Chapter 25: One-Year Objective

"Damn..."

Although Akeno appeared calm, his mind was in total panic, ready to intervene at any moment. Just a few meters away, he could intercept any attack from Kaede if necessary. Izaya, standing next to Chikara, seemed to sense the mistake he had made and chose to step back a few paces just in case.

As tension rose for Akeno and Izaya, Chikara continued to smile, oblivious to the change in Kaede's expression. In the past few days, he had spent all his time with Izaya, a clan that was originally an enemy, and had somewhat forgotten the hatred and fear one could feel toward an opposing clan.

For Kaede, it was more a feeling of surprise than hatred or anger. Even though she had been beheaded and felt some anger toward the Uchiha clan, she sensed no malice from Chikara.

The typical Uchiha aura she had seen, cold and deadly, couldn't be perceived at all from Chikara. It was quite the opposite. In her perception, the aura she felt resembled more that of an Uzumaki than an Uchiha. Energetic, cheerful, and kind.

"...uh, I'm Kaede, Kaede Uzumaki. Nice to meet you too..." she replied, her mind elsewhere.

Kaede had immense sensitivity to auras and energies in her surroundings, and the new energy she could naturally feel in the air filled her with wild curiosity. But even though she could sense it, she couldn't assimilate or control it.

It was both an incredible and disturbing feeling. Especially since she could sense that Akeno was perfectly able to gather this energy into his body.

Upon Kaede's reaction, Akeno and Izaya couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Especially Akeno, who knew how Kaede had died and by whose hand.

Seeing the small group in front of him, Akeno couldn't help but feel proud. Of the six clans he could recruit, three were present before him. It was both a sense of accomplishment for his future plans and for his inner fanboy. Fifteen years in this world hadn't made Akeno forget his childhood reading Naruto and following the adventures of the young hero from Konoha.

Maybe one day he would meet in person the characters who had so enchanted him in his previous life. In any case, today, three children from the most powerful clans in the Naruto world were gathered before him, and he was proud of it.

Finally catching Izaya's gaze, who was silently waiting while looking at him, Akeno could read in him the urgent desire to know why they were here. It didn't take much intelligence to notice that Akeno was starting to form a small team made up of the most powerful clans in his world, and Izaya wanted to know more about Akeno's future plans.

Withdrawing his mind from his memories of yesteryear, Akeno stood up and, after making sure no one was listening behind the door, he turned to Kaede. "Kaede, can you isolate the room from the outside?"

As an Uzumaki, Kaede, who had received the best teachings from the clan, naturally had the ability to create a barrier around the small room to cut off any sound or perception from the outside.

After accepting the task assigned to her, she got to work. After about ten seconds of forming a series of hand seals, Kaede placed her hand on the floor, and several seals crawled to reach the walls and finally disappeared. Now, no one from outside the room could perceive or listen to the conversation of the small group.

"Now that we're sure not to be disturbed, Izaya, I see that you're dying to ask me a question, am I wrong?" Akeno asked, well aware of what Izaya was feeling.

At the age of ten, Izaya was eager to know what Akeno planned to do. Having lived here for a few days, it was enough for Izaya to understand in large part this world and the different levels of power that existed.

But one thing was certain: he understood the difficulty for cultivators to become more powerful. For normal cultivators, it took a few years to go from the stage of a mortal to the end of physical awakening, then 20 years from the beginning to the end of body forging, and finally 100 years of cultivation to pass through the bottleneck and hope to reach the beginning of the rebirth stage.

Those who reached this level were all people with great talents, where luck and resources could stand by their side. They were the main forces of the great sects and powerful organizations—the most potent force known in this world.

Under these conditions, Hope City, a remote town far from the major cities, didn't offer many opportunities for a bright future. One could even say it was quite the opposite. A corrupt city mayor, poverty of resources, and proximity to the Chaos Empire, where beastmen ruled with pure hatred for humans.

Izaya didn't understand Akeno's choices at all; he needed to know, to no longer move blindly, to understand what the group's goals were. Although he could have tried to live his life on his own, move away from Akeno and try his luck elsewhere, Izaya didn't even entertain that idea that crossed his mind.

Similarly, for Chikara, by agreeing to follow Akeno, they had agreed to follow him to the end as long as their morals were not violated. Trust had been born the moment Akeno saved them.

"I need to know where we're going. If I've understood one thing, it's that we're going to have to fight to get resources and opportunities," Izaya said. "So why come here, is that it?" Akeno continued. "It's simple, it was the safest choice."

Taking a pause, he continued, "You might believe that Hope City is dangerous, but I assure you that Glory City is even more so. Whether in the sect or in the city, the law of the jungle prevails more than anything else.

Stuck in the sect, I wouldn't be able to go further than what they decide for me, while in the city, the leading clans will never let anyone who could threaten them continue to live. Especially not someone with my ambition..."

Akeno's words echoed like a challenge thrown to the universe. While the children listened attentively, he seemed to get lost in a dream—a dream that had awakened the day he activated his system.

"The reason I saved and recruited you is because I sincerely believe in you. I want to give you a second chance; I don't want to reach the top of this world alone. I know the potential of your respective clans, your origins.

In a year, I'll have to return to Glory City to present my progress. Therefore, I leave us one year to become as powerful as possible. And in a year, you three, plus three others whom I will recruit soon, will become the patriarchs of your respective clans!"

In his dream, Akeno saw an army of Uchiha, Uzumaki, Hyuga, and many more gathered behind him, forming a force that no one could underestimate. Armies of Susanoo looking at the enemy with disdain.

If a mortal using Chakra could cut a mountain, then a cultivator with Chakra, who had evolved his body through cultivation, would be invincible.

With this power, Akeno was sure he could defend himself against any enemy, and with an army of members from different clans of the Naruto world, endowed with both Qi and Chakra, he was sure he could annihilate all enemies in his path.

Reach the pinnacle of the world.

Reach the summit of power.

Shape his legend!

"What do you mean patriarchs?" Izaya asked uncertainly.

Looking at the questioning looks of the three young ninjas, Akeno regained his composure, interrupting the wonderful vision of the great clans of the Naruto world gathered by his side.

"Izaya, do you remember when I saved you? You told me you wanted revenge, and I told you I was going to offer you an opportunity you hadn't even imagined. I'm not offering you revenge against your clan; I'm offering you revenge against your destiny.

You, born in the 'wrong' branch of the family, will become the true patriarch of the Hyuga clan!"

Turning his gaze to the other two, Akeno continued, "Likewise for you, you will become the leaders of your respective clans in this world. In a year, when you are strong enough and accustomed to this world, I will recruit some new members from your respective clans, and it will be up to you to instruct and train them. You will become the pillars and guides of your clans!"

A heavy silence settled in the small room. The gazes of the three young ninjas met, each trying to understand the extent of what Akeno had just said. Finally, Kaede broke the silence, her voice calm but determined: "...do you want to bring our clans to this world?"

"In part, yes. Those who, like you, have been eliminated by destiny. Together, we can all reach our greatest dreams."

Izaya, who was listening attentively, asked, "And how are we going to strengthen ourselves here in Hope City?"

Akeno, with a glint of determination in his eyes, replied, "That's where the adventure begins. In this world, cultivation is the key to power. We will learn, train, and raise our cultivation levels. Kaede, with your Uzumaki skills, you can be our expert in seals and barriers. Izaya, as a Hyuga, your mastery of the Byakugan will be valuable; you are the key for us to master both Qi and Chakra. Chikara, as an Uchiha, your mastery of the Sharingan is invaluable; perhaps you can copy the techniques of our opponents."

He paused before continuing, "I will teach you the arts of cultivation, and we will exploit all the opportunities that come our way. We will also search for treasures, artifacts, and knowledge that can strengthen us. The road won't be easy, but I believe in your potential and our ability to change destiny.

But for now, we need to figure out how to coexist Chakra and Qi!"