Unexpected, Yet Understandable

On the border of the Land of Rain lies a mountain range shrouded in perpetual drizzle. It is a place rarely visited by humans, where only abandoned shrines and the scars of past wars speak of what once was. With a sudden distortion of space, the figures of Uchiha Sakuya and Uchiha Obito appeared silently.

The air was thick with the scent of decay, dampness, and an indescribable, chilling chakra that had settled over the course of decades. This was the very underground cavern where Uchiha Madara had once lain in wait and groomed Obito.

"This is the place." Obito's voice came through his tiger-striped mask, carrying a trace of complex emotion that was difficult to detect. Returning to a place of the past always stirred up the deepest of memories.

Sakuya did not speak. His deep, black eyes (in their unawakened state) scanned the area sharply. The perception of the Eighty Gods Mirror was amplified to its limit, capturing every lingering trace of energy fluctuation in the air.

His goal was clear: to find the DNA samples Uchiha Madara had left behind. Whether it was shed hair, dried blood, or even cells remaining on objects he had used... for the massive plan involving the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and the Tailed Beasts, the cells of this "Asura of the Ninja World" were undoubtedly a precious and powerful "vessel" material, one that might play an unexpected role at a critical moment.

The two delved deep into the dark, damp cave. Obito led the way based on his memory, while Sakuya was responsible for sensing and confirmation. The process was not easy; too much time had passed, and most traces had long since vanished.

Finally, in a highly concealed corner of a stone chamber—once used by Madara for Hashirama cell fusion experiments—Sakuya's gaze locked onto a section of the wall that was slightly darker in color and peculiar in texture. There remained a trace of extremely faint, yet exceptionally pure and powerful Yin Release chakra, as well as... cell information that was almost impossible to detect.

"Found it." Sakuya crouched down and took a specialized sampling tool and a sealing scroll from his ninja pouch. His movements were precise and careful, like those of a surgeon performing a delicate operation. With micro-manipulation of chakra at his fingertips, he carefully scraped away the tiny residues that had almost fused with the rock and sealed them perfectly into the scroll.

"Madara's cells... truly a power that is both nostalgic and loathsome." Obito watched from the side, his tone unreadable.

"Power has no good or evil; it only depends on the user." Sakuya put away the scroll and stood up, his tone remaining flat. "Next step: the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path."

According to Obito's memories and the records of the Uchiha Stone Tablet (which Sakuya had already analyzed with the Eighty Gods Mirror and confirmed to have been tampered with by Black Zetsu, though he had still managed to reverse-engineer some of the true information), summoning the Demonic Statue required vast amounts of chakra and specific techniques. More importantly, it required resonance with the Rinnegan or the chakra of the Ten-Tails.

Sakuya did not possess the Rinnegan, but he did have the Eighty Gods Mirror.

Deep within the base, a massive circular altar had been specially cleared. The ground was inscribed with complex, ancient runes, and nine stone pillars stood around it, symbolizing the nine Tailed Beasts.

Sakuya stood in the center of the altar, with Obito acting as his guard. Haku, Fu, Orochimaru, and several other members of the Ten Branches watched from a distance, their expressions grave.

The first attempt began. Sakuya formed complex hand seals, and vast amounts of chakra poured into the technique beneath his feet like a tidal wave. The light of the Eighty Gods Mirror ignited in his eyes as he attempted to analyze and simulate the desolate, terrifying chakra fluctuations originating from the Ten-Tails.

Hum—! The altar lit up, the runes flickered, and space began to tremble! A blurry, gargantuan phantom of the statue seemed to manifest in the air for a fleeting moment! But the next instant, the technique dimmed violently, and the phantom collapsed! The intense backlash caused Sakuya to grunt, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Failure.

"Both the quality and quantity of the chakra are insufficient, and there are subtle deviations in the simulated fluctuations," Orochimaru analyzed hoarsely, his golden snake-like pupils filled with the excitement of a researcher.

Sakuya wiped away the blood, his eyes cold. "Continue."

The second time, the third time... failure followed failure. Each backlash left Sakuya's face a shade paler, and the massive consumption of chakra even made him feel dizzy. The difficulty of summoning the Demonic Statue far exceeded his imagination; it was as if he were fighting against the rules of the world itself.

Watching Sakuya fail time and again and force himself to the limit, Obito could not help but speak up. "Perhaps you need a more direct catalyst... for instance, the chakra of a Tailed Beast."

Sakuya fell silent for a moment, looking toward Haku and Fu. Both of them had the Three-Tails and Seven-Tails sealed within them.

Haku bit her lip and stepped forward. "Use mine." The Three-Tails within her was the most volatile, making it the most suitable "fuel" for such a dangerous attempt.

Fu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Sakuya did not stand on ceremony. He formed the seals once more. This time, scarlet Three-Tails chakra surged from Haku, guided like a stream into the technique! Fu also provided a portion of the Seven-Tails' chakra as an auxiliary.

With the Tailed Beast chakra—a catalyst closer to the source—the light of the technique became unprecedentedly brilliant! The entire altar shook violently, and space twisted and tore, emitting a groan of unbearable strain!

A massive, withered, terrifying entity—a combination of a giant tree and a demon—the upper body of the Demonic Statue, suddenly struggled and thrust itself out from the rift in space! It let out a silent roar, and its terrifying pressure instantly swept across the entire base! Even the orphans watching could not help but tremble!

Success... halfway.

The statue seemed extremely unstable, twisting madly as if trying to break free, or perhaps trying to devour everything in sight!

Sakuya maintained the technique with all his might, his face pale as paper, blood seeping from his nostrils and the corners of his eyes. Clearly, he had reached his limit.

"Now! Break the connection!" Obito shouted urgently!

Sakuya abruptly cut off the chakra supply and the connection to the technique!

The spatial rift closed instantly! The Demonic Statue let out a silent roar of frustration, its upper body snapping back into the other dimension and vanishing from sight.

The altar returned to calm, leaving behind only a scene of wreckage and the lingering, heart-stopping pressure in the air.

Sakuya panted heavily, his body swaying, barely able to stand. Haku and Fu were also pale from the massive extraction of their chakra.

But regardless, they had successfully proven the feasibility of the method and had made contact with the Demonic Statue in a true sense.

Back in the rest area, Sakuya uncharacteristically did not immediately dive into a review and research session. He looked at the silent Obito beside him and suddenly asked:

"Are you not going to spend time with Rin?"

Obito seemed stunned for a moment, the look in his eyes behind the mask flickering. He remained silent for a while, then slowly removed his mask, revealing a face that was scarred but far more peaceful.

"She... needs time to adapt to this new era. And I..." He paused, his voice becoming soft yet firm. "I also need time... to learn how to truly 'live,' rather than just survive."

He looked at Sakuya, a flash of relief and anticipation in his eyes. "When things here settle down and the base is stable... I will go back. Spend time with her properly. Perhaps... open a flower shop? She seemed to like flowers quite a bit in the past." His tone even carried a trace of an unpracticed, yet genuine longing that "Uchiha Obito" should have possessed.

Sakuya watched this version of Obito, silent for a moment, before finally giving a faint "Mn."

However, no one noticed that as he turned to leave, the light of the Eighty Gods Mirror in his eyes flickered ever so slightly, as if recording and analyzing the data stream of Obito's current emotions—the composition of "hope," "companionship," and "an ordinary life"... things that were strange and distant to him.

That evening.

A scent of food, unprecedented and enticing, drifted from the base's public cafeteria area.

When the members of the "Ten Branches" (excluding Lian, who needed time to adjust, and Obito, who had temporarily left) and some of the core orphan members followed the aroma out of curiosity, they saw a scene that left them dumbstruck—

Their leader, who was always cold-faced and like a weapon of slaughter, the Uchiha Sakuya of the "Mirror" branch, was actually wearing an out-of-place apron and standing in front of a massive stove!

He stir-fried the dishes in the pan with practiced ease, his movements as precise as forming hand seals, his control over the heat reaching a state of perfection. Beside him were already a dozen plates of food that looked, smelled, and tasted exquisite: golden, crispy tempura, rich and savory potato stew, fragrant grilled fish, colorful vegetable salads... and even several pots of miso soup of different varieties bubbling away.

Everyone froze at the entrance, as if they had seen something even more incredible than the Demonic Statue.

Haku and Fu covered their mouths in surprise. Orochimaru, meanwhile, licked the corner of his mouth with interest, his golden snake-like pupils filled with inquiry.

Zhuo of the Flame branch stared blankly at the spicy Mapo Tofu, swallowing his saliva instinctively.

Tie Xin of the Steel branch subconsciously evaluated the material of the kitchen knife and the structural stability of the stove.

Shen of the Ghost branch blinked, wondering if he had fallen victim to some high-level genjutsu.

Zhua of the Beast branch twitched his nose, his eyes shining brightly as he stared at the grilled fish.

Gu of the Corpse branch watched the tender, braised ribs in silence, seemingly finding them quite friendly to his teeth.

Uchiha Sakuya seemed to sense the gazes behind him; without turning his head, his voice remained flat, yet it seemed to lack its usual icy edge: "What are you standing there for? Sit down and eat."

Only then did the group awaken as if from a dream, gathering around the long table with a mix of restraint and irrepressible curiosity.

The atmosphere was silent and awkward at first, but as the first bite of food went down, everyone's eyes lit up!

It was delicious!

This ultimate enjoyment for their taste buds was a warmth and happiness that these children, who had grown up in hardship and slaughter, had almost never experienced.

It was unclear who started it, but the atmosphere gradually grew lively.

Zhuo and Tie Xin nearly came to blows over the last piece of fried chicken (eventually pulled apart by a helpless Haku). Shen tried to use genjutsu to "add toppings" of insects to Zhua's rice, only for Zhua to keenly spot it and chase him all around the room. Gu silently served soup to everyone, his movements meticulous. Fu excitedly recounted interesting stories from Takigakure, with Haku occasionally smiling and adding details. Even Orochimaru, for once, did not discuss his experiments, instead commenting on the heat control of a medicinal soup.

Uchiha Sakuya untied his apron and sat at the head of the table, watching this noisy, vibrant, and even somewhat chaotic scene in silence. He did not participate, merely observing; occasionally, when someone gathered the courage to toast him (with tea instead of wine), he would nod slightly and take a sip.

Under the warm lights of the canteen and the swirling steam of the food, the edges of his face, usually frozen in ice, seemed to soften just a fraction. His black eyes reflected the smiling faces of the group, as if the Eighty Gods Mirror were silently recording this rare moment.

This was the first night since the founding of the Sasuga organization that was filled with the scent of hearth and home and the sound of laughter. No missions, no training, no hatred—only good food and a brief, hard-won moment of relaxation.

For these children who had crawled out of the darkness, the warmth of this night might become a faint yet indelible light on their long, bloody road ahead.

And for Uchiha Sakuya, this was perhaps merely an unintentional interlude in his grand plan, or perhaps... a pebble quietly dropped into the frozen lake of his heart, creating ripples that even he had yet to notice.