Chapter 48: Three Years
In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.
While three years wasn't a particularly long time, the shinobi world had undergone many major changes.
A localized war broke out between Sunagakure (the Hidden Sand Village) and Iwagakure (the Hidden Stone Village). The Sand's heroic ninja, Pakura, suddenly went missing, and rumors circulated that she had died during the battles against the Stone shinobi.
The Fourth Kazekage ventured into the Nara Desert and successfully captured Shukaku, the One-Tail, sealing it into his own son, Gaara. However, whispers from those in the know claimed that the Shukaku he caught was far smaller than a normal Tailed Beast. The reason remained unknown. Some experts speculated that Tailed Beasts had developed the ability to reproduce during their evolution, and what the Fourth Kazekage captured was not the true Shukaku, but its offspring.
Meanwhile, a mysterious, unknown organization emerged in the shinobi world. Its members specialized in taking on extremely high-value bounty missions, and no matter the task, their success rate was near one hundred percent. Naturally, they soon attracted the attention of many powerful factions.
Rumors also began to spread that a pale-skinned, black-haired stranger had been seen wandering small hidden villages rich in unique bloodline limits. This individual allegedly kidnapped talented youths and gifted children. In response, various villages began mobilizing their forces to hunt down this mysterious figure.
These, among others, were the major events that had shaken the shinobi world over the past three years.
As for Yusuke, at this very moment, he was locked in a fierce battle within his spiritual world—facing none other than his sword spirit, Ryūjin Jakka, who had taken on human form.
Yusuke had grown considerably, now standing at 185 centimeters tall. His frame had become tall and broad, a stark contrast to his slightly thin build during his earlier youth.
Ryūjin Jakka's human form was identical to Yusuke's own appearance. The two clashed with flaming long swords, their fierce exchanges lighting up the world around them. Not far from the duel, Kurama—the Nine-Tails—trembled slightly as he watched the intense battle unfold.
After three years of arduous training, Yusuke's soul had grown immensely stronger. He could now maintain a battle with Ryūjin Jakka, using his Shikai form, for nearly half an hour without faltering.
He had also learned to control the release of his spiritual pressure (Reiatsu), using it to intimidate opponents. Against those with weaker wills, even speaking would become a struggle under the weight of Yusuke's Reiatsu—some might even suffer complete mental collapse.
"You're still not strong enough! Your spiritual pressure needs to be even greater!"
"Your blade lacks spirit! Without true force of will, you'll never unleash the true power of Ryūjin Jakka!"
Although Yusuke could now exchange blows evenly with Ryūjin Jakka—unlike three years ago, when he could only defend—his performance was still far from satisfactory in Ryūjin Jakka's eyes.
Their clash was as fast as lightning, blades flashing crimson through the fiery air.
Blocking one of Yusuke's strikes, Ryūjin Jakka leveraged the recoil to leap back and widen the distance between them.
"That's enough for today's training. Let's see if you can handle the power of Bankai," Ryūjin Jakka said.
Yusuke nodded, following the instructions Ryūjin Jakka had given him for unlocking his Bankai. He concentrated his Reiatsu, sealing all the flames from around him and from his sword into the weapon itself.
The blazing flames that had been swirling around Yusuke and his sword were instantly absorbed into the blade. The entire sword now gleamed with a deep, burning crimson light.
This form was Ryūjin Jakka's preliminary Bankai: The Sword of Inferno (Gōka no Tsurugi). It was an earlier manifestation of Ryūjin Jakka's power, predating Yamamoto Genryūsai's mastery of the final Bankai, Zanka no Tachi.
The ability of the Sword of Inferno was simple yet devastating—sealing all flames into the blade and unleashing overwhelming firepower with each swing, reducing whatever it struck to ashes.
A spark flickered in Yusuke's eyes as he slashed at Ryūjin Jakka with the Sword of Inferno. However, Ryūjin Jakka calmly frowned and thrust his own blade forward, the tip precisely tapping the flat of Yusuke's sword.
At that single touch, Yusuke's sword shuddered. The sealed flames surged wildly out of the blade, and the weapon instantly reverted back to its Shikai state.
"Another failure," Yusuke muttered with a sigh, gazing at his sword.
Ryūjin Jakka sheathed his blade and said seriously,
"Yusuke, do you know why you still can't master Bankai?"
"It's not just about controlling your Reiatsu. More importantly—you haven't grasped the true 'Will of Fire'!"
The moment he heard those words, Yusuke's facial muscles twitched involuntarily. Although he understood that Ryūjin Jakka's 'Will of Fire' wasn't the same as Konoha's inherited ideology, the similarity still felt deeply ironic.
"No unyielding spirit. No overwhelming dominance. Without these, how can you ever bring out my true power?"
"My words... you'd better reflect on them carefully."
With that, Ryūjin Jakka's form dissolved into a blaze of fire, vanishing into the spiritual world, leaving Yusuke standing alone in deep thought.
After a long silence, Yusuke looked up at the towering inferno that Ryūjin Jakka left behind and smiled bitterly to himself.
"An indomitable spirit... an aura of unrivaled dominance... Easy to say, but truly embodying them is far from simple."
---
Meanwhile, outside the Fourth Hokage's hospital room, Itachi and Izumi waited quietly.
Though only ten years old, both Itachi and Izumi were already seasoned by the standards of the ninja world, where many began missions — and even combat — at that age.
A year ago, Izumi had passed the Chūnin Exams and was promoted.
Both now wore the standard Konoha Chūnin uniforms — though instead of the village's red whirlpool symbol, the Uchiha clan crest was emblazoned on their backs.
Three years had brought great change to them.
Both had grown taller and more mature, the childish innocence fading from their features.
Itachi, in particular, bore deep nasolabial lines around his mouth, giving his young face a strangely weathered, almost melancholic look.
(Note: While some say Itachi's facial marks are nasolabial folds, others call them tear troughs. For this story, we'll treat them as nasolabial folds.)
Both wore their hair in simple single ponytails. Itachi's was tied low, letting his hair fall against his back, while Izumi's ponytail was tied higher, giving her a lively and heroic appearance.
At that moment, the door to the Fourth Hokage's room slowly opened.
Kabuto and Kakashi stepped out.
Kakashi, now about the same age as Yusuke, looked very much like he would in the original story, though he still carried a short sword across his back — a sign he hadn't yet abandoned the sword techniques of the Hatake clan.
Kabuto still wore the black round glasses gifted by Nonō Yakushi and the Konoha Chūnin uniform. His demeanor had matured greatly, losing the sly cunning he once exhibited.
"How's the treatment going today?" Izumi asked.
She and Itachi had accompanied Kabuto to the hospital.
Since returning to Konoha a year ago, Kabuto had been treating the Fourth Hokage daily, using gentle chakra to slowly stimulate his damaged neural pathways.
Kabuto shook his head.
"It will still take some time.
The Fourth Hokage's brain activity is gradually recovering, but he won't wake up anytime soon."
"Even if he regains consciousness, his body — after so long without movement — will need extensive rehabilitation before he can recover his former strength."
Kakashi bowed slightly.
"It doesn't matter how long it takes. As long as sensei recovers, that's enough.
Thank you, Kabuto — we'll be counting on you."
Kabuto quickly waved his hand.
"Kakashi-senpai, there's no need to thank me. This is simply what I should do."
After saying goodbye to Kakashi at the hospital, Itachi, Izumi, and Kabuto headed toward the Hokage's Office to accept a new mission.
Since all three had become Chūnin, they had formed a three-man squad, undertaking missions for the village.
With their outstanding abilities, the trio quickly made a name for themselves in Konoha.
As they exited the office, they coincidentally ran into Danzo approaching.
The atmosphere immediately turned tense.
Since the Uchiha clan had been forced to move to the outskirts of Konoha three years ago, relations between the clan and the village leadership had only worsened — and with Danzo, it was outright hostile.
Following secret directives from Konoha's upper echelons, Danzo had actively colluded with various families to suppress the Uchiha.
Meanwhile, many Uchiha resisted fiercely, leading to numerous serious incidents within the village.
Most of these incidents ended in failure for the Uchiha, and with Danzo's manipulation, public opinion of the Uchiha worsened drastically.
As tensions rose, the more radical faction within the clan began nurturing dangerous ideas.
Even the moderate Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku, found it increasingly difficult to restrain them.
After witnessing Yusuke's overwhelming victory over Shisui three years ago, many Uchiha had come to believe that between Shisui's already near-legendary strength and Yusuke's even greater power — not to mention Fugaku's own hidden might — their clan's top fighters now surpassed Konoha's aging leadership.
With the Third Hokage and Danzo growing old, the Fourth Hokage comatose, and the legendary Sannin all absent from the village, the Uchiha radicals felt emboldened.
However, while their strength grew, their influence and voice within the village only shrank — fueling deep resentment toward Fugaku's leadership.
Danzo's cold eyes swept across the trio.
He recognized them immediately — rising stars of Konoha, but all disciples of Uchiha Yusuke — and thus, in his eyes, enemies that needed to be eliminated.
Out of formal courtesy, Itachi and the others bowed politely to Danzo.
Danzo, however, ignored them completely.
Watching him enter the Hokage's Office, Itachi's brow furrowed deeply.
A foreboding unease stirred within him — as if something terrible was about to happen.
"Itachi? What's wrong? We should get going," Izumi called softly, tugging at his sleeve.
Itachi blinked back to awareness, giving a small apologetic smile.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought. Before we leave the village, I want to stop by the Academy... and see Sasuke."
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