Land of Spring
Sasuke stood inside the laboratory, his scarlet Sharingan flicking back and forth between the many Narutos in the room. His expression was twisted, feral—like a beast on the verge of tearing someone apart.
"Naruto…"
In the Mirror World, Kushina looked at Sasuke through the floating data window, shook her head, and ultimately said nothing. She already knew what Naruto was about to do.
The four tailed beasts were nowhere to be seen. Naruto opened another window and found Kurama teasing Gaara, Shukaku's jinchūriki, while the other three tailed beasts obediently watched from the sidelines.
With a thought, a gate of light opened.
Sasuke stepped out, his face contorted, eyes locked onto Naruto as he spat coldly:
"I will kill you."
"I wouldn't really mind," Naruto replied with a faint smile, utterly unconcerned.
"But isn't this attitude a little ungrateful? I've spent years cultivating you—can't you show at least a bit of appreciation?"
"What if I told you I could revive Uchiha Itachi?"
Sasuke froze for a split second—then his killing intent surged even more violently.
"I will kill you!"
Naruto sighed softly.
"This kind of conversation really is pointless. I guess I got bored."
He glanced at the Subordinate Status Window above Sasuke's head. Sasuke's consciousness was completely saturated with the desire for revenge—reason was long gone.
As for Naruto's mention of reviving Itachi, Sasuke took it as nothing more than an insult to his intelligence.
Naruto shook his head and reached into Sasuke's mind.
Kushina let out a silent sigh and dissolved into light, disappearing.
When Naruto withdrew a glowing orb, Sasuke's expression went blank. He frowned.
"…We're back? What were those things called White Zetsu?"
"They're decent experimental materials," Naruto replied calmly.
"Though there's one called Black Zetsu who has a very deep connection to the Uchiha."
He opened a data window and played footage related to the Six Paths Stone Tablet.
"Black Zetsu?"
Sasuke looked up at the projection. Anger quickly spread across his face. Naruto then showed him multiple scenes of Black Zetsu's appearances within the Akatsuki—contacting Itachi and Kisame, as well as Kakuzu and Hidan.
When it ended, Sasuke fell silent.
At last, he truly believed Naruto's earlier words: the stone tablet passed down through the Uchiha clan had indeed been tampered with a thousand years ago.
The past two days had been utterly surreal—Rinnegan, Infinite Tsukuyomi, the Power of All Things…
Sasuke felt the need to calm down.
After a moment, he asked quietly:
"What about Itachi?"
"Once Keijirō finishes examining him, I'll return him to you."
Naruto waved his hand, closing the window.
"You can go to the cultivation chamber now and clone his eyes. Don't forget—I want the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"I know."
Sasuke turned and stepped back through the gate of light.
Another Laboratory
In an enormous operating room, Uchiha Itachi's corpse lay on a surgical table, translucent tubes embedded throughout his body. Keijirō and several assistants sat solemnly before a row of instruments, waiting.
Nearby, four Narutos stood casually, studying rows of massive nutrient tanks along the wall.
"One, two, three… forty. Why is Naruto cloning so many Chiyo? How many people does he plan to revive?"
"No guarantee it'll even work. Itachi is the first test subject."
"Why revive him? Is Naruto planning to kill him again right in front of Sasuke?"
"Hehehe, sounds possible!"
"Let's just hope this forbidden technique works. Akatsuki has already sent people to Takigakure to look for me…"
"…"
Shun!
Two figures appeared beside the operating table.
One was Naruto.
The other was a young woman in moon-white robes.
A Naruto with crimson slit pupils said coldly, "It's starting."
He stepped forward, placing his hand on Itachi's head. The young woman pressed both hands against Itachi's abdomen, a basin-sized pale blue glow blooming outward.
Minutes passed.
Color slowly returned to Itachi's ashen face—while the woman's complexion turned deathly pale.
A short while later, Itachi's eyelids twitched.
At that instant, Naruto heard the Mirror World's alert.
Detected an unbound soul. Initiate harvest?
"So my deduction was correct."
Naruto chose Harvest without hesitation.
Congratulations. Successfully harvested an otherworldly soul: Uchiha Itachi.
Data analysis in progress.
The vessel carrying the soul is reviving.
Life signs restored: 60%
Life signs restored: 80%
Life signs restored: 99%
Conditions met for World-Subordinate Conversion. Please select.
Naruto made his choice instantly.
Almost simultaneously, the young woman collapsed to the floor.
Subordinate Chiyo's vessel has lost all life signs. Soul recovered. Please select.
"So it really is one life for another," Naruto muttered.
"And harvested souls aren't the same as ordinary world subordinates…"
He recalled how Yamanaka Fū had been erased by the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing, leaving only a soul copy in the Mirror World—unrevivable even by Edo Tensei.
While Naruto reflected, Keijirō ordered Chiyo's body removed via space–time storage. He looked at Itachi with a teasing smile.
"Mr. Itachi, are you planning to keep pretending to sleep?"
"I'm not pretending," Itachi replied softly, eyes still closed.
"I just don't know what world I'm in. I remember dying."
As he spoke, a doorway appeared before him.
"My eyes… weren't they taken by Sasuke—"
Meanwhile, the Naruto with slit pupils signaled to the other three Narutos. They quietly exited the laboratory.
"Wow, he really was revived! Kurama, you—wait, why did you take that out? Is a Samehada that's only a handle even useful?"
"Should be. Keijirō says it'll regenerate with enough chakra. Might as well test it on Shukaku—before it's free and we lose the chance."
"Maybe not… Shukaku's been ignoring us lately."
"Can I sit this out?"
"Yes."
"…On second thought, I'll go."
"…"
Moments later, Naruto sent a shadow clone to escort Itachi to Sasuke's lab. Then he ordered Keijirō to open two massive cultivation tanks.
Mount Myōboku
The Great Toad Sage still lay by the cliff. Naruto sat on a stone platform level with its gaze.
"So what you're saying is that the Dragon Vein only serves as a temporary medium connecting past and present?"
"Correct," the Sage replied.
"Once activated, ancient Rōran becomes a time fissure. Only chakra and inanimate objects can remain freely. Those from the past can enter and leave normally, but those from the present cannot leave Rōran. No matter how long you stay there, only an instant passes in the present."
"Did you see me in the past?"
"We cannot peer into chaotic time fissures," the Sage said slowly.
"But after you enter the past Rōran, I did see the survivors of Rōran in the present traveling to the Land of Spring to deliver something to you."
"Interesting… One last question. Did I go to Rōran first—or did I seek out the Six-Tails jinchūriki first?"
"You did both simultaneously."
Back at the laboratory, Naruto finished reviving Chiyo and Mukade using Puppet Rebirth. The information from Mount Myōboku flowed back to him.
"Chakra and inanimate objects can remain in the past…
As for the Rōran survivors coming to the Land of Spring—either they guessed what I did, or they learned it from a more distant future."
Just then, another message arrived from the Mirror World.
Kumogakure has declared war on Konoha.
"They didn't even deploy their tailed beast," Naruto mused.
"Kumo's going to suffer for that."
Inspired by Naruto, Danzō had implanted the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing into every captive from the Konoha Crush—Sand and Sound alike.
Before Kumo and Iwa declared war, Danzō secretly used Flying Thunder God operatives to distribute these captives to border outposts.
The result was devastating.
Within ten days, Kumogakure retreated from the Land of Fire. Of over a thousand invaders, fewer than two hundred returned. Konoha, using Yamanaka techniques and barrier teams, lost only a little over a hundred genin and chūnin—excluding the Sound ninja used as sacrificial seals.
Then Konoha immediately declared war on Kumo.
For half a month, Danzō mobilized forces nonstop along the border—without a single invasion.
The Raikage reportedly smashed countless desks in rage.
Soon after, Iwagakure followed suit. Ōnoki also declared war, sending a thousand shinobi to posture along the Fire Country border—yet never crossed it.
Danzō cursed Ōnoki as shameless, then attempted to ally with Sunagakure—only for Rasa to reject him outright.
September
Naruto hovered in the sky, holding a one-meter-wide Rasengan. Inside it floated five smaller Rasengan of different colors—one intermittently crackling with lightning.
"Five elemental Rasengan are locked in a deadlock… Did I get the research direction wrong? But Ice Release worked…"
Kushina's voice echoed in his mind.
"Naruto, Kabuto has completed his task."
"His efficiency is acceptable."
Naruto tossed the Rasengan downward and vanished.
Moments later, a massive tsunami erupted in the northern seas of the Land of Spring. Five lightning-wreathed water tornadoes roared into the heavens, merging into a thousand-meter pillar of water.
Thunder rolled. The sky turned pitch-black.
Back at the base, Naruto summoned a coffin. Yakushi Kabuto emerged, holding a bracer.
"My lord! All the materials you requested are here!"
Naruto inspected it, then nodded toward a row of cultivation vats.
"Good work. I'll return your memories and give you a body. Prepare for the next phase."
"Thank you, my lord!"
Kabuto bowed deeply and retreated into the coffin.
Naruto released three shadow clones, drained the vats, and pulled out three dazed White Zetsu.
Soon after, he harvested three new souls:
Second Mizukage – Gengetsu Hōzuki
Second Tsuchikage – Mū
Third Raikage – A
After converting them into world subordinates, Naruto immediately extracted Dust Release training data from Mū.
That night, Naruto sat cross-legged on his bed, forming seals.
Suddenly, his body felt light.
The room didn't change—but he saw his own body below him.
He was floating above himself.
"So this is what soul separation feels like…"
"Naruto?"
Kushina's voice echoed—followed by the four tailed beasts.
"Why are we out too?"
"I can still sense Naruto's chakra!"
"So even the Spirit Transformation Technique can't bypass seals?"
"This doesn't feel any different from being inside him."
Naruto was startled.
Then a system alert sounded.
Warning! Life flame nearing extinction!
Origin Core forced activation. Countdown initiated.
Selecting replenishment targets…
A familiar interface appeared. The timer read:
11:58:22
"So my physical body can only survive twelve hours in this state…"
Replenishment targets selected:
Primary: Kurama
Secondary: Jiraiya, Sasuke
Tertiary: Chōmei, Son Gokū, Isobu, Gen'yū, Uchiha Itachi
Quaternary: Chiyo, Mukade, Keijirō
"I can't move!"
"Me neither!"
"What's happening?!"
"Naruto!"
Naruto read the explanation—and his eyes lit up.
"So I never needed Rebirth of One's Own Life at all."
He dove back into his body and opened his eyes.
Entering the seal space, he apologized silently to Kushina and the tailed beasts—then disabled the forced Origin Core activation.
They reappeared behind him.
Kurama pressed his head against Naruto's.
"Well? Explain."
Naruto smiled and raised his fist.
"I think I finally know how to obtain both Indra's and Ashura's chakra at the same time."
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