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

Uchiha Shin took a deep breath, calming his mind before turning to Tsunade. "Any progress on cracking it?" he asked.

Tsunade shook her head, frustration evident on her face. Seeing this, Shin exhaled and refocused, activating his [Kagura's Mind Eye].

In an instant, his perception expanded, scanning a hundred kilometers in all directions. Every chakra signature, every presence within range, was laid bare in his mind. He continued his routine inspection of the camp, ensuring no enemy forces had infiltrated their ranks.

Then—

"Hmm?"

A frown formed on Shin's face. His brows furrowed as he examined the chakra signatures once more.

It wasn't that he had found an unfamiliar chakra—rather, he had sensed a very familiar one.

"Nawaki…? What the hell is Tsunade's little brother doing here?"

As the heir to the Senju Clan, Nawaki was someone Uzumaki Mito kept a tight leash on. The boy was never allowed to leave Konoha unsupervised—especially not to a war-torn front like the Land of Rain.

It made no sense.

"Twelve years old and sneaking onto a battlefield? That's some next-level brain damage," Shin muttered. His eyes narrowed as he pinpointed Nawaki's location.

"The brat's at Orochimaru's camp… Is he looking for his sensei?"

Shin knew the relationship between Nawaki and Orochimaru. Nawaki had been training under him for a while, and Shin rarely saw him outside of missions. It was always Orochimaru taking him along.

But considering what Shin remembered about Nawaki's death in the Second Shinobi War…

This didn't sit right.

A conspiracy was brewing, and Shin could smell it.

He didn't say anything to Tsunade. If she found out, she'd explode, and that wouldn't help anyone.

Instead, he made an excuse, slipped away, and suppressed his chakra signature using [Kagura's Mind Eye] before quietly heading toward Orochimaru's camp.

"Magnet Release: Third Eye."

Near the camp, Shin formed a floating iron-sand eye in his palm.

Through this eye, he could spy on the scene ahead. As long as the conversation wasn't encrypted by special means, he could even read their lips.

Everything in the eye's vision was relayed back to him. Combined with his wide-range sensory abilities, Shin could practically see and hear anything within his range.

He guided the Third Eye toward Nawaki's position.

Sure enough, the chakra signature belonged to Nawaki. But Shin also sensed three other unfamiliar chakra signatures near him.

They weren't enemy assassins from Hidden Rain—these guys were moving too deliberately, almost like escorts.

"Did these three help him get here?" Shin mused.

Given Nawaki's current strength, barely at Chunin level, the brat had no business making it this far alone.

His suspicions were confirmed when he got a good look at the idiot himself.

Nawaki bounced on his feet, an excited grin on his face. "Hell yeah! I made it to the front lines!" he declared, punching the air triumphantly.

"Haha! And Grandma said I wasn't allowed to come here! What does she know?"

"I'm gonna show everyone what I can do! My sister! My grandma! They'll see I'm an independent shinobi now!"

The brat strutted around the camp, soaking it all in like a tourist. He had no idea how out of place he looked.

Shin's deadpan stare deepened. 'This is why Senju needs better leadership.'

Nawaki had snuck out of Konoha three days ago. Most shinobi his age were already out on missions, yet he had been stuck in the village, coddled and overprotected.

Then, while eavesdropping at the Hokage's office, he heard about Shin making a name for himself on the front lines. That was all it took. The brat got it into his head that he needed to prove himself.

So he ran away.

"Kid's got the survival instincts of a boiled potato," Shin muttered. "How did he not die on the way here?"

Turns out, he wasn't alone. Three masked shinobi had shadowed him the entire way.

Root.

The Third Hokage's personal enforcers.

They had ensured Nawaki's survival until he reached the front lines. But they had never interfered otherwise.

'Right. They just needed to make sure he arrived. If he died on the battlefield, it wouldn't be Konoha's fault.'

In other words—

Someone had sent Nawaki here to die.

Shin's jaw clenched. He didn't care much about Senju politics, but even he could see the game being played.

If Nawaki died in transit, Mito and Tsunade would tear Konoha apart.

But if he died fighting, he'd be a war hero. The Senju Clan wouldn't be able to retaliate.

Shin exhaled through his nose. 'And the kid doesn't even know he's a pawn.'

Meanwhile, Nawaki was still talking.

"Don't tell my sister or Sensei yet! I wanna surprise them with how strong I am!" he declared.

Shin felt second-hand embarrassment just watching him.

The Konoha Jounin in charge of the camp gave Nawaki a look that could only be described as 'why is this happening to me?'

But orders were orders.

"There's a recon mission at the border," the Jounin finally said. "Scout enemy movement and check for traps. It's dangerous. Are you sure you want to go?"

"Of course! Don't underestimate me! I'm gonna be Hokage one day!" Nawaki beamed.

"…"

The Jounin sighed.

Shin, watching from above, also sighed.

The kid had all the signs of a future corpse. Overconfident. Sheltered. No combat instincts. And walking straight into a setup.

Shin had barely interacted with him before. But now? He was convinced this idiot was an upgraded version of Naruto—except without the actual talent to back it up.

No wonder Uzumaki Mito still held authority over the Senju Clan. Tsunade didn't want the job, and Nawaki…

Well. Nawaki was proof that not everyone should breed.

"This fool got played," Shin muttered. "The Root escorted him, but only so he wouldn't die early. They needed him to reach the battlefield."

'If he dies here, he's a hero. Konoha gets away clean. Tsunade and Mito lose their say in politics. Everyone wins… except him.'

Shin clicked his tongue. He wasn't exactly sentimental, but he had half a mind to step in.

Technically, Nawaki was his 'brother-in-law' by association.

Which meant if he let the brat die here, Tsunade would take it out on him later.

"…Guess I'll have to clean this up."

Suppressing his chakra further, Uchiha Shin silently began making his way toward the battlefield.

'You owe me for this, Senju brat.'

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Bonus Chapter - 200 Power Stones