The next morning, Uchiha Iori stepped out of his tent and stretched, feeling the fresh breeze brush across his face. He was in an especially good mood.
The night before, he had spent the whole evening drinking with several Heroic Spirits in the Hall of Heroes. To his surprise, when he woke up, he wasn't tired at all. In fact, he felt refreshed.
It seemed the food and drink in the Hall of Heroes really could replenish the soul.
He stood outside his tent, frowning slightly as he thought about the battle last night and his plans for the future.
I killed the Five-Tails Jinchuriki this time. The Iwagakure Ninja should settle down for a while, so the Battle of Kannabi Bridge might not happen.
What about Madara's plan? Will he choose another time, or stick to it and make sure the Battle of Kannabi Bridge happens?
Just as he fell into deep thought, Uzuki Kaori came running over from the left, a bright, excited smile on her face.
"Iori, you're up! I heard that during last night's mission, you not only dealt a heavy blow to the Iwagakure Ninja's supply depot but also killed their commander. That was incredible!"
Her voice brimmed with joy, and admiration shone in her eyes.
As his teammate, she was proud of Iori's achievements, and the secret feelings she harbored for him burned all the brighter.
Around the camp, Iori's reputation was already beginning to rival Minato Namikaze's.
He had struck a heavy blow against the Iwagakure Ninja camp and killed the enemy commander, turning the tide for Konoha when it had been at a disadvantage.
To the shinobi on the front lines, that was every bit as impressive as the Yellow Flash defeating the Kumogakure Ninja in the Land of Lightning.
Some of the shinobi who had seen Iori fight had already started calling him the Crimson Meteor.
"That was a Jinchuriki! Iori, how did you do it? It's unbelievable!"
Kurama Takumi hurried over too. Usually so calm, he could barely contain his excitement now.
As an old shinobi clan in decline, the Kurama Clan had always preserved its ancient records.
Their clan history had always described the Tailed Beasts as an unstoppable natural disaster.
The last people to challenge that belief had been the First, who founded Konoha, and Madara Uchiha.
Seeing that his teammates were safe and sound, Iori felt relieved too.
The Iwagakure Ninja had been squeezing Konoha's shinobi out of their operating space, and reports of reconnaissance units being wiped out kept coming in.
Iori worried that one day, one of his teammates might become one of those casualties.
"Of course, it's all thanks to these eyes," Iori said, pointing to his own.
"I've awakened the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan, the same eyes possessed by Madara Uchiha, who founded Konoha alongside the First."
"The Mangekyō Sharingan?" Uzuki Kaori asked, puzzled. As a member of a minor shinobi clan, she wasn't familiar with such secrets.
After Madara Uchiha returned to the village, he and the First fought a cataclysmic battle. The First died not long afterward.
From then on, everything about Madara Uchiha was gradually swept aside. The village hadn't officially issued a wanted notice branding him a rogue ninja, but his contributions had been all but erased.
In Konoha, the Mangekyō Sharingan had become a legend from the old days. The younger generation knew nothing about it.
"So it really is the legendary Mangekyō? When you defeated the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, did you use the legendary Susanoo?"
Kurama Takumi asked excitedly. He had read about it in his clan's records.
The Kurama Clan head of that era had awakened the clan's Kekkei Genkai and was every bit as strong as the Third Hokage and other powerful shinobi.
But one day, he encountered the strongest member of the Uchiha Clan at the time, and the two fought. Their genjutsu proved useless against the Sharingan.
And the Kekkei Genkai the Kurama Clan took pride in—controlling the five senses and making illusions real—was utterly powerless before the blue giant.
After that battle, whenever the Kurama Clan encountered the Uchiha Clan on a mission, they chose to steer clear.
"That's right. It was Susanoo," Iori replied modestly, though he could barely keep the grin off his face.
It's so much more satisfying when you're talking to someone who knows what they're looking at. Someone like Kaori, who knows nothing about it, barely reacts at all.
"Could I see it sometime?" Kurama Takumi asked, even more excited. He clenched his fists, nearly jumping with anticipation. This was his first chance to get close to the legendary power.
"Uh, not anytime soon. Susanoo damages the eyes, so I can't use it too often."
Iori instinctively kept some details to himself. He couldn't reveal all his trump cards at once.
Not everyone in Konoha was a friend, and keeping some of his strength hidden was only sensible.
"Then never mind. If you ever want to test it out, remember to call me," Kurama Takumi said, looking disappointed.
"Forget about him. Iori, you probably don't have any missions coming up, right? Could you teach me Taijutsu? Just the two of us."
Uzuki Kaori blushed, her eyes darting away as she struggled to meet Iori's gaze.
She bit her lower lip gently and kept fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.
Her body trembled slightly. Asking him that had taken all the courage she had.
After enduring the horrors of war, she didn't want to wait any longer.
"Sure, anytime. Oh, and I'll put together some notes on my Taijutsu and give you a copy."
Iori scratched his head and answered casually, as if he hadn't picked up on the unspoken meaning behind her words.
But he wasn't ready to make plans for marriage yet, so he could only put everything off for now.
Besides, my goal is to unite the Ninja World and then ascend to the throne. Marriage would be a hassle too, Iori thought.
Unless I plan to take on the entire world by myself, it'll be hard to avoid political marriages.
Not just in Konoha, either. I'll probably need one in every village. If I want my rule to last, I'll have to keep things politically balanced.
Things will work themselves out when the time comes. I'll just have to go with the flow.
"Okay, then let's go train. See you later, Takumi."
Uzuki Kaori's words broke Iori's train of thought and brought him back to reality.
"Oh, sure. See you later, Takumi. I'll write up some notes on genjutsu too and give you a copy."
"They won't include the clan's secret teachings, so they might not be as good as the ones passed down in your family. But they should still be useful for drawing comparisons."
Iori waved goodbye to Kurama Takumi and casually made him a promise too.
After all, they were all friends. He couldn't play favorites just because Kaori was a girl.
Ah, the sickly-sweet smell of romance. I wonder when I'll find a nice girl myself.
Kurama Takumi sighed as he thought about it, then slowly walked away.
"Then let's head to the training ground. We probably won't have any missions for the next few days, so I'll give you an intensive course in practical combat."
Iori looked at Uzuki Kaori: purple hair, a tall figure, and delicate features.
He remembered that she'd been so tiny when they first met. Now she was all grown up.
"All right, let's go." Uzuki Kaori held out her hand. She hadn't gotten the answer she wanted most, but his agreement to train with her alone was a good start.
Her hand was cool and trembled slightly, yet she clasped Iori's firmly, and the two of them headed for the training ground.