"The Kamui pupil technique is really convenient—having a personal dimension follow you wherever you go. So many future plans can be implemented because of it," Kain mused.
If he wanted to switch eyes now, it wouldn't even be troublesome.
He could fully adapt to the Mangekyō Sharingan within seconds. And its so-called pupil power limit? Meaningless to him.
His vitality was so strong he was practically immortal—even if his head were cut off, he could regenerate from flames.
"There's also the promise I made to Lady Mikoto… Uchiha Itachi must've accumulated great karma in his past life to be born to such a mother," Kain said with a faint smile.
"But she can rest easy now."
Obito's spirit had already been broken. He no longer had the will to resist, making Kain's mental search smooth and unimpeded.
"Other than Uchiha Itachi and Black and White Zetsu, let Nawaki handle the rest," he muttered, reviewing plans.
As for Nagato with the Rinnegan—his strength was far from enough.
Both Tsunade and Kushina could crush him outright. His most powerful techniques—Planetary Devastation and Chibaku Tensei—meant nothing in front of them.
At most, if he pushed himself, he might stall Nawaki briefly. But even that wasn't impressive—it wasn't even hisRinnegan, after all.
Currently, aside from Kain himself, Kushina was undoubtedly the strongest person in the Land of Fire.
The combination of her Uzumaki chakra and a perfectly mastered Nine Tails let her throw tens of thousands of devastating punches.
Even the resurrection of Uchiha Madara, or the destruction of the entire Shinobi world, would be nothing more than a matter of time for her.
Once Black Zetsu was eliminated, the ancient conspiracy that plagued the ninja world for a thousand years would end.
Apart from the Ōtsutsuki threat, the world would finally be safe and could enter a stage of rapid development.
But with Kain around, even the Ōtsutsuki were no longer a threat.
The local Ōtsutsuki had yet to regain their peak strength and wouldn't stand a chance against Tsunade or Kushina.
The Ōtsutsuki clan from space wouldn't arrive for decades, and when they did, they'd be greeted by orbital railguns.
As for the Ōtsutsuki on the moon—they were likely already exterminated.
Still, unifying the entire ninja world was a complex process.
While the world seemed small in scale, the hidden threats were anything but.
That was largely because the Sage of Six Paths couldn't intervene directly from the Pure Land.
But after seeing seven of the Tailed Beasts devoured by Kain, he would likely start to act.
Not that Kain needed to handle it personally—once the ninja world's technology advanced a bit more, Orochimaru's bio-weapons would be enough to deal with the rest.
Land of Earth
Uchiha Itachi had just crossed the Land of Grass and arrived at a remote Akatsuki stronghold deep within the Land of Earth—just as Obito had instructed.
Cautiously, Itachi entered.
The place was deserted.
But oddly enough, the tables and chairs were neatly arranged.
"This should be the place… so why hasn't anyone shown up?"
"Of course no one's here. I've already taken care of them," a voice answered from behind.
Startled, Itachi turned around sharply.
When he saw who it was, his expression shifted to one of shock.
Standing before him was Kain, the daimyo of the Land of Fire.
Itachi had seen him once as a child, when visiting the Daimyo's mansion with his mother. But that was a long time ago.
Later, from Third Hokage and Namikaze Minato, Itachi learned much more about Kain:
A man of terrifying power, mysterious abilities… and someone who didn't use conventional ninjutsu at all.
A truly dangerous enemy.
Although he had grown up in the Uchiha clan, and his family had a good relationship with the daimyo of the Land of Fire, Uchiha Itachi still regarded Kain as an enemy.
"Why are you here?"
"Why are you here?"
Itachi asked coldly, his Mangekyō Sharingan activating instantly.
At this distance, he could unleash both of his pupil techniques without hesitation.
"Hostile already?" Kain chuckled. "Uchiha Itachi, why is your first thought hostility instead of asking for help?"
He continued with a smile, "So… you've considered me an enemy for a long time? I suppose it has something to do with Sarutobi and his son."
He sighed. "It's a shame, really. Your mother paid such a heavy price just to ask me to save you."
Itachi's voice turned sharper. "Don't involve my mother or Sasuke. They have nothing to do with this. If you harm them, I will never forgive it."
"Relax," Kain replied calmly. "I wouldn't hurt either of them. Sasuke is Naruto's close friend now—he may become a well-known ninja in the Land of Fire.
As for Lady Mikoto… she will recover, eventually. She did pay quite the price to save you, but that has nothing to do with you anymore."
He smiled faintly.
"I don't intend to save you, Itachi. I need your corpse—to clone an identical 'Uchiha Itachi'.
That clone will be a dutiful son to Mikoto, love his little brother Sasuke, and won't cause trouble for anyone.
As for you… it's best if you just die, Itachi-kun."
"Amaterasu!"
Before Kain could say more, the jet-black flames of Amaterasu ignited around him, rapidly engulfing his body.
The temperature in the underground stronghold surged to terrifying levels as Itachi unleashed the attack without holding back.
"Ahh, Amaterasu, huh?" Kain said casually through the flames. "Good thing you haven't awakened the other eye's ability to control it. That would've been troublesome."
With Itachi staring in shock and disbelief, Kain calmly gathered the flames into his palm and extinguished them with a casual fist.
"It's called the Fire of the Sun, but it's only slightly hotter than ordinary flames. Certainly not enough to kill me—someone who carries the phoenix gene."
"Tsukuyomi!"
Realizing Amaterasu had failed, Itachi activated Tsukuyomi with his bloodshot left eye. But the moment it connected, he felt an immovable spiritual pressure, like trying to shatter a mountain with a whisper.
His illusion shattered instantly.
"Khh—!"
Itachi coughed up blood as the failed illusion backlash hit him. Both of his strongest abilities had been rendered useless, and for the first time, a deep sense of despair began to take root.
He had exchanged his eyes at the cost of the Third Hokage's life. He had placed his hopes on that sacrifice.
But now, it seemed meaningless.
The difference in strength was simply too vast.
"That's enough," Kain said lightly. "I let you try two techniques out of respect for your mother. But now…"
He raised one finger.
"500,000 volts. Discharge."
A thick arc of lightning surged from his fingertip, piercing straight through Itachi's chest before he could complete his Susanoo activation.
"Ggh—!"
Itachi's body convulsed uncontrollably under the intense electric current. He collapsed, twitching on the ground.
Kain calmly walked over, placed a sealing tag on him, and vanished with Apparition.
To Kain, Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan abilities were mediocre at best.
Still, the eyes might be useful—he could pluck them out and keep them in storage.
Perhaps he'd clone a few pairs and give them to Betty or someone else, or maybe even save them for Sasuke once the boy grew up.
There was no blood relation between them, but Sasuke had started calling Kain stepfather now, and had even begun accepting the past.
But the truth was, Kain just wasn't interested in Itachi's abilities—so if he didn't want them, he'd simply give them away.
After returning, Kain immediately began the cloning project.
Not just to give an answer to Lady Mikoto, but also to keep Nawaki satisfied.
One month later
The Daimyo's Mansion had transitioned almost completely to digital operations.
Thanks to the Red Queen, even those who had never touched a computer could now manage administrative work smoothly.
Artificial intelligence could now replace 99% of operations—leaving only decision-making to human oversight.
During this period, in addition to cloning Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Itachi within the Kamui space, Kain also took the time to capture Black and White Zetsu. He meticulously drafted a step-by-step unification plan for the ninja world.
Many aspects of the plan didn't require his direct involvement. For instance, both the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning would collapse quickly under the pressure of economic sanctions combined with military operations.
If war broke out, the only real threat would be Dust Release from the Rock Shinobi Village, which might pose some trouble for Nawaki, though it was far from unmanageable.
When the time was right, Kain summoned Shenshu, made the plan public, and held a strategic meeting. Even defensive posts in remote areas participated via video conference.
It was now an unstoppable trend for the Land of Fire to unify the ninja world.
They had already annexed three small nations, and the Land of Wind was next—on the verge of being fully integrated. The momentum couldn't be stopped now. The plan was entirely feasible, and the past three years of peace between Sunagakure and Konoha, along with a growing sense of mutual harmony, served as strong supporting evidence.
Nawaki, Shisui, Hiashi, and other representatives from Konoha raised no objections. In fact, they were supportive of the idea. Under the rule of the Land of Fire, the ninja world would be more stable and prosperous.
The old nobility should be swept into the dustbin of history—replaced by someone like Kain, a daimyo who wasn't greedy for money and treated both the common folk and his subordinates fairly.
The Kain Chamber of Commerce primarily reported to Kushina, though Nono had traditionally handled daily operations. However, with her now focused on raising her child, she didn't even involve herself in medical affairs.
Perhaps, once the child was born, she would gradually resume her responsibilities.
Kain had also disclosed many secrets to Nawaki and the others, including the threat from the moon and the truths about the Ōtsutsuki clan. His next goal was to gather all the tailed beasts, a task Orochimaru was already pushing for.
If Kain delayed, Orochimaru was prepared to head to the Cloud Village to seize the Two-Tails' chakra himself.
The meeting eventually concluded with tasks assigned to each participant.
Only Kushina, Tsunade, and Nonōyu, who truly knew Kain, realized he might leave again. However, this time, he promised them that he would return periodically and not vanish for extended periods like before.
Aside from the grand plan to unify the ninja world, Kain also briefed Nawaki about Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Itachi in the Land of Earth. If they needed a justification to declare war on Iwagakure, those two provided a perfect excuse.
Yet, just a few days after the unification plan was finalized, Uchiha Mikoto brought Sasuke to visit the Daimyo Mansion. While she used Sasuke as an excuse, Kain knew the real reason for her visit.
Because of this, Kushina had voiced her complaints to Kain several times.
"Mikoto's your friend. She's visited so many times. Can't you just give her some peace of mind?"
"My lord…"
Uchiha Mikoto entered quietly, closed the door behind her with care, and then walked to Kain's side.
This time, she was accompanied by Uchiha Yashiro and several other guards.
Hokage-sama had sent a team to the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth to track any news of Uchiha Itachi. If any intel came in, the orders were clear: capture and execute him immediately.
"Yadai-kun came to inform me today."
"I know, Mrs. Mikoto," Kain replied. "Even if you hadn't come to me, I would've sought you out myself regarding this matter."
As he spoke, Kain wrapped his arms around Uchiha Mikoto's waist. With a flick of his hand, he used transfigurationand magic to create lifelike doubles of the two of them inside the house. Then, using Kamui, he transported them to a remote town in the Land of Tea, a location he had secured in advance.
"Uchiha Itachi is inside," Kain said. "But, Mrs. Mikoto… I'm afraid this will be his permanent home now. Even if he ever leaves, he'll need to remain in hiding—his 'double' in the Land of Earth will be hunted down and brought back for trial and execution."
After finishing his explanation, Kain motioned for Mikoto to look inside the house. He wasn't worried about her reaction—the clone inside possessed all of Itachi's memories, emotions, and even his Three Tomoe Sharingan.
Some time later
Mikoto emerged from the house with tears in her eyes. She bowed deeply to Kain and said softly,
"Thank you so much, Daimyo-sama."
"Why be so formal, Mrs. Mikoto?" Kain said, helping her up. "Is that really necessary between us?"
He gently placed a warm hand around her waist, causing her cheeks to flush. Embarrassed, Mikoto lightly pushed him away and whispered, "Not here, Daimyo-sama…"
That day, she wore a white home dress paired with a black half-sleeved tunic. The simple clothing didn't conceal her elegant, mature beauty—in fact, it only made her all the more captivating.
In the next moment, Kain used teleportation to bring them to Uchiha Mikoto's house, a familiar location where they had met several times before.
This time, Mikoto had put away all the pictures of Fugaku from the room—otherwise, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from making comparisons.
What followed was another passionate encounter, familiar and deeply indulgent. Mikoto, having let go of her inner conflicts, gave in to the pleasure without resistance.
Later, after everything was over, Uchiha Mikoto, her body slick with sweat, slowly returned to her senses. A recent pattern of subtle changes in her body made her feel as if she were in a dream.
Maybe… she should go for a checkup soon.
Given the sheer intensity and volume each time, the possibility was more than a little concerning.
…
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