Chapter 1: Seizing Kamui

At the border of the Land of Fire.

The warfront between Konohagakure and Kirigakure.

The land lay scarred and broken, littered with bloodstains, shattered kunai, and shuriken. Wisps of smoke still rose from the recent battle. Near the edge of the battlefield, a few teenage shinobi were whispering among themselves.

"I heard they still haven't found Rin Nohara, the Yellow Flash's student. She's been missing for days."

"First Obito Uchiha sacrifices himself, and now it looks like another one of his students is in trouble too…"

Leaning against a tree, Uchiha Akira idly listened to their chatter. He knew all too well—this was a scheme orchestrated by Madara Uchiha to push Obito into darkness and awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan.

As a transmigrator, Akira was well aware this event had nothing to do with him. After a moment's rest, he dusted off his clothes and headed back toward his camp within the forest.

Uchiha Akira was 17, a transmigrator with a three-tomoe Sharingan. He was a Chunin skilled in Fire, Wind, and Lightning Release, as well as Uchiha-style taijutsu and medical ninjutsu. He had arrived in this world, during the peak of the Third Shinobi War. His predecessor's final memory was of witnessing a friend's death, triggering his Sharingan's evolution to three-tomoe right before a fierce clash with a Kirigakure jonin left him fatally wounded.

Now not only had Akira fully inherited his predecessor's abilities, he had also refined and expanded upon them, including advanced ninjutsu and a deeper mastery of medical ninjutsu through the Sharingan.

Though the war was winding down, its intensity still burned in certain key regions. For many figures who would one day shape the shinobi world—such as Obito and Nagato—this year would leave lasting impacts on their psyches. But for Akira, these affairs didn't matter. He neither had the power nor the interest to intervene.

Lacking any cheat-like powers or system, Akira's sole focus was survival. After experiencing death once, he now deeply cherished the preciousness of life.

This front, where Konoha clashed with Kirigakure, was on the eastern border of the Land of Fire. Among the forces here, the Uchiha and Hyuga clans were prominent, backed by other minor shinobi clans and civilian ninjas.

As Akira returned to his camp, he heard a firm set of footsteps approaching. Turning, he saw Uchiha Fugaku, dressed in his jonin vest, walking toward him.

Akira's heart sank, instinct told him this would not be a simple visit. Fugaku had earned a fearsome reputation on the battlefield as the "Wicked Eye," his strength ranking among Konoha's elite. Here, he was one of the high commanders. He was also Akira's mentor, having offered him guidance over the past year. Fugaku's presence here could only mean he had a task in mind.

"Clan leader," Akira greeted, trying to mask his apprehension.

Fugaku nodded, fixing his gaze on Akira. "Akira, there's something I need you to take care of."

Suppressing a sigh, Akira nodded. "Please, tell me, Clan Leader."

"We've discovered traces of Rin Nohara and Kakashi Hatake," Fugaku explained, his tone somber. "They're being hunted by a large force of Kirigakure ANBU. This level of mobilization over one medic-ninja doesn't make sense. I want you to investigate what's going on."

Akira's heart sank. This mission was perilous, the Kirigakure unit chasing them could easily number in the hundreds. If he were discovered and surrounded, he'd face serious risks.

"It's a simple investigation," Fugaku added, as if sensing Akira's hesitation. "We can't spare many people right now. You're one of the few with the skills for this."

Akira knew there was no way out of this assignment. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"Understood, Clan Leader. I'll handle it."

Accepting was inevitable, but he could decide how far to go. He'd already resolved to simply scout the outskirts and avoid deeper involvement.

Fugaku gave a satisfied nod. "I know this mission is dangerous, but our clan needs leverage for negotiations with the higher-ups. Your efforts will help our cause."

With a serious look, Fugaku held out a scroll. "This is the ultimate genjutsu of our Uchiha clan. A forbidden jutsu—Izanagi."

"Izanaagi?" Akira echoed, feigning ignorance.

He knew well what this forbidden Uchiha technique entailed. It was the ultimate genjutsu, triggered at the cost of the Sharingan, allowing the user to rewrite reality itself—turning misfortune into nothingness and transforming favorable outcomes into reality.

"It represents the glory of our clan," Fugaku said with a hint of pride. After giving Akira the details of the mission location, Fugaku turned and left, returning to his duties as commander.

Akira scanned the scroll, swiftly memorizing the Izanagi. With the correct hand seals, he could activate it—an invaluable insurance for his mission.

Once outside Konoha's camp, Akira deliberately slowed his pace. Rin's capture by Kirigakure was all part of Madara's plot to drive Obito to darkness. He'd be a fool to arrive too early and end up in the crossfire with an enraged Obito.

"If I could avoid running into anyone, that'd be ideal," he thought.

He wanted nothing more than to keep his head down. Just being a member of the Uchiha clan was dangerous enough. He didn't need more trouble.

But life had other plans. As soon as he entered the mission area, he stumbled upon a gruesome scene.

The ground was torn apart, corpses lying everywhere in chaotic disarray, as if crushed by overwhelming force.

"Victims of Kamui combined with Wood Release… this is terrifying," he muttered, surveying the scene. Kirigakure's ANBU numbers were even greater than he'd anticipated.

In the center of the battlefield, Akira spotted Kakashi, silver hair streaked with blood, lying unconscious.

An idea stirred within him. "This might be my one and only chance to obtain a Mangekyo Sharingan…"

Awakening the Mangekyo varied in difficulty by individual, and Akira knew his chances were slim.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi… but I'll borrow this eye for a while. I'll return it someday."

Akira crouched beside Kakashi, using medical ninjutsu to place him in a deep sleep before carefully removing Kakashi's left eye. Gritting his teeth, Akira extracted his own left eye and transplanted Obito's Sharingan into his own socket.

With both hands glowing green with healing chakra, he quickly stabilized the wounds and completed the eye swap in a matter of minutes.