Naruto: Eating Kaido's Azure Dragon Devil Fruit-Chapter 314: The Changing Heart

The frontline camp where Konoha and Kirigakure were in a standoff during the Third Great Ninja War.

The thousand-meter-long Azure Dragon transformed by Sora retracted most of its oppressive aura, but its massive size and immense dragon pressure still felt like a physical presence.

Even before it got close, it made the ninjas within the camp feel a sense of dread and panic.

"What... what is that?!"

"A monster! Is it a new summoning creature from Kirigakure?"

"Alert! Full alert for all personnel!"

The camp instantly erupted into commotion. Countless figures flickered, nervously looking up at the colossal green dragon that blotted out the sky.

However, when Sora’s sensing ability swept across the entire camp, he couldn’t help but feel something was off.

Within his sensing range, almost everyone belonged to the Uchiha clan!

As for the Hyuga clan Byakugan ninjas who should have been stationed here for coordinated defense, specifically to counter Kirigakure’s ninjutsu, there wasn’t a single one!

’Just as I thought...’

Sora understood clearly in his heart.

Uchiha Madara’s move of using a Perfect Susanoo to kidnap Kitsuchi had an immediate and dramatic effect.

The Konoha higher-ups’ suspicion and wariness of the Uchiha clan were now completely unconcealed.

During this critical period of electing the Fourth Hokage, dispatching the main force of the Uchiha clan to this distant frontline, far from the center of power.

It was euphemistically called garrison duty, but in reality, it was no different from exile and isolation.

They had even withdrawn the standard Byakugan reconnaissance unit. Were they afraid the Uchiha and Hyuga would join forces?

Or did they simply think the Uchiha weren’t worthy of being equipped with the best "eyes"?

What a pathetic and laughable political game.

As Sora’s thoughts raced, dozens of Uchiha ninjas had already assembled in the camp below.

Although fear was visible on their faces, they still activated their Sharingan. Their crimson eyes were fixed on the Azure Dragon in the sky. They tightly gripped their kunai and ninja tools, adopting defensive and offensive stances.

It had to be said, the Uchiha clan’s pride and combat discipline were truly ingrained in their bones.

But Sora had no time to deal with them now.

He lowered his huge dragon head, his gaze directly locking onto one specific direction. Uchiha Takumi!

"Roar!"

The Azure Dragon let out a low roar, serving as a greeting. Then, its massive dragon body began to emit a greenish glow, rapidly shrinking within the light.

As the light faded, Sora returned to his human form and landed on the ground.

Almost the moment he landed, a white figure rushed over from the distance. It was Shanjun, having shrunk to a size of about five meters.

The bloodstains from its recent battles were not yet completely dry, and a fierce murderous aura emanated from its entire body.

A little farther away, Tagitsuhime also arrived, winding her huge snake body and coiling up at a distance behind Sora, silently asserting her presence.

This combination of one man, one tiger, and one snake, carrying the intense aura of a recent deadly battle and slaughter, instantly subdued the entire scene.

Those Uchiha ninjas who had originally wanted to step forward and question him, sensing Shanjun’s undisguised ferocity and the faint but present dragon pressure from Sora, found that no one dared to approach for the moment.

Sora ignored these Uchiha. His gaze looked straight ahead at the entrance of a tent.

The figure of Uchiha Takumi, with his signature high-collared short sleeves, walked out. His face showed unconcealed shock. His eyes first swept over Shanjun and Tagitsuhime, finally settling on Sora.

"Sora? Just now, that was..."

"My Kekkei Genkai. I held back before."

Sora gave a simple explanation. Now was not the time for detailed explanations.

He quickly stepped forward, getting straight to the point.

"Takumi, I urgently need your help."

As he spoke, Sora carefully and gently laid Uesugi Min’s cold body flat on the ground.

Uesugi Min’s neck still bore that gruesome, fatal wound. Her face was as pale as paper, without a trace of vitality.

"She... took her own life, to avoid holding me back."

"I know your Mangekyo Sharingan possesses a healing ability. Can you... can you bring her back to life?"

A trace of hope shone in Sora’s eyes as he stared intently at Uchiha Takumi.

Uchiha Takumi looked at the lifeless girl on the ground, then at the bloodshot eyes of Sora. His brow furrowed tightly.

He knelt down. The Mangekyo Sharingan in his right eye involuntarily appeared. The complex pattern slowly rotated as he carefully perceived Uesugi Min’s condition.

After a moment, he shook his head.

"Sorry, Sora, I can’t do it."

"The ability of my right eye is called ’Time Scar Crossing’. It acts on a target that ’exists’, rewinding its state. But..."

He pointed at Uesugi Min.

"Right now, she can’t be called ’existing’. Her signs of life have completely vanished. Her soul has already left her body."

"My ocular power cannot act on... the dead. It cannot interfere in the realm of souls."

Actually, there was one more thing he didn’t say. His ocular power was almost depleted. The title "Shunshin Enma" wasn’t earned for nothing.

Although he had gone to see that stone tablet in the clan, it was already too late. Moreover, as one of the few strong individuals in the Uchiha clan currently, he sometimes had no choice but to use his Mangekyo’s power.

Although he had somewhat anticipated this outcome, hearing Uchiha Takumi state this conclusion firsthand still made Sora feel a suffocating wave of anguish.

His last hope was shattered.

Kurenai also shed tears, silently leaning against Sora.

Sora silently looked at Uesugi Min’s cold, sleeping face. In his mind, an option he had been deliberately suppressing and excluding involuntarily surfaced. The Rinnegan!

In the original story, the ’Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique’ used by Nagato through the Pain Deva Path was the ultimate forbidden jutsu capable of resurrecting the dead!

As long as the soul exists and the body is relatively well-preserved, it can completely resurrect the deceased!

This thought grew wildly in his heart.

Sora couldn’t help but cast his gaze again at Uchiha Takumi before him, and at Uchiha Ryota, who had run out from a nearby tent upon hearing the commotion, his face full of concern.

These two brothers, with their deep bond, coexisting extremism and protectiveness, were perfect candidates for achieving the Rinnegan!

If...

If, according to his initial dark thoughts, he meticulously schemed, encouraged them to awaken their eyes, then stole and fused them...

The Rinnegan was not an unreachable dream.

To resurrect Uesugi Min, would doing this... be worth it?

Sora’s heart was in intense conflict.

He looked at Uchiha Takumi’s Mangekyo eyes, which, though cold, held no malice toward him. He looked at Uchiha Ryota’s Sharingan, which had already evolved to three tomoe and was filled with concern.

He remembered the scene of Uchiha Takumi teaching him the Great Fireball Technique on the training ground.

He remembered his words. "My world is small. It can’t hold much. Ryota takes up most of it. The rest... I guess you can have a bit."

Using a "friend" like this... he couldn’t do it.

It went against his ninja way of following his heart!

’I really am... still a person with principles after all.’

Sora mocked himself inwardly with a bitter smile.

But his determination to resurrect Uesugi Min did not waver because of this.

’Not being able to use Takumi and Ryota doesn’t mean I can’t use other Uchiha.’

Sora’s eyes became firm again, even carrying a hint of coldness.

Within the Uchiha clan, there were plenty of extremists and schemers.

On the night of the Uchiha clan massacre in the original story, many Uchiha died.

Finding a suitable pair of Uchiha, with whom he had little connection, or who were already of questionable character, guiding them to awaken the Mangekyo, and then stealing them...

Although this still violated his inner principles and was filled with a sense of sin.

For Min, he was willing to bear this sin!

’At worst, after resurrecting Min, I can find a way to resurrect that pair of Uchiha as compensation.’

Sora found a reason for himself that sounded somewhat self-deceptive but made him feel slightly better.

His mind made up, the hesitation and pain in his eyes gradually gave way to a deep-seated resolve.

He carefully wrapped Uesugi Min’s remains with an air current, looked at Uchiha Takumi, and said,

"I understand. Thank you, Takumi."

Uchiha Takumi, observing Sora’s instantaneous emotional shift and the resolute determination deep in his eyes, had some thoughts, but he didn’t ask further. He simply nodded.

"Also."

Sora continued. "I just killed Danzo and Orochimaru at the Valley of the End. I have left Konoha."

Upon hearing this, not only Uchiha Takumi, but also Uchiha Ryota beside him, and the surrounding Uchiha ninjas who were eavesdropping, all had their expressions drastically change, gasping in shock!

Killed Danzo, the leader of Root?

Killed Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin?

And also defected from Konoha?!

This news was too shocking for them to process immediately.

Uchiha Takumi’s pupils contracted slightly as he looked deeply at Sora.

Connecting this with the awe-inspiring Azure Dragon form from earlier, and the obviously extraordinary summoning creatures by Sora’s side, he immediately understood.

The strength and secrets Sora had hidden were far deeper than he had imagined.

Uchiha Takumi looked at Sora, his tone still calm but seemingly carrying something else.

"Left, huh... I understand."

Seeing Uchiha Takumi’s reaction, Sora felt a slight stir in his heart.

It seemed the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the Konoha higher-ups had indeed deepened to a certain extent.

His status as a "missing-nin" here didn’t seem to be entirely a negative label.

However, he had no time to consider these matters now.

He needed to incorporate the originally unplanned "Rinnegan" into the "Kekkei Mora" project. The first step was. Finding suitable Uchiha candidates.

"I have matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave now."

Sora nodded to the Uchiha Takumi brothers, turned, and with Shanjun and Tagitsuhime, quickly left the camp.

To resurrect his cherished person, even if the path ahead was filled with thorns and sin, he would not hesitate.

His heart, from this moment on, had begun to change.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

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