Nine-Tails, I Need You to Help Me Train!

Uchiha Yoru answered each of Nara Kashima's questions in turn, his tone even and his expression cold. It was as though the fate he was deciding did not belong to an entire nation, but was merely some trivial matter.

"As for the Daimyo of the Land of Fire," he said, casually raising a hand. His voice was calm, yet carried an authority that could not be defied. "Send the Anbu and one of my clones to deal with it."

Before he had finished speaking, he turned his palm, and chakra instantly gathered into a human form.

The clone stood in the room, its figure semi-transparent, its eyes as still as a mirror. Beneath that composure, murderous intent stirred, as if it were ready to march to war at any moment.

Uchiha Yoru tilted his head slightly. His Sharingan turned slowly, the Three-Tomoe tracing a crimson path that made the heart quail.

"Kashima," he called softly. His voice was quiet, but Nara Kashima's expression tightened.

"Send some of your Nara Clan members to join the squad."

"As soon as the Daimyo of the Land of Fire is dead, take over the government affairs immediately. Leave no opening."

He paused, then curled his lips into a faint smile, mingling mockery with cruelty. A cold glint flashed in his eyes like a blade.

"If anyone resists in the meantime—"

"Kill them all."

His tone was as calm as if he were commenting on the weather, yet it sent a chill down Kashima's spine.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire? The Twelve Guardian Ninja? To Uchiha Yoru, those names were like an outdated breeze, carrying no weight at all.

The Guardian Ninja known as Chiriku could perform a massive technique resembling a miniature version of Top-Transformed Buddha, but before Uchiha Yoru's ocular prowess and overwhelming chakra, he was insignificant.

Even a single clone would be enough to crush any possible complications.

Just as the clone stepped out of the room, a name suddenly surfaced in Uchiha Yoru's mind—

Sarutobi Asuma.

That night, the Sarutobi Clan had been wiped out under his ruthless hand. Only the Third Hokage's son had escaped by sheer luck, having been away on a mission.

He had never considered Asuma worth worrying about. But now that he was cleaning up the aftermath, how could he allow even the slightest ember to survive?

"Issue a wanted notice."

Uchiha Yoru stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window. His voice was so calm it was almost cruel.

"Sarutobi Asuma, a Konoha rogue ninja. Kill him on sight."

In this Ninja World, where strength reigned supreme, mercy meant weakness, and failure deserved nothing but destruction.

"The winner takes all. The loser's entire clan is wiped out."

Each word was cold enough to make one shiver.

Nara Kashima paused in surprise, then lowered his eyes in deference, stealing a glance at Uchiha Yoru from the corner of his eye.

That tall figure seemed to merge with the shadows. His mere presence inspired awe, making it easy to forget how young he was—

This was a Hokage beyond question.

A ruler capable of calmly plotting coups, assassinations, and clan extermination.

Kashima's heart sank, but all he could do was lower his head and reply respectfully, "Understood."

Then he turned and left, moving quickly but daring not to show the slightest haste. Beneath those Sharingan eyes, no lapse could go unnoticed.

Uchiha Yoru, meanwhile, acted as though nothing had happened. He left the Hokage's office, crossed the bustling streets of Konoha, and entered a secluded alley.

There stood a shabby, run-down apartment.

It was—

Uzumaki Naruto's home.

"BAM!!"

The wooden door burst apart under a single kick, slamming into the wall with a deafening crash. Splinters and dust flew everywhere, jolting the cramped room awake.

Naruto shot upright in bed, his blond hair a mess, his eyes still clouded with sleep and confusion.

"W-Who are you?!"

He tried to push himself up, but the moment he saw the figure in the doorway, he froze.

Backlit, a tall, broad-shouldered figure strode slowly into the room. His steps were unhurried, yet each landed like a heavy hammer, pounding at Naruto's mind.

Blood-red eyes appeared, the Sharingan turning slowly as its tomoe fixed on Naruto like a whirlpool.

Uchiha Yoru did not answer.

He barely even glanced at Naruto. He simply raised a hand, chakra pulsing at his fingertips as he unleashed a seemingly invisible mental assault that surged toward Naruto like a tsunami.

In an instant—

Naruto's consciousness crumbled. The world spun violently, and darkness swallowed him like a rising tide.

The next moment, damp, chilly air washed over him.

He was "standing" in that familiar, terrifying mental world—before the sealed cage that lay dormant in the depths of his mind.

Corrosive water covered his feet. The towering iron gate of the seal loomed before him, its densely packed Cursed Seals glowing faintly and trembling.

And behind the gate, a pair of blood-red beastly eyes stared straight ahead, filled with wariness and... instinctive fear.

"You are..."

The Nine-Tails spoke slowly, its enormous body curling backward as its spiked tails swayed of their own accord.

This was not its first time encountering an Uchiha. It was used to the suppression of the Sharingan.

But this time was different.

From the moment that man entered Naruto's mental world, it felt a pressure that made it tremble.

It wasn't an ordinary Sharingan.

Nor was it chakra like Madara's or Obito's.

—It was something more ancient, more primal, something that chilled its very soul.

"This chakra..."

The Nine-Tails' pupils contracted. Its voice carried a trace of shock and uncertainty that it could barely conceal.

"Impossible... Are you—Indra?!"

Its voice echoed through the sealed space, laden with unease.

As one of the first Tailed Beasts created by the Sage of Six Paths, the Nine-Tails had lived far too long and seen far too much.

The chakra signatures of the Sage of Six Paths' two sons—Ashura and Indra—had long been etched into its memory.

It remembered clearly the brothers' war, a battle powerful enough to destroy the world, which had once shaken the entire continent.

If Ashura's chakra was like a surging river, deep and embracing, then Indra's was an endless thunderstorm, destroying everything and subjugating all.

"But Indra... didn't he die long ago?!"

The Nine-Tails' tails flared out at once, anger and fear mingling as its entire body tensed for battle.

It let out a low growl, never taking its eyes off the figure slowly approaching the iron gate.

The man's eyes were crimson, his Sharingan turning with an eerie light in the darkness.

His figure seemed to overlap with the Indra of the past.

"Who... are you?"

The Nine-Tails roared, but instinctively shrank back.

Uchiha Yoru finally stopped before the sealed gate and gazed silently at the Nine-Tails' blood-red eyes.

He neither denied it nor offered an explanation. He simply curved his lips into a meaningful smile.

The Sharingan turned slowly, its two eyes blazing with astonishing light. The entire mental world shook, and the talismans on the sealed gate flashed so brightly that it seemed they might break apart at any moment!

The Nine-Tails trembled violently, a resentful yet submissive growl rumbling in its throat.

That overwhelming chakra seemed capable of crushing its will!

Uchiha Yoru slowly reached out and pointed at the Nine-Tails' massive head.

"Nine-Tails."

"I need you to help me train!!!"