A month later, Konoha's reconstruction was largely complete.
The battle at the Valley of the End, the battle at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, and the defense of Konoha had inflicted devastating losses on the village, but they had also shown the shinobi villages the need for unity. At Konoha's initiative, the Five Great Nations and the Five Great Shinobi Villages convened the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron to discuss forming the Shinobi World Alliance and facing future threats together.
Lin Ye attended as one of Konoha's representatives. He could now control his Rinnegan freely, though he usually concealed them behind specially made glasses. Karin had fully awakened and inherited all of Mito's memories and Sealing Jutsu, becoming Konoha's chief Sealing Jutsu instructor. The Kāma inside Sasuke had been completely removed, but his Mangekyō Sharingan had gone permanently blind-Isshiki's forced awakening had consumed all his eye power. Still, Sasuke said that was fine. He would "see" the world with his heart.
Naruto had perfectly mastered Nine-Tails Mode. Together with Killer B, he became a model of peaceful coexistence for jinchūriki. Sakura's Medical Ninjutsu had reached Tsunade's level, and her Monster Strength Fist had even surpassed her teacher's.
Kakashi brought Obito back to Konoha, where he was confined in a special prison. Kakashi visited him every day, trying to awaken his true self. It was difficult, but a flicker of hesitation sometimes passed through Obito's eyes.
That day, Lin Ye stood in the Uchiha Cemetery. In his hand was a scroll listing every unfulfilled wish he had fulfilled-he had completed 458 out of 1,344. He had not fulfilled them all, but he had fulfilled the most important ones.
"System, display my final status."
[Host: Uchiha Ye] [Age: 10 (two years since the Night of the Massacre)] [Strength: Six Paths level (Rinnegan, complete Adamantine Sealing Chains, Six Paths Sealing Jutsu)] [Unfulfilled wishes completed: 458/1344] [Rinnegan Fragments: 2190/1000 (synthesis complete)] [Special status: wish system deactivated, abilities retained] [Current abilities: all Rinnegan abilities, Uzumaki Sealing Technique grandmaster, mind's eye system, mastery of six paths power, etc.] [Guardian bonds: Karin (awakened), Sasuke (saved), Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, etc.]
The wish system had shut down, but Lin Ye had no regrets. Trading it for the Rinnegan, for Sasuke's salvation, and for the strength to fight Otsutsuki had been worth it.
He had also discovered the truth behind the system-it was not a cheat, but a contingency left behind by the Sage of Six Paths. The Sage had foreseen the threat of Otsutsuki, but he was already dead and powerless to stop it. So he had transformed his power into the "wish system" and cast it into the cycle of reincarnation, waiting for a "wild card" to appear. That wild card needed to gather the Uchiha's unfulfilled wishes, synthesize the Rinnegan from their lingering obsessions, and use their will to resist Otsutsuki's encroachment.
Lin Ye was that wild card.
"So I was chosen from the very beginning," Lin Ye murmured. "But that's all right. At least I changed the Uchiha's fate, changed Sasuke's fate, and changed this world's future."
Footsteps sounded behind him. Karin, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi had arrived, along with Kazahana Koyuki, who was studying Sealing Jutsu in Konoha, and the newly arrived village representatives: Killer B from Kumogakure, Gaara from Sunagakure, Kurotsuchi from Iwagakure, and Chōjūrō from Kirigakure.
"Everyone's waiting for you, Ye," Kakashi said. "The Five Kage Summit is about to begin. As the hero who defeated Otsutsuki, you're expected to speak."
"A hero..." Lin Ye smiled. "I only did what I had to."
"That's what makes you a hero," Sasuke said. Though blind, his senses remained keen. "Come on. Let the world see the Uchiha Orphan-no, the pride of the Uchiha."
They headed toward the meeting hall. On the way, Lin Ye asked Karin, "At the end, Lady Mito..."
"Granny finally found peace," Karin said, smiling through tears. "She said the Uzumaki's will had been passed on, and she could join her clansmen without worry. She also said thank you, Ye. None of this would have been possible without you."
"I should be thanking her, and every member of the Uchiha, and all of you." Lin Ye looked at everyone beside him. "Without your support, I never would have made it this far."
They reached the meeting hall. The Five Kage, representatives from every shinobi village, and the nations' daimyo had gathered there, thousands of people in all. When Lin Ye stepped onto the podium, the hall fell silent.
He looked at the people before him. Shinobi and civilians, elders and children. People who had once been enemies, and people who now fought side by side. People who had lost loved ones, and people who had found a place to belong.
"Two years ago, the Uchiha Clan was wiped out. I survived as its only survivor, apart from Sasuke," Lin Ye began, his voice carrying throughout the hall through Amplification Jutsu. "Back then, I thought my purpose was revenge, growing stronger, and staying alive."
"But I was wrong. As I fulfilled the Uchiha's wishes, I came to understand that their tragedy was not an isolated event. It was a product of this twisted world. The chain of hatred, the cycle of conflict, Otsutsuki's schemes... all of it has to change."
"Today, we are here not to divide up our gains or fight for power, but to build a new world. A world where children don't go to war, where shinobi aren't tools, where tragedies no longer repeat themselves."
"I know it will be hard. But however hard it is, we have to do it. Because if we don't, there will be another Uchiha Clan, another Uzushio Village, and countless more people dying amid hatred and conspiracies."
"I, Uchiha Ye, swear here and now: I will use these eyes to protect this world until my final breath. Not as the Uchiha Orphan, not as the bearer of the Rinnegan, but as a person-an ordinary person who wants to protect those who matter to him."
"Will you join me?"
Silence. Then thunderous applause.
Naruto was the first to leap to his feet. "I will! I'm going to become Hokage and change this world!"
Though Sasuke could not see, he nodded. "Count me in."
"Me too!" Sakura said.
"I'll help too!" Karin said.
"Lord Killer B won't fall behind, yo!" Killer B said.
Gaara, Kurotsuchi, Chōjūrō, Darui, Temari, Kankuro... one after another, everyone stood. Everyone answered his call.
The Five Kage exchanged glances, then rose together. Raikage A declared, "Kumogakure agrees to establish the Shinobi World Alliance! Anyone who dares disrupt the peace, I'll be the first to tear them apart!"
Tsuchikage Ōnoki, who remained in office despite his age, said, "Iwagakure agrees."
Mizukage Mei Terumi said, "Kirigakure agrees."
Kazekage Gaara, who had already succeeded to the position, said, "Sunagakure agrees."
Hokage Tsunade, serving temporarily until Naruto came of age, said, "Konoha agrees."
The Shinobi World Alliance was officially established.
After the summit, Lin Ye returned to the Uchiha compound. It had been rebuilt, not as territory reserved for the Uchiha, but as the headquarters of the Shinobi World Alliance. The Uchiha architectural style had been preserved, but the compound was open to everyone.
At the center of the compound, Lin Ye had built a memorial inscribed with the names of all 1,344 Uchiha clan members. People came to pay their respects every day-not only members of the Uchiha Clan, but people from other clans and shinobi villages as well.
Hatred had not vanished, but reconciliation had at least begun.
That night, Lin Ye stood before the memorial. Karin approached and handed him a cup of tea.
"Still thinking about the unfulfilled wishes?"
"Yes. There are still 886 left," Lin Ye said. "The system may have shut down, but I still want to fulfill them. One by one, I'll find the people connected to those wishes and make them come true."
"I'll go with you," Karin said.
"I'm coming too." Sasuke's voice reached them. He walked with a cane, but his steps were steady.
"Me too!" Naruto jumped down from the rooftop.
"How could you leave me out of something this exciting?" Sakura had come as well.
Kakashi emerged from the shadows. "As your teacher, I have to make sure you don't get into trouble."
Tenzo, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Neji, Rock Lee, Tenten... one after another, everyone arrived.
Lin Ye looked at them and smiled.
"All right. Then we'll do it together. We'll fulfill the Uchiha's wishes, fulfill every wish left unfinished, and give this world a little less regret and a little more closure."
Their shadows stretched long beneath the moonlight. The war was over, but a new journey had only just begun.
And this time, they were not alone.
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