NOVEL WEB Chapter 156: Chapter 155: The Chosen One – Nagato
"Don't! Onii-chan Kaien is way too pretty for that!"
Uchiha Obito stubbornly refused to change how he addressed him.
"Kakashi, help fix Obito's misconceptions," Kaien said, grabbing the slightly trailing Hatake Kakashi by the collar.
Kaien had known Kakashi longer, and since the two boys were the same age, he figured Kakashi was the perfect person to knock some sense into Obito.
"I, uh..."
"Hmm?" Kaien's gaze turned dangerously sharp.
"Onii-san Kaien! Got it, Obito? It's onii-san Kaien!"
Kakashi blurted the words out under pressure from Kaien's intense stare.
There was no helping it—when it came to combat ability, Kakashi was honestly terrified of him.
Back when they'd fought together, Kaien's sheer strength made Kakashi feel utterly insignificant—as if he were just cannon fodder. It wasn't until he faced other shinobi that he realized he wasn't weak at all.
It was just those two—Kaien and Minato—were in a league of their own.
A massive indigo humanoid loomed from the earth, clashing with the crimson silhouette of the Nine-Tails. The shockwaves of their movements alone could blow away ordinary shinobi. That kind of overwhelming power... it was completely beyond human.
And that had just been a sparring match.
Only after the fact did Kakashi learn from his father the truth behind those two awe-inspiring forces.
The powers of the Uchiha and the Nine-Tails—two legendary legacies.
Kakashi still remembered Minato's humble words, despite the quiet confidence that lay beneath.
"Using full Tailed Beast Transformation is still a hassle. The Nine-Tails Chakra Mode is just more convenient. That massive negative emotion backlash... I usually have to sort through it after battle."
Like hell! How are you supposed to stay rational with all that negativity in your system?!
"Hey, little Kakashi. Spacing out again?"
"Ah—nothing! Here, this is my gift. You have to accept it, Kaien-onii-san!"
Snapping back to reality, Kakashi hastily presented his gift, hoping Kaien would go easy on him.
"Hmm... since you're being so sincere, I'll gladly accept."
Messing with kids like this... is kind of fun.
Or so Kaien thought.
...
Amegakure – Akatsuki Base
"Yahiko! Nagato! We made a lot on today's mission!"
Konan cheerfully pushed open the door to find the two inside, both sipping water.
"Yeah. Akatsuki's been growing fast," Yahiko said, visibly encouraged.
Over the years, they had gathered more members, and Akatsuki had begun to gain influence across Amegakure. Some of the villagers, upon hearing the group's name, even reacted with goodwill.
That, to them, was the greatest recognition of what Akatsuki stood for.
"At this rate, we really can save Amegakure! We'll make it a land that never cries again!"
"Mm."
One spoke with conviction. One quietly nodded. And another smiled, watching the two people who meant the most to him.
Nagato rarely said much. In recent years, Tsuki had practically vanished. Back then, she would still appear now and then to check in. But the more Akatsuki grew, the less often she came.
That made Nagato feel somewhat unsettled.
He hadn't slacked off in training and still believed Tsuki's words—that he possessed the Rinnegan, the eyes of the legendary Sage of Six Paths, and that he was destined to bring peace to the world.
But even gods have their limits.
He couldn't find any trace of Tsuki. All he could do was wait, hoping Tsuki would come to him again.
After the conversation ended, Nagato returned to his room.
The room was simply furnished, and the bed neatly made. He had followed Tsuki's advice faithfully: live with order.
Bored, Nagato lay down and closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to drift.
He wished that when he opened them again... the figure he longed for would be standing before him.
And then—almost as if the universe heard him—a strange chakra began to stir in the air before him, flickering with hesitation.
It was Asura's chakra.
After half a day's travel, it had finally reached this descendant—a bloodline of extraordinary potential.
Originally, Asura had intended to follow the faint remnants of his brother's chakra and pick the most talented descendant nearby to be his host.
But to his surprise... he couldn't get in.
That host had a natural resistance to genjutsu. Even stranger, he carried a trace of Indra's chakra.
Asura understood immediately.
Big brother didn't want me getting too close to that one.
With no other choice, he moved on, disheartened, and continued searching for the next promising host.
Unfortunately, the second candidate, though talented, wasn't an option either.
Why?
Because she was a girl.
If his brother ever found out he picked a female host, he'd never live it down. The mockery would last a lifetime.
So, Asura pressed on—and now, here he was, standing before a descendant that satisfied all conditions.
Not only did this one have the Rinnegan, but there was also a trace of Indra's chakra in him too. It made Asura feel an unexpected familiarity.
He made his choice.
Even though Nagato possessed the Rinnegan, he didn't notice the presence of this new chakra fusing with his own.
...
At first, Nagato had only meant to rest his eyes. But a deep drowsiness suddenly overcame him. He yawned heavily and drifted into sleep.
He figured maybe he'd just been pushing himself too hard. The exhaustion had finally caught up.
He remained unaware.
Unaware of the faint vitality blooming within his body.
The overwhelming burden of wielding the Rinnegan was now being slowly eased.
Asura's chakra began to resonate with the Rinnegan, and Nagato's body... was quietly starting to change.
...
Konoha – The Namikaze Residence
Tonight, Namikaze Minato was in high spirits. At Kaien's birthday party, he had received no shortage of praise himself.
More people were starting to acknowledge him, and the Will of Fire he upheld had burned even brighter.
But that wasn't what made him happiest tonight.
No, what truly made him happy was the fact that Kaien's dream hadn't changed at all. That only gave Minato more motivation to become Hokage.
"Once Minato becomes Hokage, he better give me a seat as Hokage Advisor!"
Kaien had said that today—loudly, proudly—right in front of half the Kage-level shinobi in Konoha.
Despite how powerful Kaien had become, he still held fast to the dream they once shared...
Just as Minato was soaking in that warmth of fulfillment...
His preset eye technique suddenly activated.
A pair of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan patterns bloomed across his once-bright blue eyes.
Minato's expression turned sharp.
Someone had triggered Kaien's sealing technique—
An unknown jutsu had just targeted him.
(T/N: I strongly recommend you to read my new fanfic "Starting From Being Adopted by the Second Hokage!"
Quite an interesting fanfic. What really caught my attention is that the protagonist becomes stronger through a gradual process — this is not a brainless power fantasy. It's the first time I've seen something like this, and I have to say, I'm satisfied.
The main character has a pretty unique background, he's an Uchiha who was adopted by Tobirama (which is already unusual) thanks to Hashirama. As you might've guessed, the story takes place in the early timeline of the Naruto world. He's in the same generation as Hiruzen, which is another plus.
The MC is talented and works hard, but his efforts only make him slightly stronger than Hiruzen (at least for the first 100 chapters). He also has a well-developed personality, he's not a madman, but he is ruthless toward his enemies. One particularly interesting aspect is that he uses poison, a very underrated element in the Naruto world. We know from canon that poison can be deadly even to powerful shinobi, yet it's mostly associated with Sunagakure and usually used against genin or chunin.
The only downside is that the fanfic gives more attention to cooking than necessary (the MC is apparently very impressive at it, and everyone praises his cooking). It's manageable for me, but still a bit much. There's even a whole chapter about it at the beginning. For readers who aren't into that, I noted at the top that the chapter focuses on cooking and can be skipped. Thankfully, after that, the fanfic doesn't dwell on it this much.)