Watching Uchiha Rokuro block her path, Chiyo's expression darkened.
"And if I insist on going over there?" she demanded coldly.
"Heh. If you insist," Rokuro chuckled, "then I don't mind sending you on your final journey. You're already pretty old, after all. People your age are especially prone to accidents—catch a cold, get diarrhea, and you might just drop dead on the spot. Let alone running all the way to a battlefield. That makes accidents even more likely."
"I imagine the people of Sunagakure would think the same."
The two puppets slid forward, positioning themselves in front of Chiyo. Long blades appeared in their hands.
"Are you threatening me?" Chiyo asked grimly.
"Is there any other way to interpret this?" Rokuro replied casually.
As he spoke, chakra in his palm began to spin at high speed. In the blink of an eye, it condensed into a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
The shrill howl of wind blades shredding the air was enough to send chills down one's spine.
Chiyo retreated rapidly, her eyes filled with deep wariness as she stared at the Rasenshuriken.
"Uchiha Rokuro," she said sharply. "Sasori is my grandson—and a traitor of Sunagakure. By both emotion and law, he should be dealt with by me. By stopping me now, are you trying to provoke a war between our villages?"
Rokuro let out a cold laugh.
"You senile old woman—at a time like this, you still can't see the bigger picture?
The Akatsuki have already begun collecting the tailed beasts. That means a war engulfing the entire shinobi world is inevitable. Do you really think the Land of Wind can stay out of it?"
"And Sasori of the Red Sand is an Akatsuki member who has already successfully captured the One-Tail. Right now, he's not just a traitor of Sunagakure—he's a criminal against the entire shinobi world."
"Do you still think he belongs solely to your village?"
At this point, Rokuro stopped pretending altogether. His expression turned ice-cold.
"I'll give you two choices.
Either get lost right now—
or go die alongside your precious grandson.
Make your decision."
Chiyo had never been known for patience. She immediately commanded her puppets to attack.
Rokuro didn't waste words either—he swung his arm and hurled the Rasenshuriken.
"BZZZZZZ—"
Amid the deafening roar of air being sliced apart, the Rasenshuriken detonated in front of the two puppets, instantly expanding into a massive cutting domain.
Chiyo's face changed drastically. She hurriedly pulled back, trying to retract her puppets—but it was too late.
The cutting field was far too powerful. Her chakra threads were severed the moment they made contact.
"Damn it!"
Panicking, Chiyo immediately took out the sealing scroll of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, summoning her strongest trump card.
"So you really want to die? Fine—I'll grant your wish!"
The seven-pointed Mangekyō pattern spun wildly in Rokuro's eyes. To save time, he activated both Mangekyō abilities at once.
Within a one-kilometer radius, space itself was dyed pitch-black.
Chiyo instantly realized she couldn't move.
Her body.
Her puppets.
Everything—frozen in place.
At the same time, a long blade shimmering with starlight shot forth from Rokuro's hand, emitting an ear-piercing metallic screech.
A series of cracking sounds rang out.
The Chikamatsu Ten Puppets—Chiyo's pride and glory—were instantly reduced to scrap under the Dimensional Blade.
Once the puppets were destroyed, the blade continued onward—toward Chiyo herself.
Seeing the blade approaching at high speed, Chiyo unleashed all her remaining chakra, forming a chakra shield in front of her.
In the original records, this technique had once blocked the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release—its defensive power was formidable.
But before the Dimensional Blade, the shield was no more than paper.
It shattered instantly.
And then—her body followed.
"Th-this is… power that cuts space itself…?!"
At the moment her body was cleaved apart, Rokuro released the spatial lock, allowing Chiyo to utter her final words.
Stepping forward, Rokuro examined her corpse—half human, half puppet.
"So this is a human puppet," he murmured.
"A structure similar to cyberpunk—half flesh, half machine. It can greatly extend lifespan, but it's no longer truly human. What meaning does such immortality even have?"
"Then again… someone whose life is nearly over probably wouldn't refuse this kind of 'eternity.'"
Although he had no intention of walking the path of human puppetry himself, Rokuro still sealed Chiyo's body into a scroll—planning to have specialists study it later.
Just as he put the scroll away—
"Beep—beep."
Rokuro froze for a moment, then his face lit up with uncontrollable joy.
"It finally worked?! Hahaha—this trip wasn't wasted after all. Let's see who it is."
He pulled a Chakra Analyzer from his pocket. Runes across its surface were flashing rapidly.
This analyzer was already the 15th generation.
The very first generation had successfully decoded the "Uchiha chakra formula," leading to the creation of Uchiha ocular ninja tools—and ultimately, the current prosperity of the clan.
However, the first generation had severe limitations.
It could only analyze basic chakra and bloodline chakra.
Sage chakra was completely beyond its scope.
It couldn't even analyze Mangekyō abilities—forcing Rokuro to wait three full years before successfully crafting the Kotoamatsukami tool.
But as Rokuro gradually mastered the Six Paths runes, the analyzer kept evolving.
The mission of the 15th generation was simple—
To decode the chakra formulas of Asura and Indra.
That was why Rokuro had brought Naruto and the others today.
Sparring alone would never make his students experience true death.
So he borrowed the hands of outsiders.
As he watched intently, the runes on the analyzer stopped—replaced by a complete encoded sequence.
"Success! I don't know whether it's Indra or Asura yet—but I've definitely decoded one of them!"
Rokuro immediately injected his own chakra into the analyzer, activating its conversion function, then let the transformed chakra flow back into his body.
It felt like dialysis—
as the converted chakra re-entered him, every aspect of his body underwent earth-shaking changes.
The most obvious difference was that he no longer needed to focus to sense natural energy.
If he wanted to—
he could enter Sage Mode instantly.
"Looks like Asura's chakra," Rokuro muttered.
"As expected—hot-blooded idiots like Naruto are better at triggering this kind of awakening. The second pillar really does fall short here."
Overwhelming vitality flooded his body.
Rokuro felt that even if his limbs were severed, he could simply pick them up, press them back into place, and regenerate completely—without any aftereffects.
Just like when Uchiha Madara reattached his arm using White Zetsu during the Fourth War.
"With this kind of ridiculous regeneration, no wonder Madara fought so recklessly back then.
And thinking about the Valley of the End—forcing a full-powered Hashirama to resort to Wood Clone sneak attacks… that really was absurdly strong."
"Honestly, with my current body, if I opened the Eight Gates—could I just keep burning forever without dying?"
Recalling how Might Guy had been saved by Naruto using Six Paths Yang Release, Rokuro felt that, in his current state, the Gate of Death might actually be usable as a permanent combat mode.
While Rokuro was adjusting to his complete Sage Body—
Naruto's battle ended as well.
With Naruto's explosive awakening, solid support from the second pillar, and steady performance from Neji, Sasori of the Red Sand was ultimately defeated—even after using every trick he had.
The only regret was that the second pillar did not awaken.
Which meant Indra's chakra would still require another method.
Although Rokuro could already be called the strongest beneath the Six Paths, even if Hashirama Senju were revived, victory wouldn't be guaranteed—
Without the Rinnegan, he was still beneath the Six Paths.
Below the Six Paths, all are ants.
And since the Akatsuki had already begun collecting tailed beasts—and Rokuro had no intention of stopping them—
Mastering Indra's chakra and awakening his own Rinnegan had become the top priority.
"…Looks like it's time to open up the Mangekyō awakening method."
Although Deidara and Sasori had been killed—
The One-Tail had already been extracted.
And even Gaara's body had been blown to pieces by Deidara.
In the end, Rokuro merely returned to inform Rasa of what had happened before departing with Naruto and the other two. Before leaving, however, Rokuro deliberately left behind the shattered remains of the Third Kazekage's human puppet.
The moment Rasa saw it, he understood everything.
"So back then, you used the Third Kazekage's disappearance as an excuse to launch an invasion against Konoha," Rasa said grimly.
"Looking at it now… it was all staged by yourselves."
His expression was extremely unpleasant.
"Uchiha Rokuro," Rasa said slowly, "Sasori of the Red Sand had long been a traitor to Sunagakure. We were victims as well."
Rokuro let out a cold laugh.
"No matter how you frame it, the responsibility still lies with Sunagakure. Of course, there's no point in digging up the past now. What matters is the present."
He looked directly at Rasa.
"Your son, Gaara, died at the hands of the Akatsuki. The One-Tail was taken as well. Are you telling me Sunagakure plans to do nothing about this?"
Rokuro paused briefly, then continued evenly:
"Right now, the Akatsuki are launching attacks everywhere to capture the nine tailed beasts. That's effectively a declaration of war against the entire shinobi world. Since that's the case, we can't afford to sit and wait for destruction."
"I propose forming a Shinobi Allied Force and taking the initiative. Sunagakure should be the first to respond."
Rasa had no second option.
He could only nod in agreement.
As for Granny Chiyo's death, Rokuro didn't mention it—and Rasa didn't ask.
It was as if the matter had never existed.
After settling matters in Sunagakure, Rokuro flew back to Konoha with Naruto and the others. The moment they arrived, Uchiha Izumi rushed over.
"Rokuro— the clan head is at death's door. You need to go see him, quickly."
"The clan head?" Rokuro frowned. "Did the Akatsuki attack Konoha again? That doesn't seem right."
He scanned the village carefully but found no signs of battle.
"It's not the Akatsuki," Izumi said, shaking her head.
"The clan head is simply too old. He started having serious health problems a few days ago. Lady Tsunade personally examined him and said there was nothing that could be done. His life has reached its end."
"I see…" Rokuro sighed softly. "Life really is unpredictable."
Given Uchiha Setsuna's age, Rokuro already knew this was a natural death.
After all, Setsuna was a shinobi from the Warring States Era, roughly the same generation as Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama. Those two titans of the shinobi world had long since passed away—judging purely by lifespan, Setsuna had already surpassed them by far.
When Rokuro arrived at Setsuna's residence, nearly all of the Uchiha high-ranking members were already present. Seeing him, they silently stepped aside, forming a clear path.
Rokuro nodded to them and walked straight to the bedside.
On the bed lay an old man, his body withered and frail, the very image of someone at the brink of death.
Once again, Rokuro felt the cruelty of impermanence—and his longing for immortality deepened.
"Clan Head," he said softly. "I'm here."
"Is that… Rokuro… my young friend?"
Setsuna's voice was faint. "I've been clinging to this last breath… just to see you one final time."
His eyes could no longer see.
For an Uchiha, that was almost unthinkable.
Rokuro could clearly sense it—the ocular power in Setsuna's eyes had completely dispersed. He truly was sustaining himself by sheer will alone.
"Clan Head," Rokuro said solemnly, "if you have anything to say, please say it now."
"The prosperous era you described to me… I never lived to see it," Setsuna said with regret.
"If it were possible, I would have liked to live a few more years. But the ancestors… they're calling for me now."
"Even though I didn't see that future with my own eyes, I can tell the Uchiha are already moving toward it," he continued.
"The future of the shinobi world… will belong to the Uchiha. Am I right?"
His voice gradually grew firmer.
Rokuro knew this was the final flicker of life.
"Clan Head," Rokuro said firmly, "I swear to you—
the future of the shinobi world will belong to the Uchiha. Under Uchiha leadership, the entire world will advance toward brilliance and transcendence."
"I will devote my entire life to making it reality."
He paused, then leaned closer and whispered into Setsuna's ear:
"I've already found a way to awaken the Mangekyō without side effects. It will soon be implemented across the entire clan."
"When that time comes, every Uchiha who possesses a Three-Tomoe Sharingan will awaken the Mangekyō—
and it will be an Eternal Mangekyō, without blindness."
Setsuna's eyes flew wide open.
With his final strength, he tightly grasped Rokuro's hand.
"Is… that true?"
"It is."
"Good… good…"
"Then I can finally… rest… easy…"
The withered hand lost its strength and fell back onto the bed.
Rokuro gently folded Setsuna's hands over his chest, then knelt on one knee.
"We respectfully send off the Clan Head!"
"We respectfully send off the Clan Head!"
One voice after another roared out from the Uchiha.
Every single clan member knelt.
They sent off the longest-living Uchiha—
a man who had personally witnessed the clan's rise, decline, and resurgence.
The thunderous cries surged out from the Uchiha district, spreading throughout every corner of Konoha.
All the clan heads of the village knew—
Uchiha Setsuna was dead.
And at the same time, they understood something else.
The era of Uchiha Rokuro had arrived.
Though that era had effectively begun long ago, only now—
with Rokuro formally stepping into power—
did it truly begin.
Coupled with the Akatsuki's aggressive hunt for the tailed beasts, everyone sensed it clearly:
A storm destined to sweep across the entire shinobi world was approaching.
And the one who would stand at the forefront of Konoha—
was Uchiha Rokuro.
Even though the Hokage was still Tsunade,
no one questioned that conclusion.
END OF CHAPTER
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