Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 112: The Curtain Rises, Chaos Unleashed!

Uchiha Ci stared at the scroll in his hands, identical to the one Hozuki Mangetsu was holding earlier. His face twisted slightly before he quickly unfurled the scroll and began reading its contents.

Upon opening it, the first thing he saw was a roughly drawn map of the ninja world.

A specific route was clearly marked, spanning from the Land of Earth to the Land of Hot Water and finally to the Land of Water. Along the way, it carefully noted key points in smaller nations like the Land of Iron, the Land of Fields, and the Land of Grass, providing estimates on troop numbers and information on leading elite ninjas.

The final line of defense was depicted at the coastline of the Land of Hot Water, stretching to the main island of Kirigakure.

Green Tide Reef was circled heavily in red.

Within the scroll were also numerous detailed profiles of ninja.

Maji, Hikari, Daishi, and Kitsuchi.

Each one was a Jonin-level elite from Iwagakure. Uchiha Ci vaguely recognized the first three as participants in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge.

As for Kitsuchi, he was none other than the son of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and the future father of Kurotsuchi. In the original story, Kitsuchi's terrifying Mountain Earth Technique left a deep impression on Uchiha Ci.

Seeing this scroll, Uchiha Ci took a deep breath.

It all made sense now!

No wonder the pursuing ninja abandoned the chase after using the Exploding Water Colliding Wave technique.

No wonder Kurokage Yagura and Hozuki Mangetsu were so visibly shaken after seeing this information.

No wonder... no wonder!

But what chilled Uchiha Ci to the core was this:

All of this happened... because of him.

It was him, Uchiha Ci, who had unwittingly become the catalyst for altering the course of this war.

The flap of this butterfly's wings had triggered a catastrophic tornado.

Three nights ago, from the moment Team Ci was formed—no, from the moment he stepped out of Konoha—this world's trajectory had begun spiraling into chaos.

The supposedly doomed Uchiha Setsuna survived, temporarily halting the uprising of the Blood Pool clan.

Shinno, who should have been ambushed and captured by Orochimaru in a cave, managed to escape.

Because of this, Orochimaru never acquired the Forbidden Technique: Body Revival, forcing him to confront reality instead of obsessing over immortality.

The result? Orochimaru temporarily resumed his role as one of the Sannin.

Without the forbidden technique to distract him, Orochimaru didn't bury himself in a lab conducting unethical experiments with Danzo's test subjects.

Instead, he got involved in the Third Shinobi World War.

Looking at the narrative in The Tale of Minato from the original series, where Jiraiya and Minato's squad infiltrated Iwagakure, Orochimaru—being both a frontline decision-maker and Jiraiya's confidant—would likely have collaborated with Danzo to release a critical piece of intelligence to hinder Iwagakure's actions.

That intelligence was likely the very scroll Uchiha Ci now held, detailing Iwagakure's movements.

This might have been the result of Jiraiya's initial investigations.

By handing this scroll to the faction-ridden Kirigakure, both the conservative and reformist factions of the Mist could not ignore the looming threat of Iwagakure's forces at Green Tide Reef.

What should have been a swift, revenge-driven blitzkrieg organized by Iwagakure's elite forces had now, under the manipulations of Orochimaru and Danzo, turned into a drawn-out battle.

And this move undoubtedly concealed even larger schemes in the making—ones capable of altering the outcome of the Third Shinobi World War!

Uchiha Ci's body trembled. His Sharingan involuntarily activated, a chill running down his spine.

What sort of plans could warrant handing over such crucial information to Kirigakure?

What was happening over in the Land of Rain?!

Nearby, Aburame Ryoma noticed Uchiha Ci's increasingly unsettling expression and froze.

"Hey, hey! Uchiha Ci! Uchiha Ci! Are you okay?"

"What's wrong with you?"

Ryoma waved a hand in front of Uchiha Ci's face, confusion and concern plastered all over his own.

"I... I'm fine! Let me think! Just let me think! Stop disturbing me!"

But Uchiha Ci seemed blind to the hand waving before him. His voice shifted from calm to urgent, and finally, to near panic. He almost cursed aloud.

His lips quivered as he stared intently at the scroll, his mind racing to deduce what might happen next.

How would Konoha respond? What would Orochimaru do? What about Danzo or Sarutobi Hiruzen?

At this point in time, what exactly were they plotting?

But he couldn't figure it out.

He absolutely couldn't piece it together!

His actions had influenced the decisions of key figures from the original story, and their reactions, in turn, disrupted his plans.

It was a fair trade-off.

But now—the future had become unpredictable.

With the information he currently possessed, Uchiha Ci couldn't foresee where the world was headed.

This realization made him gasp for air, his eyes wide open as the two tomoe in his Sharingan spun wildly.

His breathing grew erratic, his throat feeling as though a bomb was lodged there, threatening to detonate at any moment.

It felt as if an invisible hand of fate had reached out and clenched his undying heart, squeezing it ruthlessly!

An overwhelming sense of dread, despair, and powerlessness consumed him.

"How... how is this possible?!"

Uchiha Ci staggered backward, his trembling hands still clutching the scroll.

His pupils filled with terror, and sweat poured down his face. The spinning tomoe in his Sharingan desperately tried to evolve into a third tomoe or even a more intricate design.

But it was futile.

Despite his heightened emotions, his ocular power was insufficient, his body too weak, and his reserves too low.

It had been only five days since his Sharingan awakened to two tomoe, and it couldn't bear the strain of a further evolution.

Lost in chaotic thoughts, Uchiha Ci stumbled back several steps.

Even the chakra in his feet failed to stabilize him.

Splash!

One misstep plunged his foot into the water, and his body lost balance. He was about to fall in.

Yet at that moment of helplessness and despair, when everything felt beyond his control, a clear, melodious voice rang beside his ear.

"Are you okay?"

A pair of pale, delicate arms slid under his knees and back, catching him mid-fall in a perfect princess carry.

Uchiha Ci's overtaxed mind suddenly felt as though it had landed on a soft, warm cloud.

The chaotic tangle of thoughts was swept away by an even more primal force, instantly clearing his head.

He raised his eyes to meet a pair of bright green irises—clear, radiant, and tinged with stubborn determination.

They resembled the most beautiful emeralds in the world, capable of momentarily banishing all worries.

Uchiha Ci's eyes widened as he instinctively adjusted his viewing angle.

In the next second, the emerald gaze turned stormy with annoyance.

"Idiot! Where do you think you're leaning?!"

Splash!

A burst of water erupted.

In that instant, the scene brimmed with youthful energy and unrestrained joy.