The sun had long since set, and the moon had taken its place as the lantern of the night.
The Land of Iron was not as economically developed as the Land of Fire. Naturally, not every household had a television to watch in the evening. Most people, like farmers, rested after sunset.
On a rooftop, Orochimaru, dressed in his unchanging, century-old kimono, stood with his back to Nagi, casually admiring the moon.
"It has been a while, Nagi-kun."
Orochimaru's voice was as husky, mysterious, and full of charm as ever. It had to be said, in terms of personal charisma alone, Orochimaru was truly irresistible. It was no wonder so many subordinates were willing to die for him.
But Uchiha Nagi knew that this man, who seemed so full of leaderly charm, was nothing but a venomous snake. He had no concept of promises or trust. As long as it served his purpose, he could form an alliance with Sunagakure one moment and assassinate the Fourth Kazekage the next.
If he truly trusted this snake, or thought they could be friends, then he wouldn't be far from death's door.
"It has been a while, Lord Orochimaru. You look well."
Uchiha Nagi smiled. He had a good idea of why Orochimaru had come to find him.
"Heh heh. Thanks to you, I spent more than two months in my basement without seeing the light of day, studying the material you gave me. I do feel quite well."
Uchiha Nagi: "..."
"You are a smart man, Nagi-kun. You should know why I've come looking for you, shouldn't you?" Orochimaru chuckled.
"Let me guess, Lord Orochimaru. Is it about that test subject?" Uchiha Nagi smiled back.
"Indeed. That test subject, in theory, can achieve longevity as long as it doesn't suffer a completely fatal injury. However, it has a deadly weakness: it cannot be exposed to sunlight, or it will turn to ash. I was wondering, Nagi-kun, if you might have a way to solve this problem?"
After speaking, Orochimaru stared intently at Uchiha Nagi, his gaze so fiery it was as if he wanted to eat him alive.
Faced with Orochimaru's judgmental stare, Uchiha Nagi was not afraid. He smiled calmly. "Orochimaru, do you think that if I could solve the problem of fearing sunlight, I would so easily give something as precious as immortality to you?"
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a murderous aura slowly seeping from his body, as if he believed Uchiha Nagi was lying. Nagi remained fearless. With the Flying Thunder God Technique and his sealing jutsu, he feared no one. If Orochimaru dared to summon a few reanimated Hokage, he dared to seal each and every one of them.
"I believe you, Nagi-kun."
Suddenly, the suffocating killing intent vanished as if it had never been there. Orochimaru was once again the smiling, charming, and mysterious man.
Uchiha Nagi smiled as well, as if the tense moment had just been a misunderstanding. He switched his form of address from "Orochimaru" back to "Lord Orochimaru." "Lord Orochimaru, I was wondering if you came to find me tonight for any other reason besides this?"
Orochimaru chuckled. "I want to invite you to participate in a plan of mine. It will be set in motion four years from now. I believe you will be very interested."
Uchiha Nagi's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive. "Oh? And what kind of plan would that be?"
"The Konoha Crush Plan."
CRACK!
A sudden clap of thunder split the clear summer night sky, right after Orochimaru spoke those words.
"It's going to rain," Uchiha Nagi said, not answering directly, instead looking up at the night sky.
"Heaven itself weeps for Konoha."
Orochimaru smiled. Nagi's response was as good as an agreement. He had sought him out for an alliance because the man already hated Konoha and had killed Asuma. He had made the right choice.
But Orochimaru had misjudged his man. Uchiha Nagi was not a native of the ninja world. He believed in holding the guilty parties responsible. He only wanted revenge on Hiruzen Sarutobi; he had no intention of harming the ordinary people of Konoha. Otherwise, what would be the difference between him and Hiruzen?
"Then—we shall meet again in four years. I will notify you in advance."
With that, Orochimaru vanished in a flicker. Uchiha Nagi silently leaped down from the roof, preparing to head home.
Four years from now...
He had only one goal: to make the Third Hokage experience a fraction of what his clan had felt. While he wasn't a die-hard loyalist of the Uchiha clan, the ordinary people—the street vendors, the shopkeepers—they weren't ninja. Did they deserve to be killed just because their surname was Uchiha?
You could grow attached to a blade of grass or a tree after years together, let alone neighbors and fellow clansmen.
There was a kind old woman Uchiha Nagi always remembered. She used to tell him he was too withdrawn and should learn from that Obito boy, who knew how to flirt and find a girlfriend at such a young age. When Nagi grew up, she would often take his hand and ask with a warm smile if he had a girl he liked, offering to introduce him to one.
CRACK!
A flash of lightning illuminated Uchiha Nagi's face. It had started to rain.
"So that's it... No wonder. No wonder I have such an inexplicable hatred for Obito Uchiha."
As the raindrops fell on his face, he finally remembered why. The old Uchiha woman had trouble walking but was incredibly kind. As a child, Obito had often helped her cross the street or assisted with her shopping and chores.
And then, after turning to darkness, Obito had killed her with his own hands on the night of the massacre. The old woman he had always affectionately called "Granny." That was why, deep in his heart, he felt such a profound disgust for Obito.
Because he had also known that old woman. In the years that followed, she had often chattered away at him, wanting to act as his matchmaker. Her warmth had been like that of a family elder from his past life, thawing his frozen heart.
"Obito, you want to be redeemed? I will not give you the chance."
Uchiha Nagi smiled in the rain. To kill so many people, and then be instantly redeemed by one of Prince Naruto's talk-no-jutsu speeches? In your dreams. Obito Uchiha's head is mine to take.
"Hm, it's raining. Why is your teacher just standing out there getting soaked?" Yukihime asked Kimimaro, puzzled.
"I don't know. Sensei must have his reasons. I'll go get an umbrella," Kimimaro said. He would only ever silently follow his teacher's path, never questioning it.
By the time Kimimaro brought out an umbrella, Uchiha Nagi was already sitting on the steps of the courtyard, half his body in the rain, playing a tune on an instrument.
Kimimaro hurried over and held the umbrella over his teacher.
A beautiful and sorrowful melody drifted through the rain, as if telling the story of that night's slaughter.
When the performance was over, Yukihime handed him a towel. "Brother Nagi," she asked curiously, "what is the name of that song? It sounds so sad, but it's very beautiful."
Uchiha Nagi looked out at the misty rain. The moonlight struggled to pierce the clouds, illuminating a few crows perched on a utility pole.
"Senya. The song is called 'Thousand Nights'."
The next morning, Uchiha Nagi was back to his usual self. After waking up, he went to Mifune's residence to spar and practice his swordsmanship.
As they sparred, they both continuously improved their skills. After witnessing the Breathing Styles of another world, Mifune didn't ask Nagi about the specific methods. Instead, through their constant duels, he began to try and develop a Breathing Style of his own.
And Uchiha Nagi, in his matches with Mifune, continuously elevated his own swordsmanship, integrating it with the Breathing Styles, attempting to develop the final form of Sun Breathing.
In short, the two benefited mutually. After a few days, they had developed a friendship that transcended their age difference.
At the same time, Old Man Watanabe brought the texts passed down from his ancestors to Mifune's residence. Uchiha Nagi took a look. The texts were mostly about how to build a furnace inscribed with sealing jutsu. Because a Tailed Beast's chakra was so immense, using it as the forge fire required more than just an ordinary furnace.
Only a furnace covered in sealing formula runes could ensure that it wouldn't explode from the Tailed Beast's massive chakra during the forging process.
But creating such a furnace was no easy task. Uchiha Nagi blinked. He wondered if Shukaku's sealing pyramid could be of use.
The materials for the furnace weren't particularly hard to find: high-temperature resistant firebricks and some chakra-conductive metals. The key was inscribing the furnace with various sealing jutsu to prevent it from exploding, and figuring out how to use the chakra-conductive metals inside to shape the blade.
Old Man Watanabe asked Uchiha Nagi to first create a model and decide on a design for the sword. Nagi wasn't picky. He just wanted it to have the same appearance as a Nichirin Blade. A plain, unremarkable appearance was the best way to achieve victory through surprise.
Uchiha Nagi disliked the strange shapes of the Seven Ninja Swords. He much preferred the simple and practical appearance of a Kusanagi sword or a Nichirin Blade.
Since there were no special design requirements, Watanabe only took half a day to create the mold for Nagi's new sword. It was really just a clay mold.
When the time came, the molten meteorite would be poured into the mold, where it would be refined and hammered. Uchiha Nagi asked if it needed to be quenched. Old Man Watanabe said no; for these heavenly materials, simply being able to withstand the Tailed Beast's chakra in the furnace without turning to ash was a form of quenching in itself.
Chakra-conductive metal was priceless on the open market in both the Land of Iron and the rest of the ninja world, but Mifune said he could help, and at a "friendship price" that was much lower than market value.
Uchiha Nagi ended up giving all the money he had just borrowed from Kakuzu to Mifune. It pained him greatly, but that was the high cost of creating a transcendent sword. He wasn't a hidden village, after all.
"Then I'll leave everything to you two. I will find a way to solve the chakra supply issue during this time."
"Don't worry. Although chakra metal is priceless, I still have some influence. The daimyo of the Land of Iron and I are on good terms. Gathering enough shouldn't be a problem," Mifune said with a smile.
"You go on ahead, young brother. I will definitely have learned the sealing jutsu by the time you return."
Uchiha Nagi: "..."