Off the coast of Uzushiogakure, about twenty kiloters away near the Land of Waves, a small fishing boat bobbed like a leaf on the waves.
The old fisherman on the boat cast his net into the sea and then sat cross-legged at the bow, pulling out a pipe to wait quietly.
He waited for passing fish to get tangled in the net, unable to break free. When the ti was right, he would haul the net back in. Repeating this a few tis, if luck was on his side, he might catch so rare fish that could fetch a good price at the market, adding a little extra to his ager livelihood.
But most of the ti, it was just ordinary fish… sotis not even enough to feed his family.
It was a life entirely dependent on the whims of God and the sea.
This stretch of water was rarely visited by others. Rumor had it that the small island in the distance was once a Ninja Village, but for so unknown reason, it had been destroyed and later beca a pirate stronghold.
The old fisherman only dared to fish near the edges, never venturing too close.
He stuffed so low-quality, leftover tobacco into his pipe, lit it, and began puffing away.
Suddenly, a gust of sea wind blew past, snatching his straw hat away.
"Strange, it doesn't look like the weather's about to change." The old man muttered, glancing toward the horizon. There were no signs of an approaching storm… the sky was clear and sunny, the waves calm, and a flock of seagulls wheeled in the distance.
But then, the old man noticed the seagulls scattering in panic, as if fleeing from sothing terrifying.
Sensing sothing amiss, the old man stood up on the boat, scanning his surroundings.
The next mont-
In the distance, on the small island, two colossal creatures locked in battle ca into view. The sight stunned the old man, who had never once left the Land of Waves in his life, so much that his pipe slipped from his fingers.
Whoosh-
A towering wave surged from the direction of the two monstrous beasts' clash. The old man desperately clung to the side of the boat with one hand while frantically hauling in the net with the other.
Even as the boat looked like it was about to capsize in the turbulent waves, he didn't dare let go.
After barely surviving the ordeal and finally making it back to the Land of Waves, the old man seed to have lost his mind. He wandered around in a daze, telling anyone who would listen that he had seen a God and a demon fox fighting!
So curious onlookers laughed and asked for details and the location, but the old man grew flustered, claiming he didn't dare reveal too much for fear of divine retribution.
This only made the bystanders laugh harder.
…
On the island where Uzushiogakure once stood-
After a full day of battle, the island had been shattered, its land fragnted and broken.
Most of the island's forests had been obliterated, and the ground was marred by several terrifying craters.
The ruins of Uzushiogakure had been completely annihilated in this battle.
On the beach, dyed golden by the setting sun, Hikari sat with her knees drawn to her chest beneath a tree that had sohow survived the devastation, gazing blankly at the sun sinking below the horizon.
Beside her, nma lay sprawled on the sand, limbs stretched wide, basking in the twilight.
Hikari brushed aside her wind-tousled hair, her dark eyes reflecting the boy's silhouette. Her face was full of curiosity.
"The power you possess far surpasses mine… enough to destroy the entire Ninja World. So why do you still need my strength?"
The battle had lasted the entire day. For the first ti in centuries, her body, which is long restrained by seals, had been able to move freely. The pent-up frustration and dark emotions from hundreds of years of imprisonnt had finally been released.
She felt incredibly refreshed.
"This power is still far from being enough to dominate the Ninja World." nma said, resting his hands behind his head. He knew all too well just how many formidable opponents existed in this world.
He could overpower the Raikage and Killer B, but figures like Nagato, Obito with his Kamui, and even Madara's lingering sches all posed threats to him.
As for Itachi?
By the ti of the Uchiha Clan's Massacre, nma had a special "gift" prepared just for him.
"My enemies aren't just within the Ninja World." nma said, lifting his gaze to the moon already hanging in the sky: "They co from beyond the sky."
"And besides, why would I want to destroy the Ninja World?" nma turned his head slightly toward the girl beside him, the faint, youthful fragrance unique to her tickling his heart.
This ti, it was Hikari's turn to look puzzled: "Aren't you trying to destroy the Ninja World?"
For soone like Hikari, who had never received proper education and was raised from a young age as a weapon of war, power existed for destruction… for annihilation!
nma sat up from the sand and said to Hikari seriously: "What I want to destroy are the twenty-sothing nations, including the Five Great Nations, and their Ninja Villages."
"My goal is to establish a brand-new nation… one where shinobi and ordinary people live together, where class divisions and discrimination are erased! Then, I'll wipe out the Five Great Nations and the rest, unifying the entire Ninja World!"
"Without other nations, there will be no more wars between humans. Ninja's power won't just be for killing… it'll be used for construction and progress. People will live in peace, children will receive better education, and they'll grow up safely and happily, not like in the Warring States Period or even now, where kids are sent to the battlefield as killing tools before they're even ten."
"To the Ninja and nobles of this era, I am destroying their world. But I'll create a brand-new era!"
"An era where everyone can walk freely under the sun, without war or man-made suffering!"
"But to build this new era, my strength alone isn't enough. That's why I'm searching for people who share my ideals, gathering comrades willing to follow ."
"That's why I need you!" nma stood up from the sand and extended his hand toward Hikari.
"Let reintroduce myself. My na is Uzumaki nma." The setting sun cast a golden halo around nma's silhouette.
Hikari looked up at the young man standing before her and the hand he offered, her cheeks flushing slightly.
'He needs …' She had never felt so needed before.
And the way nma treated her was completely different from how her Uchiha Clan's mbers had… those who feared her power yet exploited it all the sa.
He truly regarded her as a comrade, a friend. He cared about her feelings and was willing to sit with her under the sunset, watching the twilight in comfortable silence.
Rembering the clansn who had imprisoned her, raised her as a weapon of war, and used her, Hikari lowered her head slightly, her mood dimming: "I... don't have a na. My clansn just called Nanashi..." (T/N: Nanashi is the short of Namae Nashi, which ans without a na or Naless.)
"You do have a na!" nma's voice was gentle but firm, making Hikari freeze before lifting her head to look at him.
"I know. Your na is Uchiha Hikari!" nma said softly, speaking a na that had nearly been forgotten.
"Hikari…" The deepest corners of Hikari's mory stirred, and the blurred faces of her parents surfaced in her mind.
The words they had spoken when naming her, carrying their hopes, crossed hundreds of years to echo in her ears once more.
'May she walk out of darkness and into the light…'
"Why… how do you know this…?" Tears suddenly stread down Hikari's face as she recalled her parents' faces.
"To , the Ninja World holds no secrets." nma's hand remained outstretched before the weeping girl.
Hikari wiped her tears, then shakily reached out and grasped his hand tightly.
Then nma pulled her up firmly.
"Hello, my na is Uchiha Hikari!" Standing before nma, Hikari smiled, tears still clinging to her lashes.
The sea breeze carried her vow: "Even if you stand against the entire Ninja World… I will always, always be by your side!"
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