The Hidden Star Village had indeed gained greater power because of the meteorite—but the Land of Bears was small and weak, and unlike the Land of Rain, it could never give birth to a demigod-level figure like Hanzō.
Those who rise because of it… will inevitably fall because of it.
That meteorite contained massive amounts of radiation. Long-term cultivation around it not only hindered one's future growth but also permanently locked away a ninja's innate potential. Many shinobi of the Star Village had died young as a result.
As someone who had cultivated the Peacock Mystic Method to an advanced level, Natsume Hoshi had already become keenly aware of the meteorite's dangers.
Yes—the meteorite could grant Star ninja greater power. But that power was never free. The radiation and strange energies within the stone were slowly eroding their bodies.
There was chakra within the meteorite.
And there was radiation.
Natsume suspected that the radiation was produced by that bizarre chakra itself.
Unfortunately, despite two hundred years passing, no one in the Star Village had ever succeeded in fully converting the meteorite's chakra into something they could truly control and assimilate.
Several months earlier, Natsume had already approached the Third Star Shadow and warned her of the possible dangers of the meteorite.
But her words carried little weight.
Without the meteorite, how could the Star Village possibly survive in the brutal shinobi world?
By sheer coincidence—or perhaps cruel irony—Akahoshi's rebellion erupted at precisely the wrong time. The Third Star Shadow, who had already begun to waver after hearing Natsume's concerns, once again hardened her resolve: the Star ninja had to rely on the meteorite to grow stronger.
When Uchiha Ran and Natsume Hoshi finally arrived at the Hidden Star Village, it was already engulfed in flames.
The two rushed straight to the Star Shadow's office—only to discover that their former comrades, Yatagarasu and Shishimai, had joined the rebellion. Together with several shinobi dressed like Iwagakure ninja, they were attacking the Third Star Shadow and her teammate, Hotaru Hoshi.
"I'll help you!" Natsume cried, about to activate the Peacock Mystic Method and join the fight.
"Natsume—and the jōnin from Konoha!" the Third Star Shadow shouted while maintaining her own Peacock Mystic Method. "Please go after Akahoshi and the Iwa ninja who took the meteorite! Hotaru and I can handle things here!"
"They haven't gone far—go now! Most importantly, the Star Stone cannot fall into the hands of traitors and ambitious outsiders!"
Natsume wanted to shout back that the Star Stone was dangerous—that it wasn't nearly as important as they believed.
But when she met the old Star Shadow's devouring gaze, she swallowed her words. Without another moment's hesitation, she turned and rushed out of the office to pursue Akahoshi.
Ran followed as well.
After all—he'd taken the money, and when the employer gave orders, you carried them out.
Sometimes, things really were just that coincidental.
Neither Ran nor Natsume possessed sensory abilities, yet had they arrived even a few minutes later, they likely wouldn't have been able to catch Akahoshi at all.
When Akahoshi and his group noticed Ran and Natsume approaching, they stopped.
For Akahoshi, Natsume Hoshi had once been a teammate—a companion he'd carried out missions with, and a fellow disciple of the Third Star Shadow. Now, she stood before him as an enemy.
From the moment she appeared, Akahoshi's gaze never left Natsume. He didn't spare Ran even a single glance.
For the Iwagakure ninja, however, the situation looked very different.
Encountering a lone Uchiha in the Hidden Star Village?
That was fantastic news.
A living Uchiha—if captured and brought back, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, would be delighted.
With that thought, the apparent leader among the Iwa ninja—a jōnin—spoke to the two behind him.
"You two, special jōnin—be careful," he warned. "Our opponent is an Uchiha brat. Watch out for his Sharingan."
"Yes, Jōnin Akita!" the two replied in unison.
"…Akita?" Ran echoed, tilting his head slightly.
"So you have an unusual connection with Akita Tetsuya, then?" Ran asked casually.
"Tetsuya?" The Iwa jōnin's expression changed instantly. "How do you know Tetsuya?! Don't tell me—Tetsuya—?! Bastard, what did you do to my little brother?!"
The man's face twisted as a terrible premonition surged through him.
"Hahahahahaha!" Ran burst into laughter. "I see—so you really were brothers. Don't worry. You'll be able to reunite with him very soon."
As everyone knew—
There were five members of the so-called "Uchiha Maniacal Laughter Quartet."
Uchiha Ran pushed up his glasses and laughed openly.
In that instant, aside from Akahoshi—who still stared fixedly at Natsume—all eyes turned toward Ran.
The Iwa ninja, at least, were disciplined enough not to look directly into his eyes.
They couldn't understand why this Uchiha suddenly started laughing. Was it really just because of the Akita brothers?
Ran tapped the frame of his glasses with his left hand. With his right, he hooked a finger around the tassel of his blade. His middle finger lifted—
Slowly, deliberately, the sword slid free of its sheath.
Then, with a sharp pull, the blade came fully out, spinning once through the air before Ran caught the hilt in a reverse grip.
No Sharingan.
No ninjutsu.
No shuriken or kunai.
An Uchiha… using pure swordsmanship?
Both Natsume Hoshi and the Iwa ninja couldn't help thinking the same thing as they watched the blade spin and settle into Ran's grasp.
"I regret to inform you," Ran said calmly, "that all of you Iwagakure shinobi present… have reached the end of your fate."
He could already feel it.
Everyone here—aside from Akahoshi—had fallen under Fleeting Life, Like a Dream.
As expected, Ran thought, even in a Naruto arc infamous for padding, the Star Village ninja never survive more than a few episodes.
No—at this point, they weren't even Star ninja.
They were Iwagakure shinobi.
How pitiful. In a novel, these people wouldn't even qualify as proper villains. Surviving a single chapter would already be impressive.
While Ran's thoughts wandered, Akahoshi and Natsume had already clashed—both unleashing the Peacock Mystic Method, chakra flaring as their techniques collided.
Meanwhile, Ran stood with his sword tip pointed downward, holding Fleeting Life, Like a Dream in a reverse grip.
That alone placed immense psychological pressure on the Iwa ninja.
Damn it…This Uchiha brat is way too calm.
"Why aren't you attacking?" Ran taunted lightly. "What's wrong, big brothers—and uncles—from Iwagakure?"
His words were sharp and provocative.
For reasons none of them could explain, all three Iwa ninja flushed red with anger. As Ran began to pace slowly, they unconsciously mirrored his movements, stepping in rhythm with him.
They were ready.
Ready to teach this arrogant Uchiha brat a lesson with Earth Release.
Fine. Let's do it.
The moment Ran's words faded—
Jōnin Akita suddenly lost sight of him.
Then—
A blade struck from behind.
"When—?! Why so fast?!" Akita's eyes widened in disbelief.
Space–time ninjutsu?!Before he could think further, Akita twisted his body, narrowly dodging Ran's slash. His hands flew through seals at blinding speed.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
In Akita's eyes, Ran was nothing more than an inexperienced young ninja.
While the three of them were seasoned veterans—battle-tested, mutually trusting teammates.
As expected, the instant Akita activated the swamp, the other two special jōnin followed up—
"Earth Release: Rising Spears!""Earth Release: Stone Pillar Seal!"
The terrain surged violently, locking Ran's movements in place.
Watching Ran forced to evade and sink into the mire of the Swamp of the Underworld, Akita felt a wave of certainty wash over him.
It's over.
An Uchiha restrained by the swamp—As long as they stayed cautious of his Sharingan genjutsu—
He was nothing more than prey trapped in a jar.