Amamiya Raizen felt it the moment the senjutsu chakra flooded into his Eternal Mangekyō. A stabbing heat tore through his eyes, and a thin line of blood slid down his cheek. For a heartbeat, the scarlet pattern of his right eye shimmered with a faint violet glow.
For a reincarnated salaryman trapped in a clan war, that should've been a good sign. Violet usually meant "congratulations, you're about to ascend." But this world didn't run on game logic, and the color vanished as quickly as it came.
Raizen forced more senjutsu chakra into the eye, but the Eternal Mangekyō didn't budge. No distortion. No glow. No mythical ripple pattern blooming into existence. Just the same stubborn, perfect red pinwheel.
"…What the hell?"
He'd grown up with the usual fanboy knowledge: Eternal Mangekyō plus the body of a Sage-line descendant should equal Rinnegan. Simple math. Except, apparently, the universe decided to patch that exploit.
"Don't tell me getting the Sage's body wasn't enough…"
He tried again. Nothing. The eye refused to change, and Raizen didn't feel a single shift inside his chakra pathways. The truth hit him like a kunai to the ego:
There were conditions he hadn't met.
And nobody left any guidebook.
Raizen rubbed his forehead, letting the frustration drain away. "Fine. Whatever. If the Rinnegan wants to play hard to get, then it can wait its damn turn." The power was his. If it didn't awaken now, it would awaken later. He wasn't losing sleep over it.
First things first: learn to control the Sage-augmented body he already had. Maybe once that power settled into his blood and bones, his eyes would catch up.
Spring arrived before he realized it, and with it came the growing storms on the eastern front. Raizen's expression hardened.
"Guess it's time to expand east."
He summoned Konoha's elders. The moment they entered the council room, the mood shifted. Every one of them looked as if they already knew what he was about to say.
Raizen stood. His voice carried like steel.
"After the Northern Campaign last year, Konoha's position has stabilized. The eastern region is in chaos. That's the perfect moment to strike. We march in seven days."
A ripple of shock. Even if they'd expected it, hearing the declaration still punched the air from the room.
Konoha already held the central and northern territories. Conquering the east would give them three full regions. At that point, no clan in the Land of Fire could challenge them.
One elder bowed. "Konoha has recovered its strength. I support the Eastern Campaign."
"I agree."
"Same."
"Agreed."
Raizen nodded. "Next point. Who leads the army?"
Hyūga Tennin stood immediately. "My lord. Allow me to take command once more."
Raizen shook his head. The Hyūga had already earned significant prestige during the Northern Expedition. Letting them take another campaign risked tipping the political balance.
Tennin opened his mouth to argue, then shut it when Raizen's gaze cut through him.
Raizen let the silence hang before speaking again.
"Among the Sarutobi, there is one shinobi whose skill and leadership stand above the rest. Sarutobi Sanbei. He will lead this campaign."
Whispers flickered through the room.
"Sarutobi Sasuke and Hyūga Tennin will serve as his deputies."
"Yes, my lord."
No one objected. Sanbei's reputation was solid, Sasuke and Tennin were elite, and together the trio could level a small country.
"Good. Then we march east in three days."
The order spread like wildfire. Within hours, Konoha was in full mobilization. Six thousand shinobi gathered, along with supply caravans stretching across the roads like a serpent of steel and wood.
Even though Konoha made no effort to hide their approach, the eastern clans were too busy slaughtering each other to mount a unified defense. All they could do was fortify their borders and pray Konoha didn't choose them first.
The only exception was the Wind Demon Clan, one of the few tribes not caught in the chaos. Unfortunately for them, they were positioned right at the outer edge of the region.
Which meant Konoha would hit them first.
Realizing this, the Wind Demon Clan scrambled to fortify the Oblique Pass and muster every able-bodied fighter they had.
By the time their preparations were halfway done, Konoha's army was already marching toward them.
A new storm was about to erupt in the east.