After Mū and Ōnoki departed from Konoha, Tobirama Senju stormed into Uchiha Hikaru’s office in a rage.
“Uchiha Hikaru, you are far too weak!”
“Iwagakure came to us seeking an alliance.
Konoha’s strength far exceeds theirs—we had no need to ally with them at all.
We should have extracted far greater concessions!”
“Tobirama, Konoha was founded to protect peace, not to exploit others’ desperation.
Besides, even if the Hokage were here, I believe he would have done the same.”
Hikaru delivered the killing blow: “And besides, I am the acting Hokage, not you.”
“Uchiha Hikaru, you will regret this!”
SLAM—
Tobirama stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Though Konoha had not gained any overwhelming advantage from the alliance with Iwagakure, it had still secured substantial tangible benefits.
Economically, Konoha’s goods could now be sold to the Land of Earth, and raw materials purchased from there came at lower prices.
The Land of Earth was rich in mineral resources—iron ore and various rare minerals—and Konoha could procure them at reduced costs, lowering overall expenses.
Culturally, Konoha’s books, films, and other media could now flow into Iwagakure.
Children growing up in Iwagakure would be immersed in Konoha’s cultural influence from an early age, their values gradually aligning with Konoha’s.
When they grew up and gained influence within Iwagakure, they would naturally feel closer to Konoha and lean toward its policies.
This was cultural infiltration, dissemination, and influence.
Such soft power could sometimes be even more effective than warfare.
Unfortunately, that old fox Tobirama was short-sighted, seeing only immediate gains.
He was a relic of the Warring States era, clinging to outdated notions.
On the new-era ship that was Konoha, there was simply no place for him.
But the true greatest beneficiary of this alliance was Hikaru himself.
Though using Kotoamatsukami meant his left eye might take over a decade to recover, his right eye still possessed Kamui.
As long as he did not recklessly traverse the shinobi world, it was more than enough to protect himself.
Before leaving Konoha, Mū had entrusted him with the techniques of Dust Release and Earth Style: Light-Weight Rock Technique.
Dust Release had been developed by Mū himself and later passed on to his disciple Ōnoki.
Yet Ōnoki and Mū shared no blood relation.
This demonstrated that Dust Release was not a bloodline-limited ability, but a Kekkei Tōta that could be learned through training.
Dust Release required precise manipulation of Fire, Wind, and Earth-natured chakra, with all three needing to be perfectly balanced and fused simultaneously.
The Uchiha clan were naturally masters of Fire Release.
Aside from the Sharingan, the Uchiha’s specialty was Fire Style ninjutsu.
Hikaru was also proficient in Wind Release.
Fire rode the wind, and wind fueled fire—the two natures could be combined to enhance Fire Release’s power.
Many Uchiha were also skilled in Wind Release.
In the original story, Uchiha Obito’s Fire Style: Blast Wave Wild Dance was a unique technique combining Kamui with Fire Release—using the Mangekyo to warp space and create a spiraling storm, then exhaling flames to form a rotating fire vortex with wide range and immense speed.
At its core, it also relied on Wind Release to amplify power.
Earth Release…
that was admittedly not his forte.
But it could be trained over time.
Once he achieved mastery over Fire, Wind, and Earth chakra natures, he could begin learning Dust Release.
Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
Mū and Ōnoki had safely returned to the village.
“How did it go?
What was the outcome of the alliance?”
Ōnoki spoke first: “Grandfather, Konoha and Iwagakure successfully formed an alliance this time.
The Hokage was absent—the acting Hokage, Uchiha Hikaru, handled the negotiations on their behalf.
They say the Uchiha are arrogant and proud, but this Uchiha Hikaru was surprisingly courteous, humble, and approachable.”
Mū added: “Lord Tsuchikage, this successful alliance with Konoha was largely thanks to Uchiha Hikaru.
He is known in Konoha as the ‘Miracle of Konoha’—resourceful and wise.
He serves as both Chancellor of the Civil Affairs Department and Konoha’s chief strategist.
Much of the Uchiha’s current standing can be attributed to him.”
“The despicable one was Tobirama Senju.
He first demanded tribute from Iwagakure, then changed it to stationing Konoha troops here.
He is narrow-minded and lacks the bearing of a true leader.
However, his conflict with Uchiha Hikaru stems from the decisive battle between the Senju and Uchiha—Tobirama was defeated by Hikaru, leading to the Senju’s loss, and the position of Hokage fell to the Uchiha instead.”
“Internal discord in Konoha is not a bad thing for us.” He waved his hand.
You have worked hard—go and rest now.”
As Mito and Ameori’s due dates drew near, Konoha’s Twin Jewels—who had been traveling across the shinobi world capturing Tailed Beasts—returned to the village.
“Madara-sama, Hashirama-sama, welcome back.
You’ve worked hard.”
“Mito-sama and Ameori-san’s due dates are within the next few days.”
“During this time, Hashirama-sama, please spend more time with Mito-sama.
And Madara-sama, Izuna-sama has been waiting for you to name the child.”
This time, Hashirama and Madara had captured the Five-Tails Kokuō, the Seven-Tails Chōmei, and the Eight-Tails Gyūki.
Of the nine Tailed Beasts in the shinobi world, only the One-Tail Shukaku, the Three-Tails Isobu, and the Nine-Tails Kurama had yet to be captured.
The other six were now in Konoha’s possession.
Aside from the Nine-Tails, Hikaru had little interest in the other Tailed Beasts.
In the original story, Kurama possessed an immense amount of chakra—half of Kurama’s chakra alone exceeded the total chakra of the complete Eight-Tails.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Naruto, relying on just half of Kurama, was able to hold his own against five Tailed Beasts’ combined Tailed Beast Ball and even gain the upper hand.
Even the Eight-Tails—considered the strongest Tailed Beast besides Kurama—was, in Hikaru’s mind, less useful than the Seven-Tails.
Setting aside Kurama’s various power-ups for a moment—the One-Tail Shukaku possessed Magnet Release and Wind Release, the Two-Tails Matatabi had Fire Release, the Three-Tails Isobu had Water Release, the Four-Tails Son Gokū had Lava Release, the Five-Tails Kokuō had Boil Release, and the Six-Tails Saiken had Acid Release.
Though the Seven-Tails Chōmei lacked any special nature release, it could fly.
Among the countless shinobi of the world, only a handful could take to the skies.
In the original story, when Uchiha Madara was reanimated by Edo Tensei, the moment he spotted a shinobi in the sky, he immediately guessed it was Ōnoki—which reflected just how rare flying shinobi truly were.
Early summer of Konoha Year Two.
Konoha welcomed its grandest event since the village’s founding—Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Izuna both became fathers.
Mito Uzumaki and Ameori Uzumaki shared the same due date.
First, news came from the Senju compound that Mito-sama had given birth to a boy, named Senju Jūsō by Tobirama Senju.
The name carried the hope that the child would inherit his brother’s Wood Style.
Soon after, news came from the Uchiha compound that Ameori-san had also given birth—a girl, named Uchiha Izumiori by Uchiha Madara.
The name signified the enduring bond between the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans, a testament to their love and shared bloodline.
Originally, Madara had prepared two names—Uchiha Shinka for a boy and Uchiha Hanabi for a girl.
But in the end, he had followed Hikaru’s suggestion and chosen Uchiha Izumiori instead.
As previously agreed, Hikaru became Izumiori’s godfather.