Tsunade was completely losing it.
She genuinely could not process what was happening in front of her.
Someone had been dug out of a grave—and was still alive.
For a fleeting moment, she even suspected that Ren had deliberately buried this person here in the first place. But that was obviously impossible.
"I don't know either."
Ren deliberately put on a confused expression and looked back at Tsunade instead.
"Shouldn't you understand sealing techniques better than I do, Sensei? After all, your grandmother was Lady Mito."
Yes—but this was already far beyond her understanding!
Tsunade felt her temples throb.
She did understand sealing techniques. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to master the Yin Seal so perfectly.
But this situation?
It completely shattered her worldview.
From a shinobi's perspective, just one glance at the surrounding vegetation told her that no one had disturbed this place in at least a century.
Then there was the coffin itself.
The sealing coffin alone had clearly existed for over a hundred years.
Combined with the sealing structure Ren described, there was only one conclusion—
This girl had been sealed for more than a century.
Sealed for a hundred years… and still alive.
That alone was absurd beyond belief.
"This is giving me a headache. And of all things, she's an Uchiha."
Tsunade turned and glared viciously at Ren.
"What exactly did that scroll you read say?"
"It said the Senju allied with multiple clans to ambush a powerful Uchiha," Ren replied without hesitation, making it up smoothly.
"And they sealed away an 'important tool' of the Uchiha."
He blinked innocently.
"I was wondering what kind of tool was worth sealing… so."
Ren turned to look at the unconscious girl.
"Is she the tool—or was she that powerful shinobi?"
"..."
Tsunade fell silent.
Because she couldn't answer that question either.
Then—
Without any warning, the girl lying inside the coffin suddenly opened her eyes.
Her gaze was unfocused, filled with confusion as she looked at Ren and Tsunade, as though everything around her was foreign.
She slowly sat up, scanning her surroundings.
Almost immediately, pain flashed across her face.
She clutched her head as memories surged violently through her mind.
"Are you alright?"
Ren stepped closer and spoke cautiously, one hand hidden behind his back, already forming hand seals.
If anything went wrong, he would react instantly.
Tsunade moved to his side just as naturally, her eyes locked on the girl. Her mind was buzzing, but she knew exactly what she needed to do.
"You… who are you?"
The girl raised her head slowly.
"Did you… save me?"
"If nothing unexpected happened, yes," Ren nodded.
Then he deliberately looked her over.
"And who are you? Judging by your clothes, you're an Uchiha—but why were you sealed here?"
The moment the word Uchiha was spoken, her expression changed instantly.
Buzz—
A violent pressure erupted from her body.
Hatred surged across her face as her eyes turned a vivid crimson.
Tsunade's pupils shrank.
This girl didn't look old—yet her presence was terrifying.
And that reaction… it was as if the Uchiha had slaughtered her entire family.
"You hate the Uchiha?"
Ren asked calmly, his chakra already circulating rapidly.
"That's strange. You're an Uchiha yourself—yet you seem to hate them more than we Senju ever did."
"..."
Tsunade's eyes widened.
Are you trying to provoke her on purpose?!
Even without knowing the girl's origin, Tsunade could tell she wasn't from this era.
And in the past, the relationship between Senju and Uchiha had been nothing short of bloodshed.
Ren knew that better than anyone.
So why would he say something like that?
"Senju…"
The moment that surname left Ren's mouth, the girl snapped her head up.
Her hatred intensified.
Memories flooded back, and her eyes transformed.
Three tomoe spun violently—then fused.
A pair of strange, eerie Mangekyō Sharingan bloomed open.
"Mangekyō?!"
Tsunade's heart sank.
This was officially a disaster.
But unlike her, Ren remained calm.
Before the girl could act, his chakra erupted.
Vines burst from the ground in an instant, wrapping around her body and restraining her completely.
"Calm down," Ren said softly.
"The Uchiha and Senju ended their hatred long ago."
In the Land of Rain, the endless downpour never stopped.
Uchiha Obito stood atop a high ridge, letting the rain soak through him.
Suddenly, the ground beside him split open, and a pitcher-plant emerged.
"You're here, Obito."
Black Zetsu spoke calmly, while White Zetsu grinned.
"Soaking in the rain again? Trying to relive your Water Country trauma?"
"..."
Obito's jaw twitched beneath the mask, but he ignored White Zetsu and looked at Black Zetsu instead.
"Say it. Preferably good news."
"Not good news—but not bad either."
Black Zetsu didn't waste time.
"Uchiha Shisui may be dead."
"Dead?"
Obito spun around.
"Good!"
"..."
Black Zetsu's mouth twitched.
Is this idiot's brain completely gone?
"Obito," Black Zetsu said coldly, "the one who likely killed him was Danzo. Do you understand what that means?"
"It means one of the people who ruined my life is finally dead!"
Obito roared, releasing all his pent-up fury.
Since being exposed and beaten down by Ren, expelled from Kirigakure, hunted across the shinobi world—
His life had become a joke.
Even worse, his identity was no longer secure.
Nagato and the others might already know who he really was.
Kirigakure had issued a bounty.
Nearby island nations followed.
Even Sunagakure joined in—accusing him of stealing the Dragon Vein of Rōran.
A crime he didn't even understand.
Only after Black Zetsu explained did Obito realize the truth.
"…So I took the blame again?"
Sand benefited.
Ren took the reward.
And Obito carried the sin.
Black Zetsu sighed.
"Shisui's death will destabilize the Uchiha. He was a bridge between the clan and Konoha."
"That bridge collapsing may give you an opportunity."
"Do something, Obito."
Obito finally calmed down.
"…Do you have any ideas?"
"I only provide information," Black Zetsu replied. "The choice is yours."
After a pause, Obito suddenly asked,
"What about the seed I planted?"
Black Zetsu thought for a moment.
"He resembles Uchiha Kagami."
Obito's eyes sharpened.
"Kagami… Tobirama's disciple."
His madness softened into clarity—then twisted again.
"Interesting."
"A loyal Uchiha…"
"Maybe I should help him fulfill his wish."
Dreams were agony.
For the sealed Uchiha girl, they were nothing but torment.
She relived being imprisoned by her clan.
Being named Uchiha Nameless.
Being treated as a weapon.
Being ambushed by Senju, Uzumaki, and Sarutobi shinobi.
Declared "too dangerous" and buried alive.
Then—
She woke up.
"…This is…"
Confusion filled her eyes.
She heard voices.
Ren. Tsunade.
Their strange conversation.
A hundred years.
Edo Tensei.
Wood Release.
Her world had vanished.
When Ren noticed her stirring, he smiled.
"Don't panic. I sealed your chakra as a precaution."
"My name is Ren. Nice to meet you."
Her chakra felt sluggish.
A notification flickered across Ren's vision.
[Sealing Technique leveled up → LV6]
[Freedom Points: 0]
Five points gone—but worth it.
"What's your name?" Tsunade asked gently.
The girl clenched her fists.
"Names don't matter anymore."
"My clan. This world."
"I hate them all."
"Kill me," she said coldly.
"Or I'll destroy everything."
Tsunade's killing intent rose.
But Ren spoke first.
"Your clan treated you horribly."
Silence.
"And you were their 'final weapon,' weren't you?"
Her eyes answered for her.
"I understand," Ren continued calmly.
"I was raised as a tool too."
That stunned both of them.
"You were trapped. Stripped of choice. Of hope."
Her breathing faltered.
"We can't change the past," Ren said.
"But we can decide what comes next."
"Help me?" she sneered.
"With what?"
Ren smiled.
"You want to destroy the Uchiha?"
"Then maybe you'll get to watch them burn to ashes."
"…?!"
In Konoha, tension suffocated the Uchiha compound.
Sasuke trained happily, unaware.
Itachi was exhausted.
When extremists confronted him, demanding answers about Shisui—
He snapped.
Three tomoe spun.
They were defeated instantly.
From the shadows, Sasuke watched in terror.
Later, in the forest—
"Itachi."
A masked man emerged.
"Uchiha Obito."
"You stand on the edge," Obito whispered.
"Ask me for help."
"I'll show you a world where everyone lives."
"You're insane," Itachi replied.
Back at the camp, Tsunade glared at Ren.
"You talk about abandoning hatred—then say that?"
Ren shrugged.
"Understanding hatred doesn't mean surrendering to it."
Then he looked at the girl.
"You don't need to be 'Nameless' anymore."
"You broke free from darkness."
"So now…"
He smiled gently.
"Your name is Uchiha Hikari."
Light.
She froze.
"…Hikari."
Tsunade suddenly realized.
"…You little bastard."
"You preached peace—then promised genocide."
Ren smiled innocently.
"Peace comes after the fire."
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL