Crisis Looming

In the waters of the Land of Water, aboard a ship cutting through the waves, the monk Jigen stood by the rail.

After a long journey, he had finally drawn close to the aura of the Otsutsuki Clan. At the same time, however, Jigen's body was becoming increasingly unable to bear the burden, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Isshiki's injuries were still severe. Unlike in Boruto, he had not yet used the natural energy of a Vessel to evolve his Kāma. Most of the time, Isshiki's consciousness remained asleep as it tried to heal his wounds, leaving only the monk Jigen—who had been assimilated into his puppet—to move through the shinobi world on instinct.

After sensing Qing Si's aura, Isshiki could no longer tolerate Jigen's frail body. He decided to find Qing Si and use his body to complete his reincarnation and resurrection.

The timeline returned to the present.

Qing Si, who had only just awakened the memories of his previous life, had no idea that a deadly crisis was already approaching.

"Father, can you tell me about Hidden Mist Village and the Kaguya Clan?" Qing Si asked Genji after returning home. Though he retained some memories of the Naruto world from his previous life, he truly knew little about the Land of Water and Hidden Mist Village.

"Hidden Mist and the Kaguya Clan... that is quite a distant story."

"The Kaguya Clan has been a powerful bloodline family in the shinobi world for a thousand years. During the Warring States Period, we lived in the Land of Fire. Back then, we could stand shoulder to shoulder with clans like the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan. But in the later years of that era, two monsters appeared: Hashirama Senju, later known as the God of Shinobi, and Madara Uchiha, the Asura of the shinobi world. The most laughable thing was that those two supreme powerhouses eventually made peace. Those of us clans unwilling to ally with the Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan were driven out of the Land of Fire one after another."

"Under Madara Uchiha's threat of force, we were driven toward the sea and had no choice but to settle in the Land of Water. At the time, the strongest shinobi of the Kaguya Clan was the Great Elder, who had just reached the clan leader level—what is now called the Kage level. Even in the Land of Water, he could only lead the clansmen in protecting themselves. Later, under the coordination of Lord Byakuren, the First Mizukage, we joined forces with the Yuki Clan, who possessed Ice Release, and the Hozuki Clan, who possessed their secret Water Release techniques, to establish Hidden Mist Village together."

"Since the Kaguya Clan revered strength, and our people were fiercely martial and hot-tempered, they often clashed with the other shinobi in Hidden Mist Village. So not long after we founded the village together, we moved out and settled nearby. Still, many clansmen held posts within Hidden Mist Village. Though Father was young back then, his strength ranked among the best in the village. Thus, after Lord Byakuren, the First Mizukage, passed away, I became a member of Lord Gengetsu's Shadow Guard Team."

"In the twelfth year of Hidden Mist, Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, was confirmed dead. With its strongest warrior gone and its fertile lands still intact, the Land of Fire and Konoha Village became a tempting prize. A great war that swept across the entire shinobi world erupted."

"Hidden Rock, Hidden Mist, Hidden Cloud, and Hidden Sand joined forces to attack Konoha Village in the Land of Fire. Yet even without the God of Shinobi, Konoha still stood unrivaled in the shinobi world. Left with no other choice, the four nations ceased hostilities after their defeat and formed an alliance with Konoha."

"After more than a year of recuperation, the four Kage unanimously sought revenge, and war broke out once again. The Raikage chose to attack Konoha first, but after being defeated, he formed another alliance with Konoha. Unexpectedly, at the alliance ceremony in Hidden Cloud Village, Gold Horn and Silver Horn launched a rebellion and actually killed the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage!"

"Hidden Mist and Hidden Rock saw their chance and attacked Konoha at the same time. But then something absurd happened: the two sides began fighting each other over the division of Konoha's spoils."

"Lord Gengetsu, the Second Mizukage, led the Shadow Guard Team and ANBU in a surprise raid on the Land of Earth with elite squads. By then, Father was already the captain of the Shadow Guard Team. Who could have expected the intelligence to leak? We were ambushed at the border of the Land of Earth by Mū, the Second Tsuchikage. The Mizukage and Tsuchikage fought until their tempers flared, and in the end, they perished together. Our Shadow Guard Team suffered devastating losses as well. In the end, only Father and seven ANBU members returned to the village, all severely wounded."

"The one who inherited the title of Mizukage was Lord Ice, who had once served as Lord Byakuren's guard. Lord Ice came from the Yuki Clan and possessed the bloodline limit known as Ice Release. If Father's injuries could recover, I should be able to continue serving as captain of Lord Ice's Shadow Guard Team."

"Your mother should have told you about what happened afterward. Father's recovery from my severe injuries was incomplete, and my strength declined. I lost most of my influence within the clan, and for the next three years, your uncle repeatedly suppressed me after he rose to power."

"In the nineteenth year of Hidden Mist, not long after you were born, the Sixth Elder—your maternal grandfather—went missing during a mission. Before our branch could wait for you to grow up, we lost our pillar of support. My elder brother, who had long secured his position as clan leader, suddenly turned against us and joined with most of the clan elders to drive our family out!" Thinking of what had happened eight years ago, and then of his wife's death five years earlier, Genji's eyes reddened and filled with tears.

"Their excuse was so ridiculous. They claimed that you—my son, who inherited both my and Yukiko's bloodline—had horns growing from your forehead and that your bloodline had mutated. At first, I thought there really was something wrong with your bloodline. After all, in a thousand years of inheritance, the Kaguya Clan had never produced anyone with horns on their forehead. But now that you have awakened the Dead Bone Pulse, it is clear they merely found an excuse to suppress us!"

What Genji did not know was that Qing Si's bloodline truly had mutated. It was simply an exceptionally rare and beneficial ancestral reversion. The pair of horns on his forehead were the mark of the Otsutsuki Clan, the source of the Kaguya Clan's bloodline.

"We are being watched here now. That damned Kaguya Musashi actually stationed two jonin to guard a half-crippled man like me," Genji said bitterly. "With my current strength, I can only remain undefeated against one of them. Against both, I might not last even a minute. Only when your strength reaches the level of a jonin can the two of us, father and son, likely escape this place with the enhancement of the Dead Bone Pulse."

"After all these years, Kaguya Musashi has awakened the Dead Bone Pulse as well. With the resources he possesses as clan leader, he has most likely reached Kage level by now. Father has no hope left. Revenge can only depend on you!" Genji let out a long sigh.

After hearing Genji's account, Qing Si finally gained a preliminary understanding of the Land of Water and Hidden Mist Village. He also learned in detail about the internal struggles of the Kaguya Clan.

"Ah... my son, I hope that one day, you can return to Hidden Mist Village and restore the glory of our branch!" Genji sighed and spoke in a low voice.

"Leave it to me, Father. I will train hard, avenge our family as soon as possible, and return to Hidden Mist Village!" Qing Si answered firmly.

After returning to his room, Qing Si's emotions still surged like raging waves. His family had suffered far too much, so much that it was almost unbearable.

Genji, meanwhile, remained immersed in memories of the past, unable to let them go for a long time...!

Only after a long while did Qing Si gradually calm down. Sitting cross-legged, he began refining chakra.

As the physical energy and spiritual energy produced by the 130 trillion cells in his body continuously mixed, Qing Si's chakra reserves slowly increased until they reached the limit his current body could contain...!

(The other four major shinobi villages were established one after another in the same year Konoha was founded.)