A Letter from the Land of Tea

Three months after the founding of the Shinobi World Alliance, Konoha.

Lin Ye stood on the top floor of the newly completed Shinobi World Archives, looking down at Konoha through specially made glass windows. Although the Rinnegan had granted him unparalleled power, he still preferred to observe the world through the Mind's Eye System in everyday life-the ability to perceive everything through chakra let him see things on a more fundamental level.

Right now, for instance, he could "see" the bright golden chakra of children laughing in the streets, the vibrant green chakra coming from the Ninja Academy's training grounds, and the warm white chakra of medical ninja healing patients in the hospital.

"This is how the world should be," he murmured.

"Getting sentimental again?" Karin walked in carrying a tea tray. She wore a modified Uzumaki Clan outfit-a red base with white sealing patterns, preserving tradition without restricting movement. She usually concealed her Uzumaki Rinnegan behind specially made glasses, using them only when necessary.

"Karin, you haven't had a proper rest since you woke up." Lin Ye turned and took the tray. "The Shinobi World Archives' Sealing Jutsu defenses are finished. You can take a few days off."

"You're the one who works late every night, Lord Ye." Karin poured him some tea. "Sasuke went to the Land of Tea today. He said he'd received a letter."

"The Land of Tea?" Lin Ye thought of Tea Granny's Three Bowls Pavilion. "Who sent it?"

"I don't know, but Sasuke left in a hurry. He didn't even tell Naruto."

As they spoke, the office door burst open, and Naruto rushed in. "Ye! We've got a problem! Sasuke went off to the Land of Tea alone! He didn't even leave a Shadow Clone behind!"

"Calm down, Naruto." Lin Ye used chakra to soothe him. "Sasuke has his reasons. Besides, even though he's blind now, he's quite skilled with Mind's Eye. With the residual eye power in his blind Mangekyo, he can protect himself."

"But..."

"Let's go check on him." Lin Ye set down his teacup. "As it happens, there are still a few Uchiha unfulfilled wishes in the Land of Tea."

"I'm coming too!" Karin said.

"No, stay in Konoha." Lin Ye shook his head. "Someone needs to maintain the archives' sealing defenses. And if anything does happen, we'll need your support from here."

Though reluctant, Karin nodded. "Be careful, then. I'll prepare some sealing scrolls for you."

An hour later, Lin Ye and Naruto set out for the Land of Tea. Naruto flew in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, while Lin Ye used the shadow of Limbo: Border Jail. Although he could summon only one, it was enough to aid his movement. They traveled at tremendous speed, reaching the border of the Land of Tea by evening.

The Three Bowls Pavilion was still there, but something felt wrong. Lin Ye sensed only one person inside with Mind's Eye-Sasuke. But Sasuke's chakra was strange, surging and weakening as though he were fighting something.

"Sasuke!" Naruto rushed into the tea pavilion.

Sasuke sat in the middle of the tearoom, a letter and a wooden box before him. His eyes were closed, but cold sweat covered his forehead, and his hands trembled faintly.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Lin Ye crouched down and scanned Sasuke's entire body with his Rinnegan. He wasn't injured, but foreign chakra inside him was interfering with his nerves.

"The letter..." Sasuke gritted his teeth. "Itachi sent it... He left something in the Land of Tea... His last..."

Before he could finish, Sasuke passed out. Lin Ye immediately examined him with Medical Ninjutsu and discovered that the foreign chakra was a remnant of Tsukuyomi. Itachi had attached a powerful genjutsu to the letter, one that would activate only when Sasuke opened it. Lin Ye couldn't see its contents, but he could sense that it was some kind of memory transfer.

"Naruto, stand guard. I'm going into Sasuke's consciousness."

"But that's too dangerous, Ye!"

"It's fine. My Rinnegan can counter genjutsu." Lin Ye formed hand seals, his Rinnegan turning. "Human Path: Mental Infiltration."

His consciousness entered Sasuke's mental world. Everything was blood-red-this was Tsukuyomi Space. A phantom of Itachi stood at its center, his back turned.

"Itachi, what are you trying to do now?" Lin Ye asked.

"Uchiha Ye, you've come." Itachi's phantom turned around. His eyes were ordinary black eyes, without the Sharingan. "This is the last fragment of consciousness I left in the world. It activates when Sasuke opens the letter. I didn't expect you to come too."

"What did you do to Sasuke?"

"Showed him the truth. All of it," Itachi said. "About the Uchiha massacre, about Obito, about Danzo, and about... Father's true unfulfilled wish."

"Uncle Fugaku's unfulfilled wish?"

"Before the Night of the Massacre, Father already knew the Uchiha's fate. But he chose neither resistance nor escape. He chose to use his death to pave the way for the Uchiha's future." Itachi's voice was calm. "Beneath the clan grounds, he left a scroll containing the Uchiha's forbidden techniques and... his complete research on Kāma."

Lin Ye's pupils contracted. "Uncle Fugaku knew about Kāma?"

"He knew some of it. The Uchiha's ancient records contain accounts of the Otsutsuki. After studying them, Father discovered that every reincarnation of Indra would be corrupted by Kāma. The only way to break it was to gather the Uchiha's 'eyes' and combine them into the Jōgan."

"The Jōgan?"

"A purified version of the Rinnegan, capable of completely eliminating Kāma's influence. But the conditions for creating it are demanding. You need to gather every Uchiha's Sharingan-not the eyes themselves, but their eye power imprints," Itachi said. "Your Wish System is actually a process of collecting those imprints. But you're still missing the final step-the Uchiha clan head's seal, which is Father's Mangekyo eye power imprint."

"Where is that imprint?"

"Underground in the Land of Tea, in the Uchiha's secret shrine. Father sealed his Mangekyo eye power there, intending for Sasuke to retrieve it after awakening his Mangekyo. But Isshiki destroyed Sasuke's Mangekyo, so Father's contingency failed," Itachi said. "I left this letter to tell Sasuke where the shrine is, and that... my Mangekyo eye power can serve as a substitute."

"Weren't your eyes used up by Izanami?"

"My eyes went blind, but the eye power imprint remained. I sealed it in this letter. Once Sasuke receives it, he'll obtain the complete clan head's seal." Itachi's phantom began to fade. "Ye, I leave the Uchiha's future to you. Tell Sasuke I'm proud of him."

"Wait, Itachi! What else is in the shrine?"

"Something dangerous..." Itachi said at last. "Father sealed more than eye power there. There's also... the wraith of a living Uchiha. Be careful..."

The phantom vanished, and Tsukuyomi Space shattered. Lin Ye returned to reality, and Sasuke woke up as well.

"My brother..." Tears flowed from Sasuke's eyes. "He gave me the last of his eye power..."

"Sasuke, what did you see?"

"The Uchiha shrine, at a ley line node in the Land of Tea. Father sealed... Uchiha Setsuna's Wraith there."

Uchiha Setsuna? Lin Ye remembered the name. When he completed Setsuna's unfulfilled wish, he had received a key. Hadn't Setsuna died? Why was his wraith still sealed away?

"Setsuna's unfulfilled wish was for his research to be given to Orochimaru," Lin Ye recalled. "Could he have used some Forbidden Jutsu before his death to turn himself into a wraith?"

"It wasn't a transformation. It was a curse," Sasuke said. "Setsuna researched forbidden techniques while he was alive, experimenting on the corpses of our clansmen. After Father discovered it, he sealed him in the shrine and used his wraith to suppress the rampaging ley line. If we take Father's eye power imprint, the seal will weaken, and Setsuna's wraith will escape."

"Then we can't go," Naruto said. "It's too dangerous!"

"We have to," Lin Ye said. "Without the clan head's seal, we can't create the Uchiha's Jōgan. Besides, Setsuna's wraith is a disaster waiting to happen. Sooner or later, someone will exploit him. Better to deal with him once and for all now."

"But how? You can't kill a wraith."

"With the Reaper Death Seal," Lin Ye said. "Karin inherited all of Mito's Sealing Jutsu, including the Reaper Death Seal. But she'll need time to prepare and a suitable location."

"So we go back to Konoha first?"

"No. We'll inspect the shrine first. We need to understand the Sealing in full."

The three left the Three Bowls Pavilion and headed for the Dragon Vein Node in the Land of Tea. It was an enormous sinkhole, its depths beyond sight, with blue light churning at the bottom—ley line chakra. A hidden opening in the sinkhole's wall led to the Uchiha's secret shrine.

The entrance was sealed, but Lin Ye saw through its structure with his Rinnegan and easily undid it. They entered a spacious interior. At its center stood an altar, with a red crystal floating above it-Fugaku's Mangekyo eye power imprint. Eight stone pillars surrounded the altar, each engraved with sealing formulas that suppressed a mass of black mist in the center.

That black mist was Uchiha Setsuna's Wraith. Even sealed away, the madness and hatred within him were palpable.

"At last... someone has come..." A hoarse voice emerged from the black mist. "The Uchiha's... younger generation..."

"Setsuna, I've already fulfilled your wish," Lin Ye said. "I gave your research to Orochimaru."

"Haha... You gave it to Orochimaru? That mad scientist? Good... He'll complete my research... He'll make the Uchiha's Sharingan... evolve to its ultimate form..." Setsuna's wraith laughed wildly. "But you've come here... for Fugaku's eye power? Then come... Break the Sealing... I'll regain my freedom... and take your bodies..."

"You won't get the chance." Lin Ye formed hand seals, his Rinnegan turning. "Human Path: Soul Extraction!"

He tried to extract Setsuna's soul directly, but failed. A special Forbidden Jutsu protected Setsuna's wraith, rendering conventional methods useless.

"It's no use... I used Reaper Reincarnation... to turn myself into a half-reaper existence... Unless you use the complete Reaper Death Seal... you can't kill me..." Setsuna said. "But the Reaper Death Seal costs the caster their life... Which of you is willing to die with a wraith like me?"

"I am," Sasuke said suddenly.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried in alarm.

"My eyes are already blind, but my body still works," Sasuke said calmly. "Giving my life to seal away this criminal of the Uchiha would be worth it."

"No." Lin Ye held Sasuke's shoulder. "The Uchiha's future needs you. Naruto needs you. Sakura needs you. Besides, I have a way."

"What way?"

"The Counter-Kāma." Lin Ye took the complete Counter-Kāma from inside his clothes. "It doesn't just counter Kāma. It can also purify all contamination of the soul. Setsuna's wraith is essentially a corrupted soul. The Counter-Kāma should be able to purify him."

"But the Counter-Kāma can only be used once. Once you use it, it's gone," Sasuke said. "That's your trump card against the Otsutsuki."

"The Otsutsuki threat has been dealt with for now, while Setsuna's wraith is an immediate danger." Lin Ye walked toward the altar. "Besides, I believe we can find a way to fight the Otsutsuki even without the Counter-Kāma. But Setsuna's wraith must be dealt with now."

He pressed the Counter-Kāma against the altar. Red light erupted, pouring into the Sealing Formation. Setsuna's wraith screamed, "No! What is this?! My soul... is being purified... No-"

The black mist rapidly dispersed in the red light, leaving only a black crystal-Setsuna's soul core, now pure and free of resentment.

"It's over." Lin Ye picked up the crystal, then took Fugaku's eye power imprint. "Here, Sasuke."

"No, Ye. You should use it," Sasuke said. "You're the one who fulfills the Uchiha's wishes, the one who broke the curse. You're the Uchiha's clan head."

"But you're Uncle Fugaku's son, his rightful heir."

"That doesn't matter." Sasuke smiled. It was the first time Lin Ye had seen him smile so freely. "The Uchiha's future doesn't depend on bloodline. It depends on will. Ye, your will is the Uchiha's future."

Lin Ye fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "All right. I'll accept it. But we'll lead the Uchiha together."

He pressed the eye power imprint to his forehead, and it merged into him. His Rinnegan changed-Uchiha tomoe appeared amid its purple ripples. This was the embryonic form of the Jōgan. Though not yet fully formed, it already had the power to purify Kāma.

"Next, I need to gather all the Uchiha's eye power imprints," Lin Ye said. "I still have 886 unfulfilled wishes to complete, each corresponding to an eye power imprint. There's a long road ahead."

"We'll walk it together." Naruto draped his arms over their shoulders. "We're brothers. We always will be."

The three left the shrine, and the Sealing repaired itself automatically. Lin Ye decided to take Setsuna's soul crystal back to Konoha and find a suitable place to bury it. After all, Setsuna had been a member of the Uchiha. Even if he had done wrong, he deserved a final resting place.

On the way back to Konoha, Lin Ye asked Sasuke, "What else did Itachi say in Tsukuyomi?"

Sasuke remained silent for a long time before answering. "He said that on the Night of the Massacre, he could have taken me away with him, but Father wouldn't allow it. Father said the Uchiha's future needed someone to remain in the light and someone to enter the darkness. Itachi chose the darkness, and I stayed in the light. But Father never imagined that hatred would drive me into even deeper darkness."

"But you've come back now."

"Yes. I've come back," Sasuke said. "My brother protected me in his own way, and you saved me in yours, Ye. I won't let them down again."

It was already late at night when they returned to Konoha. Karin was still waiting for them in the archives, along with Sakura and Kakashi.

"Is it settled?" Karin asked.

"It's settled." Lin Ye showed them the mark on his forehead. "We obtained the clan head's seal and purified Setsuna's wraith. Now we keep fulfilling the remaining wishes."

"There's some news you need to hear," Kakashi said. "Killer B from Kumogakure sent word that Otsutsuki ruins have been discovered on the border of the Land of Lightning. There are murals inside recording a third Otsutsuki who came to Earth, besides Kaguya and Isshiki."

"A third?" Lin Ye frowned.

"The murals are badly faded, but we can tell that the third Otsutsuki arrived around the same time as Isshiki, then later disappeared," Kakashi said. "Killer B suspects that Otsutsuki may still be somewhere on Earth, asleep or sealed away."

It seemed the storm had yet to subside.

But this time, Lin Ye was no longer alone.

He had companions, strength, and the Uchiha's unfulfilled wishes to guide him.

"Then investigate," Lin Ye said. "Find them and deal with them before the threat arrives. That's why the Shinobi World Alliance exists."

Everyone nodded. Outside the window, Konoha shone with lights, peaceful and prosperous.

And the Uchiha's unfulfilled wishes continued.