Ink

In Konoha Year 46, Sasori of the Red Sand defected after assassinating the Third Kazekage. The entire Sand Hidden Village was left leaderless and plunged into severe internal strife. They still believed the Kazekage, hailed as the strongest, had merely gone missing, and searched across the shinobi world for their leader's whereabouts.

Those with keen instincts vaguely sensed that the Third Shinobi World War might be about to erupt.

Based on this premonition, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, issued an S-rank mission—to determine whether the Third Kazekage had truly disappeared, gather prewar intelligence, and use the mission as Kakashi's assessment for promotion to jonin.

Red Gourd Fusion: 7.02% (Unlocks Innate Divine Strength at 10%)

Orange Gourd Fusion: 10.52% (Ability unlocked: Clairvoyance; unlocks the next-stage ability, Clairaudience, at 30%)

Yellow Gourd Fusion: 7.02% + 0% (Unlocks Invulnerability to Blades and Spears when both reach 10%)

Green Gourd Fusion: 10.71% + 11.32% (Ability unlocked: Fierce Flame; unlocks the next ability, Violent Thunder, when both reach 20%)

Blue Gourd Fusion: 0.01% (Unlocks Water Manipulation at 20%)

Indigo Gourd Fusion: 10.52% + 0.21% (Unlocks Invisibility when both reach 10%)

Purple Gourd Fusion: 0.01% (Unlocks Universe in the Sleeve at 50%)

Ultimate Mission: Raise this world's safety and stability to above 90%, transforming it into a world suitable for human habitation.

Reward: Fuse with the Seven-Colored Lotus, gaining immortality and the ability to travel between worlds.

Uchiha Mo's gaze fell on empty air, where a panel visible only to him hovered—the gift left behind by the Seven-Colored Lotus, the culprit behind his transmigration.

Though it was nothing more than a solitary panel, after ten years of study, Uchiha Mo had more or less figured out all of its contents.

Aside from the self-explanatory information, there were two main ways to increase these fusion rates: one was to improve his mastery of the corresponding chakra nature, while the other was to kill powerful people who had mastered that chakra nature.

For example, the first gourd corresponded to Yang Release. He needed either to kill powerful users proficient in Yang Release or improve his own proficiency through training. Beyond that, through testing and estimation, he had also roughly figured out the other unlock requirements.

The second gourd corresponded to Yin Release; the third, Yang Release plus Earth Release; the fourth, Fire Release plus Lightning Release; the fifth, Water Release; the sixth, Yin Release and Wind Release; and the seventh, the space-time attribute beyond the chakra natures.

"Mo, break's over. Time to keep moving."

The white-haired boy, whose hair had not yet become a brush cut, leaped down from a branch and landed coolly in front of Uchiha Mo.

Uchiha Mo turned his head slightly and glanced at Kakashi without speaking, then silently rose to his feet.

Kakashi was one of the few shinobi in the original work who possessed all five elemental transformations. Known as the Copy Ninja, he was proficient in nearly every ninjutsu and particularly skilled in Lightning Release and Earth Release. But Kakashi was currently in his cold-blooded period after his father's death. His strength was advancing rapidly, and the time to reap the harvest was still far away.

"Let's go."

Mo spoke quietly, resting a hand on the ninja blade at his waist as he took the lead.

There were four people in their group: one jonin leader and three team members. Aside from Kakashi and Uchiha Mo, the jonin was named Matsumoto Ryohei, a character who had never appeared in the original work. He was probably cannon fodder in the Third Shinobi World War. The remaining member, Inoue Shoji, was also a civilian who had only recently graduated from the Ninja Academy, and would most likely become another casualty along the way to completing Kakashi's mission.

"We're about to reach the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind. We can investigate in the villages there. Unless necessary, we should avoid infiltrating the Land of Wind. It could easily provoke political disputes."

Matsumoto Ryohei spoke to the group over his shoulder as he moved at high speed.

The group advanced in silence. Uchiha Mo's pupils contracted slightly, and his vision instantly pierced through layer after layer of obstacles, landing on a distant village. It was the ability of Clairvoyance.

A moment later, his eyes returned to normal, and the corner of his mouth curled up almost imperceptibly.

The group followed the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind in search of human traces. Before long, a faint burst of sharp clanging sounds drifted over.

Matsumoto Ryohei came to an abrupt halt, raised a hand, and said in a low voice, "Something's happening. Take cover!"

As soon as he spoke, three figures vanished from their spots with a swish. Inoue Shoji was half a beat slower, only managing to duck behind a tree.

About a hundred meters ahead stood a small village.

Before the village, three figures dressed in plain black robes were fighting a group of weapon-wielding men.

The men varied greatly in build and all wore headscarves of the same color. Their attacks were completely uncoordinated, making them look like nothing more than a band of bandits.

"Konan, Nagato! Don't take their lives. Just restrain them!"

The orange-haired man said this as he sidestepped a long blade slashing down from behind him, then chopped the enemy's neck with a hand strike. The man immediately collapsed.

"Got it!" ×2

The two answered loudly in unison, but it was not only his companions who heard him.

A bandit beside the man revealed a vicious expression. He suddenly stepped forward and slashed his long blade downward at an angle.

The man easily dodged to the side, but in the next instant, his pupils abruptly shrank.

Beneath the blade was the bandit he had just knocked unconscious!

There was no time to think. Acting almost purely on instinct, the man kicked hard at the side of the bandit's blade—but at the same time, another steel sword descended toward his back!

"Yahiko!"

At the critical moment, the red-haired man called Nagato roared and raised a hand, unleashing a terrifying force of attraction!

The bandit behind Yahiko was instantly yanked into the air, his steel sword flying from his grasp. Yahiko escaped danger, but a spray of blood burst from Nagato's arm.

In the small forest, Uchiha Mo narrowed his eyes slightly and took a step forward. The branch beneath him immediately made an unusual sound.

Kakashi instantly turned his head toward him and lowered his voice. "What are you doing?"

"Shing—"

Mo slowly drew the gleaming blade from his waist.

"Kill them."

Kakashi frowned slightly. "Don't do anything unrelated to the mission."

"Don't tell me how to do things."

Before he had even finished speaking, Uchiha Mo's figure vanished from where he stood.

"Tch!"

Kakashi watched Uchiha Mo's retreating back with displeasure. His right hand settled on the hilt of the sword behind him, gripping it briefly before slowly letting go.

"What a troublesome teammate. Why can't all Uchiha be as well-behaved as that idiot Obito?"

"He may seem cold, but he's actually a warm-hearted good kid. Isn't that a good thing?"

Matsumoto Ryohei said with a smile, clearly having noticed their earlier exchange.

But he was wrong. Uchiha Mo's decision to help had nothing to do with being warm-hearted or kind.

In less than half a minute just now, Nagato had looked this way five times. He was a sensory-type ninja and had most likely already noticed them. Moreover, judging by his appearance, he should already have been able to use some of the Rinnegan's simpler abilities. For someone like that to still get hurt by mere fodder, he was obviously on guard against them.