Within the territory ruled by Umbrella, many small nations had already begun pledging their allegiance. Some even went so far as to relocate their royal capitals directly to Umbrella's capital.
A few kings simply gave up altogether, choosing instead to live as wealthy idlers.
After all, ruling a nation was exhausting. Governing commoners was troublesome. And worse—every time they encountered a ninja, they had to bow and scrape.
"I've truly had enough of that life," one former king said with a laugh. "After giving up my country, I finally started living the kind of life I never even dared to dream of before."
As for those kings who refused to abandon their former decadent ways, Umbrella showed no mercy. They were purged and publicly sentenced, with punishments determined by the severity of their crimes.
In the Ninja World, daimyō of small nations never held much real authority—especially those without ninja villages of their own.
At Umbrella's base, Shisui had just finished his daily training when he received some good news.
Looking at the smiling man before him, Shisui took a sip of water and chuckled.
"Yu, what's got you so happy? Did your wife give birth?"
"Get lost!" Uchiha Yu rolled his eyes. "You're being disrespectful. How long have Ayako and I even been together?"
Yu's expression softened slightly.
His original wife had died on the night of the Uchiha clan massacre. For a long time afterward, he had never intended to remarry.
Then Ayako appeared.
Her original name was Eri Ayako. She met Yu at the hospital, and over time, the two grew close. Eventually, they married, and she took the name Uchiha Ayako.
It was an old Uchiha tradition—women who married into the clan adopted their husband's surname. In truth, most families in the Ninja World followed similar customs.
"Alright, enough joking," Yu said, waving his hand. "I came to tell you some real good news."
Joy flickered across his face.
"Those kids—Yuu and the others—have successfully awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Shisui's eyes lit up.
"Oh? How many in total?"
"Uchiha Yuu, Uchiha Misari, and Uchiha Ken," Yu replied. "Three people."
"Only three?"
A trace of disappointment surfaced in Shisui's expression.
The current Uchiha clan was no longer what it had once been. Nearly all of them had been injected with Hashirama cells. Among more than a dozen talented youths, only three had awakened the Mangekyō—naturally, Shisui had expected more.
"Hey, hey, what's with that face?" Yu laughed. "They have talent, sure, but they're not monsters like you or Itachi. Three is already incredibly impressive."
He continued, his tone growing more serious.
"What's more important is this—Senju and Uchiha really might share the same ancestor. After the Hashirama cell injections, the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan were greatly reduced."
"Orochimaru calls it partial gene completion. I don't really understand it myself," Yu admitted, then grinned. "But three pairs of Mangekyō—that's no small thing."
"Hahaha… this is true Uchiha glory," Yu said proudly. "Even at the clan's peak, we never had this many Mangekyō users at once."
Shisui nodded.
Though slightly disappointed, he still felt relieved. These Uchiha weren't prodigies like himself or Itachi—talent existed on many levels.
Still, three new Mangekyō users meant a significant boost in strength.
The Uchiha were no longer the broken remnants they once were in Konoha.
Elsewhere, in a quiet tavern by the river, Tsunade and Orochimaru sat together, drinking.
After a long silence, Tsunade shook her head and looked at Orochimaru with emotion.
"Orochimaru… I never imagined we'd have a day like this—sitting together peacefully, sharing a drink."
She tilted the bottle. Empty again.
"Waiter! Two more bottles! No—bring a whole box!"
Her voice echoed through the tavern.
The place was small and expensive, meant for entertaining special talents and people with deep pockets. Besides Orochimaru, only one other table was occupied.
They glanced briefly at Tsunade, clearly recognizing her, then calmly returned to their drinks. She was a regular here.
"I never thought this day would come either," Orochimaru said quietly. "Perhaps… the era itself has changed."
He sipped his wine, eyes drifting toward the river outside.
Orochimaru—once a shadow lurking in darkness—now lived openly beneath the sun.
And for the first time, he found that the light was not unbearable.
"By the way… where's that idiot Jiraiya?"
Orochimaru suddenly seemed to remember something. He set down his wine cup and asked in a slow, casual tone.
Tsunade was already a little drunk. Her cheeks were flushed as she waved her hand dismissively.
"That idiot Jiraiya?" she said. "I heard he recently wrote a book. Said he's going to travel all over the Ninja World to look for inspiration."
She squinted slightly, as if trying to recall.
"I think it's called Child of Destiny."
She poured the wine the waiter had just brought and drank it in one gulp. The redness on her face deepened, a faint blush spreading across her delicate features.
"That idiot… he's got way too much free time. Hmph!"
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
"It seems I've changed as well," he said. "I wonder when that happened."
"Tch, don't talk about that guy," Tsunade snapped, slapping the table. "All he ever does is write some trashy books… Drink! Drink… drink…"
She was completely drunk now.
"You really do care about him," Orochimaru said unhurriedly, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.
"Tch! I care… care about that idiot?" Tsunade scoffed. "How… how could that be possible?"
She continued drinking without pause.
After who knew how long, Tsunade staggered out of the tavern, still clutching a flask of wine. She waved vaguely at Orochimaru before heading back.
When she returned to her room at Umbrella, Shizune hurried over, worry written all over her face.
"Lady Tsunade! How did you get this drunk?"
Shizune frowned. It had been a long time since Tsunade had lost herself like this.
"Shizune…" Tsunade mumbled, collapsing onto the table. "I'm happy… It feels like going back to that… time…"
Shizune sighed helplessly.
She carefully carried Tsunade to the bed, helped her change clothes, then quietly closed the door and left.
Standing outside, Shizune looked back with a complicated expression—like a caretaker watching over an overly tall child.
She knew Tsunade wasn't drowning her sorrows in alcohol like before.
She was simply happy.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya had no idea that Tsunade and Orochimaru were talking about him.
He continued traveling across the Ninja World, completely absorbed in his journey.
And his book—Child of Destiny—was selling out everywhere.
He wrote what he saw, what he felt, and what he believed into its pages. The story resonated deeply with readers, especially since the protagonist was clearly modeled after Naruto.
"This is basically another Lord Naruto!"
"Thank you, Lord Naruto, for everything you've done for us!"
"So Lord Naruto was a dead last when he was young too? And he only became who he is today after becoming Lord Jiraiya's disciple… Lord Jiraiya is incredible!"
"I'm buying a copy for my son. As long as he works hard, he'll succeed someday. Whether I get to live in a villa in the future depends on that kid!"
The popularity of Child of Destiny was no less than the Icha Icha Paradise series.
In fact, because its audience was much broader, it became even more influential—awakening hope and motivation in countless people.
Thanks to this book, Jiraiya officially ascended from a shameless author…
To a great literary figure of the Ninja World.
(End of Chapter)
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