"Madara-sama, that brat left on his own."
Dozens of miles away from the battlefield, Uchiha Madara sat atop a stone, his appearance slightly disheveled.
He lowered his gaze toward his aged body and fell silent for a moment.
His fight with that Shimura brat had forced him to feel it again.
Age.
Madara slowly raised his thin right hand and clenched it. The weakness in his body was undeniable, but the sharpness in his eyes did not fade.
"Madara-sama," White Zetsu said, his upper body emerging from the ground. "Should we let that brat taste a little pain?"
Madara's expression remained cold.
"That boy is a coward who has seen the true nature of this world, yet still chooses to sink among the mediocre."
The image and memories sent back by the wooden clone surfaced in his mind.
"He willingly lives among insects. Sooner or later, he will become no different from them."
Madara's voice turned colder.
"A coward like that has no right to be part of my plan."
"What a shame," White Zetsu said lightly. "It seems he disappointed you, Madara-sama."
"Just keep watching Nagato."
After saying that, Madara stood up once more.
"Yes, Madara-sama."
White Zetsu sank back underground.
Madara watched him disappear without the slightest change in expression, then stepped down from the moss-covered rock.
Feeling the decay of his body more clearly than ever, Madara made a decision.
For the Eye of the Moon Plan to proceed smoothly, he could no longer rely on this failing body.
It was time to cultivate an obedient tool.
And just as Uchiha Madara made the decision to find and train his own pawn, Kizaru had also brought Matatabi back to the Land of Rain to search for his own.
Three days after defeating Uchiha Madara, deep within the Land of Rain, in the forest outside the city where Amegakure stood, Kizaru and his group hid comfortably in the branches of a dense tree.
"Yahiko, that Golden Flash-sama already returned to the Land of Fire. Are we really going to look for him?"
"Of course!"
Not far from the large tree where Kizaru was hiding, a boy and a girl sat beside a small campfire, roasting fish and corn.
The boy's eyes were bright with determination.
"I have to become the disciple of the Golden Flash who defeated Hanzō-sama. I want to learn ninjutsu from him and change the Land of Rain!"
The two children were Yahiko and Konan—the very ones Kizaru had come looking for.
In the original timeline, because Konoha had to remain wary of the other great nations, its forces were spread thin. The war with Amegakure dragged on longer, and the decisive battle between the Sannin and Hanzō happened much later.
By then, Nagato had already become an orphan. Together with Yahiko and Konan, he accidentally witnessed the battle between the Sannin and Hanzō from a distance.
After seeing that fight, the three children left the battlefield and decided to seek the Sannin as their teachers so they could become stronger.
That was supposed to be the path Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato walked before becoming Jiraiya's students.
But Kizaru's existence had changed everything.
Because of him, the Second Shinobi World War ended almost as soon as it began. The Land of Rain was spared the cruel fate of becoming the main battlefield for the great nations.
And because of Kizaru, Konoha, no longer pressured from other fronts, had dared to launch a direct decisive battle after Hanzō declared war. That decision moved the fight between the Sannin and Hanzō far earlier than it should have been.
That shift in time allowed Nagato to avoid becoming an orphan.
But because of that, he also never met Yahiko and Konan.
In the end, only Yahiko and Konan, who had been wandering near the city surrounding Amegakure, witnessed Hanzō defeat the Sannin—only to be defeated by Kizaru afterward.
Kizaru's dazzling performance in that battle had left a deep mark on both children.
So this was what a ninja could be.
After escaping from the battlefield, Yahiko, still shaken and excited, proposed that he and Konan search for the Golden Flash and ask to become his students.
Konan understood how difficult that would be.
But seeing Yahiko's burning excitement, she still nodded softly and agreed.
The two children began asking around despite the danger, only to learn that the Golden Flash had already returned to Konohagakure in the Land of Fire.
"So these two are your targets?" Matatabi, now shrunken to the size of a cat, glanced down from the branch after hearing their conversation. "They seem to admire you quite a bit."
Kizaru, who had also heard everything, rubbed his chin with that lazy, unreadable smile of his.
"How interesting…"
Matatabi glanced at him warily.
"What are you planning?"
Kizaru's smile grew even more suspicious.
"I'm just going to play with them a little."
After saying that, he stood up, formed a hand seal, and used the Transformation Technique.
White smoke rose and slowly dispersed.
When it cleared, Kizaru's appearance had changed completely.
He now looked exactly like Admiral Kizaru.
A towering figure nearly three meters tall. A yellow striped suit. White leather shoes. A purple tie. Brown sunglasses. And a white Marine admiral coat draped over his shoulders like a cape.
Kizaru had perfectly recreated Borsalino's appearance.
"What kind of strange monster are you trying to be now?" Matatabi could not help but mutter.
"How rude…" Kizaru said slowly, hands in his pockets as he bent down to look at her. "You're really not cute, Matatabi."
Matatabi had no desire to deal with him. She simply raised her head with pride and looked away.
Kizaru did not mind. With a faint smile, he jumped down from the tree.
The sound of his landing immediately drew the attention of the two children roasting fish.
Yahiko and Konan looked up.
The moment they saw the towering man before them, both of them froze.
For a few seconds, neither child spoke.
Yahiko reacted first.
He quickly stood up and stepped half a pace in front of Konan, shielding her while staring at Kizaru with open caution.
"Uncle… what do you want?"
Kizaru stood there with his hands in his pockets, his smile slow and relaxed.
"Ooh… I haven't eaten in quite a while."
His gaze drifted toward the grilled fish over the fire.
Yahiko instinctively looked at the fish and corn in front of him, then turned toward Konan.
Konan had already stood up.
She met his gaze and gave him a small nod.
With her support, Yahiko turned back to Kizaru.
"Uncle, we don't have much food," Yahiko said carefully. "But if you don't mind, you can eat with us."
He did not want to anger this strange, giant-like man who had suddenly appeared.
And more than that, Yahiko was simply kind by nature.
"Ohh… thank you very much."
Kizaru walked forward slowly.
As he approached, Yahiko and Konan were able to see just how enormous he really was.
His body nearly blocked out the sunlight, and his shadow fell over both children.
"So tall…" Yahiko muttered, raising his head as far as he could while staring at the smiling man's wrinkled face.
Konan, startled by his size, instinctively took a few small steps back.
Kizaru noticed and smiled.
"Ooh… how cute."
Yahiko immediately raised an arm in front of Konan and looked up at him.
"Uncle, my name is Yahiko. This is Konan. What's your name?"
"My name?"
Kizaru rubbed his chin, then slowly announced his "real" name.
"Borsalino."
"Borsalino?"
Yahiko tilted his head.
"Uncle, did you come to the Land of Rain from another country? I've never heard a name like that here."
Kizaru nodded.
"I came from the Land of Fire."
"The Land of Fire?"
"The Land of Fire?"
Yahiko and Konan spoke at the same time.
The two children exchanged a glance. Both excitement and caution appeared in their eyes.
Yahiko gave Konan a small nod, silently telling her not to worry, then looked back at Kizaru.
"Uncle, the fish and corn are almost ready. Sit down first. We can talk while we eat."
He pointed toward the small fire.
Kizaru nodded with a smile and sat cross-legged beside them.
Even sitting down, he was still taller than Yahiko.
Yahiko could not help staring again.
After pulling Konan gently to sit on his other side, Yahiko sat down as well.
"Uncle, what do you do? Why did you come to the Land of Rain?"
"I'm a captain," Kizaru said casually. "I came here looking for treasure."
"Treasure?"
Yahiko's eyes widened.
The Land of Rain was landlocked, separated from the sea by the vast Land of Fire.
Yet this strange uncle with a strange name claimed to be a captain who had come all the way here looking for treasure.
Naturally, both Yahiko and Konan found that hard to understand.
Kizaru nodded solemnly.
"I am a man who dreams of becoming the Pirate King."
Yahiko and Konan looked at each other again.
This uncle was definitely strange.
"A month ago," Kizaru continued, speaking as if he were telling a grand adventure, "while I was on my great voyage to conquer the sea, I happened to find a treasure map."
The moment the story began, Yahiko and Konan both grew quiet and listened.
"That treasure map was left behind by a great pirate named Roger. On it, he wrote—"
Kizaru lowered his voice slightly.
"Do you want my treasure? If you want it, I'll give it all to you. Go find it. I left everything in the Land of Rain."
The two children's eyes lit up.
A great pirate.
A treasure map.
A hidden treasure.
For children, there were few things more exciting than that.
"Then did you find it, Uncle?" Yahiko asked eagerly.
Kizaru's face immediately turned regretful.
"No… not yet."
"Uncle, you'll definitely find it!" Yahiko raised his fist, encouraging him with all the enthusiasm of a child.
Kizaru shook his head sadly.
"It may already be too late."
"Why?" Yahiko asked, confused. "Are you giving up?"
Kizaru suddenly coughed hard on purpose.
Under Yahiko and Konan's concerned gazes, he panted softly and said, "A week ago, I was told I had an incurable illness. I don't have much time left."
"Is there really no way to treat it?"
Konan, who had been mostly silent until now, finally spoke.
Kizaru shook his head.
"Maybe only Princess Tsunade of Konoha has a chance."
"Then, Uncle, you should hurry back to the Land of Fire and find Princess Tsunade!" Yahiko said anxiously.
Kizaru gave a bitter smile.
"I heard Princess Tsunade likes gambling and loves money. Asking her to treat me would probably cost a frightening amount."
He looked at Yahiko and Konan, his expression heavy.
"So my only hope is to find the treasure marked on that map. If I give it to Princess Tsunade, maybe she'll agree to heal me."
After hearing that, Yahiko fell silent.
He lowered his head, thinking hard.
Then, after a while, he made his decision.
He struck his right fist into his left palm and looked at Kizaru with burning determination.
"Uncle, let us help you find the treasure. Then we'll take it to Konoha and ask Princess Tsunade to treat you!"
"Yahiko…"
Konan looked at him with gentle worry.
Yahiko's eyes remained firm.
He looked straight at Kizaru and asked seriously, "Uncle, will you trust us?"
Kizaru smiled.
"Ooh… I'd be very grateful."
Yahiko raised his clenched fist and held it out toward him.
Kizaru understood what he meant. He raised his own right hand, clenched it into a fist, and lightly tapped it against Yahiko's.
Yahiko smiled brightly.
Seeing that, Konan also stretched out her small hand.
She was too far away, so she stood up and reached over, placing her fist against theirs.
Under the quiet rain-soaked forest sky, the three fists touched together.
And above them, hidden in the branches, Matatabi watched the scene in silence.
After a while, her eyes narrowed.
That man…
He was definitely enjoying this way too much.
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