The massive Yin-natured chakra exuded an ominous aura, creating a sense of space solidifying around it.
Immediately after came an unprecedented surge of killing intent.
"You bastard, are you mocking the Uchiha clan?"
Without another word, Madara Uchiha swung his arm, and a kunai flew straight toward Satsuki.
Clang—
A sharp metallic sound rang out, followed by a strong gust of wind. The kunai grazed Satsuki's cheek, spinning away into the distance.
At the last moment, Izuna had struck Madara's kunai aside with his own.
"Brother, calm down. No matter what, killing a mission client who can casually take out gold bars would be a huge blow to our clan's reputation."
"…" Madara's expression darkened. "Then what you're saying is, going to dance with her won't damage the Uchiha clan's reputation?"
"It's just a dance," Satsuki replied indifferently, not at all bothered by the kunai that had nearly struck her. "If you feel embarrassed, I can always find another Uchiha. Besides, I never said you have to do it in public…"
"Two million ryō. I believe that amount can buy many people's limits in this world."
"You—!"
There was a strange charm in Satsuki's words. Luckily, her audience was a proud tsundere like Madara. Otherwise, had it been another shinobi, they might already be discussing dance moves with her.
Madara's body was now cloaked in a visible layer of deep blue chakra. If not for the fear of collapsing the entire building, he might already have summoned Susanoo.
Bang~ Bang~ Bang~
Just then, a knock came at the door.
Izuna let out a breath of relief. Finally, someone had come to break the tension. Only heaven knew how anxious he had been.
"Come in."
The one who entered wasn't an Uchiha shinobi, but a ninja completely wrapped in bandages and a hood, concealing almost his entire face.
Clad in silver-white armor, even his breathing was faint—so faint it was hard to tell if he was truly alive.
On his shoulder armor was engraved a unique clan crest: a dot above three oval lines.
Seeing the symbol and that distinctive attire, even Madara was slightly wary and withdrew his chakra.
"A member of the Hagoromo clan, huh? What business brings you here?"
The Hagoromo clan ninja cast a subtle glance toward Satsuki—his meaning obvious.
Izuna immediately followed up, saying, "Miss Satsuki, please wait in the next room for a while."
Satsuki stood up, speaking as she walked out, "If you change your mind, you can come find me. I'll only be staying here for about three days."
With that, she left the room casually, though the look she gave that Hagoromo clan ninja before leaving was subtly complex.
After she was gone, Madara sat down, calming himself after his inner conflict.
The Hagoromo ninja spoke in a hoarse, low voice: "According to our intelligence, just yesterday, the Senju clan held a large funeral within their compound. Among those present, our operatives identified a group of shinobi with ocular-type Kekkei Genkai. Judging by their appearances, they seem to belong to the same bloodline family."
"What?!"
Madara and Izuna were both shocked. The news hit them like a thunderclap.
The Uchiha clan's dominance across the shinobi world during the Warring States era stemmed from one fact: they were a family blessed with a Kekkei Genkai.
For those shinobi who benefited from inherited bloodline abilities, while not all were bloodline supremacists, their attitude toward those with Kekkei Genkai and those without was completely different.
The former could be considered temporary obstacles; the latter, true enemies.
"Do you have any further information on the enemy's dōjutsu?"
"Their treatment is quite exceptional—they've been isolated in a highly restricted area, completely cut off from others. Our agents cannot get close," the Hagoromo ninja replied steadily. "However, the Kekkei Genkai they possess has a distinct external characteristic."
"What kind of characteristic?" Izuna asked curiously.
"Their eyes—all of them are white," the Hagoromo clan ninja replied. "According to how the Senju clan presented them, this family is called the Hyūga clan."
"Hyūga clan… Byakugan… I've never heard of them before in the shinobi world," Madara Uchiha muttered.
For such a bloodline clan to suddenly emerge out of nowhere—it felt suspicious. His instincts told him that something about their abrupt appearance didn't make sense.
Izuna Uchiha, however, was more observant. He detected something far more important in the report.
"From your intel, every member of this Hyūga clan possesses a Kekkei Genkai?"
"That's right."
That answer made Izuna's heart sink.
Though the Uchiha clan had been based in the Land of Musashi for many years, that didn't mean they lacked intelligence on the rest of the shinobi world.
After all, extracting information through genjutsu with the Sharingan was hardly difficult for them.
Clans possessing Kekkei Genkai weren't exactly rare in the Warring States period—but they weren't common either.
For example, the Kaguya clan once possessed the Kekkei Genkai "Shikotsumyaku" (Dead Bone Pulse), and the Yuki clan could use Ice Release.
However, such bloodline abilities came with severe limitations: the awakening rate was extremely low, and the enhancement to combat strength wasn't a complete transformation—nothing like the Rinnegan's overwhelming qualitative leap. Within their clans, only a handful could even awaken them.
That meant in large-scale warfare, clans like the Kaguya were not particularly powerful.
At best, their Kekkei Genkai offered tactical-level combat reinforcement.
The Uchiha clan's Sharingan, however, was different.
After systematic training and development, almost any Uchiha with some talent could awaken the Sharingan.
Although the initial stage of the Sharingan wasn't particularly strong, when such a Kekkei Genkai could be mass-produced—trained and replicated across the clan—it became a terrifying force multiplier.
What made it even more frightening was its potential for growth.
The Sharingan excelled in three aspects: its boost to combat power, its high awakening success rate, and its evolutionary potential.
Most Kekkei Genkai would be considered strong if they excelled in even one of these. Those that mastered two were exceptional.
For example, the Kurama clan's genjutsu-based Kekkei Genkai in later generations.
But the Sharingan surpassed all three.
It could be said to represent the pinnacle of what a Kekkei Genkai could achieve.
The combination of these three factors elevated the Sharingan from a mere tactical-level ability to a strategic-level power—one capable of influencing the entire shinobi world.
Especially once it evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan—it almost guaranteed top-tier shinobi status. If one's ability was particularly unique, they could even become an invincible existence, dominating the battlefield as long as they didn't act recklessly.
And now, this previously unheard-of Hyūga clan possessed a Kekkei Genkai that every single member could awaken.
Even without knowing the exact nature or growth potential of their dōjutsu, that alone—the 100% awakening rate—was alarming.
Realizing this, Izuna said seriously, "This intelligence is extremely important. We need to confirm it and send someone to investigate that clan's situation."
"This probe is crucial," Madara added from the side. "I'll lead the mission myself."
After leaving the room, Satsuki did not go far.
After departing from the Uchiha Guard Post, she wandered aimlessly through the streets for a while before casually choosing a small inn to stay in.
In this agrarian society, the natural environment was well preserved.
Although the lodging itself wasn't bad, the food, however, completely failed to stir Satsuki's appetite.
It wasn't merely a matter of spices or cooking methods.
The ingredients themselves were of poor quality, and the variety was limited.
Due to years of famine and the massive loss of able-bodied labor, many farmlands had long been abandoned.
Unless someone truly lacked any aptitude, few would choose to remain a farmer just to survive. Most men preferred to fight and plunder.
After all, this was an era where the average lifespan was barely thirty.
Farming required time—whether animal husbandry or crop cultivation, everything demanded patient development.
Without peace, even securing enough to eat was difficult, let alone improving one's quality of life.
If one desired a slightly better environment, there were only two options: cooperate with a shinobi clan to provide labor, or work under a noble—paying high taxes and serving in their army.
Millet rice and two slices of boiled radish—that was a common meal for the average person in this era.
As for polished rice, fish, pickled radish, boiled wild greens, or miso soup?
Heh, only the wealthy could afford such luxuries.
And spices? Chili peppers?
Perhaps only daimyō could barely enjoy those.
In the shinobi world as it stood, aside from the upper nobility, very few could even eat white rice. Some lords of poorer provinces could only afford brown rice or millet.
Having grown accustomed to the refined cuisine of her previous world, Satsuki found the food of the Warring States shinobi era unappetizing. Even during her control over various daimyō, one of her motives had been to improve food standards.
Because in times of chaos, food was the most precious resource.
Even in regions blessed with good harvests, grain was rarely released into the market. It was often used to hire guards and expand farmland under protection.
The mindset of farmers was simple: everything revolved around the land.
"What a pity," Satsuki sighed softly. "Ninjas of this world could have used their unique abilities to advance civilization—but their perception and vision are far too limited."
Toward farmers, Satsuki had always held a peculiar fondness. Once, she had regarded herself as completely detached from this world.
But after so many years—and after experiencing two different worlds—
Now that she had returned, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of familiarity.
Perhaps after all her time spent living and building power here, she had unconsciously come to see this world as her own domain.
Otherwise—why would she have sought out the Akasha Records and learned how to become a "King of the Lostbelt"?
At this point, nothing in the shinobi world could threaten her anymore. Moreover, she had made a promise with Toneri Ōtsutsuki—to ensure that the branch lineage of the Ōtsutsuki clan on Earth would survive.
At the time, she had been referring to the Hyūga clan, though she hadn't realized then that the Hyūga would eventually become her own creation.
Still, it wasn't too late to learn that. With her current power, changing the fate of the shinobi world was merely a matter of will—whether she wanted to or not.
...
"My lady, are you there?"
From within the depths of her consciousness came a respectful voice.
Hearing it, Satsuki set her thoughts aside for the moment and replied, "Shirakumaru, is that you? It's been a long time."
A moment later, a shadowy figure emerged from the floor of Satsuki's room and knelt before her in reverence.
"It has been nearly five years, Lady Satsuki. Your radiance is even greater than before."
"It seems the flow of time indeed differs between worlds—it's already been five years here."
Satsuki smiled faintly and said, "Rise. Tell me—what have you accomplished over these years?"
Shirakumaru's appearance hadn't changed much from before. He still wore the same deep-blue haori with the character (thunder) emblazoned on the back—a handsome white-haired youth with striking red eyes.
"Your eyes…" Satsuki noticed immediately. In the past, Shirakumaru's crimson eyes had merely been a physical trait—but now, they clearly bore the mark of a dōjutsu.
"—These are the Sharingan, my lady," Shirakumaru explained respectfully after standing up. "Tajima Uchiha sought to transfer the Uchiha clan's authority to his sons, so he hired us to secretly eliminate those within the clan who opposed his faction. The payment was the Sharingan themselves."
"Oh? And he didn't later betray you?" Satsuki asked with mild amusement.
"He may have considered it," Shirakumaru replied, "but the fear you instilled in him, my lady, made him wary of turning against us. He dared not make an enemy of your will."
"I see. Even so, I imagine your position within the Uchiha must be rather awkward now," Satsuki observed. "Do Madara and Izuna know about your circumstances?"
"They do not, my lady," Shirakumaru answered immediately.
"It seems the Uchiha intend to gradually sideline the Hagoromo clan," Satsuki mused. "Not the worst outcome."
After a moment's thought, she asked, "Earlier today, I overheard one of your puppet subordinates reporting intelligence about the Hyūga clan to the Uchiha. Was that intentional?"
"Yes, my lady," Shirakumaru replied. "After their internal strife, the Uchiha's approach to external affairs has changed drastically. They are no longer as aggressive or militant as before. My mission here is not only to acquire the Sharingan, but also to gather intelligence on the Uchiha clan's sacred artifacts. Given their current caution, such opportunities are scarce. Thus, I had to create one myself."
"It seems Ranzuki has approved your plan," Satsuki said. "Otherwise, she wouldn't have so easily revealed such critical intelligence."
Even without checking the Giant Tenseigan's regular monthly reports uploaded by Ranzuki, Satsuki could easily guess as much.
"Yes, my lady," Shirakumaru confirmed. "The information came directly from Lady Ranzuki herself."
Since both sides had tacitly agreed to orchestrate this scheme as a form of controlled chaos, Satsuki was more than pleased to let it proceed. It was almost like watching her children come into their own.
All she needed to do was stand by—and, should things go wrong, clean up the aftermath.
Such was the privilege of overwhelming strength.
Her gaze lingered on Shirakumaru. The air around him brimmed with natural energy. Though his aura was subdued, the sharpness in his eyes could not be hidden.
A brief glance was enough for Satsuki to tell that he had become a formidable shinobi.
"What stage are your Sharingan at now?" she asked.
"My lady, these eyes awakened into the Mangekyō just before their original owner's death," Shirakumaru replied. "After transplantation, they have remained in a state of constant activation as Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Mangekyō Sharingan, is it?" Satsuki thought for a moment before continuing. "You were the first human puppet I ever created. You've performed well these past years, yet I've never properly rewarded you. Since you are not a Heavenly Wheel Reincarnated Puppet, you can't connect directly with the Giant Tenseigan…"
"I ask for nothing, my lady," Shirakumaru said with humility.
"Your lack of request is your choice," Satsuki replied, waving her hand lightly. "But I must still fulfill my part. At my current level, aside from the Six Paths tools that can enhance the Giant Tenseigan, no external object holds much meaning for me. So, if you do find the Uchiha's sacred artifact, keep it for yourself."
As she spoke, a faint blue light flickered around Satsuki's body. She gently placed her fingertips upon Shirakumaru's eyes.
Instantly, his vision brightened as if a veil had been lifted. The constant chakra drain of his Mangekyō Sharingan ceased.
"Your Mangekyō Sharingan have now been transformed into Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan," Satsuki said calmly. "After you complete your current mission, visit the Lunar Capital. There, you may merge with a portion of my preserved cellular tissue. If all goes well, your dōjutsu may evolve into the Rinnegan."
"At that point, you will have earned the right to bear my surname."
"I am deeply honored, my lady…" Shirakumaru bowed, his voice trembling slightly with emotion. "However, if Lady Ranzuki inquires about your situation—what should I tell her?"
Satsuki smiled faintly. "Just tell her, 'When the time comes, I will appear. She should continue working hard until then.'"