Time flowed swiftly. While Tahara Rokuro continued his research into sealing scripts, the fiftieth year of Konoha's history blazed past in a storm of chaos and blood. Despite Rokuro's presence, none of the great events of this era were altered.
First came the Battle of Kikyo Mountain, where Konoha's forces, led by Orochimaru, dealt a crushing blow to the Sand shinobi of the Land of Wind—so devastating that the Sand withdrew entirely from the Third Great Ninja War.
Meanwhile, Namikaze Minato rampaged across the other frontlines, reaping the lives of Iwagakure's shinobi with godlike speed. Believing the Stone had been weakened, the ninjas of the Land of Lightning seized the opportunity. The Third Raikage personally led a surprise attack against Iwagakure—only to fall into an ambush, ultimately dying in battle, worn down to death after days of relentless fighting.
At the same time, Minato singlehandedly repelled the A–B Combo of the Hidden Cloud Village, forcing them to retreat. With their Raikage dead, the Cloud had no choice but to pull back entirely.
Then came the battle of Kannabi Bridge, where Minato once again dealt heavy losses to the Stone. Combined with the Raikage's rampage before his death, the Hidden Stone was finally forced to sue for peace with Konoha.
Compared to the overwhelming victories of Orochimaru and Minato, the war between Konoha and the Hidden Mist Village received far less glory. Yet, in truth, that conflict had been far more brutal.
Uchiha Fugaku, a political fool, had been played like a pawn by Konoha's "F4." The Uchiha, skilled in Sharingan and Fire Release, found themselves up against the Mist's assassination techniques and Water Release. They won in the end—but at a terrible cost. That loss of manpower would later embolden Itachi and Obito to execute the clan's annihilation years down the line.
Aside from the heavy casualties among the Uchiha, Might Duy opened all Eight Gates in a fury, reducing the infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to a mere "Three."
But the most significant events of all were the death of Uchiha Madara, and Uchiha Obito's descent into darkness following the death of Nohara Rin, awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan in rage.
One after another, these historic events unfolded—culminating in Hiruzen Sarutobi's retirement, Namikaze Minato's succession as the Fourth Hokage, and the long-awaited end of the Third Great Ninja War.
The year turned to Konoha Year 51—the year of the Nine-Tails' Night.
After nearly a year of study, Rokuro finally completed the scriptwork for three major ninjutsu: Banshō Ten'in, Shinra Tensei, and Hiraishin no Jutsu—the Flying Thunder God Technique.
They respectively represented the forces of attraction, repulsion, and space manipulation.
Of these, Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei were only complete in theory. Rokuro's current chakra level hadn't even reached that of a genin; he couldn't possibly wield techniques exclusive to the Rinnegan.
But Flying Thunder God—that one was not only theoretically complete but also fully functional.
During his strolls through Konoha, Rokuro had discreetly engraved spatial markers all over the village. Unlike Minato, however, he didn't craft special kunai for them.
For one, he was broke. Minato's kunai, even if not made of pure chakra metal, definitely contained high-value alloys—each battle he fought cost him millions in special weapons. Rokuro simply couldn't afford that kind of "investment."
Second, his version of the Flying Thunder God was refined—it consumed far less chakra and allowed the spatial marks to become invisible when inactive. That was why he dared to tag locations all over Konoha without fear of discovery.
With this improvement, there was no need to flaunt fancy kunai. He could easily disguise it as a simple Body Flicker Technique.
"Rokuro, here's your lunchbox for today! I made braised beef and spicy kimchi!"
Looking at the rice topped with a heart shape made of beef strips, Rokuro couldn't help but feel speechless.
"Mom, I can just teleport home with Flying Thunder God for lunch. I don't need to bring a bento."
"Nonsense! This isn't just lunch—this is your mother's love! Besides, kids without lunchboxes are pitiful creatures without love! I don't want my son to be looked down on at school. Of course, if you ever get a lunch made with love from Izumi, then I'll gladly step aside!"
With a playful wink, Uchiha Ashikaga pumped her fist in encouragement—clearly rooting for her son to pursue Izumi more aggressively.
"Oh, and about your Flying Thunder God," she added, "even if it's been modified so that not even a chūnin could tell it apart from Body Flicker, you should never use it unless absolutely necessary. If a jōnin catches you, it'll blow your cover."
She frowned suddenly. "Also—take off that armguard. You don't need it for school."
Before Rokuro could protest, Ashikaga walked over and gently unfastened the armguard from his left arm. It was forged from pure chakra metal, covered in dense, intricate scripts—the culmination of Rokuro's yearlong effort.
Engraved within it were none other than Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei.
Ashikaga carefully tucked it away, though worry lingered in her eyes.
Rokuro smiled faintly and hugged her.
"Relax, Mom. I'm smart enough to handle a bunch of brats playing ninja and a few teachers with average chakra control."
Ashikaga sighed softly.
"I know you can handle them. But son… why are you so insistent on going to the ninja academy? With your talent—and those ninja tools—you could skip all that wasted time."
Rokuro shook his head.
"Mom, I'm going so I can become a full-fledged ninja after graduation. Taking missions means experience—and without real combat experience, power alone can get you killed in a ditch."
He paused, eyes sharpening.
"Besides, I don't want to join the Konoha Police Force. To me, that place is nothing but a pigpen the higher-ups built for the Uchiha. All our elites stay cooped up in there, and after a few years, even their hand seals will get rusty. Battles aren't won on jutsu and chakra alone—you need grit, instinct, and the will to risk your life."
A faint sneer tugged at his lips.
"If the Uchiha elders can't see that, then in a few years, their decline will be inevitable. And when that happens… tragedy won't be far behind."
Though Rokuro had never told his mother about the Night of the Uchiha Massacre, her sharp instincts pieced it together. She could sense a looming disaster—and knew it was the true reason her son trained so desperately.
But what could she do?
First, she wasn't Uchiha by blood. After her husband, Uchiha Taidachi, passed away, she'd lost any real say within the clan. Even if she tried to warn them, the arrogant elders would never listen.
Second, in her heart, she still saw herself as part of the Hokage faction. Even if a future conflict arose between the Uchiha and Konoha's leadership, she believed she could still protect her son.
That faint comfort dulled her sense of urgency.
"I'm heading out."
Carrying his lunchbox, Rokuro made his way toward the Ninja Academy. Just as he reached the clan's gate, he spotted a familiar figure walking absentmindedly ahead—Itachi.
The boy seemed lost in thought, not even noticing Rokuro's presence.
At that moment, Uchiha Izumi approached from another street. She waved cheerfully at Rokuro, then at Itachi—only for Itachi to continue walking, completely unresponsive.
"Huh? What's wrong with Itachi today? Didn't sleep well last night?"
Rokuro grinned.
"He's contemplating philosophy. No time for earthly distractions."