The dust had barely settled when the ground shook again. Gamabunta and Manda were locked in a display of mutual loathing, their massive forms looming over the ruins.
"You're slowing down, tadpole," Manda hissed. "I should have let that monster eat you."
"Watch it, you slimy belt," Gamabunta rumbled, blowing smoke. "Without me, you'd be a pair of boots by now."
Katsuyu watched them with a calm, neutral gaze.
"The boy is stable for now, Princess."
Tsunade patted the slug's skin. "Thank you, Katsuyu. You did well. Rest now," she remarked, unsummoning her in a swirl of smoke.
Orochimaru performed his release seal.
"Enough. The battle is over," he commanded.
Manda vanished with a hiss, and Jiraiya sent the grumbling toad back to the mountain.
The group began the trek back to the capital.
Despite the Prince's condition, the air between the four teammates felt lighter.
"So, how did the Uzumaki even get here so fast?" Jiraiya asked, glancing at the red-haired shinobi behind them. "I thought they were all the way out in the Land of Whirlpools."
"The Hokage must have sent word the moment we left," Torifu answered, leading the way. "He doesn't leave things to chance. We were lucky their timing was perfect."
Jiraiya slung an arm around Yoichi's shoulder, grinning. "Lucky for them! They got to see our genius in action. We should celebrate with some top-tier ramen when we get home!"
Orochimaru let out a rare, soft chuckle.
"For once, I agree with the fool. That was a display worth a toast."
Tsunade leaned closer to Yoichi, her shoulder bumping his playfully. "You really showed them up, you know. Even the Uzumaki looked stunned."
They reached the palace gates as the sun began to rise. The Daimyo met them, falling to his knees when he saw his son's unmoving form.
"He lives, my Lord," Torifu stated quietly. "But he is in a sleep we cannot yet break."
The Daimyo nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving his son.
He thanked them with a hollow voice, promising the rewards he had pledged, but the gold felt meaningless in the shadow of the Prince's vacant stare.
While waiting to depart, the team rested at a quiet inn.
They shared a meal, the tension of the battle replaced by comfortable banter.
Tsunade found Yoichi under a cherry blossom tree later and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"The elders will ask questions later on. They'll want to know how you did what the Uzumaki couldn't. But don't worry, I'm staying by your side."
"Let them ask," Yoichi whispered, closing his eyes as he held her hand. "I am not afraid."
...
The journey home was swift. They reached the massive gates of Konoha as the afternoon sun peaked. The guards stood aside, eyes widening at the sight of the battered squad and the red-haired masters.
"Back in one piece," Jiraiya cheered, throwing his arms wide. "I can practically smell the Ichiraku broth from here!"
"Keep your voice down," Tsunade teased, her hand still brushed against Yoichi's. "We have to report to Sensei before you start filling your stomach."
Inside the office, the air was thick with tobacco.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, flanked by the stern elders and Danzo Shimura, who stood in the shadows. Danzo's single visible eye remained fixed on Yoichi, his gaze cold and calculating.
"The Prince is stable at the capital," Torifu reported, bowing his head. "We would have failed without the Uzumaki reinforcements. Thank you for sending them, Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen paused, his pipe halfway to his lips as he raised an eyebrow. "Reinforcements? Torifu, I sent no one. The mission was yours alone."
A heavy silence fell.
Every head turned toward the Uzumaki leader. He stepped forward with a calm, practiced smile.
"As close allies, we must stand together," the Uzumaki leader replied smoothly. "We sensed a disturbance in the seals and acted. It is only natural for our clans to support the Leaf."
With a polite gesture, the Uzumaki group exited the office.
Yoichi watched them go, his brow furrowing.
Something felt off about their arrival, but he threw the suspicion back into his head, focusing on the task at hand.
"The Prince is alive, Hokage-sama."
Yoichi stated, meeting Hiruzen's gaze while Danzo continued to stare at him from the corner.
"That is all that matters."
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, his eyes dark with thought. "Indeed. But tell me, how did you sever a link that even their masters could not touch?"
Earlier, the office had been chaotic as elders read the urgent reports in horror.
"A demon's rebirth," they had whispered, certain the mission would fail.
"You managed the impossible," Hiruzen said quietly, puffing his pipe. He wondered how Yoichi had touched a realm where even masters were blind.
Danzo stepped from the shadows, his cane tapping the floorboards.
He had known of the boy's mysterious powers from reports, but had lacked the chance to face him.
Now, with many eyes on the child, the opportunity to probe him had finally arrived.
"The reports mention a black energy," Danzo remarked, his eye fixed on Yoichi. "A power that burns spiritual matter. Where does an Uchiha find such a thing?"
The room grew heavy with scrutiny.
The elders leaned in, their relief replaced by a sharp, probing curiosity.
"My power is my own," Yoichi replied, his voice flat. "It is a refinement of my energy. The results speak for themselves."
Tsunade stepped forward, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
"He saved the Daimyo's son while the Uzumaki stood by and watched," she snapped, her eyes flashing with a familiar Senju fire.
"Maybe we should focus on the success instead of interrogating our own shinobi."
"Tsunade is right," Jiraiya added, his usual goofy grin replaced by a protective scowl.
"We were there. That 'black energy' is the only reason we aren't all dead. It's Leaf power, plain and simple."
"Results are the only currency that matters in our world, Elder," Orochimaru said, his voice a silky, dangerous thread.
"Yoichi has proven his value. To question his source now seems... counterproductive."
Danzo's grip tightened on his cane, his gaze shifting between the three prodigies.
The air in the room crackled with the friction between the old guard and the rising generation.
"That is enough," the Hokage commanded, his voice carrying the weight of his title. "The mission is a success. The team is dismissed for rest. Yoichi, I will speak with you at a later date."
Yoichi gave a curt nod and turned to leave, his teammates falling in step around him like a shield.
As they exited the tower, the weight of the elders' stares finally faded, replaced by the warm afternoon air of the village.
"Thanks, guys," Yoichi said softly as they hit the street. "I didn't expect you to jump in like that."
Tsunade bumped his shoulder with hers, a small, genuine smile tugging at her lips. "Don't get used to it. Next time, you're buying the sake."
The team split up at the market square, leaving Yoichi to walk the familiar path toward the Uchiha Compound.
The sun was beginning to dip, casting long, orange shadows across the wooden fences.
He could already smell the charcoal fires of families preparing their evening meals.
"I'm home," Yoichi said softly as he stepped through the front door.
Naoko hurried from the kitchen, her face pale but softening the moment she saw him.
"Thank the gods," she whispered, pulling him into a tight hug.
Her hands trembled slightly as she checked his face. "I heard such terrible things about the capital. I feared the darkness had taken you too."
"I'm fine, Mother. It's over now," Yoichi reassured her, feeling the lingering trace of her old trauma in the way she held him.
Nobuyuki gave a firm nod from the dining table. "Welcome back, Yoichi," he said, his voice steady.
"You beat a real monster, big brother?" Akira shouted, abandoning his wooden kunai to scramble toward Yoichi's legs. "Did you use a giant fireball? Show me the move!"
Yoichi sat down, managing a small smile for the boy as Naoko placed a warm cup of tea in front of him. "Maybe later, Akira. It wasn't exactly a fireball."
A sharp knock at the door shattered the quiet.
A stone-faced Uchiha shinobi stood in the entryway, his stance rigid.
"Yoichi Uchiha," the man announced, his voice echoing. "Elder Kohaku requires your presence in his office immediately. Do not keep him waiting."
Naoko's eyes widened with a flicker of old fear, her hand flying to her chest. "Now? He has only just sat down," she pleaded.
"The Elder was very clear," the shinobi replied, ignoring her. "This concerns the honor of the bloodline. Follow me."
Yoichi stood, the warmth of the tea forgotten. "It's alright, Mom. I'll be back soon," he said, his voice flat as he followed the messenger into the night.
Soon, he stepped into the office to find Kohaku sitting behind a low desk, his hair now entirely white and silvered by the candlelight.
"It has been a long time, Yoichi," Kohaku said, his voice like grinding stones. "You have grown, though your eyes carry a weight far beyond your years."
"I go where the mission calls, Elder," Yoichi replied with a respectful bow.
Kohaku gestured to the boy sitting beside him.
Fugaku, only eleven but already masked in stern gravity, watched Yoichi with unblinking intensity.
"Father says the scrolls describe a power that is not of the Sharingan," Fugaku spoke up, his voice surprisingly deep. "He says you touched a spirit that even the Uzumaki could not bind. Is that true?"
"I used what was necessary to save the Prince, Fugaku," Yoichi replied, his tone remaining neutral.
Kohaku leaned forward, the shadows deepening in the corners of the room. "The clan is proud, but we are wary of the unknown. Some fear this power will bring unwanted eyes upon us. Tell me, is this a secret of the blood, or something else?"
"It is a refinement of my own spirit," Yoichi stated, meeting the Elder's gaze. "It serves the clan and the village through me."
Fugaku leaned in, a spark of curiosity breaking his disciplined mask. "I want to see it. I want to see the power that made the elders tremble."
Yoichi held out his hand, palm upward.
A thin thread of black energy flickered into existence, dancing like a cold flame.
"This is not chakra," Yoichi explained, his voice low.
"Chakra is a blend of energies. Qi is the raw essence of the spirit, refined through absolute focus and internal cultivation."
Fugaku reached out, his hand stopping inches from the flame. "It doesn't feel warm," the boy whispered, his eyes wide. "It feels... empty."
"It shapes the user from within," Yoichi continued, closing his hand to extinguish the spark. "It allows me to touch things that have no physical form. It is the foundation of a different path entirely."
Deep inside, Yoichi's ambition stretched far beyond these walls. He intended to promote Martial Arts throughout the entire shinobi world, replacing the reliance on chakra with the discipline of the heart.
But he knew he needed a starting line. The Uchiha Clan, with their pride and talent, would be his first foundation.
Kohaku leaned forward, his white hair shimmering in the dim light. "If the Uchiha possessed this, our position would be absolute. When can you begin teaching our kin?"
"I need more time," Yoichi replied, his gaze firm. "I must procure and refine the specific techniques to ensure they are compatible with our blood. It cannot be rushed, or it will become poison."
Kohaku nodded slowly, a rare look of approval on his face. "The council will wait. We will prepare the grounds for your instructions."
Fugaku looked up at Yoichi with a new, burning respect. "I will be ready, Yoichi-san. I want to learn the strength that comes from within."
___________
I know you would think that there's not even a substance or valuable content in this chapter.
Yes it is.
I made it so that the last 8 years into the Second Great Shinobi War would be enough to justify this stale chapter. In these last future years, his things now will be uncovered so stay tuned!