A New Prologue

On the seventh day after awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan, Lin Ye gradually grasped the limits of his two ocular techniques.

The absolute defense field of [Divine Dominion] extended up to three meters around his body, and its duration depended on the strength of the attacks it endured. In testing, it had completely blocked a full-power strike from Kakashi's Lightning Blade, but consumed nearly thirty percent of his chakra. Against an attack on the level of a Tailed Beast Bomb, it probably would not last even a second.

The time reversal of [Time Reversal] was more subtle. When activated, it did indeed return him to three seconds earlier, but only restored his own state. Injuries healed, his position reset, and even his chakra returned to its level three seconds before. Changes in the outside world, however, were not reversed-if a kunai had been flying toward him three seconds earlier, it would still be in flight after the reversal. He would simply return to the position where he had not yet been hit.

These two abilities, one defensive and the other reversing his state, combined with the foundation he had built during his three-tomoe stage, officially brought Lin Ye's strength to the threshold of Jonin. But the cost was just as clear—using the Mangekyō consumed Eye Power, and excessive use would degrade his vision until he went blind.

"Looks like I need to collect Rinnegan Fragments faster." Lin Ye looked at the system panel.

[Host: Uchiha Ye]

[Age: 9 (one year since the night of the massacre)]

[Strength: Special Jōnin (Mangekyō Sharingan)]

[Final wishes fulfilled: 312/1344]

[Mangekyō Shards: 100/100 (synthesized)]

[Rinnegan Fragments: 0/1000]

[Current ocular techniques: Divine Dominion, Time Reversal]

[Special abilities: Chakra Information Vision, Fate Line Perception (beginner)]

The Rinnegan required 1,000 fragments, which meant fulfilling at least 1,000 final wishes. At his current pace of three or four a day, that would take nearly a year. But time waited for no one-the Akatsuki had already begun capturing the One-Tail, and the countdown to the Fourth Shinobi World War had started.

And there was an even more pressing problem.

"Ye, Lord Hokage has summoned you." An ANBU appeared outside his apartment window.

Lin Ye nodded and followed the ANBU to the Hokage's office. To his surprise, besides Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, two other people were there: Jiraiya and Tsunade.

Two of the Sannin gathered in one place. This was no small affair.

"Uchiha Ye greets Lord Hokage, Lord Jiraiya, and Lady Tsunade." Lin Ye bowed.

Tsunade studied him with interest. "So this is the brat who awakened the Mangekyō? He doesn't look particularly special."

"Tsunade, don't scare the kid." Jiraiya smiled and patted Lin Ye's shoulder. "You're a good lad. Kakashi has praised you to me plenty of times."

The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe and spoke slowly. "Ye, I called you here today for an important mission. But before we discuss it, there's something you need to know-Sunagakure's One-Tail Jinchuriki, Gaara, has gone missing."

Lin Ye's heart tightened. Just as he had expected, the Akatsuki had made their move.

"Missing?"

"Three days ago, Gaara left Sunagakure on a mission and was attacked along the way," the Third said. "There were signs of a large-scale battle at the scene, and Sunagakure's ANBU were wiped out. Based on analysis of the remaining chakra, there were at least two attackers. One used a large sword, and the other specialized in Water Release."

Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi. But Itachi should only have been playing along. Were the ones actually capturing him Kisame and Deidara? No, the timeline has changed. Deidara might not have joined the Akatsuki yet.

"Sunagakure has asked Konoha to help with the search," the Third continued. "Team Kakashi has already set out to investigate along the border of the Land of Rivers. But we need more people, especially... someone with unusual reconnaissance abilities."

Lin Ye understood. "You want me to go, Lord Hokage?"

"Your Mangekyō Sharingan supposedly has a special visual ability," Tsunade said. "Jiraiya says you can see chakra information. Is that true?"

"Only some of it." Lin Ye did not reveal the full extent of his ability. "I can see emotional fragments and pieces of memory left in chakra."

"That's enough," Jiraiya said. "The traces of battle will definitely contain chakra information left by the attackers. If you can decipher it, we can find out who took Gaara and what they're after."

"I understand," Lin Ye said. "When do I leave?"

"Now," the Third said. "Jiraiya will go with you. Tsunade will stay in Konoha to guard against a possible attack."

"An attack?" Lin Ye blinked.

"With the One-Tail Jinchuriki captured, Sunagakure might suspect Konoha," Tsunade said coldly. "Those sand-brained idiots never think straight."

"So we need to move fast," Jiraiya said. "Find the clues, rescue the jinchūriki, and clear Konoha's name. Otherwise, Sunagakure might tear up the alliance treaty."

Lin Ye nodded. This was not just a rescue mission. It was a political one.

"There's one more thing." The Third looked at Lin Ye with a complicated expression. "Ye, you're investigating the Uchiha curse, aren't you?"

Lin Ye was startled, but did not deny it. "Yes."

"How much do you know?"

"Indra's reincarnation, the fate that forces those of the same bloodline to kill one another, and a way to break the curse."

The Third fell silent for a moment, then looked at Jiraiya. Jiraiya sighed. "Tell him, old man. This child has a right to know."

"The Great Toad Sage made a prophecy," the Third said slowly. "A prophecy about a 'wild card.'"

"A prophecy?"

"A month ago, Jiraiya visited the Great Toad Sage at Mount Myōboku. The sage said a wild card had appeared in the world's script. Someone from beyond this world would arrive with a 'memory system,' gather the final wishes of the dead, and eventually synthesize the 'Eye of Samsara' to sever a thousand-year curse."

Lin Ye clenched his fists. The Great Toad Sage's prophecy saw even that?

"The sage also said the wild card would bring about one of two futures," Jiraiya continued. "In the first, the wild card succeeds, the curse is broken, and the shinobi world finds true peace. In the second, the wild card fails, the curse backfires, Indra's and Asura's reincarnations kill each other, Kaguya revives ahead of time, and the world falls into the Infinite Tsukuyomi."

"So the Great Toad Sage sent you to observe me?" Lin Ye looked at Jiraiya.

"To observe you, and help when necessary," Jiraiya said. "According to the sage, the wild card has no predetermined fate. Your choices will decide the future. My job is to make sure you reach the first one."

Lin Ye digested the information. Even Mount Myōboku had noticed him. His existence really had stirred the fate lines of the entire world.

"I understand," Lin Ye said. "I'll fulfill the Uchiha's final wishes and break the curse. Not just for the Uchiha, but for this world's future."

"Good boy." The Third nodded with relief. "Then I leave this mission to you both. Jiraiya, please take care of Ye's safety."

"Don't worry, old man." Jiraiya patted his chest. "With me around, no one's laying a finger on this brat."

After leaving the Hokage building, Jiraiya took Lin Ye straight out of the village and used the Summoning Technique to summon an enormous toad-Gerotora.

"Hang on tight, kid." Jiraiya jumped onto the toad's back. "At full speed, we can reach the Land of Rivers' border before dark."

Lin Ye leaped onto the toad's back, and Gerotora began bounding forward, covering hundreds of meters with each jump. Wind howled past, and Lin Ye used chakra adhesion to hold himself steady.

"We might as well talk along the way," Jiraiya said. "Aside from defense and time reversal, what else can your Mangekyō do?"

"It can see chakra information and fate lines," Lin Ye admitted. "But I can only make out vague outlines of the fate lines, and it consumes a lot of Eye Power."

"Fate lines..." Jiraiya looked thoughtful. "How far ahead can you see?"

"Possible branches within a month, at most. Beyond that, the lines are too tangled to see."

"That's enough," Jiraiya said. "Once we get there, take a close look with your ability. The Akatsuki aren't easy to deal with, especially Uchiha Itachi."

"Have you fought Itachi, Lord Jiraiya?"

"No, but I've heard about him." Jiraiya's expression grew serious. "An ANBU squad captain at thirteen, the one who carried out the Uchiha massacre, and a wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Even Orochimaru suffered at the hands of his genjutsu."

"Do you think Itachi really betrayed Konoha?" Lin Ye asked cautiously.

Jiraiya glanced at him. "Why do you ask?"

"I just think... Itachi couldn't have carried out something as big as the massacre alone. And he spared Sasuke."

"You're perceptive." Jiraiya sighed. "There are things I can't tell you yet. But remember this: in the shinobi world, many things aren't black and white. Itachi had his reasons, Danzo had his schemes, and the Third had his helplessness. Everyone acts from their own position, doing what they believe is right."

"Then what's truly right?"

"Protecting the people who matter and holding on to the beliefs that matter," Jiraiya said. "That's my ninja way. As for right and wrong, let future generations judge."

Lin Ye fell silent. Jiraiya's broad-mindedness was a level he, even as someone from another world, struggled to reach.

Toward evening, they arrived at the battle site on the border of the Land of Rivers.

It was a completely devastated canyon. The cliffs on both sides had collapsed, the ground was scorched black, and traces of ninjutsu bombardment were everywhere. The bodies of Sunagakure's ANBU had been taken away, but the bloodstains remained, and powerful chakra fluctuations still lingered in the air.

"This is it." Jiraiya jumped off the toad and formed hand seals to release the Summoning Technique.

Lin Ye activated his Mangekyō Sharingan.

The world changed.

Countless streams of chakra "information" drifted through the air like ribbons. Red represented anger, blue calm, yellow fear, black killing intent... these were emotional fragments left behind by the battle.

He saw the chakra information of Sunagakure's ANBU-fear, despair, a desperate final struggle. He saw Gaara's chakra-violence, loneliness, resistance. He saw Shukaku's chakra-fury, hatred, the urge to destroy.

And the chakra of two attackers.

The first was like a deep-sea undercurrent: vast, cold, and filled with a desire to devour. This was Kisame Hoshigaki's chakra. Its information fragments contained "loyalty to Mr. Itachi," "complete the mission," and "the thrill of killing."

The second... Lin Ye's pupils contracted.

This was not Uchiha Itachi's chakra.

He had encountered this chakra before-at Naka Shrine, outside the forbidden grounds, from the man wearing the Spiral Mask.

Obito Uchiha.

The information fragments contained: "capture the jinchūriki," "carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan," and "Madara's will."

Obito took action himself? Why? In the original story, Deidara and Sasori captured the One-Tail. Why was it Kisame and Obito now?

"What did you see?" Jiraiya asked.

"Two attackers," Lin Ye said. "One was Kisame Hoshigaki. The other... wasn't Uchiha Itachi."

"Then who was it?"

"I don't know, but his chakra is unusual." Lin Ye did not reveal Obito's identity. "His chakra feels 'hollow,' like something important is missing. And his technique is strange. He can move freely through space."

"Space-Time Ninjutsu?" Jiraiya frowned. "That's trouble. Can you track where they went?"

Lin Ye concentrated his Eye Power and looked in the direction the chakra information flowed. A pale blue stream extended northeast—Kisame's chakra trail. The other, black stream abruptly "broke" halfway and vanished into empty space.

"Kisame went northeast. But the other one left using Space-Time Ninjutsu. I can't track him."

"Northeast..." Jiraiya looked in that direction. "Toward the Land of Rain. So the Akatsuki's headquarters really is in Amegakure."

"Do we pursue them now?"

"Not yet." Jiraiya crouched to examine the marks on the ground. "Gaara is a jinchūriki. The Akatsuki must have captured him to extract his tailed beast. That takes time, as well as a special technique and location. First, we need to find out where they took him."

Lin Ye continued observing with his Mangekyō. Just before the broken black information stream vanished, he caught a faint "connection"-the stream seemed linked to some "distant presence." It felt as though an invisible thread extended from Obito's chakra all the way to... the moon?

No, not the moon. Something on the moon.

"Lord Jiraiya," Lin Ye suddenly said. "Does the leader of the Akatsuki have the Rinnegan?"

Jiraiya turned sharply toward him. "How do you know?"

"The Great Toad Sage's prophecy mentioned the Eye of Samsara. And my ability requires me to synthesize the Rinnegan," Lin Ye said. "I'm thinking the Akatsuki's goal might conflict with mine."

"Conflict?"

"I need to gather the Uchiha's final wishes to synthesize the Rinnegan. But the Akatsuki's leader already has it. He might also need its power to carry out some plan," Lin Ye said. "If he sent people to capture me, it might be because he wants my Wish System."

Jiraiya's expression darkened. "If that's true, you're in even greater danger. But it also explains why the Great Toad Sage made that prophecy-you and the Akatsuki's leader are destined to become enemies."

"Then I'll fight." The Mangekyō in Lin Ye's eyes slowly rotated. "For the Uchiha's final wishes, and to break the curse, I won't back down."

"That's the spirit." Jiraiya patted his shoulder. "But first, we rescue the One-Tail Jinchuriki. Come with me. I know a place where we might find clues."

"Where?"

"There's a secret Akatsuki base near the Land of Rain's border," Jiraiya said. "I found it while investigating them three years ago. If they need somewhere to hold a jinchūriki temporarily, that's the most likely place."

The two sped toward the Land of Rain.

Night deepened, and the Land of Rain's border drew close. The unending drizzle shrouded the land in a hazy veil of moisture.

Before they entered the Land of Rain, Jiraiya suddenly stopped.

"Wait." He formed hand seals and summoned a small toad. "Scout ahead first."

The small toad hopped into the rain and soon disappeared. Ten minutes later, it returned with bad news.

"Lord Jiraiya, the base is heavily guarded. At least twenty shinobi, all at Jonin level. There's also a barrier around it. They'll detect anyone who approaches."

"Twenty Jonin..." Jiraiya frowned. "That's the entire fighting force of a small hidden village. The Akatsuki's resources run deeper than I thought."

"A frontal assault won't work," Lin Ye said. "But we can infiltrate. My Mangekyō can see through the barrier's structure and find weak points."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Lin Ye said. "And I can use Time Reversal. If I'm detected, I can turn back time and choose another route."

Jiraiya considered it. "All right, we'll infiltrate. But remember, our goal is rescue, not combat. Once you find Gaara, retreat immediately. Don't get caught up in fighting."

"Understood."

The two suppressed their presence and approached the Akatsuki's secret base under cover of the drizzle.

It was a building disguised as an abandoned temple, nestled in a valley. Lin Ye activated his Mangekyō and saw the barrier covering the entire temple-a transparent spherical force field with complex sealing symbols flowing across it.

"I found a weak point." Lin Ye pointed to the barrier's northeast corner. "There's a gap in the chakra flow there. It should be the barrier's 'door.' But two people are guarding it."

Jiraiya saw them too: two Akatsuki members wearing Akatsuki cloaks and masks.

"I'll deal with the guards," Jiraiya said. "You slip inside. Remember, once you rescue the jinchūriki, send a signal immediately. I'll cover your escape from outside."

"You're going to face twenty Jonin alone?"

"Don't worry. I'm the Toad Sage." Jiraiya grinned. "If I can't beat them, I can still run. You're the one who needs to be careful. There might be even nastier opponents inside."

Lin Ye nodded and waited for his chance.

Jiraiya formed hand seals. "Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"

His white hair instantly hardened into countless senbon, shooting toward the two guards like a torrential downpour. Before they could react, the needles struck their pressure points, leaving them unable to move.

"Now!" Jiraiya barked.

Lin Ye activated the Body Flicker Technique, flashed through the gap in the barrier, and entered the temple.

The temple was dark, lit only by a few flickering oil lamps. Using the Mangekyō's night vision, Lin Ye made out the layout-a central main hall, side halls on either side, and hidden chambers underground.

He sensed the chakra. Twelve Jonin were aboveground, scattered throughout the temple on patrol. Underground were eight chakra signatures. Three were faint, probably prisoners. The other five... were powerful, at least Kage level.

Gaara should be underground.

Lin Ye moved through the shadows, avoiding the patrolling Jonin. The Mangekyō's perception let him anticipate the enemy's routes, and with small adjustments from Time Reversal, he slipped through layer after layer of defenses like a ghost, reaching the entrance to the underground passage.

Two Jonin guarded the entrance. Lin Ye thought for a moment, then formed hand seals. "Genjutsu: Sharingan."

The Mangekyō rotated, and both Jonin fell under the genjutsu at once, standing in place with vacant eyes. Lin Ye passed between them and entered the passage.

The passage sloped downward, ending at an iron door. A sealing formula covered it, but Lin Ye saw through its structure with his Mangekyō and remotely removed the seal using Chakra Threads.

Beyond the door lay an enormous basement.

At its center stood an altar-like stone platform. Gaara lay unconscious on it, bound in chains. Two people stood beside him-Kisame Hoshigaki and someone Lin Ye had never seen before.

He was a red-haired boy who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, but his eyes were vacant, and black chakra receivers studded his face. Most striking were his eyes-concentric rings like ripples on water.

The Rinnegan.

Deva Path, one of the Six Paths of Pain.

No, he was not Pain yet, only the Deva Path avatar Nagato had fashioned from Yahiko's corpse.

"We've been waiting for you, Uchiha Ye," Deva Path said in an emotionless voice. "Pain foresaw your arrival."

Alarm bells rang in Lin Ye's mind. Pain knew I was coming? Was it a prophecy, or a trap?

"Am I your target?" Lin Ye asked.

"Yes and no," Deva Path said. "Pain needs your power, your Wish System. But before that, we need the One-Tail's chakra. So you've come at just the right time."

Kisame grinned. "You got away last time, kid. You won't be so lucky this time."

"Just the two of you?" Lin Ye said, his mind racing.

The Deva Path was controlled remotely. Nagato, his true body, wasn't here. Kisame was Kage Level, skilled in Water Release and chakra absorption. A head-on fight offered no chance of victory. I had to outsmart them.

"Shinra Tensei." The Deva Path raised his hand.

An invisible repulsive force erupted, blasting Lin Ye backward into the wall. He hurriedly activated Divine Dominion, forming a defensive field just before impact. It dispersed most of the force, but he still coughed up blood.

So strong. This was the power of the Rinnegan.

Time Reversal! Lin Ye invoked it silently.

Time rewound three seconds. Just as the Deva Path raised his hand, Lin Ye shifted sideways ahead of the attack. Shinra Tensei swept past him and blasted a gaping hole in the wall behind him.

"Oh? A time-based ability?" The Deva Path seemed intrigued. "No wonder Pain called you a wildcard."

Kisame was already charging at him, sweeping Samehada sideways. Lin Ye dodged with the Body Flicker Technique while forming hand seals. "Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song!"

Three fire dragons lunged at Kisame. He neither dodged nor retreated, using Samehada to absorb the flames. But Lin Ye wasn't targeting him.

The fire dragons were a feint. The real killing move came afterward-

"Divine Dominion: Rebound!"

The instant the fire dragons were absorbed, Lin Ye compressed his Divine Dominion field into a mirror and placed it in front of Kisame. The field reflected the fire chakra Kisame had absorbed back at him, combining it with the Lightning Release chakra Lin Ye injected to create an explosion of intertwined lightning and flame.

Boom!

Kisame was blasted away by the combined ninjutsu formed from his own absorption and the reflected attack. Samehada flew from his grip.

"What?!" Kisame gasped in shock.

"Banshō Ten'in!" The Deva Path extended his hand, and a powerful attractive force dragged Lin Ye toward the altar.

But this was exactly the moment Lin Ye had been waiting for. As he was pulled forward, he formed hand seals, targeting not the Deva Path but the chains binding Gaara.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

The spear of lightning struck the connecting point of the chains with pinpoint precision. The chains snapped, and Gaara rolled off the altar.

"You have a death wish." The Deva Path's gaze turned cold. "Chibaku Tensei!"

He pressed his palms together, and a black gravitational sphere appeared. The entire basement began to shake. Stones, earth, iron objects-everything was drawn toward the sphere, gathering in the air.

He was going to use Sealing on both me and Gaara!

"Lord Jiraiya!" Lin Ye shouted.

Almost simultaneously, a huge hole was blasted through the basement ceiling. Jiraiya stood atop a giant toad's head, forming hand seals. "Sage Art: Goemon!"

The Senjutsu combination of oil, fire, and wind poured down like a waterfall of flame, opposing Chibaku Tensei's gravitational pull.

"The Toad Sage..." The Deva Path looked at Jiraiya. "You're here too. Good. I'll deal with you both."

"Kid, get the Jinchūriki out of here!" Jiraiya shouted. "Leave this to me!"

Without wasting a word, Lin Ye hoisted the unconscious Gaara onto his shoulder and pushed his Body Flicker Technique to its limit, racing toward the blasted opening. Kisame tried to pursue him, but Jiraiya's Sage Art blocked his path.

"You're not getting away!" The Deva Path moved to give chase, but Jiraiya's assault grew even fiercer.

"Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"

"Sage Art: Toad Confrontation Song!"

Both powerful Senjutsu techniques struck at once, forcing the Deva Path to take them seriously.

Lin Ye burst out of the basement and emerged outside the temple. Half of the twenty Jonin outside had already fallen. The rest were locked in a bitter struggle with Jiraiya's summoned toads.

"Summoning Technique!" Lin Ye bit his finger and pressed his hand to the ground.

Poof! A giant crow appeared amid the smoke-a summon he had obtained by fulfilling a certain Uchiha ninja's last wish. It wasn't particularly strong in combat, but it was incredibly fast.

"Go!" Lin Ye leaped onto the crow's back. It beat its wings and soared into the sky, flying toward Konoha at full speed.

Behind him, earth-shaking explosions thundered from the temple. The battle between Jiraiya and the Deva Path had reached a fever pitch.

Lin Ye glanced back and silently prayed, Lord Jiraiya, you have to come back alive.

Then he looked at Gaara in his arms. The future Kazekage was still just a boy being ravaged by a tailed beast.

"Saved another person," Lin Ye murmured.

[Ding! Special last wish triggered.]

[Last wish 313: Save the Jinchūriki (special)]

[Description: Jinchūriki are weapons of war and vessels of tragedy. To save a Jinchūriki is to save a cursed fate.]

[Completion reward: Rinnegan Fragment ×10 (special mission rewards doubled)]

[Current Rinnegan Fragments: 10/1000]

Lin Ye froze. Saving a Jinchūriki counted as a last wish too? And the reward was Rinnegan Fragments-ten of them at once.

Apparently, the system's definition of a "last wish" wasn't limited to the last wishes of the Uchiha. As long as a "cursed fate" was involved, he could earn rewards by "saving" it.

If that was the case...

A bold idea took shape in Lin Ye's mind.

If he could save every Jinchūriki and every cursed fate, he would be able to collect Rinnegan Fragments far faster.

And the enemies he would have to face were the Akatsuki, Obito, Nagato, and, in the future, Madara and Kaguya.

The road ahead had grown more perilous, but his goal had also become clearer.

"Then bring it on." The Mangekyō in Lin Ye's eyes spun. "Akatsuki, from this day forward, we're officially at war."

Carrying Lin Ye and the unconscious boy, the crow vanished into the night sky.

Meanwhile, amid the ruins of the Temple in the Land of Rain, Jiraiya stood atop the Toad Sage's head, watching the Deva Path and Kisame disappear into the distance.

"They sure ran fast." Jiraiya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Still, that kid should be safe now. Next, I'll have to investigate this 'Pain' and find out exactly who he is."

He looked toward Amegakure, shrouded in rain clouds that never dispersed all year round.

"Nagato, Konan, Yahiko... is it you?"

No one answered. There was only the patter of rain.