Naruto: Uchiha Survivor Forced to Save the Shinobi World

The prodigious talent displayed by Uchiha Shinji wasn't lost on powerhouses like Tsunade or Jiraiya.

However.

First, Shinji was an Uchiha. The mysterious Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha in the Akatsuki made them instinctively wary of the clan.

Second, Shinji had yet to awaken his Sharingan.

For an Uchiha, no matter how exceptional their ninjutsu or taijutsu, it paled in comparison to their dojutsu.

This was why, despite Shinji consistently outperforming Sasuke in every metric at the ninja academy, even Kakashi favored Sasuke.

The Sharingan was what made the Uchiha feared!

An Uchiha without the Sharingan was, at best, just an ordinary shinobi skilled in Fire Release.

These two factors caused them to overlook Shinji.

Yet Shinji's recent string of feats forced them to reconsider whether they'd misjudged him.

If his earlier victory over Yakumo could be attributed to her inexperience with Wood Release, his defeat of the mysterious enemy was an undeniable achievement.

Now, as Koharu's disciple and part of the elder advisors' faction, there was a chance Shinji could become a rival to their faction's younger generation, which was hard to predict.

Jiraiya pulled back his thoughts, saying, "Let's focus on investigating the attacker first!"

Tsunade nodded.

Clearly, their priority was uncovering the attacker's identity and the motive behind assaulting the Hidden Leaf and abducting Neji.

Soon, several Anbu retrieved the body of Otsutsuki Toneri's lifelike puppet and brought it over.

After reassembling the puppet's head and body, Tsunade examined it, marveling, "Such exquisite craftsmanship! Compared to this, the puppets from the Hidden Sand Village are like shoddy toys."

Jiraiya, still frowning, asked, "But where's the puppeteer? Did they escape?"

Tsunade shook her head.

Neither she nor Jiraiya were puppet experts, so they'd need to take the puppet's remains back for the intelligence division to analyze.

Kakashi, returning from the battlefield where Shinji and Toneri fought, said, "I checked the battlefield. It's hard to imagine how Shinji won. That area…"

Jiraiya asked, "What about it?"

Kakashi replied, "Even now, the air is saturated with residual chakra. Casting jutsu in that zone would be heavily disrupted."

He glanced at the puppet's remains and asked, "Are those Byakugan in its eye sockets?"

Tsunade shook her head, "No, just white gemstones that resemble Byakugan."

"Decoration?"

Kakashi was puzzled.

Tsunade wasn't sure, "Maybe."

Unbeknownst to them, the white crystals in the puppet's eye sockets were special stones capable of channeling chakra. When Toneri's spiritual essence controlled the puppet, the crystals, infused with Tenseigan chakra, mimicked the Byakugan's effects.

After surveying the battlefield, Jiraiya and Tsunade left a few patrol teams behind, took the puppet's remains, and led the group back to the village.

In the Hokage's office, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and others reported the pursuit's outcome to the Third Hokage and the elder advisors.

Learning that Shinji alone defeated the mysterious enemy, even the seasoned Third couldn't hide his shock.

The elder advisors displayed varied reactions.

Danzo's face darkened, looking as if he'd swallowed a fly.

His intent to kill Shinji was no secret—he'd even sent Root shinobi to assassinate him. The enmity between them was irreconcilable.

Thus, the stronger Shinji became, the more precarious Danzo's position grew.

Homura glanced at Koharu, beginning to understand why his old colleague had spent her political capital to recruit Shinji.

Koharu remained composed, but inwardly, she felt a touch of pride.

The Third's recruits, like Kurama Yakumo and Uchiha Sasuke, had fallen to the mysterious enemy, yet her chosen disciple, Uchiha Shinji, had defeated it single-handedly.

This not only proved Shinji's strength but also validated her judgment.

Though she'd initially chosen Shinji out of necessity, reality had turned her reluctant decision into a stroke of genius.

The Third glanced at the elder advisors, suppressing his unease, and asked Tsunade and the others, "Have you identified the attacker?"

Tsunade shook her head, "Not yet. But their attempt to abduct Neji Hyuga suggests they were targeting the Hyuga clan!"

The Third nodded slightly, "Summon Hizashi!"

"Yes, sir!"

An Anbu at his side responded and vanished.

At the Hyuga main family estate.

Neji, now awake, said to Hizashi, "I'm sorry!"

Hizashi shook his head, "It's not your fault. I was careless. I never imagined the Otsutsuki branch family would be so bold as to infiltrate the village and launch an attack!"

Neji looked dejected.

He thought he'd made great progress recently, yet he was defeated in a single encounter by the mysterious Otsutsuki youth.

Whoosh!

An Anbu landed in the estate's courtyard, "Lord Hizashi, the Hokage summons you!"

Hizashi stood, "Understood!"

After the Anbu left, Neji asked worriedly, "Sir, is the Hokage summoning you because of this incident?"

Hizashi's face was full of concern, "Yes, summoning me now must be about the Otsutsuki branch family. They came for our Hyuga clan—there's no hiding it!"

Neji hesitated, "Then…"

Hizashi cut him off, "We can't tell the village yet. Otherwise, your collaboration with Akatsuki to reach the moon will come to light. You'd be punished for colluding with Akatsuki, and our Hyuga clan would fall under the village's suspicion!"

Neji feared punishment but was even more worried about the Otsutsuki branch family's apocalyptic plans, "What about their scheme? They're planning to destroy the entire shinobi world!"

Hizashi waved a hand, "Let me think, let me think…"

In Shinji's apartment.

After washing up, Shinji collapsed onto his bed, "Toneri took a hit this time. He probably won't dare attack the Hyuga clan so easily again, right?"

He sat up, musing, "But I can't always be on the defensive. I need a way to counter the Otsutsuki branch family!"

Having faced Toneri, he couldn't stop thinking about the massive Tenseigan on the moon. It was just too powerful, too captivating.