"I know you're Makiya Uchiha, but you can't go in." The ANBU ninja wearing a fox mask took a step forward, blocking Makiya's path.
Makiya: "???"
"Is this the Hokage's request? If it's an order from Lord Hokage, I'll go see him right now."
Makiya spoke as he gripped his bag, making a show of turning to leave.
"Please, wait a moment," the other ANBU finally spoke up. "It's not Lord Hokage's request..."
The fox-masked ANBU raised a hand to cut off his companion, staring intently at Makiya. "Our duty is to stop all suspicious persons. Makiya Uchiha, consider yourself warned."
Makiya realized then that this guy just had a screw loose.
Communicating with someone like that was a waste of time. Makiya didn't say another word, instantly activating his Sharingan. The three-tomoe patterns emerged, and a massive amount of ocular power instantly invaded the fox-masked ANBU's mind.
"You—" The ANBU's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Makiya to dare strike right there in the hospital. Caught off guard, he fell into the genjutsu instantly.
'Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin, is sitting right next door. How does he dare?'
As that final thought flashed through his mind, the fox-masked ANBU's consciousness was completely overtaken by Makiya.
The other ANBU raised a hand, caught in a state of hesitation.
He had heard of Makiya's battle achievements from friends on the front lines. He didn't dare stop him, yet he also felt his companion's behavior had been excessive, leaving him torn.
Makiya's raw ocular power poured into the fox-masked ANBU's brain without reservation. This power, surpassing even a Mangekyo Sharingan, broke through layers of defense and reached the depths of his memories.
Only then did Makiya discover that this guy was the same ANBU who had tried to brand him a traitor during the previous rumor incident.
He seemed to harbor a particular hatred for the Uchiha.
Continuing to sift through his memories, Makiya reached a realization.
The root of the issue lay with the Uchiha—specifically, Tekka Uchiha. During their time at the Ninja Academy, this ANBU had clashed with Tekka Uchiha multiple times, only to be beaten senseless by the stronger Tekka. He had suffered repeated defeats and constant humiliation from Tekka's tongue for years.
Later, during ANBU training, he had come into contact with some Root ninjas who indoctrinated him with certain ideas, causing him to resent the entire Uchiha clan.
Today, another ANBU team was supposed to have taken the shift, but one of them had a sudden stomach ache. These two had been sent as temporary replacements, and he'd had the misfortune of running into Makiya.
The problem was, if Tekka bullied you, what did that have to do with Makiya Uchiha? If you're so capable, go get revenge on Tekka. Why target me with this wide-reaching grudge just because one Uchiha bullied you?
Makiya wasn't one to indulge anyone's nonsense. He grabbed the fox-masked ANBU by the face with one hand, applying pressure until the mask shattered into countless small pieces with a series of cracks.
"Makiya, wait—" The other ANBU tried to intervene, but he saw Makiya lift the fox-masked man high with his left hand before slamming him aside.
Boom!
The wall shattered upon impact. The fox-masked ANBU's upper body was embedded in the wall, leaving only his legs dangling on this side.
The character for 'Positive' appeared on his face before quickly sinking into his skin, settling over his heart.
A ninja's physical resilience far exceeded that of an ordinary person. Damage of this level was far from fatal; it was just enough to give him a taste of pain and teach him a lesson.
Dusting off his hands, Makiya turned to the other stunned ANBU. "I can go in now, right?"
"Of course..." The other ANBU nodded frantically. "Lord Makiya, please, go right ahead."
Makiya nodded politely and stepped into the hospital room.
Inside the room, the partially disabled Obito had been woken up by the vibration. He was currently staring at the ceiling in boredom.
Various machines and emergency supplies surrounded Obito's bed. The Hashirama cells Madara had implanted were working exceptionally well; the prototypes of his arm and leg had already grown, and he could even move his body slightly.
A blonde kunoichi stood by the window. The green coat draped over her shoulders hid her impressive figure and fiery curves. Her delicate face was set in a frown as she scanned a report, a diamond mark adorning her fair forehead while her violet-blue eyes darted across the page.
'This must be Lady Tsunade,' Makiya thought to himself.
"Ma... Makiya!" Obito's eyes widened when he saw the visitor. "Was that noise just now your doing? No, that's not the point."
Midway through, Obito snapped back to reality, staring at Makiya with a fierce, unfriendly expression. "You bastard, why do you keep pestering Rin? What are your intentions!"
Makiya glanced at Tsunade. Seeing that she wasn't paying him any mind, his lips curled into a mischievous smirk. He held down the agitated, squirming Obito and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "You've got good taste, kid. Miss Rin Nohara..."
"...is quite a treat!"
As he spoke, Makiya etched the 'Positive' mark onto Obito, letting it skillfully travel through his flesh to reach his heart.
"Qu-qu-qu... quite a treat?" Obito stammered. The Sharingan in his right eye emerged uncontrollably, the two tomoe melting and splitting into three.
He had reached three tomoe!
"What do you mean... a treat?" Obito's face turned beet red, and white steam practically vented from his head. He swallowed hard, his heart racing as he prayed Makiya hadn't already reached third base.
"I meant she's being treated very well, of course." Makiya's expression suddenly changed as he smiled and patted Obito's shoulder. "Why are you using that tone? What did you think I meant?"
Obito froze, the three-tomoe Sharingan vanishing instantly. His eyes darted around shiftily as he failed to find a single word to say.
"You should stop teasing him." Tsunade walked up to Makiya and extended a hand. "Hello, I am Tsunade, Obito's primary physician. I heard you've clashed with that Wood Style ninja who appeared in the Land of Grass. Would you mind telling me about it?"
"Hello, Tsunade. I am Makiya Uchiha." Makiya shook her hand, smoothly leaving a Flying Raijin mark on her. After a thought, he controlled the mark to sink deep into her body to remain hidden.
Makiya swore he didn't do it on purpose. After learning the Flying Raijin, he had developed an urge to leave a mark on everything he saw. That had been pure instinct.
"I've been a bit busy lately and don't have much free time," Makiya replied politely. "I specifically took leave from the front lines to visit Obito. Seeing that he's so energetic, I'm relieved. My time is limited, so I have to head back immediately."
With that, Makiya handed the package to Obito. After a few more words of small talk with Tsunade, he offered a greeting and turned to leave, seemingly having only come to check on Obito.
Now that the mark was left, Makiya didn't plan on focusing on Obito for the time being. He had his own business to attend to.
Tsunade didn't try to stop him. She watched Makiya's retreating back until he disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
Though they had only spoken briefly, the feeling Makiya gave her was unique. His words carried an intense self-confidence mixed with a very faint trace of arrogance.
Women are sensitive creatures, and while Tsunade appeared boisterous on the surface, she was actually quite observant. She had noticed Makiya's gaze sweep across her chest a few times, appearing no different from any other man.
"What a strange person," Tsunade mused, frowning for a moment before shaking her head. She put the matter of Makiya to the back of her mind, planning to find a chance to talk to him properly about Wood Style later.
After leaving the hospital, Makiya sent out two shadow clones toward the Konoha Orphanage. Whether it was researching Bloodline Limits, Sage Arts, or gathering ancient texts on natural energy from various countries, he couldn't do all the work alone.
It was much more comfortable being the boss; pointing the way and leaving the work to capable subordinates was the correct way to go.
Kabuto Yakushi was undoubtedly a talent, and 'The Wandering Miko' Nono Yakushi was likewise an asset. It seemed their fates were changed during the Third Great Ninja War, so Makiya planned to gather some information from the orphanage first.
The progress of the war had been altered too much by his presence. He wasn't sure if Nono Yakushi had already been recruited by Danzo and sent out as a spy.
His main body, meanwhile, walked to the commercial street and arrived at the ninja tool shop where he had pre-ordered equipment.
"Boss Tenka, is the stuff I ordered ready?" Makiya walked into the shop and waved at the owner.
"Are you... wait?" Tenka rubbed his eyes in surprise. "It's Lord Makiya! How... you've changed so much!"
Makiya shrugged. "Between a man and a dog, three days apart is enough for a complete change. It's normal."
"Haha, ah... I see." Tenka looked troubled. "But in that case, the clothes you ordered before will be much too small. I'm afraid you won't be able to wear them."
"It's fine. Just give them to me. Don't worry about it." Makiya waved off Tenka's concerns.
After fusing with the artifacts-crafting memories of Liao Zhai Makiya, he no longer cared for the clothes or blades of the Naruto world. He planned to make his own.
Since the customer said it was fine, Tenka had no choice but to pack everything up for Makiya.
After paying the balance, Makiya returned to the Uchiha district. He found the Cat Clan, who had been friendly with the Uchiha for generations, and purchased two large chunks of chakra-conductive metal from Cat Granny, exhausting his life savings.
This time, his coffers were truly empty.
His shadow clones returned with news: Nono Yakushi and Kabuto Yakushi were no longer in Konoha.
'I'll have to find a chance to visit the Hidden Stone... wait, Orochimaru might have news. I'll ask him first.'
Makiya packed his things and set out once again.
After Makiya left, Danzo rushed to the Hokage's office. What he discussed with Hiruzen remained unknown, but Danzo's face was incredibly grim when he emerged.
Returning to the front lines, Makiya settled down to practice his crafting arts. The days went by, and after wasting a mountain of materials, he finally succeeded in modifying his custom-made coat.
"Excellent. Now I don't have to go 'naked' in high-end matches anymore." Makiya donned the coat, beaming with joy.
The coat was a long-sleeved trench coat. Its style was based on the Captain's Haori from Bleach, with white as the primary color and black mysterious patterns etched into the edges. It looked simple yet dashing.
The coat, made with spiritual crafting techniques, could harmonize with Makiya's flames once chakra was channeled into it. It wouldn't be incinerated by high temperatures and possessed self-repair capabilities.
The bad news was that the chakra-conductive metal and various materials were all spent. He only managed to make this one coat. If he got into a high-level fight, he'd still be naked underneath it.
Suddenly, an alarm blared through the camp. Before Makiya could step out, Minato arrived at his door, lifting the tent flap with an urgent expression. "Makiya, the outposts to the northwest and northeast are under attack. It looks like the Cloud Ninja have committed their entire army!"
He quickly rolled out a map and pointed to an outpost for Makiya. "The northwest direction is suspected to be under attack by a Jinchuriki and a small group of elites. Sending more regular ninjas would be useless. I need you to go."
Makiya nodded, then pointed to the other outpost. "And what about this one?"
"According to the latest intelligence, the Fourth Raikage Ay is leading the main force here personally. I will go to intercept him."
"Attacking two important outposts simultaneously and deploying a Jinchuriki... the Cloud Village has a scheme." Makiya scanned the map. "Do we know which Jinchuriki is attacking the northwest? The Two-Tails or the Eight-Tails?"
The Cloud had two Tailed Beasts: Matatabi the Two-Tails and Gyuki the Eight-Tails. The strength of the two was worlds apart.
"Unclear. The enemy came prepared, and our intelligence lines were cut."
"Fine, then I'll go meet this Jinchuriki. The Uchiha specialize in dealing with them." Makiya gave a confident smile. In reality, he didn't even need the Sharingan; he could go toe-to-toe with a Jinchuriki now. He only said it to boost Minato's confidence.
Minato nodded, as that was indeed his thought. After handing Makiya a Flying Raijin kunai, he said solemnly, "The other Jinchuriki hasn't appeared yet. They must be waiting in ambush. Be careful."
"Don't worry."
After settling the battle plan in a few short sentences, Makiya bid Minato farewell. Under the admiring gazes of everyone in the camp, he stepped onto a fire-sword and soared into the sky.
At the Leaf's northwestern outpost in the Land of Hot Water, several ninjas were struggling to hold on as the entire base teetered on the brink of collapse.
Outside, a kunoichi with a fine figure and beige braids blew out countless clusters of azure flames. They streaked through the air in brilliant arcs, crashing into the outpost's outer walls.
Boom!
A rain of mouse-shaped flames pelted down. The sturdy walls were left pitted and scarred, with stone fragments flying everywhere.
Inside the base, Hamaki Mimura's face was bitter. He felt like he had a curse regarding outposts; every time it was his turn to guard one, an enemy raid was guaranteed.
"Captain, what do we do?" his subordinate asked anxiously.
"Hold on. Reinforcements are coming," Hamaki Mimura replied, forcing himself to stay focused.
As if to validate his words, a soft whisper suddenly echoed across the entire battlefield, accompanied by an expansion of terrifying chakra fluctuations.
Hamaki Mimura was overjoyed. This fluctuation... Lord Makiya was here! We're saved!
Though the voice was gentle and slow, it seemed to vibrate in everyone's heart.
Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, suddenly looked up to see a figure standing in mid-air.
"Who is that?!"
The other elite ninjas looked up in surprise, noticing that the person above seemed to be from an entirely different world of style.
'Brother, why are you dressed so cool? Are you even a ninja?'
Makiya ignored the noise of the battlefield, softly uttering two words: "Black Coffin!"
In the next second, an inexplicable pressure descended upon the world. Yugito Nii's heart jolted as she felt a great disaster was imminent.
The other elite ninjas fared even worse; the weaker ones fell straight onto their backsides.
Buzz—
Pitch-black walls rose from thin air, enveloping all the Cloud ninjas in an instant. A massive amount of chakra intertwined and combined in the sky, suppressing all resistance.
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