Overdrafting the Future, Starting in Naruto

Genichi temporarily had no time to worry about the Akatsuki's situation. There was nothing he could change. He could neither eliminate Nagato and take the Rinnegan ahead of time, nor could he talk Nagato into joining Konoha. The next time they met, they would likely be enemies.

Coupled with the trouble Danzō was stirring up in the Land of Rain, Genichi and Uzumaki Ina passed through the country as quickly as possible, arriving at the border of the Land of Birds.

Hiding in a cave, Genichi clapped his hands together, and his Heaven's Eye opened, its perception covering a vast area. A moment later, his senses had enveloped the entire armies of the Sand and the Stone, who were still in a standoff.

"This is…" Genichi's eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Genichi, what's wrong?" Ina asked quickly.

A smile appeared on Genichi's face. "I sensed someone interesting. The Fourth of the Sand Village."

"The Fourth Kazekage?" Ina was surprised. "Isn't he supposed to be in Sunagakure? The fighting here has stopped. Even for peace talks, he wouldn't need to come in person, right?"

"Unless it's not ordinary peace talks," Genichi smiled.

"Don't tell me Sunagakure is really going to ally with Iwagakure?" Ina said, worried. "They just finished a war!"

"There are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal interests," Genichi said calmly. "Interests can make people temporarily cast aside hatred and everything else."

With that, he began to perform a more precise scan of the Iwa side. He didn't have intel on the Third Tsuchikage Onoki's chakra, but his Heaven's Eye could "see" a person's height and build. Onoki was just too easy to recognize.

As expected, he soon found him. The Kage of two villages appearing on the front lines didn't mean another major battle was about to break out; it meant they were secretly plotting something.

And… the number of troops he sensed from both sides was also off. The Sand was indeed withdrawing its forces. According to Root's intelligence, at its peak, there were over five thousand Sand-nin gathered here. Now, there were only about fifteen hundred left. This didn't seem like much. But if they weren't planning to continue fighting Iwa, then this number was far too high. And on the Iwa side, there were still about nine hundred troops. This was also not the number for peace talks.

After a moment of thought, Ina said in alarm, "Genichi, are the Stone and the Sand going to attack the Land of Rain together?"

Genichi nodded. "Based on the intel so far, there's a ninety percent chance of that. Ina, I need you to return to the village immediately and report this to the Third Hokage. Also, remind him that Sunagakure is very likely fighting on two fronts. The joint attack from Suna and Iwa is probably to draw the village's attention and create an opportunity on the Land of Rivers front."

"Mhm, I understand!" Ina nodded gravely.

Genichi immediately raised a single hand. With a whoosh, Ina vanished from the spot. This was a new application of the Flying Thunder God that he had recently developed, derived from the original Guiding Thunder technique. Guiding Thunder could redirect an enemy's attack, like a Tailed Beast Bomb, to a marked location. Genichi had used this to develop a "teleport" move, specifically for sending people. He could teleport anyone who was in contact with his chakra or had his marker to a designated marked location, without having to go himself.

After sending Ina back to Konoha, Genichi created a shadow clone and sent it off. The situation with Suna and Iwa had to be reported to the Rain Village and that old fox, Danzō. After the clone left, Genichi thought for a moment and suddenly smiled. "Did that guy Danzō just get lucky? This is good too."

The more correct Danzō was now, the more it would highlight the flaws in Hiruzen's decisions. The reasons for Danzō to force Hiruzen to step down in the future would be even more compelling. At his age, Hiruzen could still be Hokage for a few more years. To be honest, he wasn't a bad Hokage. But for Genichi, of course, Tsunade becoming Hokage would be better. So, he had to use Danzō's hand to make Hiruzen step down early. He couldn't just impatiently stage a coup, could he? But would Danzō be content to just watch Tsunade take the seat?

Heh, Danzō, you'd better not make the beating I gave you worthless…

Genichi vanished. There was no longer a need to infiltrate the Sand or Stone camps. His next target: the Land of Earth battlefield.

The Land of Rain, Village Hidden in the Rain.

In a heavily guarded location, a figure suddenly appeared.

"Who's there?!"

With a shout, the sound of movement filled the air, and a large number of Rain-nin appeared, surrounding the figure. Several Root ninja also appeared. Seeing the figure, their pupils constricted, and their hearts skipped a beat.

"Don't move! He… he's Kinoshita Genichi!" a Root squad leader yelled.

Inside the nearby building, Hanzō and Danzō, who were in a meeting, heard the commotion and both stood up and came out. Seeing his target, Genichi finally took off his mask.

Danzō's face was expressionless. "Kinoshita Genichi, what are you doing here?" Although it was a question, his tone lacked confidence. Even though he was surrounded by people, he was still a little afraid of Genichi.

Genichi ignored Danzō and looked at Hanzō. "Lord Hanzō, I am Kinoshita Genichi, a captain of the Anbu under the direct command of Lord Third Hokage of Konoha. I am here on a mission to gather intelligence on the Sand and the Stone, and I am now officially issuing a warning to our ally. The Sand and the Stone have secretly formed an alliance. The Fourth Kazekage and the Third Tsuchikage met in person to discuss it. It has been confirmed that they will join forces to attack the Land of Rain. Their initial force will exceed two thousand."

Hanzō's expression changed. "As expected." He quickly composed himself, his eyes filled with appreciation as he looked at Genichi. "Thank you. Please convey my thanks to the Hokage."

Genichi nodded. "I will." With that, he vanished.

Danzō's face first changed color, then he was secretly overjoyed. He hadn't expected his shot in the dark to be so on the mark. A joint attack from Suna and Iwa on the Land of Rain was beneficial to him. Only in war could his value be demonstrated, and his power be restored, or even become stronger. This was why he had provoked Hanzō in the first place; the Rinnegan was just a secondary objective. As for Genichi ignoring him, he deliberately overlooked it for now.

The Hidden Leaf Village, Hokage's Office.

After hearing Ina's report, Hiruzen's expression also became grave. He told Ina to go rest, then immediately issued an order to summon Orochimaru, telling him to take the remaining Root personnel, plus an emergency deployment of one hundred ninja, to reinforce the Land of Rain, under Danzō's command. He then summoned Fugaku Uchiha and ordered him to lead a second wave of reinforcements to the Land of Rain in five days. This time would be used to mobilize troops and supplies.

After arranging everything, Hiruzen finally sighed in relief. It was a good thing he had sent Genichi to gather intelligence. If it had been anyone else, even if they had gotten the intel, the time it would have taken to travel back and forth would have been a costly delay. It wasn't that he underestimated Hanzō and the Rain Village, but their current strength was far from what it had been at its peak. It was very likely that they would have been crushed by the surprise attack of the Suna-Iwa allied forces. At that time, Konoha would have had to face the danger of them invading the Land of Fire.

Fighting in the Land of Rain was naturally better than fighting in the Land of Fire. For now, the Land of Rain would have to suffer.

The Land of Rain.

After leaving the Hidden Rain Village, Genichi's shadow clone did not immediately dispel. Instead, it stood on a high mountain, sensing the area.

At the same time, in a certain cave, Yahiko's body had been laid to rest. Konan wiped away her tears and looked at Nagato, whose legs were wrapped in bandages and who had grown thin. "Nagato, what do we do next?"

Nagato looked out of the cave. "The others have probably been dealt with by Hanzō and his men. From now on… we'll go into hiding. My legs can no longer walk, so I need to create other bodies to control with the Rinnegan."

Konan nodded. "What do you need to create the bodies? I'll help you prepare."

Nagato did not refuse. He had to change, and so did she.

"The bodies of ninja," Nagato said. "Five of them."

Konan nodded, then hesitated for a moment. "Nagato, your legs… if Konoha's Lady Tsunade were to treat them, they could probably be healed."

"Konan!" Nagato's voice suddenly rose, but then quickly calmed. "From now on, let go of the past. Let go of those fragile ideas, those fragile relationships. Konoha cannot be trusted."

Konan was silent, then nodded.

"My legs cannot be saved," Nagato added. "Let it be. From now on, my other bodies can walk for me."

"Where do we go next?" she asked.

Just as he was about to speak, Nagato's gaze hardened. Konan also reacted, pulling out a kunai and looking warily at the figure that had appeared at the cave entrance. Nagato, however, was calm. Now that he was no longer weak, no longer rejecting the power of the Rinnegan, he had enough confidence in his strength. And with Yahiko dead, he had nothing left to fear.

At the cave entrance, Madara Uchiha, wearing the Spiral Zetsu armor, walked in. Behind him followed Aloe White Zetsu.

Stopping two meters from Nagato, the biological mask on Madara's head opened, revealing his aged face and a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan.

Konan became even more vigilant. "The Sharingan! An Uchiha from Konoha!"

Madara ignored her and looked at Nagato. "I am Madara Uchiha."

Nagato's eyes flickered. "Madara Uchiha. I have heard of you. But what are you doing here?" Although he said this, he didn't actually believe him.

Madara heard the doubt in his voice but didn't care. "Successor to the will of the Sage of Six Paths, wielder of the Rinnegan, savior of the ninja world. I have been watching you for a very, very long time. Those eyes of yours are destined to end the chaos of this world, just as the Sage of Six Paths did back then. And I will be your guide, to help you gradually master the power of those eyes, to obtain the power of a god."

"Nagato, don't believe him!" Konan shouted. "If that were true, why didn't he appear before?"

"Konan, let him finish," Nagato said, raising a hand.

Madara glanced at Konan, then continued, "Before… because you had not yet awakened, Nagato. Even if I had appeared, you would not have believed me with your ideals of peace. Now you understand. The so-called peaceful way does not exist. But that is not your fault. There was once someone who was as naive as you."

"Who?" Nagato asked.

A reminiscent look appeared on Madara's face. "My close friend, one of the founders of the Hidden Leaf Village, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. We established Konoha together, ended the chaos of the Warring States Period, and created a new order in the ninja world. With our strength back then, we could have swept across the entire world and unified all the ninja villages. But Hashirama opposed the way of war, because the original intention of establishing the village was so that children would no longer have to step onto the battlefield."

A smile appeared on Madara's face, but it quickly turned to one of scorn. "And so he foolishly… no, I was foolish too at that time. We distributed the Tailed Beasts to balance the powers of the ninja world and maintain peace. However, the fighting did not stop. I realized my mistake and left Konoha. Later, to make Hashirama see the truth, I attacked Konoha with the Nine-Tails… As you can see, his ideas completely failed. The Great Ninja Wars have happened time and time again, plunging everyone into the suffering of war."

Madara extended a hand to Nagato. "How about it? Let's work together to bring permanent peace to this suffering world."

"Tell me your plan," Nagato said coolly.

Madara retracted his hand without any embarrassment. He naturally knew that Nagato wouldn't completely believe him. But that didn't matter. As long as Nagato gathered the Tailed Beasts according to the plan and then revived him, that would be enough. He would complete the rest himself. And even if Nagato didn't revive him, he had other backups.

And so, Madara slowly explained his Eye of the Moon Plan: gather the Tailed Beasts, create the ultimate weapon of war, the Ten-Tails, use its power to revive him with the Rinnegan, restore him to his peak state, and then launch the Infinite Tsukuyomi to create a clean world with no war.

Nagato listened quietly. The so-called Eye of the Moon Plan held no appeal for him. However, gathering the Tailed Beasts and creating the Ten-Tails… that he was interested in. At that time, he could use the power of the Ten-Tails to wage war, to make the great nations suffer the pain of war, and then understand that pain. Without truly understanding the pain of war, how could one fear it? As for the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it was just a false peace.

"I agree to your plan," Nagato said.

Konan wanted to speak but held her tongue.

Madara smiled. "I know you don't believe my identity, but that doesn't matter." He slowly turned to walk out of the cave. "Next, I will show you my power."

Outside the cave, behind a large rock, Genichi sighed softly. "So I was discovered."

He stepped out. At the cave entrance, four figures were lined up.

Taking off his mask, Genichi greeted them. "Nagato, Konan, long time no see."

"It's you!" Konan recognized him. Her expression was first complicated, then turned icy. She said nothing more.

But Nagato spoke. "Genichi, you were right back then. But it's too late. If you've come to persuade me, then don't bother. I can guarantee your safe departure today."

"Thank you," Genichi said first, then smiled. "I didn't come to persuade you of anything. I came to congratulate you on finally walking the correct path. What happened to Yahiko is very unfortunate, but this world needs the power of revolution, and revolution requires bloodshed."

"Revolution, bloodshed…" Nagato was moved. "You are as perceptive as ever. It's a pity we cannot be together."

"As long as our goals are the same, why does it matter if we walk the same path?" Genichi chuckled.

Nagato slowly nodded. At this moment, he suddenly understood why Yahiko had liked talking with him so much back then. It was the feeling of a kindred spirit. A pity… after today, they would be enemies.

But Genichi was just saying whatever the other person wanted to hear. What did he care about the fate of the ninja world? He had no interest in war or peace. A long life, the sea of stars—that was his ultimate goal. Everything else was just scenery along the way.

After finishing his exchange with Nagato, Genichi's gaze shifted to Madara, who had put on his Spiral Zetsu mask again. "The Sharingan. Are you from the Uchiha clan? Or did you steal their eyes?" At this moment, Genichi was feigning ignorance.

Madara did not introduce himself; Genichi was not yet worthy. So he just said, "You will know in the future. For now, let me see what the so-called 'genius who surpasses the Uchiha' is made of."

Genichi put on his mask and chuckled. "Then let me see what kind of face you're hiding behind that mask."

As he spoke, he activated his genjutsu.

Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!

Silent World!

Flawless Fallen Body Technique!

Avīci Hell!

After the four illusions, he charged forward.

"A genjutsu that deprives the five senses? Interesting, but useless against me." Madara commented easily. His black hair flew, and with a flutter of his robes, he skillfully dispelled the four illusions and then formed hand seals.

Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!

A one-handed seal jutsu. A sea of flames swept toward Genichi. But he didn't slow down at all, charging into and out of the sea of fire.

Boom!

The ground where Madara had been standing exploded, sending rocks flying. Konan and Nagato leaped to the side, shocked that Genichi had ignored such a powerful fire jutsu. On the other side, Aloe White Zetsu also jumped away, dodging the flying rocks.

But Madara's perception was sharp and his reactions were swift. He had already leaped away, appearing on top of the cave, at the peak of the mountain.

"Ice Release…" Madara looked down at Genichi below.

Genichi's attack had missed, but he didn't continue to pursue Madara. Instead, he launched a surprise attack to the side.

"What?" Aloe White Zetsu, who had leaped backward, was shocked to see Genichi suddenly closing in on him. He hadn't expected the target to be him.

Madara also hadn't expected it. He snorted, and the upper half of a Susanoo rose up around him. First the skeleton, then it was quickly covered in muscle. With a clench of its hands, a Susanoo sword was formed. It swung its right arm, slashing down at Genichi below.

"This is…" Nagato, who had landed on the ground, was shocked as he looked at the Susanoo. "Madara Uchiha…"

On the other side, with a hum, wind chakra covered Genichi's hand, extending from his fingertips to form a chakra blade. With a swing, he sliced Aloe White Zetsu in two diagonally across the chest.

RUMBLE!

The earth cracked, and a huge trench was carved by the Susanoo's sword.

(End of Chapter)

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