Naruto: Awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, and Unify the Ninja World

The next day, when Uchiha Shin and Tsunade arrived in the Land of Rain, the intelligence squad had already returned to Konoha with their findings.

Upon receiving the report, the Third Hokage narrowed his eyes and tapped his pipe against the ashtray, his face darkening.

"Hmph, so the Sand Village had such intentions all along."

With a cold snort, Hiruzen immediately ordered the Anbu to secretly escort the next squad to the Land of Rain. Any Sand ninja found intercepting Konoha's forces was to be annihilated without mercy.

After issuing the order, his gaze flickered upon learning that Uchiha Shin was responsible for this crucial intelligence breakthrough. A complicated expression crossed his face.

"Uchiha Shin is growing at an alarming rate. Defeating an elite Sand ninja squad on his own…"

Hiruzen murmured, lost in thought.

If this had been at the start, he might have been pleased. Back then, he had believed Uchiha Shin to be aligned with his ideology.

But over the past two years, through various exchanges, he had come to realize that Shin did not subscribe to the Will of Fire at all. That fact alone irked him.

What was worse, Uchiha Shin had fully aligned himself with the hawks of the Uchiha clan, further widening the ideological chasm between them.

Hiruzen still remembered the era of the Second Hokage, when the hawkish Uchiha Setsuna had attempted a coup. The memory remained fresh in his mind.

If not for that incident, the Uchiha wouldn't have been gradually pushed to the outskirts of Konoha's political power.

Still, Hiruzen knew he couldn't suppress them too overtly. Instead, he had promised the Uchiha that their contributions in this war would earn them the right to move their clan district back into the heart of Konoha.

To that end, he had subtly steered the dovish Uchiha faction under Uchiha Toyama toward the Sand front—where glory was easier to attain.

"If he cannot be controlled… then he must be eliminated."

Hiruzen took a deep breath and pushed the thought to the back of his mind. The war was ongoing, and Konoha could not afford to waste a valuable asset just yet.

If Shin could be used and sacrificed for Konoha's victory, it would save Hiruzen a great deal of trouble.

When Uchiha Shin and his squad reached the Rain Country's battlefield, they were swiftly integrated into the main force, where they encountered Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

The Land of Rain's battlefield was vast. Konoha, with its superior numbers and military might, was steadily pressuring Amegakure's forces.

However, the Hidden Rain Village was holding out by leveraging its treacherous terrain and the sheer strength of its leader, Hanzo the Salamander.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru—both in full combat gear—greeted Tsunade warmly. As fellow students of the Third Hokage, their camaraderie was evident.

Jiraiya's mood, however, darkened upon spotting Uchiha Shin beside her. He had long harbored feelings for Tsunade, and the rumors in Konoha about her "preference for younger men" only made him more uncomfortable.

Seeing her conversing so freely with Shin, Jiraiya clenched his jaw. His mind drifted to those accursed rumors.

"Damn it… is it true that she likes 'young guys'?"

He grumbled to himself but remained silent. His foul mood went unnoticed by Tsunade, who was more focused on the battlefield situation.

Orochimaru, on the other hand, remained as unreadable as ever. However, upon learning that Shin had taken down an elite Sand ninja team single-handedly, his snake-like gaze lingered on the young Uchiha with keen interest.

After detaining the captured Sand ninja, Tsunade wasted no time.

"Shin, Mikoto, come with me to the medical camp. I need to assess the wounded and analyze the effects of Hanzo's poison before I can create an antidote."

Shin nodded without hesitation but made sure to check in with the Uchiha forces stationed here. It was then that he noticed a concerning pattern—the Uchiha positioned on the Rain front were almost exclusively hawks.

Meanwhile, the doves had been stationed on the Sand front, where they had far more opportunities to gain recognition.

"Not only is this battlefield more dangerous, but even if we defeat Amegakure, it won't boost our reputation. Hiruzen really plays his little games well."

Shin narrowed his eyes and scoffed internally.

The hawks were already a minority within the clan, and with Hiruzen's manipulations, their numbers were dwindling even further.

No wonder Uchiha Fugaku had managed to ascend as clan head later in the timeline—Hiruzen had likely been stoking internal conflicts all along.

Yet, despite these political maneuvers, once the war ended, Konoha's suppression of the Uchiha only worsened. With the Nine-Tails Incident, Fugaku was eventually forced into the role of a rebel.

The irony of it all was almost amusing.

Uchiha Mikoto, walking beside him, also seemed troubled by these observations. However, she pushed her concerns aside and followed Tsunade into the medical tent.

Inside, the sight was grim. Nearly a fifth of the wounded here were Uchiha.

For those who succumbed to their injuries, Shin personally incinerated their bodies to prevent disease outbreaks—an unspoken, grim duty of war.

Ordinary soldiers did not receive the luxury of a proper burial, and it was impossible to transport their remains back to Konoha.

While others mourned, Shin saw opportunity. In less than a week, he had restored all the chakra he had expended in his left eye. His overall reserves had also expanded significantly.

"I might just get addicted to this…"

A dark thrill ran through him before he quickly suppressed it.

Meanwhile, Tsunade had thrown herself into her work, working tirelessly to neutralize Hanzo's poison.

Amegakure quickly caught wind of this development. Konoha's forces were emboldened, while Amegakure's morale wavered. Hanzo, fully aware of the situation's gravity, wasted no time.

Their entire resistance hinged on two things—the Sand Village keeping Konoha occupied, and his poisons crippling enemy forces.

With Tsunade on the battlefield, that second advantage was slipping away. Hanzo immediately dispatched his best assassins to eliminate her before she could succeed.

But he had not accounted for Shin.

With his formidable perception—bolstered by the Kagura Mind's Eye—Shin intercepted every assassination attempt before the attackers could strike.

In just two days, he had personally foiled eight ambushes.

His reputation on the battlefield was rapidly rising, second only to Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade themselves.

Realizing that a highly perceptive shinobi was patrolling the enemy lines, Amegakure finally ceased its assassination attempts. They could not afford to keep throwing high-level combatants into a losing battle.

Yet, even as Amegakure retreated into defensive strategies, Shin had no intention of slowing down…

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Bonus Chapter - 250 Power stone