Naruto: Traveling Through Time Starting with Seizing the Dragon Vein

If Fugaku Uchiha had been a decisive and courageous person, the Uchiha clan wouldn't have met such a tragic end in the original story.

This man's biggest weakness is his indecisiveness. He wants the interests of his family but can't bear to give up the ties to his village, so in the end he doesn't get the best of either world.

"Sit down, Fugaku."

The moon's voice remained steady.

“I’m not asking you to make a decision now, nor am I expecting you to pack your bags and come with me tonight.”

Fugaku sat down stiffly again, his expression unpredictable.

"I'm just leaving you, and the Uchiha clan, a way out."

Yue pointed to the metal plaque.

"One month from now, on the night of the Nine-Tails, you can pledge your loyalty to the village as you see fit, and try to salvage the situation. But if... I mean, if you find that things are really as I said, that the Uchiha have been forced to the edge of a cliff, driven to a corner of the village to eke out a living..."

Yue's eyes became incredibly deep.

"Remember, there's another door open for you here, and a sign that allows you to communicate."

"This token is an insurance policy I got for you out of consideration for our shared Uchiha bloodline and for a deceased friend."

Fugaku stared intently at the metal plaque.

He wanted to refuse, to show his loyalty to Konoha, but... it's always good to have a way out.

After a long while, he reached out his trembling hand, grasped the sign in his palm, and put it into the innermost pocket of his clothes.

He did not agree to relocate, but he also did not refuse the "insurance".

"Nine-Tailed Night... I will definitely stop it."

Fugaku took a deep breath, seemingly regaining some of his clan leader's authority. "If that masked man really shows up, I will personally deal with the clan."

"Do as you please. It would be even better if you dared to disobey orders from above."

Yue shrugged indifferently and stood up.

The objective has been achieved.

He never expected to be able to persuade the entire Uchiha clan to relocate in one go.

These envious people are incredibly arrogant. They won't lower their noble heads until they're thoroughly beaten down by reality.

The seed has been planted, and when the storm is brewing, this metal plaque will become the Uchiha's only lifeline.

At that time, what he will gain will not be a group of arrogant "Konoha elites", but a "revenge army" that has nowhere else to turn and can only rely on Loulan.

"Well then, farewell."

The moon turned and walked away, with light following closely behind.

As she reached the door, Yue suddenly stopped and, with her back to Fugaku, said:

"Oh, right, since Sasuke is such a cute little guy, I'll give you one last piece of advice."

"On the night of the Nine-Tails, no matter what happened, no matter what orders Danzo gave... don't send the Uchiha's elite to their deaths. The waters that night were much deeper than you imagine; there were more than just two forces involved."

"Also, don't instill too much of that vague 'Will of Fire' in that kid named Itachi. Sometimes, family and village are never black-and-white choices."

After saying that, the two figures disappeared into the courtyard in an instant, leaving only a few fallen leaves swept up by the wind.

Fugaku sat alone in the empty Japanese-style room, the cold metal plaque in his arms seeming to become scalding hot at that moment.

He turned to look out the window; the sun was shining brightly, and life seemed peaceful and serene.

But he felt a bone-chilling cold slowly seeping out from the depths of Konoha.

"Nine-tailed... Masked Man... Loulan..."

Fugaku muttered to himself, a hint of confusion and struggle flashing in his eyes.

After a long while, he sighed and closed his eyes.

"Where does the future of the Uchiha clan lie...?"

……

After leaving the Uchiha clan's territory, Hikaru tugged at Tsuki's sleeve.

"Yue, that clan leader, doesn't seem very bright."

The girl gave an extremely sharp assessment: "He kept hesitating, like those small clan leaders in the Warring States period who were surrounded and still thinking about whether to surrender or break out. In the end, they usually died a terrible death."

"Yes, indecisiveness is a big no-no."

As Yue walked down the bustling street, her mood seemed unaffected. "But it was precisely because of his indecisiveness that we had the opportunity to take over this vast family legacy."

“If we don’t make him give up completely, he won’t be willing to go to Loulan.”

"So where do we go next?" Guang asked.

"Go and meet some truly intelligent people."

Yue looked up at the dark building in the distance, which was the Root base of Konoha and the location of Orochimaru's former secret laboratory.

"Since we've come to Konoha, we should bring back some local specialties. For example... Hashirama Senju's cells, or the forbidden techniques information left behind by Orochimaru."

"That snake-playing guy may be a freak, but his scientific research achievements are priceless."

……

Several days later.

Beneath Konoha Village, deep within a complex and intricate sewer system.

It was dark and damp, with a strange smell of formaldehyde mixed with rotting flesh and blood in the air.

Water droplets slid down the moss-covered stone wall, making a "drip, drip" sound that echoed in the deathly silent passage.

"gross."

Uchiha Hikaru frowned, covering her mouth and nose with her hand. Her beautiful red and white casual shoes were stained with mud, which she found quite disgusting.

"The smell here is even more nauseating than the trenches filled with corpses from the Warring States period. That smell is the smell of death, but here... it's pure disgust."

Light's fingers rested on the short sword. Although her Mangekyou Sharingan was not yet activated, her keen intuition told her that countless cold eyes lurked in the darkness.

"Bear with it, light."

Uchiha Yue walked ahead, calmly stepping over a puddle of unknown, viscous liquid.

"Scientific progress is always accompanied by stench and sacrifice. The one we are about to meet is the madman in the ninja world who is closest to 'truth'."

The two stopped in front of a stone wall that looked like a dead end.

The moon neither formed a hand seal nor searched for a mechanism.

He simply raised his right hand and lightly touched the air with his index finger.

"Yin Method: Mental Piercing"

An extremely concentrated Yin Release chakra instantly pierced through the rock wall in front of him and directly penetrated the sensory center hidden behind the barrier.

"Rumble..."

The stone door, disguised as a rock wall, slowly slid open, revealing a long, dark corridor leading deeper into the area.

The candles on both sides of the corridor suddenly lit up with a "whoosh," casting long, distorted shadows of the two people in a ghostly green light.

"Hehehe..."

A hoarse, chilling laugh, like the spitting of a venomous snake, came from the end of the corridor.

"What rare guests! S-rank rogue ninja Uchiha Tsukuyomi, and that little girl in red who caused such a ruckus in the Land of Wind..."

A pale figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

He had long black hair, long, golden pupils that emitted a chilling light, and purple eyeshadow that made him look both eerie and dangerous.

Orochimaru.

At this time, he had not yet defected. Although the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had already noticed something amiss, he was still disguised as one of the "Three Legendary Sannin" of Konoha and was conducting his secret experiments on immortality underground.

"Instead of hiding like a rat, they actively sought out my laboratory."

Chapter 39 Trading

Orochimaru stuck out his long tongue, licked his lips, and greedily swept his gaze over Hikari and Tsuki's eyes. "You are much bolder than I imagined. Do you want to give me these captivating eyes as collectibles?"

He had his own sources of information and knew that the Sharingan with three tomoe could not be used to that extent.

"Collectibles?"

His eyes turned cold, and his killing intent erupted instantly, with the faint aura of a red Susanoo appearing. "You dare to challenge me?"

"Light, step back."

Light reached out and stopped Hikaru from drawing his sword, looking at Orochimaru with a smile.

"Orochimaru-senpai, don't use that kind of murderous aura to scare children. You know, for those of us with the Mangekyou Sharingan, this level of probing is meaningless."

Yue pulled a scroll from his bosom; it was a research note he had compiled during the Warring States period on Yin Dun (a form of esoteric practice) and the soul.

"I'm here to discuss a deal, regarding... the flaws of 'Reincarnation,' and the rejection reaction of the soul vessel."

Upon hearing the words "Reanimation Jutsu," Orochimaru's previously mocking expression instantly froze.

The golden pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints, and a terrifying killing intent locked onto the moon as if it were a tangible thing.

This is his most core and top-secret forbidden technique research to date.

There's no way anyone else could know this except him!

"How did you know?"

Orochimaru's voice became incredibly dangerous, and dozens of hidden snake hands were already poised to strike from his sleeves.

"I am Uchiha, Orochimaru-senpai."

Yue pointed to her eyes and began to spout nonsense with a straight face: "These eyes can see things that ordinary people can't see, such as... the future."

"Your body is powerful, but your soul is restless. You are trying to transfer your soul and gain immortality by changing your vessel, right?"

Yue strode forward, ignoring Orochimaru's murderous intent.