Chaos Is About to Erupt

(Chapter 1: Chaos Is About to Erupt)

The Third Hokage's orders were carried out thoroughly. His authority in Konoha was still considerable, and his commands were strictly obeyed. No one in the village spoke about the Nine-Tailed Fox, not even in private. The matter had become taboo.

But talk about the Uchiha clan had begun to spread among the people. After the Third Hokage forbade anyone from discussing the Nine-Tails, there was less talk about the Uchiha clan, too. Still, plenty of people discussed them in private, and the matter was not forgotten.

Year 48 of Konoha

The Nine-Tails attacked Konoha. The Fourth Hokage fell in battle, and Naruto Uzumaki became a Jinchuriki. The Third Hokage came out of retirement once more, and history continued to unfold. The Third Shinobi World War had only just ended. With its formidable strength and many outstanding ninja—including the Fourth Hokage, the Konoha Sannin, and other exceptional shinobi—Konoha had secured victory and surpassed the other four great shinobi nations, becoming the foremost shinobi power. It had even forced the Land of Wind to sign a humiliating treaty.

But the Konoha Sannin had left, the Fourth Hokage had fallen, and the Nine-Tails' attack had shattered Konoha's advantage in an instant. Now, Konoha was like a tiger without teeth. It still commanded respect, but it was no longer as invincible as it had once been.

The shinobi nations that had already been itching to make a move finally seized the chance presented by Konoha's weakness and began clashing with the Land of Fire. After years of war, the other great shinobi nations understood Konoha's resilience. If they didn't take advantage of this opportunity, they might never get another.

Apart from the Land of Wind, which had signed an alliance with the Land of Fire, the other three great shinobi nations began sending ninja across the borders to spy on and attack the Land of Fire. The Land of Lightning committed the most troops, since its forces were the only ones that had remained largely intact.

*******

Mirai still went to school and came home every day. Aside from studying the most basic knowledge, he trained relentlessly. He had no idea how many dangers lay ahead—Uchiha Obito, Shimura Danzō, and all the troubles that would follow one after another. They all drove him to grow stronger.

He hadn't lasted even one round against Uchiha Obito. That was the difference in their strength. The real him was no match for the Uchiha Obito of today, and since he was not one to accept defeat, he naturally had to keep improving.

Over the course of a little more than a month, Mirai's strength had improved quite a bit. The friends who trained with him called him a monster. They had been working hard to catch up, yet they could clearly feel the gap between them and Mirai growing wider.

Mirai had never shown them how quickly he could form Hand Seals. He was afraid they'd feel even more discouraged if they saw. Fortunately, they truly considered him a friend. They were a little envious, but not jealous; they were simply happy for him. They even joked that they'd have to rely on him to keep them safe in the future. Mirai had laughed and agreed.

Mirai was glad to have made a few close friends in this world. He still didn't feel entirely at home in Konoha, and he felt even more like an outsider among the Uchiha clan. But he was sincere with his friends, and he taught them all the ninjutsu knowledge and techniques he knew.

As Mirai walked down the street, he would sometimes stop by Ichiraku Ramen on his days off and have a bowl of ramen, treating himself to something delicious.

"Hey, did you hear? We lost quite a few people at the border again this time." Suddenly, Mirai heard two customers talking nearby, and they were discussing—

"Bang!" One of them smacked the table and said furiously, "Those bastards are taking advantage of the Land of Fire being badly weakened to kick us while we're down. If the Konoha Sannin and the Fourth Hokage were still here, how could people from those countries dare to act so brazenly?"

"Sigh! The Third Shinobi World War had only just ended, and we'd won. We should have been rebuilding quickly, but then something like this happened. The Nine-Tails attacked Konoha and caused so many casualties. Our losses have been enormous."

"It's all the Nine-Tails' and the Uchiha clan's fault. It was probably..." Before the man could finish, his companion clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh! Don't say that. The Third Hokage has already issued a ban. Don't say things like that. Besides, look over there..." The man flicked his eyes toward Mirai, who was sitting nearby. Mirai was wearing the Uchiha clan's clothes, with the clan crest emblazoned on his back.

The man glanced at Mirai and curled his lip mockingly. "He's just some kid from the Uchiha Clan. What's there to be afraid of? He'll probably turn out just like the rest of them..."

"Aren't you afraid he'll go home and tattle to his elders?"

Mirai chuckled when he heard the rest of their conversation. He didn't care what the two of them had said. They were just villagers who didn't know the truth. They reminded him of a strange kind of creature he'd encountered online back on Earth: trolls.

They were people who knew nothing yet arrogantly spouted off. There were plenty of people like that in his country, though the proportion was probably about the same in every country. There were just more people in China, so there were more trolls, too. If you thought you could do better, then go ahead and try. Go fight on the battlefield and kill some enemies. In the end, they were all talk.

Mirai had never paid people like that any mind back on Earth, so why would he care what they said now? If they cursed him, though, he wouldn't mind breaking their legs.

"Bang!" A loud crash rang out in the ramen shop. The two men jumped, and Mirai turned in surprise. Ayame had set two bowls of ramen in front of them and shouted, "Eat up!"

The two men looked at their ramen and saw that the broth was as clear as water—there was no flavor to it at all. It was just plain water, with noodles that didn't seem fully cooked. Honestly, the sight killed their appetite.

"Hey! This isn't normal ramen, is it?"

Ayame put her hands on her hips. "Take it or leave it. If you think I'm too young, you can go talk to my dad yourself and see what he says!"

"Boss! Is this how your daughter treats customers?" one of them called to Teuchi, who was working behind the counter.

"You two can leave. This shop doesn't welcome customers like you," Teuchi said. The two men hadn't expected the usually mild-mannered ramen shop owner to say something like that to them, his customers.

"Hmph! What kind of attitude is that? We're never coming back!" After leaving them with that threat, the two men slunk away.

"Bah! Customers like you shouldn't come back! And you even dared to bully Mirai!" Ayame shouted after them, still indignant.

Mirai smiled wryly. "Uncle Teuchi, Ayame, you shouldn't chase customers away like that. Let them be. It doesn't bother me."

"You're not angry, but I am. Two grown men bullying a child—it's shameless," Ayame said.

I don't think I was bullied, Mirai thought, but he kept it to himself. He figured that if he said it aloud, Ayame would go on about it forever.

Uncle Teuchi smiled at Mirai. "It's all right. I may only be a ramen seller, but I'm not happy with those two, either. We're better off with fewer customers like that. Since they didn't eat their ramen, I'll cook it again when we get back and give it all to you. On the house."

Mirai didn't know what to say, so he nodded. His heart was full of gratitude. Those two had been among the first people to show him kindness, and he decided he would repay them someday. But he had also learned a lot from them. It seemed Konoha's situation really was precarious. He'd been planning to study for another year and a half or so before graduating, but now it looked like he would have to graduate early.