Uchiha

The next day, the first ray of sunlight pierced the dark sky like a giant spear. Darkness receded like the tide, and light flooded the land.

Yemo had been too excited to sleep for a long time the previous night. By the time he fell asleep, it was already three or four in the morning, and he got up at five or six. He did not feel sleepy in the slightest. Running out in the light of dawn, he arrived at a training ground where there was hardly ever anyone around.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and a hazy gray light fell through the trees. Yemo sat cross-legged on a tree stump, his body completely still.

There were seven Chakra natures in total: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, yin, and yang. In theory, every ninja could train in all seven, but in practice, it was nearly impossible.

That was because everyone had one nature they were best suited to train in. People had limited energy and talent, making it difficult to master all seven natures at once, unless they were a one-of-a-kind genius.

Generally speaking, those at Jonin level had to master at least two Chakra natures. The stronger the ninja, the more transformations they mastered. However, every ninja devoted most of their energy to the Chakra Nature Transformation they were best at, using the others for support.

As a member of the Uzumaki Clan, Yemo undoubtedly possessed Yang Release Chakra nature, but whether he had Yin Release Chakra was unknown.

To train in Yin-Yang Release, possessing both yin and yang Chakra natures was the most basic requirement. If he could not even meet that condition, there was no need to speak of what came after. If that really were the case, it would be extremely awkward.

Fortunately, Yemo did not find himself in that awkward situation. Since he possessed Chakra of both yin and yang natures, he wasted no time and began training in Yin-Yang Release.

Several days passed like this. During that time, Yemo immersed himself completely in his Yin-Yang Release training. Shikaku and Inoichi had been right: Yemo truly was a genius, and not just when it came to using Ninjutsu.

In just a few short days, Yemo had gone from a complete novice who had never worked with yin or yang Chakra to someone capable of controlling the nature transformations of both.

Every morning, Yemo got up early to train. At dusk, he returned home beneath the rosy evening light to eat and rest, then went out to train again the next day and came back at night. That was how he had spent the past few days.

After training like this for several days, Yemo decided to give himself a break. Training required hard work, but it was also necessary to balance exertion with rest. Besides, he still had to go into the mountains to gather herbs.

So early that morning, Yemo left home with a bamboo basket on his back. By the time he reached the village exit, the sky was already bright.

Yemo had to go into the mountains outside the village to gather herbs, and to leave the village, he had to register at the guard post. At this time, Konoha was still under the Third Hokage's leadership, and security within the village was largely the responsibility of the Konoha Military Police Force-in other words, the Uchiha Clan.

Ever since its founding, the Konoha Military Police Force had been a department established specifically for the Uchiha Clan by the Second Hokage. By the Third Hokage's time, every member of the force belonged to the Uchiha Clan, and the force seemed to have become the clan's private property.

When Yemo arrived, the Konoha Military Police Force was changing shifts. Three officers wearing clothes bearing the Uchiha Clan Crest relieved the two on the night shift.

Every morning was the busiest time at the village gate. Many people left the village on business at this hour, so long lines had formed in front of the registration tables.

Once a person finished registering, they received a pass. They could then hand it to the Konoha Military Police Force guarding the gate, who would let them through.

Looking at the dozen or so arrogant Uchiha clansmen around him, Yemo thought, The Uchiha Clan's power has really reached the peak in Konoha right now. But no wonder the Konoha High Command schemed against the clan in the end, leading to its destruction. With so much power and so much arrogance, who else would the Konoha High Command go after?

Yemo had gotten up early today, and there were not many people ahead of him. Before long, it was his turn.

"Yemo Uzumaki. I'm going out to gather herbs and will be back in the evening!"

After giving his name, identity, and reason for leaving, Yemo waited for the registration to be completed.

In the meantime, Yemo took a good look at the Uchiha clansmen in front of him. All three had awakened their Sharingan, and not just at the first level. All of them had Futatsudomoe; none had Mitsudomoe.

The Sharingan was one of the three great Dōjutsu and a Kekkei Genkai in the bloodline of the Uchiha Clan, the finest clan in Konoha. Only some of its members could awaken it. The Sharingan was divided into One-Tomoe, Futatsudomoe, and Mitsudomoe; the more Tomoe it had, the stronger its abilities. Besides the Eye of Insight, which could see Chakra pathways and discern an opponent's every subtle movement and Hand Seal, and the Eye of Hypnotism, which could cast Genjutsu to control an opponent, it could also copy and see through Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu that were not Kekkei Genkai. Those abilities alone were enough to show how powerful the Sharingan was.

Not only that, if a Three-Tomoe Sharingan evolved further into a Mangekyō Sharingan, it was truly powerful. It could instantly grant someone Kage Level combat strength.

Although the Two-Tomoe Sharingan was only the second level, it was already extremely powerful. For instance, although none of these three had strength reaching Jonin level, each was more than capable of serving as a Special Jōnin.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan was extremely rare even in the Uchiha Clan, and its users ranked among the elite even among Jonin. As for the Mangekyō Sharingan, apart from Uchiha back then, other members of the Uchiha Clan had awakened it as well. Of course, that was only what was known publicly; whether anyone had done so in secret was unclear.

Yemo remembered that Uchiha Itachi had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at nineteen, and that there was also Shisui Uchiha, a genius even stronger than Uchiha Itachi, who had awakened it too. In addition, the Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Fu, had also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. He had never shown it, only revealing it when Uchiha Itachi made his move.

Of course, neither Uchiha Itachi nor Shisui Uchiha had been born yet at this point, but that did not prove that the Uchiha Clan currently had no powerful members with the Mangekyō Sharingan.

After all, at this time, the Uchiha Clan was at the peak of Konoha not only in power but also in strength. Who knew whether the clan had any powerful figures hidden away?

Before long, Yemo finished registering and received his pass. He went to the village gate, where the police officer guarding it examined the pass carefully before letting him leave.

A breeze brushed against Yemo's face as he passed through the village gate. A straight, broad road stretched out before Konoha, with dense, verdant forests on both sides. As the breeze blew through, the branches and leaves swayed vigorously, creaking and rustling.

Phew...

Letting out a soft breath, Yemo adjusted the herb basket on his back. He pushed off with both feet, and in a flash, he entered the dense forest beside the road. The place where he was going to gather herbs was rather far away. If he did not hurry, he might not make it back by dusk.