Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Throughout that month, Yuzuru spent every day with his wives and children, living in comfortable bliss.
Under his influence, the Uchiha clan experienced another wave of newborns.
If no one in the ninja world could compare to Yuzuru in terms of talent, then in terms of expanding the clan's population, the others refused to lose.
The clan head had triplets—how could the rest fall behind?
With hearing like his, there was no escaping the constant late-night "teamwork practice" echoing through the compound.
Feeling the passionate energy of his clansmen, he secretly rejoiced.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he gained another opportunity for bloodline evolution.
————
————
In the Uchiha compound.
Yuzuru watched Itachi run back and forth across the yard. One moment he checked on Sasuke, the next he kissed Naruto, then scooped up Gaara.
His eyes were full of affection—his doting, brother-obsessed personality on full display.
Kushina, Mikoto, and Karura sat together in the center of the courtyard, chatting and exchanging parenting experiences.
"What a harmonious scene."
Yuzuru couldn't help but sigh.
Even though he had named his children Itachi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Gaara, the four were very different from their original counterparts.
Their personalities were still too early to tell, but their appearances were already completely unrelated.
Before long, Kakuzu walked in from outside the yard.
Seeing Yuzuru, Kakuzu spoke bluntly: "Yuzuru, you asked me to return. What's going on?"
Yuzuru replied, "We're preparing to bring the Land of Waterfalls under our control. Since you were originally a ninja of Takigakure, I plan to bring you along this time."
"As the saying goes, returning home in glory is like walking at night in silk robes. Back then, Takigakure's higher-ups forced you to defect and have hunted you as an S-rank missing-nin ever since. Why not take this opportunity to reveal the truth to them and clear your name?"
Hearing this, Kakuzu froze, his eyes clouding for a moment.
After a long silence, he let out a quiet snort and smiled. "It was only a bit of hardship. I stopped caring about it long ago. Now, I only enjoy the feeling of counting money."
"Big, tough guys shouldn't act all aloof. Wipe your tears."
Kakuzu immediately turned away, coldly saying, "Don't misunderstand. I just got sand in my eyes."
"So are you coming with me or not?"
"I'm coming."
Seeing Kakuzu's stubborn expression, Yuzuru waved him off. "Go wait for me outside. I need to say goodbye to my wives."
Hearing this, Kakuzu felt as if he had been granted amnesty and instantly disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique.
He had lived from the era of Hashirama Senju to the present and had experienced countless events—yet he'd actually shed tears in front of so many people. It was mortifying.
As soon as Kakuzu left, Itachi rushed over and clung tightly to Yuzuru's leg, his eyes full of reluctance.
Kushina, Karura, and Mikoto each carried their children as they walked over.
"Yuzuru, you're leaving for work again?"
Seeing their reluctant expressions, Yuzuru sighed inwardly.
No wonder people said tender love was a hero's grave. He was really tempted to stay home forever.
He patted Itachi's head and said gently, "This trip won't take long. I'll be back very soon."
Hearing that, Mikoto handed Sasuke to Itachi and stepped forward to adjust Yuzuru's clothes before smiling softly. "Your duties matter the most."
"Go without worry. Whatever you do, we'll support you. No matter when you return, we'll be here waiting."
"Kushina, Karura, and I have been working on new clothes for you these last few days. When you finish bringing the Land of Waterfalls under control, they should be ready… mmm—"
"Mikoto, don't say any more."
Yuzuru only removed the hand covering her mouth when Mikoto nodded.
Everyone knew never to tempt fate before a departure.
Even though Yuzuru was confident in his power, he didn't want Mikoto planting flags all over him.
Having waved goodbye, Yuzuru turned and sprinted out of the courtyard without looking back.
"Kakuzu, let's go."
As soon as he spoke, a massive sword made of sand rose beneath his feet, carrying Yuzuru and Kakuzu into the sky.
————
————
High above the ground, Kakuzu gazed down in wonder.
In all his long life, this was his first time seeing the ninja world from the sky. He never expected it to be so beautiful.
"Yuzuru, how do you have the Sand Release kekkei genkai?"
"My eyes can copy anything."
Yuzuru pointed at his eyes with a casual explanation.
When something couldn't be explained, blaming it on the mysterious Mangekyō Sharingan was enough.
Sure enough, Kakuzu didn't question it further.
But after a moment, he asked again, "Yuzuru, why did you shape the sand into a long sword?"
"Even if you simply spread it out, it would work just as well."
At that, Yuzuru frowned. "Style is everything."
"You locals know nothing of a man's longing to fly with a sword."
Sprayed for no reason, Kakuzu wisely shut his mouth.
His life had revolved around making money and ignoring everything else—perhaps he really had fallen behind…
With Yuzuru flying at full speed, they quickly reached the skies above the Land of Waterfalls.
Takigakure was an extremely hidden village—almost no one in the ninja world knew its exact location.
The Land of Waterfalls was covered almost entirely in untouched old-growth forest, making the village even harder to find.
This was also why, despite being located near several great nations, Takigakure had almost never suffered the ravages of war.
The environment was simply too harsh.
But that only applied to outsiders. For Kakuzu, an old missing-nin from Takigakure, finding it was effortless.
Under his guidance, Yuzuru descended before a waterfall deep in the forest.
Behind that waterfall lay Takigakure.
Yuzuru strode forward. "Let's go. From today onward, Takigakure and the Land of Waterfalls will usher in a new era."