"Take my Flying Thunder God Slash!"
"Watch me block it with Susanoo!"
Ever since the news spread that Hokage Uchiha Soren had crushed three battlefronts in a single day, children and genin all over Konoha had filled the streets reenacting the legendary battles with boundless enthusiasm.
Walking at the front of the training group, Uchiha Hikaru—recently promoted to instructor—glanced back at Senju Tsunade, who crossed her arms proudly.
"Flying Thunder God was invented by my grand-uncle. Impressed?"
Jiraiya, hands behind his head, clicked his tongue in jealousy.
"Flying Thunder God is cool and all, but without Susanoo it's just a fancy taxi jutsu."
"Taxi? Take my Flying Thunder God Fist!"
As he was promptly pummeled again, Kato Dan and Uchiha Hiruko quietly drifted toward the most composed among them—
Orochimaru, recently promoted to vice-captain for his rapid progress.
Golden eyes burning with curiosity, Orochimaru raised his head.
"Teacher Hikaru… do you know Flying Thunder God?"
He didn't ask about Susanoo. That was the divine power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, and Hikaru—barely older than them—likely had no more than three tomoe.
Dan and Hiruko leaned closer. Even Jiraiya ran back to listen.
Under four sets of eager civilian-born eyes, Hikaru shook his head.
"No."
Then he smiled.
"But I do know Susanoo. Want a demonstration?"
The children's disappointment exploded instantly into excitement.
"YES, TEACHER! SHOW US!"
Even Tsunade ran over—she had seen Flying Thunder God before, but Susanoo? That towering, awe-inspiring titan was unforgettable.
Today's lesson was outdoor practical training in the forest outside Konoha. Under five burning gazes—
A blazing orange skeletal Susanoo rose around Hikaru.
The kids shrieked with joy.
"Teacher! You're incredible!"
"So cool!"
"Teacher!! I love it!!"
Hikaru nearly melted under the flood of adoration.
Orochimaru, who had grown adept at handling his instructor's personality, stared at the skeletal titan with an obsession that gleamed like a blade.
"Teacher Hikaru… may I touch it?"
"Go ahead."
The moment the words left his mouth, five ecstatic children swarmed the Susanoo. Their shouts attracted other trainees in the forest.
Soon, the green-clad Might Dai and the effortlessly cool Hatake Sakumo wandered over as well.
Genin were restricted to low-ranked missions—anything more required chūnin promotion—so the village's youngest generation often congregated here, forging bonds under the peaceful glow of the Third Hokage's early era.
Land of Hot Water
Two figures flickered across the landscape.
With only three days left until the Shinobi World Conference, and using the Flying Thunder God kunai left from the previous strike team to the Land of Lightning, Uchiha Soren brought the newly idle Uchiha Jiruri with him for "serious business."
Soren checked the spatial coordinates imprinted in his memory and led the way. Jiruri followed—black short sleeves, white knee-length shorts, open-toed sandals, and long violet hair cascading down her back like flowing ink.
Soon, they reached a mountain forest, slipped into a cave, and—
Light burst around them.
They stepped into the Paradise Micro-World.
"It's only been a month, but it feels like forever…"
Wildflowers and grasses now blanketed the once-torn earth. Soren exhaled deeply.
He told Jiruri about his original plan with the three Uchiha elders—to turn this place into the clan's final sanctuary.
"Everything developed too fast."
Taking down the Sarutobi clan…
Clashing with Uzumaki Mito…
Becoming Hokage…
Reforming the Education and Police Departments…
Finding Hikaru…
Entanglements with three women…
Sweeping the Land of Lightning…
Battling Madara…
Annihilating three great nations…
Looking back, it felt unreal.
Jiruri's eyes dimmed.
"It's a pity… Elder Setsuna and Elder Honoka can't see this paradise."
Unlike Soren—raised partly outside the clan—Jiruri had grown up sheltered, protected by the two elders since childhood.
Soren wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"We'll carry the clan forward—for them too."
She nodded, soft determination rising in her violet eyes.
"I'll give everything I have to support you, An-kun… to strengthen the Uchiha."
Soren leaned closer and whispered:
"Jiruri can help me right now, actually."
"…How?"
His breath brushed her ear.
"By giving me several brilliant children to inherit our bloodline."
Her entire face turned crimson.
"Idiot—don't say that when I'm trying to be serious!"
"Hey, Jiruri—"
She fled toward the far side of the Paradise World, flustered beyond measure.
Soren watched her run, already planning tonight's hot spring operation.
But first, he had work to finish.
The Micro-World had far more potential than a mere emergency shelter.
His simplest idea?
Could he use Tenchō Tenson to take full control…
expand it…
and eventually turn it into a true self-sustaining world?
Using it merely as a hideout was an insult to its potential.
One step at a time.
Soren reached the center.
His Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spun—
Tenchō Tenson expanded, enveloping the entire 500-hectare pocket dimension.
Carefully, he carved a spatial seal matrix matching the teleportation array at the Uchiha compound.
Even with one eye healing, the work took half a day.
Jiruri approached quietly.
"You worked hard, An-kun."
Seeing fatigue on his face for the first time, she slipped her arms around his neck and placed a soft kiss on his blind eye.
"Does it still hurt?"
It didn't hurt at all. In fact, his vision had improved slightly.
But he shouted anyway:
"It hurts!"
Jiruri flushed—without Genkaori around, she was far more shy.
"Let's go to the hot spring street. I'll wash your back."
"We can go now."
"W-wait, we haven't eaten—"
"We can eat in the hot spring."
Later that evening, in the most secluded private bath, Jiruri knelt behind him wearing only a white towel that barely held its shape. Steam curled around them, moonlight drifting across the water.
As she washed his back—
The towel loosened…
slipped…
and soft curves flushed pink in the rising heat.
The rest disappeared gently behind a veil of steam and moonlight.
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