After taking Saiki's punch, Qiangquan Uchiha was out cold.
When Saiki's gaze shifted toward him, Kei Uchiha instinctively scrambled back two steps. He hadn't expected Saiki to be this formidable.
Kei had always assumed Saiki was only popular at school because of his looks and the shallow adoration of the girls.
But now, seeing a Chunin incapacitated by two simple punches, he was terrified.
Saiki studied Kei for a moment. Seeing no sign of a transmigrator's "knowing" shock, he lost all interest in the boy.
The next time Saiki would hear about him, the boy would be another name on the casualty list of the Third Great Ninja War.
In the distance, Qiangquan lay with his eyes rolled back, foam bubbling from his mouth. He was covered in scrapes and dust—a truly broken sight.
If there hadn't been witnesses, people might have assumed Saiki had done something unspeakable to him.
As Saiki pondered how to handle the fallout, he was enveloped in a warm, motherly embrace.
"Saiki, are you alright?" Nono'u hugged him tightly and rubbed his head before pulling back to inspect him with worry.
Despite being a Root operative who walked in the darkness, Nono'u's heart was filled with genuine love for children.
As she held him, Saiki could feel the immense, hidden curves beneath her nun's habit. Though she was shorter than Kushina, her "magnitude" was far greater—comparable even to Genhai's mother, Reimi. However, looking into her worried eyes, Saiki found it difficult to harbor any perverted thoughts.
"That guy was a lightweight. I'm perfectly fine," Saiki reassured her with a smile.
"Whoa! Big Brother Saiki won!"
"So cool!"
The orphans erupted in cheers. Usually, when ninja visited, they were arrogant and demanding. Seeing Qiangquan crushed by Saiki was the highlight of their year.
Saiki wore a confident smirk, but Nono'u looked genuinely angry. "Why were you so impulsive? What if you had been hurt?"
She knew he was strong, but he had just faced a two-tomoe Uchiha. Even as a Chunin, an Uchiha was notoriously more dangerous than standard Jonin because of their eyes.
The Sharingan's dynamic vision, copy ability, and genjutsu ensured they had no real weaknesses in combat.
Their genjutsu, in particular, was famous throughout the world.
If Nono'u had been the one fighting, she never would have dared to lock eyes with Qiangquan. Even a basic Uchiha illusion could paralyze a target for a lethal second.
Unfortunately for Qiangquan, he had faced Saiki. Saiki was functionally immune to Genjutsu.
The Pre-natal Qi he cultivated daily from natural energy and celestial essence acted as a constant internal anchor. Saiki had already tested it against Tsunade's A-rank illusions; as long as that Qi was circulating, his chakra flow couldn't be disturbed by external forces.
Qiangquan had banked everything on that moment of eye contact, assuming Saiki was trapped. He was wrong.
Most Uchiha were arrogant to a fault, especially those who had awakened their eyes. They had absolute faith in their bloodline.
That arrogance had cost Qiangquan everything. Facing an opponent who was already naturally stronger, his overconfidence led to an instant knockout.
Seeing Nono'u's rare anger, Saiki comforted her, "Sister Director, unless the guy is a Kage, he's not going to touch me."
Having seen his display of Lightning Style and raw chakra, Nono'u knew Saiki was telling the truth. He was already stronger than she was. Still, she insisted, "Even so, you cannot be careless. You shouldn't be picking fights with people like that."
Faced with her motherly nagging, Saiki could only nod obediently.
"I understand, Sister Director."
Knowing he probably wasn't really taking it to heart, Nono'u sighed inwardly, thinking: The boy has truly grown up. She turned her attention to the unconscious Qiangquan and the trembling Kei.
The situation was politically messy. Major clans taking children from orphanages was a silent agreement in the village. Even many Anbu were raised this way.
Danzo and Orochimaru's experiments, and the Wood Style cell transplants, only happened because Hiruzen Sarutobi turned a blind eye.
Danzo was powerful, but Hiruzen was the Hokage; there was no way he was entirely in the dark.
In the original story, Orochimaru's experiments were common knowledge in the village for a long time before Hiruzen finally decided to act.
Even then, he let Orochimaru escape and only sent Kakashi to "pursue" him. Kakashi was an elite Jonin, but Orochimaru was a Sannin at the peak of his power. It was a calculated move.
Essentially, the orphanage was a source of "dirty work" personnel, and the village leadership accepted this.
Because Nono'u was a member of Root, the orphanage had some protection under Danzo.
Even so, Nono'u couldn't refuse Danzo himself. Kabuto Yakushi, one of the masterminds of the Fourth War, only turned "black" because of Danzo's manipulation of Nono'u.
Now that the Uchiha had been humiliated by Saiki, the situation was escalating.
If the Uchiha complained to Danzo, things would get interesting.
However, most of the blame would fall on Saiki. With Tsunade backing him, it remained to be seen how the Uchiha would react.
Saiki wasn't afraid, just annoyed by the paperwork. After all, the only Uchiha currently worth his time was Fugaku Uchiha.
Anyone else would need a squad of ten elite Jonin to take him down, and the Uchiha didn't have many of those to spare.
Nono'u, however, was terrified for him. Saiki at least had Tsunade; Nono'u only had the untrustworthy Danzo.
The orphanage was remote, without a single patrol ninja in sight. Saiki wished there was an Anbu around to report the incident to Hiruzen and get it over with.
Eventually, Saiki let Kei drag the unconscious Qiangquan away.
After a quiet dinner at the orphanage, Saiki prepared to leave. Nono'u pulled him aside for one last warning.
Her gentle face was clouded with worry. "Saiki... when you get back, you must tell Lady Tsunade and the Hokage everything. Don't get involved in this anymore, do you hear me?"
In response, Saiki reached out and took her hand—the one she had used to caress his face—and spoke with absolute seriousness, "Sister Yakushi, please trust me. Do NOT go to Danzo to handle this. I don't want you under his thumb anymore. Your safety matters to me more than my own. I promise I will resolve this perfectly."
Feeling his firm grip and seeing the resolve on his young face, Nono'u offered a small, knowing smile. "Fine. I understand. But you must tell the Hokage and Tsunade."
In this timeline, because of Saiki, Nono'u had established contact with Tsunade and Hiruzen much earlier. She was already beginning to slip out of Danzo's total control. The ties were still there, but she was in a much better position than in the original world.
After several more minutes of mutual worrying, Saiki finally left the orphanage.
Inside the Uchiha Estate.
"Useless! You can't even handle a simple task? You've disgraced the name of the Uchiha!"
The current head of the clan was not yet Fugaku Uchiha; he wouldn't take the position for another two years, though his influence was already massive.
The person currently berating Qiangquan and Kei was an Uchiha Elder.
Under the Elder's fury, Qiangquan kept his head low. "My deepest apologies, Elder. I was careless. Give me one more chance, and I will reclaim our honor."
Fueled by humiliation and hatred, Qiangquan's two-tomoe eyes were spinning with unnatural intensity.
The Elder ignored him, turning to a ninja in the corner. "What did the investigation find?"
"Reporting, Elder: the boy's name is Saiki Shiroya. His Academy graduation scores were average. He is a war orphan, but he currently resides in the estate of the Senju Princess."
The Elder, a man in his sixties with deep, piercing eyes, narrowed his gaze.
"Tsunade..." he whispered.
A suffocating silence filled the room. Kei felt like he couldn't even draw a breath.
After a long pause, the Elder spoke. "Leave. This matter is not finished."
Once they were gone, the Elder stared out at the night sky, muttering to himself, "Senju... Sarutobi... the glory of the Uchiha will be reclaimed one day."
When Saiki returned home, Tsunade was still out. He had no intention of telling Hiruzen; he knew the old fox wouldn't actually solve the problem for him, and Saiki didn't want to owe the Hokage any more favors.
Power was the only thing that mattered. After greeting Shizune, he went straight to his room to train.
This was Konoha; even the Uchiha wouldn't dare strike at him inside the village for now.
Several days later, at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.
Skirmishes between the Leaf and the Cloud had become a daily occurrence. The Third Great Ninja War had officially begun.
Inside a hidden base, Danzo Shimura stood before a table with a map of the Land of Fire spread across it.
Recently, he had personally engaged Cloud forces multiple times. His response to their probes had been brutal—total extermination, no survivors.
"Hiruzen... the war has started, and yet you remain soft. Still trying to delay the inevitable with Chunin Exams. In times like these, a preemptive strike is the only logical path."
As Danzo cursed the Hokage's perceived incompetence, a Root operative suddenly materialized at his side.