato Uzumaki, the one who would carry the rice later.

"That lightning was my ninjutsu." Uchiha Chonhua held out his right hand. "Do you want to see it?"

Little Nagato's eyes lit up as he looked at Uchiha Chonhua's palm. He nodded quickly.

Uchiha Chonhua smiled, formed Hand Seals, and showed him the silent Chidori. Little Nagato gasped as he watched lightning gather in Uchiha Chonhua's hand.

"Wow, it doesn't make any sound!"

On a rainy day, thunder had rumbled as a bolt of lightning split the sky, bringing a moment of light. Little Nagato still remembered how awe-inspiring it had been.

To gather lightning in the palm of his hand—ninja really were incredible.

"Pretty cool, right?" Uchiha Chonhua dispersed the Chidori.

Ono, a Jonin, and the others stared at Uchiha Chonhua, stunned.

"Was that the technique?"

Ono, a Jonin, drew a deep breath. That was the technique that had punched holes through the Mist Village ninja's chests. What rank was it? He had never seen anything like it.

Gathering such highly concentrated Lightning Release Chakra in the palm of one's hand was already difficult. And then there was the transformation of its nature...

Ono, a Jonin, had already thought highly of Uchiha Chonhua's strength, but now he realized he still hadn't rated him highly enough.

He swallowed.

If Uchiha Chonhua could change the nature of highly concentrated Lightning Release Chakra, then of course he could use Lightning Release to activate his cells, too.

He was incredibly fast, had Lightning Release Ninjutsu with devastating power, and, oh right, had a frighteningly keen sense of perception...

Facing someone like Uchiha Chonhua, Ono, a Jonin, had to admit he might not be able to hold his own. He was a Jonin, yet he couldn't beat Uchiha Chonhua, a Genin.

...This Genin was way over the limit.

And the kid didn't even have the Sharingan yet.

Ono, a Jonin, didn't dare imagine how much stronger Uchiha Chonhua would become once he awakened the Sharingan.

No wonder Lord Hokage had such high hopes for him.

Ono, a Jonin, felt even more reverence for Sarutobi Hiruzen. That was why he was Hokage—he knew how to judge people.

The more he compared them, the more impressed he became. Ono, a Jonin, looked at Uchiha Chonhua with a trace of awe.

This boy was destined for a brilliant future.

Uchiha Chonhua studied Nagato Uzumaki. Through the long strands of hair, he saw a pair of clear black-and-white eyes.

He narrowed his eyes, thinking it over.

Nagato Uzumaki's eyes were normal now, which meant Uchiha Madara hadn't yet decided to transplant his Rinnegan into him.

To make a bold guess, perhaps Uchiha Madara hadn't awakened the Rinnegan yet?

But that would happen within the next few years.

Uchiha Chonhua sized him up. Nagato Uzumaki seemed to be four or five years younger than he was.

In the original story, Konoha and Amegakure went to war, and Konoha ninja accidentally killed Nagato Uzumaki's parents. His Rinnegan's power erupted under the strain of his extreme emotions, and he killed the Konoha ninja.

Compared with little Nagato now, he was only a little older. There weren't many years left.

On the way, Uchiha Chonhua chatted with Nagato Uzumaki and his mother.

Nagato Uzumaki's father had died young, leaving him and his mother, Fuso Uzumaki, to depend on each other. Uchiha Chonhua recalled that, in the original story, Nagato's father had black hair.

Oh, so he was his stepfather. That made sense.

"Can I become a powerful ninja like you when I grow up?" Little Nagato asked wistfully.