The joint operation of Sand Ninja and Konoha against Otonin Village proceeded smoothly. When Uzumaki Raiden and the others returned to Konoha, news of Sand Ninja's successful destruction of Otonin Village had already been relayed to the village.
In the Hokage's office, Namikaze Minato invited Rasa to discuss the follow-up measures regarding Otonin Village. At noon, when Rasa and his group left the Hokage's office, the news of Uzumaki Raiden's return to the village also reached his ears.
Without wasting any time, Rasa gathered Gaara and his siblings and headed straight to Uzumaki Raiden's residence.
"You mean you want me to help Gaara gain complete control over Shukaku's power?"
Inside Uzumaki Raiden's house, Raiden looked at Rasa in surprise before shifting his gaze to Gaara, who stood behind him.
"There is no shortcut to controlling the power of a Tailed Beast."
"Tailed Beasts are not all the same—each has its own will. Only when a Jinchūriki and their Tailed Beast reach a true understanding can they achieve complete mastery."
"Gaara, have you ever spoken with Shukaku?"
Uzumaki Raiden did not refuse Rasa's request. Gaara gaining control over Shukaku's power had no negative impact on Konoha. In any case, Konoha's future Perfect Jinchūriki would outnumber Sand Ninja's, and the village's national power had already surpassed them entirely.
Moreover, due to Uzumaki Raiden's aggressive actions, the Akatsuki organization had gone completely underground. Their goal was undoubtedly the Jinchūriki, and if Gaara grew stronger, it would aid Konoha in resisting Akatsuki.
"Talk to Shukaku?" Gaara was stunned by Uzumaki Raiden's words. He had never even considered conversing with a Tailed Beast. Whenever he needed to use its power, he relied on the "Feigning Sleep Technique." There had never been any real communication between him and Shukaku.
"You haven't?"
"Well then, Gaara, do you have any friends?"
Uzumaki Raiden only needed to look into Gaara's eyes to get his answer. He sighed softly and spoke gently.
"In that case, Gaara, you should become friends with Shukaku."
"Rasa, let Gaara stay with me for a while."
"I'll find a way to guide him."
"If you're worried, Temari and Kankuro can stay with him."
"If you want Gaara to successfully control the Tailed Beast's power, the company of his family is essential."
Rasa's head snapped up after hearing Uzumaki Raiden's words. Raiden had expected him to refuse, but to his surprise, Rasa eagerly responded, "Is that really possible?"
"Raiden, I entrust Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari to you!"
Rasa had no doubts about Uzumaki Raiden. The ultimate weapon of Sand Ninja Village, meant to deter other villages, was entrusted to him without hesitation—something even Raiden hadn't anticipated.
"Rasa, I agreed to your request so easily. Do you have no doubts about me?"
"Leaving Gaara in Konoha, do you really feel at ease? Aren't you afraid that I might do something to him?"
Uzumaki Raiden lightly tapped his fingers on the table as he asked curiously.
"If you had any intention of attacking Sand Ninja, it wouldn't make a difference whether we had Shukaku or not."
"I wouldn't trust anyone else, but I trust you."
Rasa glanced at Gaara and his siblings before smiling. If Uzumaki Raiden were only slightly stronger than Rasa, he would have been wary, suspecting ulterior motives. But Raiden was already far beyond his level—if he truly wanted to attack Sand Ninja, they wouldn't be able to stop him.
"You have quite an open mind, Rasa."
"Rest assured, I will help Gaara control Shukaku's power. Even if he doesn't fully master it, he will become stronger."
"A stronger Sand Ninja Village benefits Konoha as well."
Not long after the meeting, Rasa departed from Konoha with the rest of his forces. However, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro remained in Konoha, temporarily residing in Uzumaki Raiden's home.
Upon returning to the village, Uzumaki Raiden, Fugaku, and Kisame reported their experiences in the Land of Rain to Minato. It was only then that Minato truly became concerned about the presence of the Rinnegan in Akatsuki's ranks. He immediately strengthened the village's defenses.
For safety reasons, Minato recalled Rin Nohara from her external mission, assigned her to Kushina's team, and placed her in Konoha Hospital. He also transferred Karin, who had recently been promoted to Chūnin, to the village's barrier squad and arranged for a four-man Anbu team to secretly guard her. Additionally, two more Anbu teams were assigned to protect her.
As for Naruto, who had also been promoted to Chūnin, Minato decided against assigning him any missions. Instead, he reached out to Jiraiya, asking him to personally train Naruto.
At the time, Jiraiya was preparing to leave the village in search of Orochimaru. However, at Minato's request, he agreed to train Naruto. Thus, on a bright morning, Jiraiya took Naruto out of Konoha to begin their journey through the ninja world.
Although Minato had full confidence in Jiraiya's abilities, he was still wary of the Rinnegan's potential threat. To ensure Jiraiya's safety, he handed him a Flying Thunder God kunai for emergency support.
As the excitement of the Chūnin Exams faded, Konoha Village gradually returned to its usual peace. The village expansion plan proceeded in an orderly manner, and the relocation of various clan compounds was underway. At the same time, the Hokage Building was moved from the village's outskirts to its center.
The clan districts were arranged like outposts, surrounding and protecting the Hokage Building. Important facilities such as the commercial district, academy, and police headquarters were also relocated, and new roads were under construction, leaving a thin layer of dust in the air.
Uzumaki Raiden also stepped down as the principal of the Ninja Academy and embraced a more relaxed life. Apart from guiding Gaara and the others in their training, he focused on refining his Sage Arts and studying sealing techniques. Occasionally, Might Guy and Minato's son, Boruto, would visit him. Boruto's progress in breathing techniques was remarkable.
During several sparring sessions, Uzumaki Raiden noticed Yoriichi's rapid growth. Additionally, Guy's breathing had become deeper and more controlled, indicating that he was mastering the technique.
Under Raiden's guidance, Gaara gradually learned how to control his Tailed Beast's chakra. After Raiden reinforced his seal, Gaara could now access portions of Shukaku's power at will. More importantly, during his stay with Raiden, he finally experienced the warmth of friendship and family.
His relationship with Kankuro and Temari improved significantly, and for the first time in his life, Gaara began to smile more often.
Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly—until one fateful night when a deafening explosion shattered the tranquility.
Raiden, who was asleep, was startled awake. He quickly donned his robe and, in the blink of an eye, leaped onto the courtyard wall, surveying Konoha.
The night sky was ablaze with raging flames. Activating his Kagura Mind's Eye, Raiden swiftly scanned the Uchiha district, his expression growing grim.
"The barrier protecting Konoha is still intact. If someone from outside had tried to break through, I would have sensed it immediately."
"This explosion came from within."
Raiden pondered briefly before searching for Fugaku and the others within the Uchiha clan. He soon found Fugaku, Itachi, and the others—but Sasuke Uchiha's chakra was nowhere to be found.
"Master Raiden, what happened?" Kisame was also awakened by the commotion. When he arrived at the courtyard, he saw Uzumaki Raiden standing on the wall and immediately asked.
"Konoha… betrayal!"
Raiden's Kagura Mind's Eye swept across the entire village, but he found no trace of Sasuke. As far as he knew, after the Chūnin Exam, Sasuke Uchiha had been assigned to the Konoha Military Police Force by his father, Fugaku. Generally, there were no missions that required him to leave the village, yet Sasuke was nowhere to be found. This made Raiden suspicious.
"A rogue ninja? Who is it?" Kisame was surprised. During his years in Konoha, he had seen very few defectors.
In the entire ninja world, Konoha had the best conditions. Aside from a handful of ambitious individuals, most ninjas had no reason to abandon the village. Given that Konoha was currently thriving, Kisame couldn't fathom why anyone would defect at this time.
"Someone from the Uchiha clan."
"I just don't know how they managed to escape from Konoha!"
Raiden turned and jumped down from the courtyard wall, heading back toward his room.
"Master Raiden, shouldn't you investigate?" Kisame asked in confusion when he saw Raiden walking away.
"Investigate? There's no need—it's just a traitor."
"There are people in the village responsible for handling this. If anything important happens, Itachi or Shisui will report to me tomorrow."
"Ahh~ I'm going back to bed. You should get some rest too."
Raiden yawned and returned to his room. Kisame glanced at him in surprise before sitting on the courtyard wall, gazing at the distant flames.
Though Uzumaki Raiden went back to sleep, Kisame remained vigilant, assuming the responsibility of keeping watch.
By early morning, news of the explosion in the Uchiha district had spread throughout the village. The villagers gossiped about it, speculating that it was an accident involving Uchiha weaponry. Various theories circulated, but no one suspected an Uchiha rebellion.
However, Uchiha Fugaku did not attempt to hide the truth from Konoha's leadership. He reported Sasuke Uchiha's disappearance to Minato and the other high-ranking officials.
That's right—he didn't call it defection. According to the Uchiha clan, Sasuke was missing.
"Missing? How could he be missing?"
"It must be Uchiha Sasuke defecting from Konoha! Fugaku is just using this as an excuse to protect his son!"
"Raiden just reinforced the village's barrier. From the outside, no one could have escaped without being detected by him."
"It must have happened from within. The barrier isn't designed to stop someone already inside the village!"
After Fugaku left, Nara Shikaku frowned and voiced his doubts.
"Whether he disappeared or defected, we can't jump to conclusions yet."
"We need an investigation before making any decisions."
"Shikaku, who do you think should be sent on this mission?" Minato asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"First of all, it can't be anyone from the Uchiha clan. Regardless of the reason, they need to avoid suspicion."
"I suggest sending Guy's team. If Sasuke truly defected, Team Guy has the best chance of catching up to him!"
At this moment, Nara Shikaku was highly skeptical of the Uchiha clan. He found the idea of Sasuke being "missing" hard to believe.
How strong would an enemy have to be to infiltrate Konoha, bypass Raiden's barrier, and kidnap someone right under the Uchiha clan's nose? It didn't make sense.
"Very well. Summon Team Guy."
Minato nodded and gave the order.
While Minato kept the news of Sasuke's disappearance under wraps, those close to Sasuke noticed the irregularity. Fugaku himself secretly dispatched Uchiha clansmen to search for him.
Just as Fugaku was consumed by worry over Sasuke, two travelers in peculiar attire arrived at the gates of Konoha.
"Whoa!!! The current Konoha looks so run-down compared to the future Konoha!"
At the village entrance, a blond boy looked around excitedly at the shops lining the street. His appearance bore a striking resemblance to Naruto, about 70% similar, and he looked to be around eleven or twelve years old.
Beside him stood a tall young man, draped in a black cloak with a round black hat. Long, dark bangs covered half of his face. Even through the cloak, it was evident that the young man was missing an arm.
The blond boy's strange remark caught the attention of a few passersby, but most ignored him, busy with their own affairs.
"Hey, Boruto, don't say such things out loud."
"Let's find what we're looking for first."
"No one knows where Urashiki is hiding—we must stop him from affecting this timeline!"
The young man stepped closer and covered Boruto's mouth. The breeze swept his bangs aside, revealing his other eye.
It was a Rinnegan—adorned with nine tomoe!
(End of this chapter)