The ninja world was once again stirring beneath the surface.
But within Konoha—
Life as Captain of the Guard remained steady.
Daily training. Punctual check-ins. Clocking out with precision.
Collecting his Captain's bonus with a content smirk.
Uchiha Bai Ye enjoyed this rhythm.
Ever since the seismic news of Uchiha Madara's capture three years ago and the definitive end of the Third Great Ninja War, the world had steadily progressed into recovery.
The Five Great Ninja Villages were thriving. A new generation of shinobi was blooming.
Power across the continent had shifted.
Land of Fields.
Beneath the fledgling Sound Village, nestled quietly into the hidden terrain, lay a new and obscure shinobi settlement.
Here, clad in a white lab coat, Orochimaru's serpentine eyes gleamed with wild delight—his twisted smile stretched grotesquely.
At this moment, he was not a Sannin. Not a villain.
But a man lost in the fervor of forbidden science.
"Finally… success."
His voice trembled as he reached out to touch what lay within the stone coffin before him—like an artist admiring his magnum opus.
Behind him: tubes writhing with living tissue, tanks filled with artificially cultivated cellular structures—at their fringes, the haunting faces of Senju Hashirama.
A monstrous tribute to the First Hokage.
"It's been six years."
Orochimaru exhaled with eerie calm, surveying his work with pride.
With a single hand seal, he sealed both coffins deep into the underground.
It had taken six years—harvesting the First Hokage's DNA from a slain White Zetsu. Six years of experimentation. Now, he had completed two perfect vessels.
He glanced aside, pulled out a scroll, and continued writing meticulous calculations and ritual diagrams.
Finally, with a shaky breath, he released a raspy laugh.
"Success."
"Bai Ye-kun… I wonder if you'll appreciate this gift?"
"Let's see if your qi allows you to let go of your grudges…"
"Let's watch the show unfold."
He closed the scroll and withdrew an aged invitation.
Faded with time, the ink still legible—Konoha's Science Ministry seal prominently visible.
But the signature space remained blank.
"Kabuto."
Orochimaru called in a low tone.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
A figure emerged from the lab's entrance, bowing slightly, glasses gleaming with reverence.
"The True God Project… begins now."
Orochimaru offered no further details.
But with those words, the entire Sound Village activated into a frenzy of motion.
Orochimaru? He remained idle. Distant. Detached.
He had no interest in others' schemes.
To cause chaos—he, Orochimaru, was the rightful orchestrator.
Just like in the original timeline, he had sneered at the Fourth Great Ninja War.
He had also refused Black Zetsu's invitation.
"There is only one God of Shinobi in this world…"
"So—who is it?"
---
Land of Fire.
Konoha.
Six years had flown by.
The village, now modernized, had undergone massive expansion after a major redevelopment two years ago.
Its size had tripled. The classical architecture had been replaced with a more efficient and streamlined cityscape.
This, too, was largely thanks to the labor camp.
Criminals had been reformed through forced labor—and none had contributed more than its leader:
Uchiha Madara.
Yes, the Guard still ran like clockwork.
And no one dared challenge Bai Ye's authority as captain.
But recently, Bai Ye had taken on a new hobby.
Konoha Ninja Academy.
Today marked the graduation ceremony for the new class—twelve promising Genin, known to many as the Twelve New Stars.
Bai Ye entered the classroom with his usual casual stride and a rare, gentle smile.
Unlike the original story—
Naruto had no need to steal the Scroll of Seals. His control over the Nine Tails meant no risk of rampage.
He had earned his forehead protector fair and square.
Graduation complete—it was time to assign teams.
In the classroom, the soon-to-be Genin huddled together in excited cliques.
There was one new face.
In the back row by the window sat a girl with crimson hair and stylish glasses, staring blankly out at the scenery.
Her name: Uchiha Karin.
Yes—red hair. Uchiha surname.
Everyone at the Academy knew.
She was the officially recognized goddaughter of Uchiha Bai Ye.
Though whether that "goddaughter" title was a noun or… verb—well, that remained uncertain.
She was of age now. And certain rumors were inevitable.
Especially when Bai Ye would sometimes sleep with a phoenix in his arms—
"Yo, Sasuke—you absolute dog."
Across the room, Naruto frowned at his friend.
"All to become head of the Uchiha clan—you've really gone all out."
Sasuke didn't flinch.
Six years had bonded them deeply.
But when it came to shamelessness? Sasuke's level was still miles above Naruto's.
"What are you implying?"
He raised a brow, cool and composed.
"You requested Tsunade personally to put all the girls in one team. Before the teams were even announced!"
Naruto sighed.
"I'm starting to think I'll have to call Sakura Auntie."
Yes. That absurd.
Sasuke, having named half the girls in class as his "goddaughters," had effectively eliminated any competition around them.
And to show loyalty to Bai Ye, his "godfather," Sasuke had gone so far as to beg Tsunade—via his mom, Mikoto—to assign all the girls to Bai Ye's squad.
Talk about feeding the lion yourself.
Naturally, Ino's fate was now sealed.
Which meant Naruto had somehow become the younger generation—forced to respectfully call these girls "Auntie" if he wanted to stay around.
Ridiculous.
"You're just jealous," Sasuke replied calmly. "Nobody's forcing you to say it."
"Do you think just anyone gets this chance? I almost stabbed myself just to sneak into the girls' team. If my brother hadn't stopped me, I would've done it."
"That's how worth it godfather's training is."
"And besides, my brother's on our side."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Your brother's sketchy. I saw him the other day walking out of the bathhouse with Big Brother Nawaki… limping."
Yep.
Six years of mentorship under Jiraiya had matured Naruto.
But maybe a bit too much.
Had Nawaki finally taken that step?
Naruto felt jealous.
Sasuke? He stood stiff as a board.
Braver man than me.
"Xianglin, is Lord Bai Ye really our team leader?"
By the window, Ino leaned over, cheeks pink.
She had a secret.
Ever since learning that the handsome man who bought flowers from her family's shop was Bai Ye, her heart hadn't stopped fluttering.
"Mm. Confirmed," Karin said, not hiding it.
Apparently, Tsunade was dissatisfied with Bai Ye's "lazy" lifestyle and wanted to assign him more responsibility.
Even Tenten, still in second grade, had been pulled into his team.
As for Bai Ye's role in the Guard?
Since Konoha's full integration of wireless communication, Bai Ye had essentially put the Guard on autopilot.
Now, he just trained a bit, checked in remotely, and collected his self-discipline rewards.
He didn't even go to the office anymore.
Report? Message him.
"I heard Lord Bai Ye used to carry you when you were little."
Sakura turned to Tenten, clearly envious.
"Mm… that's what my dad said."
Tenten nodded proudly.
Though she didn't quite understand what made Bai Ye special, she was curious.
Her old Guy-sensei hadn't specialized in projectiles—and Bai Ye was known more for… other things.
What would he teach?
She wasn't sure.
But when you looked at their team:
Hinata—close-range combat and scouting.
Tenten—mid-range support with projectile mastery.
Ino—intel gathering and chakra control.
Sakura—medical support and supplementary offense.
Karin—chakra detection, sealing arts, and sheer strength.
Even at the Academy, Karin could solo Sasuke and Naruto.
Just because of who her godfather was.
Bai Ye's class wasn't just well-rounded.
It was dangerous.
Tsunade claimed she wanted to motivate Bai Ye.
But really, she was building the future of Konoha—personally.
And preparing to retire soon.
Of course, she also wanted to give her man something worthy to do.
"Godfather!"
Sasuke suddenly called out excitedly.
Bai Ye entered the classroom, but paused—checking above the door cautiously, as if wary of a chalkboard eraser trap.
Then stepped in.
Boom!
Karin darted across the classroom and leapt into his arms like a missile.
He caught her effortlessly, still smiling.
With a calm nod, he turned to the class.
"I'm Uchiha Bai Ye."
"Those whose names I call—come with me."
He looked the same as always.
Time had not touched his face.
The same warm, approachable Captain of the Guard.
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