The Journey Home

The Tailed Beast Bomb, which had never failed to hit its mark, had actually vanished so easily?

A sense of crisis surged into Chomei's heart.

Flapping its wings repeatedly, the Seven-Tails disappeared amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd.

"Invisibility?"

Uchiha Kei smiled. As he closed and opened his eyes, the Mangekyo appeared within his pupils.

Under the enhancement of the Mangekyo, a fiery red shadow appeared in his vision, wings spread and ready to take flight.

"Chomei, look here."

Given Chomei's intelligence, it should have been absolutely impossible for it to turn back at a time like this.

Yet, as if possessed, it turned its head.

The moment it turned, it locked eyes with a pair of eyes as sharp as swords.

Genjutsu, activate!

Sitting on Chomei's broad back, Madara and the other three wore expressions of disbelief, as if in a dream.

"The Mangekyo-level Sharingan is the bane of Tailed Beasts. In the future, you will find dealing with Tailed Beasts just as easy."

Uchiha Kei reached out and ruffled Madara's hair; it was prickly, and the sensation was quite pleasant.

"Mangekyo-level, is it..."

Madara's expression was filled with longing.

"Teacher, when will I be able to possess a Mangekyo-level Sharingan?"

"One day you will. That day won't be too far off."

Uchiha Kei pondered for a moment.

He could certainly use the method that allowed Itachi to awaken his, but he had no intention of doing so.

Madara and Hashirama were the reincarnations of Indra and Asura. If he allowed Madara to awaken the Mangekyo at this stage, the balance of power between the two would be skewed.

Behind the grievances between the two lay the machinations of the Sage of Six Paths.

Who knew what kind of chaotic mess might ensue.

When Chomei landed in the territory of the White Bone Clan, the entire clan went into a state of high alert.

"Well, don't be nervous, it's us."

Uchiha Kei leaped down from Chomei's back, smiling as he looked at White Bone Momotao, who was acting as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Benefactor!"

White Bone Momotao was overjoyed.

She had originally thought she wouldn't see her benefactor for a long time, yet who knew they would meet again so soon after parting.

Patting Chomei's toenail, Uchiha Kei said, "I hadn't intended to come back, but who knew there would be an unexpected harvest."

After ordering the clansmen to stand down, White Bone Momotao's eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Benefactor, what is this?"

"Ah, this is a Tailed Beast, the Seven-Tails Chomei. It excels at invisibility. With it here, I believe your White Bone Clan will be able to remain hidden from the world much more effectively."

As a small clan, the White Bone Clan didn't fully understand what a Tailed Beast was, but they felt that since Chomei was so large, its strength must be formidable.

Coupled with its ability to turn invisible, this was like adding wings to a tiger for their White Bone Clan.

Meanwhile, Madara and the other three were left stunned upon hearing this.

This is a Tailed Beast?!

They had just fought a battle against a Tailed Beast???

Thinking of the terrifying nature of Tailed Beasts, the four of them felt a chill run down their spines simultaneously.

Since Madara had already awakened the Three Tomoe, Uchiha Kei naturally had no desire to go out, choosing instead to stay honestly within the White Bone Clan.

With the addition of Yin-Yang Release and the monstrous talent of the group, reaching Jonin-level chakra in half a month was not difficult at all.

Time drifted by, and soon the one-month deadline was reached.

Feeling the surging chakra of the four little ones, Uchiha Kei felt a touch of sentimentality.

"Little ones, come here."

The four, who were in the middle of sparring, hurried to Uchiha Kei's side upon hearing his call.

"Teacher is leaving."

As Uchiha Kei spoke, he felt an inexplicable sense of sadness.

After this Space-Time Mission was completed, heaven knows if future missions would ever return to the Warring States Period.

In all likelihood, they wouldn't, which meant this might be the last time he would ever see them.

When they were young.

"Teacher, where are you going?" Hashirama asked, puzzled.

"To a place very, very far away. Perhaps this is the last time we shall meet." Uchiha Kei looked toward the distance.

In later generations, the distance from the Warring States Period was far more than just "very, very far."

Between them lay the long river of time.

"No! You haven't even seen me awaken my Mangekyo yet! How can you just leave, Teacher?" Madara was somewhat agitated.

Over the past month, because of his Sharingan, he had sought Uchiha Kei's guidance the most and benefited the most from it.

Hearing suddenly that his teacher was leaving, he was instantly overcome with reluctance.

"In truth, Teacher is not a person of this world. Taking you as students was a matter of fate; when fate gathers and disperses, there is a fixed destiny." Uchiha Kei feigned the air of an otherworldly expert, his presence exuding an ethereal, immortal-like quality.

"Not a person of this world? Outside this world... are there other worlds?" The four little ones were stunned.

In their understanding, the Shinobi World was everything.

Hearing Uchiha Kei say this so abruptly, the impact on them was undoubtedly immense.

"Of course."

Uchiha Kei waved his hand, activating Uhijini to alter the properties of the air.

A vast galaxy appeared before the four of them.

"This is a galaxy. The lights flickering within it may harbor life; the Shinobi World is merely one of them."

Madara and the others stared blankly at the galaxy, their eyes filled with yearning.

If every star could hold life, then how much life must exist in this galaxy!

"This galaxy is but a grain of sand in the universe. The true universe is far, far larger than you can imagine."

Looking at this starry sky, Uchiha Kei also fell into deep thought.

He had been reborn into the Naruto World, so was the Earth where he had originally lived also somewhere in this starry expanse?

"Then will Teacher come back?" Hashirama looked at Uchiha Kei with teary eyes.

Compared to the rational Madara, Hashirama was undoubtedly the emotional one.

Regarding the vast starry sky, he cared far more about Uchiha Kei.

He patted Hashirama's bowl-cut hair. "Perhaps we will meet again, but that will be a long time from now. Who knows, perhaps by then, Teacher will be very weak."

"It doesn't matter! When that time comes, we will protect Teacher!"

The other three nodded solemnly as well.

In just one month, they had gone from not even being ninjas to being Jonin, all thanks to the young man before them.

"Very well, then Teacher will wait for that day."

Uchiha Kei patted each of their heads, the smile on his face growing warmer.

"Madara, you are too rational and too extreme. No matter what happens in the future, I hope you can live in peace with Hashirama and not turn your blades against your own kin." Uchiha Kei looked at Madara, their future flashing before his eyes.

Madara looked at Hashirama, then nodded solemnly.

"Hashirama, you are the exact opposite of Madara; you are too emotional and too naive. Wherever there are people, there will be conflict. Absolute fairness will not bring about peace, do you understand?"

Although Hashirama would go on to pioneer the Ninja Village model and distribute the Tailed Beasts equally among the villages, in Uchiha Kei's eyes, this was a rotting form of mercy that would only fuel the arrogance of others.

Otherwise, there would not have been a Second, Third, or even Fourth Shinobi World War.

Ultimately, Uchiha Kei's ideology was largely similar to Madara's.

Just as he had told Madara at the beginning:

Stop war with war, stop killing with killing!

Slaughter might bring temporary devastation, but it could trade for long-lasting peace.

Just as a great man from his previous life had said:

Strike one blow to avoid a hundred more!

Deterrence was the correct way to achieve peace.

This was also the fundamental reason why Uchiha Kei wanted to support Itachi to become Hokage!