Leave Konoha a Souvenir

"Oh ho ho~ Nara Shikaku, keep drinking, don't be so tense, relax a little!"

In a room that was both elegant and luxurious, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire held his wine cup, repeatedly urging Nara Shikaku to drink with him.

"Daimyo, let's drink a little less. You just arrived in Konoha today, and after such a long journey, you should get some good rest. The Third will come to see you tomorrow; it won't be too late to drink then."

Nara Shikaku held his cup and said with a smile, though he never brought it to his lips.

In truth, the Third should have come today, but because there was a batch of documents to process and the Anbu had launched a new round of investigations into the Uchiha Compound—a matter of greater importance that the Third had to oversee personally—he could only have Nara Shikaku stand in to greet the Daimyo's party.

"Oh, Hiruzen's business can wait until tomorrow. You're the one here today, so hurry up, drink... You lot, don't stop, keep dancing, keep playing."

The Daimyo was already tipsy, his face flushed as he shouted at the top of his lungs.

If not for Nara Shikaku's presence, he likely would have joined the dancers himself.

Seeing the Daimyo's complete lack of concern, Nara Shikaku felt a sense of relief mixed with frustration.

The Daimyo not pursuing the issue of the Hokage failing to greet him personally was a relief, but what was the cost? The cost was that he, the strategist of Konoha and captain of the Jonin squad, had to personally accompany him. He should have been doing more important work, yet here he was... It wasn't that the Daimyo wasn't important, but he couldn't help but feel his talents were being wasted.

"Daimyo, it is getting late. Would you like to rest?"

"Rest? What for? There is still plenty of time. If you have things to do, you can leave; don't worry about me, I don't want to rest yet!"

"Very well. Then please excuse me, there is other work in the village..."

"Fine, fine, go on then, don't mind me!"

The Daimyo waved his hand dismissively, his eyes fixed on the dancers not far away.

Nara Shikaku shook his head, set down his cup, bowed, and rose to leave.

Throughout the process, the Daimyo only glanced at him once before returning his attention to the dancers. Just as his interest peaked and he prepared to join them, the dancers nearby suddenly collapsed one after another. Within a few breaths, the Daimyo was the only one left conscious in the room.

This sight made his hair stand on end. Just as he was about to shout, a figure appeared silently before him.

"You are..."

The Daimyo widened his eyes, trying to see the person's face clearly, but all he saw was a pair of red eyes.

"Sharingan..."

"That's right."

Uchiha Arashi nodded with a smile and, without a word, activated Kotoamatsukami, planting a will into the Daimyo's brain.

The Daimyo stood dazed for a moment before coming to his senses.

"Oh, it's you. Didn't I tell you to stay in the Capital of Fire? Why did you follow me here?"

"Because there is an important matter to discuss with the Daimyo."

"If you have something to say, say it quickly. Don't ruin my drinking."

"I want to open a bookstore in Konoha and promote my novels throughout the country. I need your support."

"Small matter, small matter. Just find someone below to handle it!"

"Of course, but I need your written authorization."

"What a nuisance. Do you have paper and pen?"

"I do."

Uchiha Arashi immediately handed over the prepared paper and pen.

The Daimyo picked up the pen and scribbled a document. With this, Uchiha Arashi could freely coordinate with the ministers responsible for publishing in the Land of Fire.

"Anything else?"

"No. Please, continue your drinking."

Uchiha Arashi smiled with satisfaction, stepped back, and his body vanished into a distortion.

The dancers then regained consciousness, continuing to dance as if nothing had happened. The Daimyo himself felt nothing amiss; the entire layout had been completed in silence.

As for Uchiha Arashi, after returning to the Kamui Dimension, he first rubbed his eyes.

"It's much stronger than when Kakashi used it, but the strain is still immense. I must get my hands on Hashirama Cells as soon as possible."

It was a given that dual Mangekyo were stronger than a single one because the ocular power was doubled, but the consumption had also increased. Just two activations of the Kamui technique had drained one-fifth of his chakra.

It was fortunate he possessed Uchiha blood; otherwise, he might not have been able to use Kamui at all. Now, not only could he use it, but he could also open the dimension to travel through it—a massive improvement.

It was a pity that his two Mangekyo were Kamui and Kotoamatsukami; they could not link together, nor could he manifest Susanoo, which was a regret.

"I still have enough chakra. Next, it's time to leave a souvenir for Konoha."

After resting for a moment, Uchiha Arashi used Kamui again and arrived atop the Hokage Rock.

Before him stood the Hokage Building.

"Well then, let's begin!"

Uchiha Arashi grinned, his eyes locked on the top floor of the Hokage Building as he began to frantically draw upon his chakra and ocular power.

At the same time, inside the Hokage's office.

"The Sharingan was stolen?"

Hiruzen stood up immediately upon seeing the wounded Kakashi, walking over to him to observe his condition closely.

"Yes, there are two pairs of Mangekyo in the Uchiha Compound... I was controlled by a ninjutsu that I couldn't tell was either genjutsu or space-time related, and then affected by a second genjutsu... The opponent was well-prepared, and I was unable to resist."

Kakashi had recovered slightly, but his overall state remained abysmal.

"To think there are two more Mangekyo... This is intelligence we have never received before. Kakashi, can you confirm the identities of the attackers?"

"I cannot, Third, they came too quickly and gave me absolutely no time to react. Furthermore, the possibility that they used Transformation Jutsu cannot be ruled out..."

"That is troublesome indeed."

Hiruzen stroked his chin.

The fact that there were two more Mangekyo in Konoha completely shattered his original plans. The mere thought of two such ticking time bombs buried within Konoha sent a chill down his spine.

"Wait, do you two feel like something is wrong?"

As Hiruzen was deep in thought, he suddenly noticed that the figures before him seemed to be distorting.

Kakashi and the Purple-haired Anbu had yet to recover their senses.

Hiruzen's expression grew increasingly grave, for it was not just the figures before him, but everything around them that was beginning to warp.

Moreover, the distortion was accelerating; within a mere few seconds, the entire world seemed to be deforming.

"Something is wrong! It's a space-time ninjutsu! Run!"

He suddenly realized what was happening, grabbed Kakashi, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

The three of them smashed through the window and leaped outside. Looking back, they saw the entire top floor of the Hokage Building being engulfed by a massive Vortex.